Headphones at Stiftung Warentest: The best ones cost less than 65 euros

38 models
Rich sound, great price: The best headphones at Warentest cost less than 65 euros

Good sound, noise cancellation, battery life: Stiftung Warentest has high standards when testing headphones. But they didn’t expect that the test winner would be a bargain.

The demands on Headphones go up. In addition to good sound, customers increasingly expect noise canceling and good runtime. In the current test, Stiftung Warentest brought 38 current models into the laboratory and put them through their paces. The astonishing realization: Even the best ones no longer have to be expensive.

Cheap devices can be at the forefront of both the 20 in-ear plugs and the 18 headband headphones. Even the current supreme discipline, active noise suppression, also known as noise canceling, can win one of the cheapest models in the test. Incidentally, the industry leader is only taking part indirectly: Because no new Airpods have been released for a long time, Apple is only represented in the test with two headphones from its subsidiary Beats.

Headphones at Warentest: The test winner is a real bargain

Samsung has put the most astonishing achievement on the floor: Even Warentest describes it Galaxy Buds FE as an “astonishingly affordable front runner”. And not without good reason: the plugs often cost less than 65 euros online. Nevertheless, they manage to do something that only Apple’s Airpods Pro of the second generation has recently achieved – and achieve a “very good” rating for both sound and noise cancellation. The wearing comfort is also good, but the running time of 6 hours 30 could be a little better. The overall rating of “good” (1.7) is the best given in the entire test.

This is annoying for the audio experts at Technics. Her EAH-AZ80 perform just as well – but cost 200 euros more. When it comes to sound and noise canceling, they are rated exactly as good as the Galaxy Buds, the running time is even a bit better at 7 hours 15, and the durability is also slightly higher. They just can’t quite keep up when it comes to wearing comfort and when used as a headset. The overall grade of “good” (1.7) and thus shared first place would certainly be a greater victory for Technics if the other test winner wasn’t so incredibly cheap. The Technics EAH-AZ80 is only available for around 255 euros.

It’s also cheap with a hanger

A similar picture emerges with the headband headphones: here, too, two models share first place, and here too one is significantly cheaper than the other. However, there are a few differences in more detail.

The best sound and also the best noise cancellation are available with these Bose Quietcomfort Headphones. Above all, the noble manufacturer can achieve silence: its models are the only ones with a headband that offer “very good” noise canceling – even though they were trumped by several in-ear devices in the test. But the Quiet Comfort Headphones are also at the forefront when it comes to sound and wearing comfort. The only drawback is the mediocre battery: at 26 hours 30, the running time is significantly below that of other ironing models. Otherwise, Bose would certainly have been satisfied with the overall rating of “good” (1.8) for its model, which is available from around 200 euros.

If it weren’t for the cheap competition: That JBL Tune 770NC gets the same overall rating – but at just under 100 euros it costs only half as much as the other test winner. The fact that it performs so well is mainly due to its battery: at 48 hours 30, it lasts significantly longer. That doesn’t mean he’s far behind in other respects – but at least he’s a little behind. Whether in terms of sound, noise canceling or wearing comfort: the JBL also performs well, but it is always a bit worse than the Bose model.

In the end, customers have to weigh up exactly what they want from the headphones – and what they are willing to pay for them.

The best Airpods in the test come from Beats

Anyone who would prefer Apple headphones because of the numerous advantages they have with other devices from the manufacturer will also receive a recommendation from Warentest: The Beats Studio Buds+ landed at the top of the test field with an overall rating of “good” (1.8) and were tied for second place when it came to plugs. Sound and noise canceling are almost as good as the test winners, and the wearing comfort is also good. With a running time of 8 hours 15, they even surpass the two front runners. It’s a shame: Unlike full-fledged Airpods, they don’t offer Apple’s H-chip, which allows numerous additional functions. But they are also fully compatible with Android devices. The price is around 145 euros.

You can find the complete test for a fee at test.de.

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