Hello everyone! I’m Stephen from Nigeria’s leading phone engineering company, and today, I want to share my experience testing some of the best wireless headphones available for under $50. I initially set out to gift a friend a pair of earphones around that price, but I ended up spending over $300 to test the top six recommended headphones in that range. My goal was to find the best option for the price, and I did find it!
If you want the quick answer, the Soundcore Q20 is the best headphone here in terms of value for money. However, hold on before you rush to buy it, as there are some reasons why you might want to consider other options. I’ll share the overall best choice, the best value for money, and the one I personally would pick. Spoiler alert: it isn’t the Soundcore Q20.
Let’s start with the most comfortable pair of headphones. That title goes to the Skullcandy Hesh 2. The ear cups are incredibly comfortable, and the padding at the top feels sturdy. Unlike the Q20 from Anker, the Hesh 2 doesn’t clamp your head tightly over long periods. After using the Anker Soundcore Q20 for a while, you might feel like your head is being crushed! I really appreciate the build quality and the stitching on the ear cups of the Skullcandy Hesh 2. So, in terms of build quality, you can’t go wrong with these headphones.
However, despite being the most comfortable, the Hesh 2 has the worst audio quality among this group of headphones. Another downside is that it uses a micro USB connector, which feels outdated for a $50 headphone.
Now, let’s talk about the microphones on these headphones and which ones provide the best audio quality for phone calls. As expected with Bluetooth headphones, the microphone sound quality isn’t the best, but after testing them all, I found that the best audio comes from the Skullcandy Reef 2. The worst microphones are on the Sony 510s and the JBL headphones. Here’s the ranking from best to worst:
1. Skullcandy Reef 2
2. Sony 520s
3. Skullcandy Hesh 2
4. Anker Q20
5. JBL
6. Sony 510s
The Skullcandy models seem to perform well with their microphones. You can listen to the recordings I made using each headphone to hear the differences.
Now, the big question is: which is the best pair of headphones here? As I mentioned earlier, the Anker Soundcore Q20 is the headphone you should consider for the best value for money. Here’s why:
Starting with sound quality, the Q20 delivers the best audio from this group. It’s great for listening to various music genres, especially with its impressive bass for hip-hop. The large, soft ear cups provide excellent isolation from your surroundings, and it even features noise cancellation for a $50 pair of wireless headphones—something you won’t find on many others in this price range.
One feature I believe every pair of earphones should have is a wired connection option, allowing you to connect to a 3.5mm jack when the battery runs low. Anker includes this cord with the Q20. You also get an impressive playback time of 60 hours with noise cancellation turned off and 40 hours with it on. If you’re in a pinch, a quick 5-minute charge gives you about 5 hours of playback time, which is fantastic!
The Q20 has five buttons for controlling noise cancellation, power, volume, and playback. So, you have five buttons, a 5-minute charge for 5 hours of playback—it’s a battle of fives!
Now, like most tech devices, the Q20 has its downsides. It feels a bit bulky and has a tight clamping force compared to other headphones, except for the Hesh 2. It also uses a micro USB 2.0 connection, while other models here have USB-C, which I prefer.
So, which one would I personally choose? The issues I have with the Q20 are addressed in the Sony 520s. I liked them so much that I bought two pairs—one for myself and one as a gift for my friend. The only features you miss out on with the 520s are noise cancellation and the 3.5mm jack for wired connections.
These headphones are incredibly comfortable, lightweight, and don’t have the clamping force that the Q20 does. They offer a playback time of 50 hours and sound almost identical to the Q20. The Sony 520s are priced at $60, which is $10 more than the Q20, but I believe the comfort and sound quality make it worth it.
In summary, while the Anker Q20 offers the best value for money at $50, my personal pick would be the Sony 520s at $60. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to check out the links to all these headphones in the description box. Until next time, take care!
