The cheap headphones and earbuds actually worth buying, as picked by audio experts who really tested them

• June 24, 2026

Here at TechRadar, we test dozens of pairs of headphones every year. And while we’ve been won over by many an ultra-pricey set of cans, we also love a cheap pair of headphones that punches above its price tag. This article is dedicated to showcasing these wallet-friendly wonders. I asked TechRadar’s audio specialists which headphones they’d recommend to buyers on a budget, and you’ll find their suggestions below.

If it’s true wireless in-ears you’re after, you’d struggle to do better than the Nothing Ear (a) buds, which Audio Editor Becky Scarrott awarded a perfect five stars, calling them “a resounding home run” for the British startup and praising the noise cancellation, sound quality and battery life in particular. In the current Amazon Prime Day deals, they’re unbeatable value at under $55 / £50.

In the over-ear arena, standouts are the CMF Pro and the 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51, both of which earned 4.5 stars in our tests. The former were put through their paces by Becky, who was impressed with the “superb” sound quality in general, and was pleasantly surprised to discover “the sort of… personal sound profile curation [we’re] more used to seeing in headphones much higher up the food chain”. The latter were reviewed by our review’s team’s resident headphone specialist Harry Padoan, who praised the “adept audio, noise-crushing ANC and eye-catching design”. Both are even better value than usual right now, too, thanks to those Prime (and rival-Prime) deals.

Read on for more budget-maximizing buys — and hit the ‘View details’ button for a summary of what we thought of them in our tests, plus links to the full reviews.

Top cheap earbuds and headphones

<aside data-block-type="embed" data-hawk-json="{"collection":{"blocks":[{"modelName":"Nothing Ear (a)","productName":"Ear (a)","productDescription":"

Read our full review","brand":"Nothing","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":100,"pros":["Fun, zealous, expansive sound ","Vastly improved active noise cancellation","Smaller, more pocketable case "],"cons":["No wireless charging support","No flagship sound profile curation"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"1More SonoFlow Pro HQ51","productName":"Sonoflow Pro HQ51","productDescription":"

Read our full review","brand":"1More ","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":90,"pros":["Customizable, satisfying sound","Effective ANC","Fantastic battery life"],"cons":["App situation is a bit messy","Button controls appear a little cheap","Build feels slightly flimsy"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"Huawei FreeArc","productName":"FreeArc","productDescription":"

Read our full review","brand":"Huawei","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":90,"pros":["Top-tier sound","Competitive price","Comfortable fit"],"cons":["App download pains","Middling battery life","Would benefit from ANC"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"CMF Headphone Pro","productName":"Headphone Pro","productDescription":"

Read our full review","brand":"CMF","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":90,"pros":["Excellent hearing tests; unexpected at the level","Emotive, circumaural sound","Exemplary battery life"],"cons":["ANC isn’t amazing","Energy slider feels a tad gimmicky","No hard carry case or USB-C charger in the box"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro","productName":"Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro","productDescription":"

Read our full review","brand":"Anker","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":90,"pros":["Strong noise cancellation","Rock-solid fit","Fun, bassy sound"],"cons":["Charging case on the bulky side","Could do with a discount","Touchscreen can be unresponsive"]},"label":"","image":{"copyright":"","height":1500,"id":"dStK7Yifna2zvudLk4FgRP","mimeType":"image\/jpeg","mos":"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/dStK7Yifna2zvudLk4FgRP.jpg","role":"","width":1200,"credit":"Amazon","alt":"Anker Liberty 5 Pro earbuds","caption":""},"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"Sony WH-CH720N headphones","productName":"WH-CH720","productDescription":"

Read our full review","brand":"Sony","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":80,"pros":["Great sound balance","Lots of detail in audio","Effective noise cancellation","Full of useful features"],"cons":["Sound feels constrained","Noise cancellation leaks in low sounds","Plastic feels a little cheap"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"OneOdio Focus A6","productName":"Focus A6","productDescription":"

Read our full review","brand":"OneOdio","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":90,"pros":["Sensational sound quality","Extensive software features","Comfy, quality construction"],"cons":["On-ear controls are a little sensitive","ANC is good rather than game-changing"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"JLab Go Pods ANC","productName":"Go Pods ANC","productDescription":"

Read our full review","brand":"JLab ","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":80,"pros":["Solid ANC","Lightweight build","Truly low price"],"cons":["Poor eartip fit","Lean battery life","Aggressive transparency mode"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false},{"modelName":"SoundPeats Clip 1","productName":"Clip1","productDescription":"

Read our full review","brand":"Soundpeats","price":null,"wasPrice":null,"currency":null,"review":{"rating":80,"pros":["Fantastic listening test","Comfortable build","Competitive value"],"cons":["Low max volume","Cheap-feeling case","Touch control issues"]},"label":"","image":null,"link":{"url":"","linkText":"","editorialMerchantName":""},"noAffiliateTracking":false}]}}” data-model-name=”Nothing Ear (a),1More SonoFlow Pro HQ51,Huawei FreeArc,CMF Headphone Pro,Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro,Sony WH-CH720N headphones,OneOdio Focus A6,JLab Go Pods ANC,SoundPeats Clip 1″ data-render-type=”fte” data-source-blocks=”featured-products” data-widget-type=”collection” class=”hawk-root”>

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.

Source

Here at TechRadar, we test dozens of pairs of headphones every year. And while we’ve been won over by many an ultra-pricey set of cans, we also love a cheap pair of headphones that punches above its price tag. This article is dedicated to showcasing these wallet-friendly wonders. I asked…