These are my favorite cheap, lightweight, and functional headphones
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Business Insider/Jeff DunnYou know what everyone likes? Good cheap headphones. The Beyerdynamic DTX 350p are good cheap headphones. If sound quality is your first and foremost concern — and I think it should be — they’re well worth a look as a secondary or travel pair. These days you can normally find them in the $40-60 range.
The DTX 350p are a classic no-frills headphone. Their plastic, all-black (or all-white) construction isn’t particularly attractive or slick-feeling, and the whole thing is just about devoid of extras. There’s no inline mic, no remote, no detachable cable. Its little leathery carrying bag isn’t exactly sturdy, either. I’d understand if these were dealbreakers for you.
That said, they can fold up to be nice and compact, and that plastic makes everything lightweight. For on-ear (or supra-aural) headphones, they’re comfortable; I was able to wear them for several hours at a time before my ears started to feel overtly pinched back. All of this makes them a natural choice for taking on the road. Again, as a travel pair, they fit the bill. Just don’t be too reckless.
Even if they’re cheap, the DTX 350p’s lack of features means they have to perform well to be worth the investment. Thankfully, they do. The sound here is lively — there’s good balance and detail across the board, but a little extra juice in the bass and treble make them work particularly well with rock, electronic, and pop music at large.
Business Insider/Jeff DunnThe lows could stand to be a little more defined, but they can reach down deep when needed; the sub-bass rumble on a track like Jamie xx’s “Gosh” is meaty and filling. It’s fairly spacious for an on-ear model, too. It’s probably a bit too amped for those who dig laid-back folk or classical, but for the flashy stuff, it gives a good time, without going overboard the way a basshead’s headphone might. (Though it tends to leak sound at higher volumes.)
The elephant in the room here is that a handful of user reviews have noted a design flaw with the DTX 350p’s headband, bringing its durability into question. I can’t tell you that won’t be an issue, but I can say that I specifically waited a few months before writing this piece, and have run into no issues over that time. If it scares you off, I’ve found the Skullcandy Grind and Monoprice Hi-Fi On-Ear Headphones to be great values as well.
In terms of sheer performance, the DTX 350p are higher class. If you’re looking for a sharp, exciting sound without breaking the bank, they’re worth a shot.
Beyerdynamic DTX 350p, $54.84, available at Amazon.