Top best on-ear headphones available today

Between two extremes, there's usually a middle ground. Between small and large is medium, and in the case of headphones, on-ear headphones exist between over-ear and in-ear headphones.

While similar to over-ear headphones in appearance, they fit to your head a little differently. Instead of enveloping your ears with a soft cushion, on-ear headphones create a light, breathable seal around your ear. Thus, the noise isolation is much less effective than in-ear or over-ear options but in exchange they breath a bit better than over-ears and sound better than in-ears.

On-ear headphones are also usually more portable than their over-ear brethren, and as such they appeal to travellers and the fitness crowd. Taking a walk or a jog around town is also safer, as you can hear traffic go by and be aware of potential hazards, and some find them more comfortable, too. 

That said, we've corralled our top-rated on-ear headphone reviews, so that you can do all your research and make a purchase in one place.

Here's our current Top 10 list, ordered by audio performance-to-price ratio:

1. Grado SR60e 
2. Urbanears Plattan II
3. Plantronics BackBeat Sense 
4. Noontec Zoro II Wireless 
5. Bowers and Wilkins P5 Series 2 
6. Samsung Level On Pro Wireless 
7. B&O Beoplay H2
8. Klipsch Reference On-Ear II 
9. Sennheiser Urbanite
10. Beats Solo 3 Wireless

Check out our favorite picks below – you're sure to find something for every budget and style requirement. 

Not sold on on-ears? Check out our guide to the best headphones of any type. Looking for something cheaper? Check out our best headphones deals page!

Grado SR60e

For your money, you can't do any better than Grado's SR60e. The third-generation of the Brooklyn, NY-based company's Prestige Series is its best and most refined yet. The SR60e in particular is a smart choice if you're looking for an entry-level set of headphones that sounds like it should cost you way more than it does. Its open-backed ear cup design makes them a more breathable experience than what most on-ear headphones can deliver. In a few words, it's our gold-standard when it comes to on-ears.

(Our review is for the SR60i, but the newer SR60e headphones are largely similar in design and performance)

While the original Plattan headphones were just fine, Urbanears wasn’t satisfied with being mediocre. The company took customer feedback to heart and addressed many complaints about comfort, sound quality and isolation. For the most part, Urbanears succeeded, making the headphone a great value buy. 

The ability to fold up the headphones into a small package make them easy to transport in your backpack or purse and Urbanears’ decision to go with a thicker ear pad means you’ll be able to listen for hours without painful pressure on your head. They may not have the best soundstage, but the Urbanears Plattan II are a great value for those looking for a fun sounding pair and stylish pair of headphones that won’t break the bank. 

Plantronics BackBeat Sense

Plantronics' BackBeat Sense is a home run on nearly all accounts. The design yields comfort and appeal. Its sound performance, battery life and features all deliver without a hitch. Usually, there are a few things that I'd like to see fixed in a set of headphones. In the case of the BackBeat Sense, we wish that the ear cups could fold into the headband to be ultra-portable ... but for a set of headphones that gets so much right, we can't nitpick. 

These cans are worth every penny for someone looking to leap for a classy-looking set of wireless headphones.You, like everyone else, probably wants a set of headphones that nails the tricky blend of design, useful features and incredible sound. You might think that you need to flush your savings to enjoy such a pair of cans. Protip: you don't.

The $99 Noontec Zoro II Wireless offer a warm and fun sound signature. With a 35-hour battery life and multipoint Bluetooth, these headphones offer an impressive value against more expensive competition.

Bowers and Wilkins P5

The Bowers and Wilkins P5 Series 2 isn't the most feature-rich option, but in terms of sheer sound and build quality, they easily raise the bar for the competition to follow. These audiophile-grade headphones are a must-buy for anyone serious about hearing music the way it was intended. So long as you have the money, there's not much else in the on-ear market that can match this package at this price point.

Best On-Ear Headphones

The Samsung Level On Pro Wireless are one of the few headphones we've tested that feel like they're meant as a package deal for another device. Yes they'll work with every Bluetooth and 3.5mm jack-equipped handset on the market, but you're better off sticking to a Samsung device in order to squeeze every ounce of aural goodness from the UHQ audio codec.

But it's one of the comfiest pair of cans on the market, and one of the best noise-canceling, too. If it had a better sound quality for the vast majority of cell phone users it would be an easy recommendation but it really makes the most sense at checkout when purchased alongside Samsung's Next Big Thing.

When you wear the B&O H2, people will look at you with intrigue, desperately trying to figure out who makes it so they can buy their own later online. We should know: it's how we found out about them. The H2 sounds as good as it looks. The sound performance should please even picky listeners with its warm, evenly-balanced sound. We're trained to assume that good looks are a guise, but the H2's slick design complements the sound performance quite nicely.

Klipsch Reference On-Ear

The Klipsch Reference On-Ear II is the follow up to last year’s excellent Reference On-Ear model, a previous resident of this list. Admittedly, this year's model doesn’t change much in terms of design or sound – but why fix something that’s not broken? That said, Klipsch kept it simple with the Reference On-Ear II, concentrating on sound, comfort and portability that will please audiophiles. Only diehard audiophiles will even consider this wired-only headphone after looking at the price tag, but those who value sound and comfort above all else will be happy with the Klipsch Reference On Ear II.

While any number of Sennheiser headsets could make this list, we've given a spot to the Urbanite for its sleek design and solid performance-to-price ratio. Whenever we talk about headphones that sound better than Beats and cost half as much, these are the ones we're referring to. The Urbanite isn't without problems – which is why it's a bit further down the list – but there's nothing fundamentally wrong here. So, that said, if you're looking for a great pair of on-ears that don't cost much, here they are. 

The Solo 3 Wireless appear almost identical to the Solo 2 headphones from a quick glance. That being said, the majority of the changes Apple made to its class-leading cans come internally, baking its mobile phone know-how into these headphones to ramp-up their wireless skills and maximise battery life. 

In terms of wireless performance, these $299 (£249/AU$399.95) headphones are as reliable as any out there. However, you can get significantly better sound quality at the price. (See: entries one through nine.)

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