Best On Ear Headphones 2019: Best to Buy

Techtoyreviews has been preparing several buying guides to help you choose your next electronic devices. Of course, we could not forget the headphones. If you do not like the in-ear earphones that are inserted into the ear, here we list the best on ear headphones.

These headphones are more compact and lightweight than the over ear headphones (those that completely cover the ears). If you want something more discreet to go around listening to music on the street or while exercising, you will find in our guide the best options.

Best On Ear Headphones: Our Selection

Our list seeks to bring together more affordable models that only deliver good sound, as well as more robust models that bring more advanced noise canceling technologies and professional sound quality.

The models will be organized by price, but we will make clear the highlight of each and the advantages of investing in a more expensive model. As prices change frequently, the products listed will not always be sorted by price perfectly.

Sony MDRZX110

Want a cheap on-ear headset, but with a more modern design and good sound quality? The Sony MDRZX110 would be our nomination for just under $20.

This value does not expect high build quality. It is made entirely of plastic and its comfort level is not exemplary.

Its highlight is the sound part. Do you like stronger bass? This is the differential of the MDRZX110 in this price range. The bad thing is that the excess of bass ends up overlapping the treble, but the midrange is not affected.

Another problem with exaggerating the bass is that as you turn the volume up a lot, you will notice an above-average distortion. Soundproofing is not the best either, but sound leakage is one of the lowest of our guide models.

You can also buy it from Bhphotovideo.com.

JBL JR300

Looking for a headset to buy for your child? JBL JR300 is the best option. In addition to being colorful and of good build quality, its wire resists pulling well.

The highlight is the volume limiter, which prevents the phone from going over 85dB, which will prevent the child from having his hearing-impaired by listening to music at high volume for a long time.

In addition to coming in a variety of flashy color options, the headset also comes with some stickers for kids to use creativity and customize their headset for a unique look.

The JR300 is comfortable and delivers the familiar JBL sound quality. For the price you do not take sound superior to the cheaper models of the brand, the differential is even in the care for the little ones we mentioned.

You can also buy it from Bhphotovideo.com.

JBL T500

Want a nicer JBL option? At around just $30, it is possible to find the T500, which succeeds the acclaimed T450.

Do not confuse this with the Tune 500BT, which is wireless. The T500 features Pure Bass technology to feature enhanced bass is the cheapest option in our guide, but with better quality.

It comes with a dedicated button for use with voice assistants, either Siri on iOS or Google Assistant on Android.

Its quality is good for the price and it delivers above-average comfort compared to others in this price range. Soundproofing is better than the JR300 and also leaks less sound. If you are looking for a good headset and don’t want to pay much, the T500 would be our best indication.

You can also buy it from Bhphotovideo.com.

Sony XB550AP

A good alternative to the JBL T500 is the Sony XB500AP. It can be found in the same price range and delivers the same build quality, but with softer cushions.

Just like the JBL models and the MDR-ZX110 we cite, this one also has a big focus on bass, but its differential is on sub-bass, being more intense and accurate. The midrange and treble are also well represented, but this is not a well-balanced headphone if that’s what you’re looking for.

For those looking for a good headset for just under $50, the XB550AP is the best option, especially for electronic music addicts like dubstep.

You can also buy it from Bhphotovideo.com.

Koss Porta Pro

The Koss Porta Pro is a professional retro-styled headset. It is lighter than the other models in our guide and can be folded to take up little space, but ends up being more fragile than the others we listed.

The build quality is decent. It does not hold so firmly in the head, being more suitable for internal use. A cable is slightly thinner than expected for a product of this size, so be careful not to damage it.

As it is an open type headset, don’t expect strong bass. You may feel a bit of a bump in electronic music, but its highlight is the clarity of the voices.

It reproduces each instrument well, giving a good representation of their presence in the songs. Its distortion is low, even when the volume is turned up.

Perhaps the biggest problem is sound insulation and sound leakage, but this was expected in this type of headset. If you do not want to disturb those around you, it is better to choose another handset from our guide.

You can also buy it from Bhphotovideo.com.

Beats EP

Beats EP is a good on-ear headset option. It squeezes harder on the head than others on our guide, which can cause a bit of discomfort when using it for several hours, but it makes it good for activities as it won’t slip easily.

Its cable is the same as more expensive Apple headphones and has the same controls for answering calls and music. The sound quality is good, giving more emphasis to the midrange. Some may find the bass a bit muffled, but this headphone plays any kind of music without distortion.

Even though it’s tighter than others, it still lets in a lot of ambient noise and there is also an above-ideal audio leak.

The surprise comes with its in-cable microphone, which records very good sound quality and can even suppress the noise around it with some efficiency.

You can also buy it from Bhphotovideo.com.

Sennheiser PXC 550

On-ear headphones usually feature loud sound leaks, which will bother anyone who is black of you.

This model is very light but does not bring a good comfort. The problem is not so much in the cushions, but the headband that has little padded covering.

If you like a retro-style headphone and don’t like the Koss Porta Pro’s lack of bass, the PXC 550 on ear wireless headphones brings the bass with more sub-bass present without interfering with the other frequencies. On the other hand, its weak point is precisely in the treble, giving less clarity in the voices than Koss’s.

The soundproofing is decent thanks to the adaptive noise cancelling system, but the highlight is the low sound leakage, being the best of the models we listed.

You can also buy it from Bhphotovideo.com.

Audio-Technica ATH-M60x

We close our best on ear headphones list with the ATH-M60x headset. Audio-Technica is renowned for the high quality offered with its products and this headset is no exception.

Of course, you have to pay a very expensive price for it, being even saltier than many over-ear headphones, but this is the price to have a powerful sound and high comfort in a more compact model.

Its build quality is very good, following the brand standard. It is not suitable for physical activity, as it slides easily.

The sound delivery is well balanced with bass present and sub-bass just right. Even in electronic music, you will not feel the bass overlapping the other frequencies. It does not distort even when the volume is turned up.

Because it is not very tight on the head, it does not have good sound insulation. Also, the sound leak is above average.

You can also buy it from Bhphotovideo.com.