By budget · updated Oct 2026

Best headphones for music under $500

6 headphones, ranked by how many real people recommend them (owners counted separately): 428 people across this tier. Bars are scaled to the most-recommended headphone on the whole site, so a short bar here means a short bar everywhere.

Sennheiser HD 650 tops this budget with 152 people recommending it; it sits at #1 of 31 on the whole site. The cheapest pair here is the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO at $200. In plain words: a headphone lands in this tier by its typical price when we checked, and the order is how many real people recommend it in public threads and comments, with owners counted separately. A high count means it is talked about and liked, not that a lab measured it. Each row lists what owners love and what they complain about, so read those before the price decides for you.