Quality Wireless Headphones at four different price points
The Budget Options – Basically $25
Quality headphones within the budget category are difficult to find on account of questionable durability or middling audio profiles. So if you're planning to stay under $25, it's best to go for headphones which give you the overall bang for your limited bucks.
Mpow Flame Price: $19.99 (Tk. 1,490)
The Mpow Flame is an in-ear headphone and it comes with IPX7 water resistance meaning that it can take a good dunking in 1 meter of water for thirty minutes. The battery life is impressive with 7 to 9 hours of playtime. The highs and mids come through very clearly on but the bass is however a little low on these headphones. The Mpow Flame is made for avid runners, sporting a flexible rubber grip above the earpiece for support, with all of the buttons fashioned on the earbuds.
Anker Soundbud Slim Price: $24.99 (Tk. 2,999)
The Anker Soundbud Slims sound solid when even comparing against the giants of the industry. It comes with IPX5 water resistance making it fully sweat resistant. The headphones come with Bluetooth 4.1 and a 7 hour battery life. While the Anker Soundbud Slims have a very minimal look to them, there is nothing minimal about the sound profile. There is a good amount of bass and the highs and mids are clean with minimal distortion. It is hard to recommend them to those who want to pair them with high intensity sports however. The headphones have the tiniest in-ear hooks which provide very minimal may support compared to the Mpow Flame's large over the ear hooks.
Budget Premiums – $50 to $100
A rather murky territory this one – goliaths like Sony, Sennheiser or Bose won't tread here nor will Chinese budget kings Meizu or Mpow. But there are a couple of great headphones to be had at this price point.
Skullcandy Crusher Price: $99.95 (Tk. 13,900)
Now the Skullcandy Crushers are infamous for the heavy bass sound profile, going as far as having a manual slider for bass on one of the earcups. The design of these headphones is very industrial with an all black look with a white model with gold earcups available as well. Skullcandy claims that the headphones have a battery life of 40 hours with 2.5 hours needed for a full charge. The bass is very noticeable on these headphones and do sometimes end up muddling up the overall texture as well. But these headphones are an acquired taste and they shine through with hip-hop or rap music.
Jaybird X3 Price: $89.00
One of the best Bluetooth headphones of 2016, the Jaybird X3 is still relevant if not more popular. The headphones feature a small rubber hook on each earbud which will provide you with a nice grip when you're out for a run. The Jaybird X3 has the distinct Jaybird sound – nothing sounds too overpowering and all the instrumentations sing out individually and the bass doesn't feel too heavy. Its biggest drawback is the proprietary charging dock which you can't ever lose or forget to bring with you on trips.
TaoTronics Bh22 Price: $68.99
The TaoTronics BH22 is very portable for a beefy pair of headphones. It has 25 hours of battery life and Bluetooth 4.0 on board. There is a little audio video desync sometimes, but nothing too noticeable. The sound is balanced with the bass being not too overpowering. The mids and highs don't have any searing effects to them either.
Budget with Benefits – $25 to $50
Once you cross the $25 threshold you'll start to notice how there are a lot of headphones which hit the right markers but with an added bonus, making them good for their price points. points.
Avantree Audition
Price: $44.99
This over-ear headphone has around 40 hours of battery life on a full charge. The Avantree Audition comes with a clear treble profile and a rich bass sound which doesn't muffle the other octaves. If wireless isn't your game then the headphones also have an input for a cable with 3.55mm headphone jack support.
Meizu Ep52
Price: $40.99 (Tk. 3,450)
The Meizu EP52 comes with magnetic earbuds where you can stop the music, hang up the phone call and initiate automatic shutdown after 5 minutes, just by bringing the earbuds together. It comes with aptX audio enhancement technology meaning that the sound quality will be very rich when compared to its competitors at this price point. The in-ear EP52 has a tiny clasp on top of the earbuds which can fit into your ear unobtrusively as opposed to the hooks on the Mpow Flame or Hussar Magicbuds. Its only downside would be the bulky volume controls and the unattractive neckband.
The True Premiums – $100 to $200
While the headphones listed above get the job done and have some quality of life features, headphones above a $100 are made for the purest of audiophiles. If you've got the money or the enthusiasm, then perhaps it's time you pair your new flagship smartphone with these headphones.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H4 Price: $199.00 (Tk. 26,500)
Now if you're looking for headphones in this price range, then you are already aware of the Sony WH-1000XM2 or Bose QC25 or QC35s. But it is definitely worth taking a look at Bang & Olufsen's Beoplay H4 because of its standout audio profiles. The H4's low end responses are tight as opposed the thumping feeling you get from most headphones. The vocals sound crisp and the overall sound is bright and balanced. And if you want to play around with the textures yourself, then you can do so from the Beoplay app for Android and iOS. It comes with four preset sound profiles and it will adjust the highs and mids accordingly. The headphones come with 19 hours of battery life. These headphones however don't come with a carrying case nor does it have Active Noise Cancellation like the Sony and Bose headphones.
Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC
Price: $179.95
The Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC's are one of the cheapest headphones out there to include Active Noise Cancelling. While the noise cancelling isn't as powerful as the ones you would find on other higher end headphones, the Sennheiser's can block out most environmental noise and drown out conversation or music playing in the background. It comes with 19 hours of battery life with Bluetooth and Noise cancellation activated. Another neat feature is that it features NFC, meaning that you can connect your smartphones via NFC.
*All prices listed are approximate and may vary.
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