Best wired headphones under £100

A good wired pair under £100 sounds better than most wireless headphones at twice the price, never needs charging and plugs into a PC, console controller or audio interface. Open-back pairs sound wider but leak sound; closed-back pairs keep it in.

7 ranked · prices checked 15 October 2026

  1. Sony MDR-7506

    Best all-rounder

    1. Sony MDR-7506

    Studio monitor · Closed-back

    A studio standard for decades: closed-back, sold for monitoring and mixing, and good for games and music too. Closed-back means the people around you will not hear it.

    £79.95

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  2. Philips SHP9600

    Best open-back for gaming

    2. Philips SHP9600

    Open-back · 50mm

    Open-back with 50mm drivers, which gives a wider sense of space in games. Open-back leaks sound both ways, so it suits a quiet room, not a shared one.

    £76.54

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  3. Audio-Technica ATH-M40x

    Best for mixing

    3. Audio-Technica ATH-M40x

    Studio monitor · Closed-back

    Audio-Technica's professional monitor headphones, aimed at recording and mixing rather than bass-heavy fun. Just under the £100 cap.

    £93.75

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  4. AKG K361

    Best lightweight

    4. AKG K361

    Studio · Closed-back

    A closed-back studio pair the listing describes as lightweight, from AKG. One for long sessions.

    £88

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  5. Audio-Technica ATH-M20x

    Best budget closed-back

    5. Audio-Technica ATH-M20x

    Studio monitor · Closed-back

    The cheapest pair here from a big audio brand, at about £45. Closed-back, so it works in a shared room.

    £45

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  6. Samson SR850

    Best budget studio pair

    6. Samson SR850

    Studio · Over-ear

    A long-running budget studio pair for about £40. A sensible first step up from the headphones that came with your phone or console.

    £39.99

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  7. OneOdio Wired Over Ear Headphones

    Cheapest, no-name

    7. OneOdio Wired Over Ear Headphones

    Over-ear · 50mm

    The best seller in our search at about £24. OneOdio is a no-name brand and the listing leans on bass; buy it as a cheap spare or for a child, not as an upgrade.

    £23.99

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How we rank

Ordered by how well each sells in its Amazon UK category, what the listing confirms (refresh rate, panel, resolution, codecs), and price. We have not handled these products: the write-ups rest on what each listing states. Prices and stock are checked daily.

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