Best on-ear headphones 2024: wired and wireless, premium and budget (2024)

The best on-ear headphones are a good middle ground between in-ears and over-ears. They don't burrow in your ears like the former in a way that some people find too invasive, and they tend to be more portable (and less hot to wear) than the latter.

As the name suggests, these unburdensome designs perch on your ears rather than covering them completely, which is a look you might prefer or find more comfortable – especially if you want headphones as opposed to earbuds for exercise.

But with their portable, lightweight designs, you could use them for pretty any activity, whether it's commuting, working, sleeping or dedicated home listening.

While every headphone manufacturer used to have a pair or two of on-ear headphones in its line-up, fewer offer them today, with the focus on the larger, more enveloping over-ear headphones designs. Thankfully, prominent headphone brands such as Sony, Sennheiser, Grado and new-kid-on-the-block Austrian Audio are keeping on-ear headphones alive with a set or two in their arsenal.

Our expert reviews team has tested countless pairs, priding itself on having a strong context of the market, and below is our pick of the very best-value handful...

The quick list

The best on-ear headphones in 2024

Best overall

If you're looking for a pair of on-ear headphones for home use and can afford to spend around £300/$300/AU$450 on them, look no further.

The Prestige range of headphones has been at the core of Grado’s output since it was first introduced three decades ago. While the series has developed over the years, Grado has always done so in small evolutionary steps. The story remains the same for this new ‘x’ generation.

These wired headphones have always been detailed and articulate performers, and that hasn’t changed, but the ‘x’ generation sounds that bit more precise and insightful. They are the cleanest and clearest performers available at this price point, too.

These Grados once again prove that evolution is arguably a more reliable way of making things better than a headline-grabbing design revolution. Just be aware that these are open-backs and so leak a little sound in and out, hence their suitability for home, over street, use. And you'll get the most out of them pairing them with a DAC or decent audio source like a portable music player.

The best just got that bit better. Still What Hi-Fi? Award winners, then.

Read our full Grado SR325x review

Best cheap wireless

Sony's premium wireless headphones have dominated our What Hi-Fi? Awards in recent years, but the brand is increasingly targeting the budget end of the market. As the WH-CH520 show, a low price doesn't have to mean scrimping on specs – these on-ears pack an incredible 50 hours of battery life, which is the best of all the models in this list.

But there's a lot more to them than marathon battery life. The build, while a little plasticky, is solid enough to endure, and they're very comfortable (though as with any headphones at this price, they do start to heat your ears after a while).

They work with the standard Bluetooth codecs, and you can control them using Sony's superb app.

Sonically speaking, they're balanced, informative and enjoyable. True, they're not the most expressive at the low end, but the bass is solid, deep and properly controlled at the leading edges, which helps the WH-CH520 to express rhythms confidently. Midrange lacks a little clarity, but for the price it's informative and actually rather elegant. At the top of the frequency range, they balance brightness with substance well, so treble sounds have a little body to go along with their shine. There could be more detail, and dynamically they are a little inhibited, but given the price – and the battery life – we'll happily forgive them.

They have trumped our former favourites, the SennheiserHD 250BT, which are now hard to come by as they seemingly reach the end of their shelf life. You should know, too, that the over-ear siblings to these Sonys, the WH-CH720, are current What Hi-Fi? Award winners and add noise-cancelling to the mix for not much more money.

Read our full Sony WH-CH520 review

Best cheap wired

The SR80 have spawned many variants within the company’s Prestige Series in the three decades since launch, and the fact that they are still a part of theall-new Prestige X Seriesmakes them the longest-running Grado model. The all-new SR80x succeed the 2014-released, multi-What Hi-Fi?Award-winningSR80efrom the previous Prestige E Series – and are former award winners themselves.

Everything we like about their predecessors – their nimble-footedness, expressive, rolling dynamics, and insight across well-defined frequencies – has been inherited, and the punch and panache that have made the Prestige models such born entertainers are very much also part of the SR80x’s sonic signature. These are far from rich or even warm in tone, but an extra generous sprinkling of refinement this time round has made their forward, clinical presentation all the more palpable.

Grado hasn’t torn up its own rulebook and revolutionised its legendary headphones, because it hasn’t needed to. But the tweaks made to the SR80x have certainly added value in the right direction.

At this money, the SR80 model remains the finest budget on-ear headphones for home listening in the market.

Read our full Grado SR80x review

Best build quality

If you want traditional, wired on-ears that don't leak sound like the Grados above do, this Austrian Audio pair is your best bet.

Austrian Audio may not be the most interesting of names for a new hi-fi manufacturer, but the people behind it are ex-AKG employees and some of the most experienced in the industry. And that maturity shines through in its Hi-X50 on-ear headphones.

They're beautifully built, with an extensive use of metal in the headphone band. Add to that the folding hinges and mounting brackets, and you got a pair of cans that feel much sturdier and well built than their more plasticky rivals.

You can replace certain components too (like the headband cushioning and memory foam earpads), if they wear out due to wear and tear. This is not only great for the user, as it'll save a fortune on buying new headphones, but it's also better for the environment.

On the sound side, they do tend to favour analysis over enthusiasm, but it never tips over into unemotional or clinical territory. If you want to hear deep into the recording and track subtle instrumental strands, these cans do it better than almost anything else we’ve heard at this level (certainly if we stick to closed-back rivals).

If you’re looking for well-designed wired on-ear headphones for portable or domestic use, these Austrian Audios should be right at the top of your shortlist.

Read our full Austrian Audio Hi-X50 review

How to choose on-ear headphones

When choosing which of the best on-ear headphones is right for you, you'll want to ask yourself what features are important to you. Are Bluetooth wireless headphones a must? Do you want active noise cancellation too?Or are you after a pair of wired headphones that will deliver the absolute best performance possible for your budget?

Then there's the question of what style you are after. In the case of wired headphones, open-backed pairs deliver wonderfully open sounds, but they leak the music like nobody's business and are therefore often limited to at-home use only. Closed-backed pairs, however, don't leak sound much and are therefore more commute-friendly and won't annoy people around you.

You should also consider how portable you need a pair to be. Most – but not all – pairs can physically fold up to fit in a pocket or small bag, and some are so light you could forget you have them on you. We'd always suggest checking out the fit in a shop if you can – not least if you're looking for on-ear headphones to workout in.

How we test on-ear headphones

We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in London and Reading, where our team of experienced, in-house reviewers test the majority of hi-fi, audio and AV kit that passes through our door.

Of course, testing on-ear headphones doesn't often require such facilities. What is important in our headphones reviewing process is that each pair is a) used as they are intended, out and about or at home depending on their style and type, and b) compared to the best in its price and style class – whether that's one standout pair or a few we favour the highest among the 100+ pairs we listen to each year for reviews andWhat Hi-Fi?Awards judging.

As What Hi-Fi?is all about comparative testing, we keep class-leading products in our stockrooms so we can always compare new products to ones we know and love, allowing us to gauge how good a pair is in the context of the wider market.

We are always impartial and make sure we hear every product at its very best, so we'll try plenty of different types of music and give them plenty of listening time (and time to run in), while the wired headphones that might warrant being used with a DAC are tested with a suitable one. It's not just about sound quality, of course. If a pair has active noise cancellation, we'll ensure part of our testing involves using them in different environments.And comfort, battery life and portability are all considered too to help form overall ratings.

All review verdicts are agreed upon by the team rather than an individual reviewer to eliminate any personal preference and to make sure we're being as thorough as possible, too.What Hi-Fi?is proud to have delivered honest, unbiased reviews for decades.

You can read more abouthow we test and review products onWhat Hi-Fi?here.

FAQ

Useful links

• Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy
• Prefer over-ears? Here are the best over-ear headphones on the market
• And the best in-ear headphones for those after earbuds

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