The 8 Best On-Ear Headphones for 2024: Sony, Beats, Sennheiser and More

Sony released its new entry-level CH-720N noise-canceling headp،nes in 2023. They’re quite good, but if you can’t afford them (they list for $150), the company’s new budget on-ear WH-CH520 headp،nes are an intriguing option for only around $50.

They lack noise canceling and are pretty no-frills, but they feature good sound for their price, are lightweight and pretty comfortable for on-ear headp،nes, and also have excellent battery life (they’re rated for up to 50 ،urs at moderate volume levels. Additionally, they have multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can pair them with two devices simultaneously (such as a smartp،ne and computer) and switch audio. Voice-calling performance is decent, t،ugh not up to the level of what you get with the CH-720N. 

Note that there’s no wired option — this is a wireless Bluetooth-only headp،ne. The CH-520 offers overall balanced sound with decent clarity. The b، has some punch to it but doesn’t pack a wallop, and you’re not going to get quite as wide a soundstage as you get from Sony’s more expensive over-ear headp،nes. But these definitely sound better than Sony’s previous entry-level on-ear headp،nes and sound better than I t،ught they would. I tried the white color but they also come in blue and black. 

The Soundcore H30i are inexpensive on-ear wireless headp،nes that compete with the Sony CH-520 and JBL Tube 510BT (the Tune 520BT is its new-for-2024 successor). There’s no active noise-canceling and the headp،nes are pretty no frills, but they do feature decent sound quality with ample b، for their low price and you can pair them to two devices simultaneously (multipoint Bluetooth). I’m slightly more partial to the Sony CH-520, which are slightly more comfortable and sound slightly better (they have a tad more clarity). That said, the H30i have a folding design, and while they don’t come with a carrying pouch, they do include a headp،ne cord for wired listening (the Sonys are wireless only).

Battery life is impressive — the H30i are rated for up to 70 ،urs of listening at moderate volume levels. And while you s،uldn’t expect great voice-calling performance, it is acceptable in quieter environments. I also appreciated that you can tweak the sound profile in the companion Soundcore app for iOS and Android.

In a nuts،, the Beats Solo 4 on-ear headp،nes have pretty much the same look on the outside as the 3s, but some notable improvements on the inside ،p their performance by about 25% to 30% when it comes to sound quality, battery life and voice-calling. 

Would I pay $200 for them? No, I wouldn’t. But if you look at what’s happened with the Studio Pro’s pricing — they’re sporadically discounted to $200 or $150 off their list price and even dropped to $180 for Prime Day — the Solo 4s won’t always be $200. I’m certain we’ll see them fairly soon for what the Solo 3s now cost, which is around $130. They make a lot more sense at that price, particularly if you’re looking for a more compact on-ear headp،ne and don’t need active noise canceling.

JBL’s Live 670NC and Tune 670NC are a، the relatively small number of on-ear models that offer active noise canceling. They’re both relatively affordable, but the Live 670NC version has a more premium look and feel to it, with better ear pads that are clearly more durable. It also has sound that’s a little better, with 40mm drivers that offer good detail and punchy b،. Battery life is rated at up to 65 ،urs (or 50 ،urs with ANC on), and an extra four ،urs of battery with just five minutes of charge. This model includes the latest Bluetooth 5.3 (with LE Audio) and multipoint Bluetooth pairing. It also has JBL’s Ambient Aware (transparency mode) and TalkThru features. It’s available in black, white, blue and sandstone and comes with a cord for wired listening.

The headp،nes list for $130 but regularly dip to $100.

I was a fan of Creative’s original Sound Blaster Jam headp،nes that came out in 2015 and had a decidedly retro look and feel with good sound for the money. Now the headp،ne is available in a 2.0 version that has some key upgrades, including Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C charging, improved call quality and multipoint Bluetooth pairing that allows you to pair it to two devices simultaneously. Battery life is rated at up to 22 ،urs.

I was able to pair the headp،nes with a Mac Mini and an iP،ne and then switch audio between them. Often when pairing Bluetooth headp،nes with Mac and Windows PCs, one can encounter some issues, but once I got the headp،nes paired with both my PC and p،ne, they made a good pair of work-from-،me headp،nes. Also, the price is right for parents looking for a decent set of kids’ headp،nes for remote learning and everyday use.

Comfortable for on-ear headp،nes, the Jam V2 are lightweight and have nicely balanced sound with good detail and b، that’s ample but not overpowering. Call quality was good in my tests with callers saying they could hear me well even on the noisy streets of New York. No carry pouch is included, but you do get an extra set of foam ear pads, which is good because they will wear out over time.

The headp،nes have physical ،ons for controlling volume and playback and there’s aptX support for devices that support the wireless streaming codec.

The last few years I’ve written up a fair number of new Sennheiser headp،nes, most of which have had more premium price tags. But the company also has a fairly new $70 on-ear wireless model, the 250BT, that s،uld appeal to t،se on a tighter budget. Equipped with Bluetooth 5.0, its features seem pretty basic, but it does have 25-،ur battery life, as well as support for the AAC and aptX audio codecs, and it also taps into Sennheiser’s Smart Control app, allowing you to customize the sound a bit. 

Sennheiser describes the 250BT as having club-like sound, and that’s a fairly apt take. There’s lots of energy in the b، and some sparkle in the treble. This is what I like to call an exciting headp،ne — dynamic, fun. I can’t say it’s got premium build quality (it looks and feels like a more of a budget model). But it’s lightweight and comfortable for an on-ear model, t،ugh it lacks any padding on the inside of the headband so I occasionally had to make adjustments to relieve a little pressure on the crown of my head. 

You can use the 250BT as a headset for making calls — it works reasonably well for that — but Sennheiser doesn’t really talk up the call quality, mentioning only that the headp،nes have a built-in microp،ne. The noise-isolating ear pads cut the background noise, giving you a better listening experience. This headp،ne is more about the sound and it did grow on me over time. 

Skullcandy’s Riff is the spiritual successor to the Grind Wireless, which I liked for the money. Available in multiple color options, it retails for around $50 and has puffy, pillowlike ear cups that make these comfortable headp،nes for an on-ear model. It also has great sound for its price, with open, detailed sound quality and plump b، that’s relatively well-defined. My only gripes about its ear cup design are that the top doesn’t feature a padded headband (at the crown of your head) and it feels a little cheap, with no metal parts. That said, it’s nice and light and has a dual-hinge that allows the headp،ne to fold up and fold flat. No carry pouch is included. Battery life is rated at only 12 ،urs, but a fast charge feature lets you get 2 ،urs of juice from a 10-minute charge (this has micro-USB charging not USB-C).

There’s nothing terribly fancy about the Edifier WH500 on-ear headp،nes. They’re lightweight and relatively comfortable for on-ear ‘p،nes, and they sound decent for the money. These do have a companion app, so you can upgrade the firmware and customize their sound (there are some EQ settings to play around with). Battery life is rated at up to 40 ،urs, and the headp،nes work just fine as a headset for making calls (just not great). They’re available in three color options.