Over ear headphones at times get overlooked these days, with everyone going smaller and lighter with earbuds. While they are perfect for active lifestyles, over ear headphones have slimmed down too. They also offer a unique sound that just can’t be achieved with smaller ear buds.
Shopping for wireless over ear headphones can seem like a tough task when first starting out. A simple search online brings up a ton of brand names first, but after that, it can be difficult to figure out what options provide great value.
I recently wanted to buy a pair of wireless over ear headphones that were reliable and affordable. I wasn’t interested in spending hundreds of dollars on headphones I wanted to use for work and for exercise. That’s why I did my own research, trying out some of the highest rated wireless over ear headphones on the market. Here are the three I tried that I like best,
Mpow H5
To start with, I present to you the cheapest option out of the three best over ear headphones I tried out. The Mpow H5 packs a lot into an affordable package to make them one of the most popular brands online.
Design/Usability: 6/10
I hate starting off so negatively, but I’m just not the biggest fan of the design. They don’t look as sharp as the other two reviewed in this article, and the colors just seem too dull. They aren’t ugly, but I don’t want these to look like the price. They make up for the design in other areas I tough on below, but if style is a huge priority for you, the Mpow H5 might not be best.
Using these and setting them up are easy. Right out of the box, mine had a full charge and were ready to go. It just took a few seconds to pair them with my device and I was ready to go. Controls are pretty standard on the headphones if you’ve used any other over ear headphones. If you haven’t, it just take a little bit of time to remember where the buttons are, but all in all it’s an easy experience.
I am a huge fan of having the ability to connect to two devices at a time, but sometimes that feature isn’t available on cheaper headphone options. The Mpow H5 allowed me to jump back and forth from my computer to my cell phone without a single issue.
The carrying pouch is a nice touch, but I wish the headphones came with a hard case like some of the other options. I just feel more comfortable with a hard case and being able to throw them in a bag on the way out of the house without worry. Online, a hard case from Mpow runs about $12.99.
Sound: 9/10
An audiophile might not be blown away with the sound on the Mpow H5, but those are usually not the people trying to shop for headphones under $100. They don’t do anything too fancy, but the sound is crisp, I don’t hear any type of hissing and they work with noise cancelling off or on.
Speaking of noise canceling, I was very surprised to not only see it available for just over $50, but for it to be good as well. These won’t be as great at blocking out annoying sounds as say, $500 options, but they do a great job tackling car engines, crowd noise and more during the day.
The only thing about the sound that stood out to me a little is the lack of quality bass. Everything else sounds as it should, and the sound stage is actually perfect in my opinion. You can tell that the company put a lot of effort into making these headphones perform as well as any on the market in their price range.
Comfort: 9/10
The ear cups and the headband are very soft and lightweight, which makes these headphones fell great all day long. I may not be a fan of how they look, but they get the job done from a comfort standpoint. It was easy to make adjustments on the fly (sometimes I’m wearing a hat), and I never felt any type of fatigue on my ears.
Online, a few people with bigger heads did complain that the band didn’t work so well for their head size. Make sure to try them out with free returns if you fit into that category.
Battery: 8/10
Maybe I received a less than perfect set of headphones, but I am not getting 25 hours of battery life out of my Mpow H5. They are usually needing a charge in the 15-20 hour range. That’s still great, but ideally I want my wireless over ear headphones to last two days even during heavy usage days.
The lack of a super long lasting battery is fine because it does charge quickly. In about 90 minutes, I charged my dead headphones and they were back to 100%. It’s hard to beat that, and even a few minutes of being plugged in can get the Mpow H5s up and running again.
Value: 10/10
Shopping for wireless over ear headphones on a budget is tough, because buying a few that don’t work out tends to be frustrating and costly. I tried a few in this price range that I’m not even going to mention because they did not work out well and were returned immediately. The Mpow H5 headphones stood out from the beginning to me after I heard quality sound instantly.
This is really all you can ask for with quality sound and comfort. If they looked a little better design wise, I would think these are the perfect budget over ear headphone options for those people on the go. There is a reason why these are one of the best selling options on Amazon right now, and for just over $50, it is hard to go wrong.
Skullcandy Hesh 3 Bluetooth Wireless Headphones
Out of the three brands, most people will probably recognize Skullcandy the most. The brand has been around for a while, but I actually never tried a pair of their headphones until giving the Skullcandy Hesh 3 Bluetooth Wireless headphones. Let’s just say, I probably slept on this company for a little.
Design/Usability: 7/10
It was hard to miss some of the Skullcandy headphones in the past. They had flashy colors, a big logo and to me, just looked cheap. They have toned things down a bit, and that it turn made me give them a chance. These headphones look and feel like great quality at first glance, but I do worry a little about the long term durability of so much plastic. I understand using glossy plastic is a great way to keep cost down, but I just hope they aren’t breaking down after standard use any time soon. I find myself trying to baby them a bit, which is not what I really wanted to do with headphones under $100. I wanted to not fear beating these around a bit.
Skullycandy made a bit of a puzzling decision by not including a case or a pouch to carry these headphones around. Not only do they help keep headphones looking new, but it’s another branding opportunity for companies. These headphones do come with an aux cable though if you want to plug the headphones in and turn them into wired headphones.
Setup and the controls are simple, straightforward and easy. I had no issues setting the headphones up (most companies have this completely figured out now. There were quite a few complaints that the Skullcandy Hesh 2 wireless headphones had a huge blue light that flashed whenever in use, and thankfully they reduced that greatly, because that’s one small but extremely annoying issue I don’t want to have on headphones.
Sound: 9/10
The build quality might not look absolutely amazing to me, but they make up for it with sound. I did not notice any difference whatsoever between the Skullcandy Hesh 3 Bluetooth Wireless Headphones and premium options from Bose, Beats, Sony and more. There is no noise cancelling with these headphones, but they seal the ear well and have a great range of frequency. Bass was very strong and clear at all volumes, and I did not notice any issues with the headphones handling my unique range of music.
Sound quality did not stop at music, as they worked flawlessly when trying to make a phone call. I could hear calls very clearly, and I actually received some feedback that I sounded clearer than usual over the microphone.
Comfort: 8/10
Thanks to memory foam ear cushions, my ears felt best wearing these out of the three I am reviewing in this article. I never once felt discomfort with my ears. I was not the biggest fan of the headband, mainly because I felt just a little bit more bulk compared to the other two options. It wasn’t a major difference, but enough for me to point it out. Maybe I did not play around with the fit enough, and I could have alleviated some of the problem in that way.
Battery: 10/10
I did not try the previous version of these headphones, but one of the biggest improvements is the battery life. Before, they were getting about 12-15 hours of use before needing charged. That is one long day of use, or two days of use during work. They now have found a way to get it to 22 hours, which is a huge plus. It also takes 10 minutes to get a four hour charge if the battery warning comes on at a bad time. Simply put, long batter life and rapid charging is a must for me these days, and Skullcandy comes through in a big way.
Value: 9/10
The list price for these originally were over the $100 limit, but now they sit right around $80 depending on the color. I think that puts them at just the right price for great value. The build quality feels a little cheap, even though brand new the headphones look really nice. I just hope that in a few months I won’t have to replaced scratched up or broken headphones because there was too much plastic on these. Sound quality is hard to match for this low price, which is why I still recommend them as a great option in this price range.
COWIN E7 Pro
There has been considerable buzz surrounding the COWIN E7 Pro online, so I was interesting in seeing if they were worth the price. They aren’t super affordable by any means, but still cheap enough that I felt comfortable giving them a try.
Design/Usability: 9/10
The look of these headphones are very sharp. To me, they look like professional headphones that could cost much, much more. They seem to be built as well as they look too, as you won’t find cheap parts on the COWN E7 Pro.
I’ve only had this happen twice so far, but Bluetooth connectivity drops occasionally. It does not seem quite as sharp compared to the competition. The headphones also have an issue at times trying to connect to a different device than the one I want to. These are very minor things but still frustrating.
All headphones come with a case, an aux cord and a charging cord. The case is good enough and stylish enough that I plan on using it instead of trying to find a better option. That alone is going to help me save at least $20 compared to some of the competition.
Sound: 8/10
The sound on these headphones is very solid overall. It’s a pleasant experience with a great sound stage and perfect mids and highs. The driver on these headphones are great, avoiding that sound no one likes on the high end. Noise canceling really helps bring out the best with these headphones because you can eliminate so much sound around you. These won’t block out every single sound and let you completely escape the world, but noise canceling does work how it should.
Yes, noise cancelling works well, although I notice just a bit too much white noise during quiet parts of a song or a podcast. On other noise canceling headphones, I’ve never noticed something so pronounced like this, so that is something to take in consideration. There is also the option to turn off noise canceling in certain situations.
Some people might think I’m crazy to say this, but the headphones almost have too much bass. If that’s what you are looking for, these are great. I just feel at times the sound can be overwhelmed with bass, but I’m not someone who is a huge fan of that thumping sound in songs that don’t have strong bass.
Comfort: 10/10
I was able to wear the COWIN E7 Pro for a few workdays in a row without any issues. I also wore them during a workout. I am more of an in-ear headphones guy when working out, but they worked well and felt good in both settings.
The company recommends on their website that a person should remove the headphones about once every three hours. That is a pretty general recommendation, but honestly, I probably do that anyway with headphones that are not that comfortable. These are comfortable enough that I don’t feel forced to rest my ears at any point.
Headband and ear cup adjustments are simple enough, and I really appreciate the flexibility of the swiveling ear cups. Not only do they help fit each type of ear just the right way, but it makes storage very easy as well.
Very quick movements would sometimes hurt the bluetooth connectivity, but comfort remained great. Just don’t bop your head around too much if you want to stay connected.
Battery: 9/10
On a full charge, you can get up to 30 hours of playtime with the COWIN E7 Pro. I find this convenient since that means the average person will only have to charge 1-2 times a week. I take a point off just because they don’t seem to recharge as quickly as the other options in this article, but the long battery life hopefully means that not too many people are stuck looking for some very quick juice. A full charge takes about four hours, so plan accordingly.
Value: 9/10
These are the most expensive over ear headphones in this review, so they must be the highest quality, right? I believe so. They have active noise canceling, the longest battery life and the most durable build. Some might be initially scared off by the brand, but there are a ton of reviews online that also sing the praises of these headphones. The company is making a name for itself without spending millions on advertising.
Proud University of Colorado graduate. Proud former spelling bee regional finalist. Most importantly, proud son, brother and uncle.