The best headphones for students

Something for every student.
By Rudie Obias , Dylan Haas , and Matt Ford  on 
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Overview

Best For Bass

Sony WH-XB910N

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Best For Carrying Around

1More Triple Driver In-Ear

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Best For Battery

JBL Live 460NC

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Best For Style

Beats Flex

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Best For Outdoors

H2O Audio

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Best For Halls

GRADO SR80x

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Best For Noise Cancellation

Sony WH-1000XM5

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See 2 More

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

A decent set of headphones are a must-have item for any student — for leisure and as a study tool. A good pair of headphones can help you to focus on studying or writing an essay, because they can block out background noise and distractions. They can also help you unwind from a hard day of studying with an audiobook, movie, or playlist.

Great headphones can be really expensive, but you don’t have to use up your entire loan. There are excellent options available at a great price. And let’s be honest: being broke is pretty synonymous with being a student. Every penny counts.

It’s not as simple as just buying the cheapest pair you see on Amazon. In fact, that’s a fast track to buying a pair that will need replacing just a few months down the line. To help you along, here’s some need-to-know information.

How much do headphones cost?

This is the key question for anyone — students included — looking to save money where they can. Headphones can easily cost hundreds of pounds. That’s for top end headphones from the likes of Sony, Apple, and Sennheiser.

But — see below — it’s possible to get good headphones for around £100 or less.

What headphone features are important for students?

Headphone specifications can get really hi-tech, especially if you’re spending a lot of cash. But there are some features that will suit the workload and lifestyles or everyday students, such as noise cancellation and multi-point pairing.

What is noise cancellation?

This is an increasingly popular feature that helps block out external noise, giving you an immersive listening experience. It works by using mini microphones within the earcups. These microphones detect external sounds and create anti-noise sound waves to cancel out incoming noise. This feature is especially good for students who are studying hard and need to block out distractions.

What is multi-point pairing?

This is a cool Bluetooth feature that will suit the device-heavy student lifestyle. It allows you to connect your headphones to two or more devices, meaning you can switch to listening from your smartphone to your laptop to tablet without the hassle of having to manually change your Bluetooth settings.

What’s best, over-ear or in-ear headphones?

If good sound is important, you'll want to be sure you buy the right style. Ultimately, it comes down to personal choice. Some people prefer the old school-feel of over-ear headphones. Others like in-ear buds that drill tunes directly into their head.

Over-ear headphones tend to have higher-quality sound and often have beefed-up features and tech capabilities, but if you’re carrying them around on campus, the bulkier design might be less convenient.

Earbuds are more compact and portable and will better suit anyone who’s moving from place to place with a bag full of books and devices. If you spend time between classes working out, earbuds tend be better for fitness, too.

What are the best headphones for students?

That has to be your decision — it’s all down to personal choice and what works for your lifestyle and study needs. But we’ve helped narrow down your choices down with this selection of headphones. With these recommendations, you can save your money and spend it on more important things for school — like textbooks, laptops, and, of course, pot noodles for late night study sessions. 

These are the best headphones for students in 2024.

The Sony WH-XB910N don’t just give you bass, they give you extra bass. Which for bass heads, will be thumping, deep, resonating sound delivered directly to the ears. But — despite what the song says — it’s not all about the bass. You get much more: an all-round package of sound, features, and comfort from Sony, the best-known audio tech manufacturer in the world.

Features include 30 hours of battery (more than enough to get through long revision sessions), adaptive noise cancelling that reacts to surroundings, and the controls at your literal fingertips, thanks to touch panel ear cups.

There are more powerful, better sounding Sony headphones available, but at this more student-friendly price point, these are hard to outperform.  

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The Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones from 1More were designed for the clearest and brightest audio quality at a fraction of the usual price.

Sound engineer and music producer Luca Bignardi finely tuned these in-ear headphones to deliver a precise and accurate audio experience. Each earpiece contains three audio drivers for balanced and deep bass and dynamic tones in a lightweight presentation that’s comfortable to wear for a long period of time. Even the wires are impressive with their "twine-like" look and texture. 

Students will love these in-ear headphones for their sound, style, and compact size, while parents will love them because they are available for under £100.

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No list of great but affordable headphones would be complete without a pair of JBLs. In this case, the JBL Live 460 NC headphones.

The increasingly popular JBL excels at this mid-level range — hard-wearing, solid-sounding headphones that give you more bang(ing tunes) for your buck than you’d expect at this price. And if you’re a student in busy halls, or you just need to shut off the outside world to knuckle down with revision, these have very good noise cancellation.

The noise cancellation isn’t just active, it’s adaptive. This means that the ANC reacts to external sound and offers different modes. But the best thing is that these last an incredible 50 hours. If you're so busy you forget to charge, no worries!

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Beats are known for their high fashion appeal, as well as cutting-edge technology and great audio. Now, Beats come packed with Apple tech — in this case the W1 chip — creating an unparalleled audio and style combo.

The Beats Flex are, beneath all the brand hype, pleasingly simple. The wired design gives you some extra support around the neck, while being both flexible (as the name suggests) and durable. Magnetic buds keep them held together, so you won’t have to untangle the wire every time you dig them out of your pocket.

The 12-hour battery can’t beat over-ear headphones, but it’s competitive in this style. Other features make up for it. You can share your tunes with any other Beats headphones, while the W1 chip pairs with iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks.

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Accidentally dropping a pair of headphones in a pool, or getting them wet during a downpour between classes is definitely not ideal. You're already soaking wet and now your headphones are dead. However, there is a solution with these waterproof earphones from H2O Audio.

For a relatively low price, you'll receive a great pair that are IPX8 rated for 100% waterproofing in heavy sweat, rain, and complete submersion for up to 12 feet of water.

They also come with five high quality earplug tips for you to find the perfect seal for your unique ear shape. The pair was designed to fit comfortably, yet snugly in your ears for long periods of time, so you should feel good about wearing them during a workout or swimming session.

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There are some advantages to closed-back headphones, such as noise cancellation and immersive sound, but open-backed headphones offer a more authentic, organic sound. Open-back headphones make it sound like the band is playing in the same room as you, not just pumping into your ears.

For a great pair of open-backed headphones, we recommend the GRADO SR80x. The Brooklyn-based Grado really know their stuff and they're highly rated among audio purists.

For mid-level headphones, these create a truly relaxed experience. You won't just listen to the music, you'll feel it too. The Grado SR80x deliver warm tones with full-bodied vocals and smooth and dynamic sound.  

These headphones were designed for beginner and advanced audiophiles alike, so you really can't go wrong if you're looking for natural-sounding tunes.

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 Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones

Sony WH-1000XM5

Best For Noise Cancellation

If you’re feeling flush, or that student loan is burning a hole in your rucksack, the Sony WH-1000XM5 is a premium set of headphones — and at a premium price. But they’re packed with features that will really suit the student lifestyle.

For starters, these headphones have the best noise cancellation in the business. If you have noisy halls of residence, or you just need to shut the world out to get some revision done, these headphones really come in handy. The noise cancellation is adaptive too, reacting to your surroundings 700 times per second. They also have multipoint pairing, so if your dorm is filled with devices, these can pair with two at once.

It’s also worth mentioning, of course, that they sound absolutely superb.

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Topics Apple Beats Bose

author photo
Dylan Haas
Lead Shopping Reporter

Dylan Haas is a Lead Shopping Reporter for Mashable, where he covers all things gaming, pets, fitness, sleep, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day. Before joining the team at Mashable, Dylan received a B.A. in Communications from Pace University and contributed to publications like Paste Magazine, Bandsintown, and others following a brief stint as a marketing and management assistant in the music industry.

When he's not writing or testing products, you can find Dylan playing lots of video games, working out, spending time with loved ones (especially his dog, Stevie), or watching reality TV. Follow him on X at @iamdylanhaas, or send him an email at [email protected].

Mashable Image
Matt Ford

Matt Ford is a freelance contributor to Mashable.


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