These are the reviewer's picks for headphones with a retail price between $100 and $150. They are listed with the pros and cons, MSRP, Amazon price and recent selling price on eBay for a brand new unit [it's always cheaper to buy used or refurbished but I want to show the price comparison for buying new]
Some of them are in-the-ear earphones, or earbuds. There is conflicting opinion about the effectiveness of the noise-cancelling quality in these designs. Some reviewers have said that they provide superior performance, some disagree and maintain that the over-the-ear headphones are the only way to effectively block outside noise.
Then there is the question of comfort. If you don't like having earplugs in your ear, then this may not be noise-cancelling product for you. The manufacturers have gone out of their way with the noise-cancelling earphones. Since it's hard to get a perfect fit and one size does not fit all, some earphones come with sets of ear tips so that you can choose whichever fits you the best.
Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7
MSRP: $220
New on eBay: $117.50
Amazon Price
: $124.99Playlist had this unit as their #1 pick over the Bose twins since they thought it compares favorably with Bose at a lower price, hence making it better value for money.
- Good sound quality
- Good price and value for money
- Comfortable around-the-ear fit
- Sound quality is muffled when noise-cancelling is disabled
- Ear cups may not adequately cover larger ears
Panasonic RP-HC500
MSRP: $200
New on eBay: $105.55
Amazon Price
: $94.05Playlist rated this just behind the Audio-Technica in value for money.
Weighs 6oz and runs on 1AAA battery which the company says will give 40 hours of use time.
Pros:
- Very comfortable, similar to Audio-Technica but the earpads are larger
- Good sound quality
- Headband could be a bit tight on larger heads
- Sound quality is degraded when noise-cancelling switched off, but that seems par for the course on most noise-cancelling headphones
MSRP: $199
New on eBay: $75 [with warranty]
Amazon Price
: $149.99This over-the-ear unit received a 7.2 out of 10 rating from CNet [the Bose QC2 and 3 got an 8 out of 10 from them] and tied 3rd for noise-cancelling quality with the Sennheiser PXC300 on Seat Guru.
Pros:
- Good noise-cancelling
- Monitor button allows outside noise [saves you taking them on and off]
- Allows sound pass-through if battery dies
- Larger and heavier [10.2oz] than the Bose. May become uncomfortable after a long time
- Weak powered MP3 players didn't perform well with this unit
- Plastic creaks when you move your head around
MSRP: $199
New on eBay: $51.00
Amazon Price
: $94.85This headphones were placed first in the price category by Seat Guru.
Pros:
- Adequate noise-cancelling
- Lightweight
- Slight echo in headset
- No music pass-through if battery dies
JVC HA NC250
MSRP: $199.95
New on eBay: $75.00
Buy.com Price :$117.99 [not available on Amazon at the time of this post]
Photo links to Buy.com
These headphones were rated at 7.7 out of 10 by CNet Reviews.
Pros:
- Comfortable
- Good sound quality
- Headphones still work when noise-cancelling is disabled
- Cable is not long enough for non-portable use
Sony MDR NC22 [Earphones/Earbuds]
MSRP: $100
New on eBay: $50.00
Amazon Price
: $66.26
These earphones were recommended by PC Mag as a lower priced alternative to the more wallet-busting noise-cancellers.
Pros:
- Comfortable and secure fit
- Monitor button to allow outside noise in
- Can still listen to music with noise-cancellation disabled
- Has a low-level hiss when noise-cancelling feature is on
- Noise-cancelling circuitry has to be clipped to your clothing or it is left dangling
Skullcandy Proletariat
MSRP: $99.95
New on eBay: $50.00
Shop.com Price: $89.95
Amazon Price
: $69.99PC Mag rated these headphone as very good for the price (4 out of 5), although they were not that impressed with the feature that allows you to connect your cell phone to headphones.
Pros:
- Good sound quality and noise-cancelling
- Work well without power
- Comfortable
- Cell phone connection has some problems, e.g., if you have music on when using your cell phone, the other party can hear it.
