Audio & Headphones
Best Budget Noise-Cancelling Headphones Under $150: Three Honest Picks
We compared the Soundcore Space One, Sony WH-CH720N, and JLab JBuds Lux ANC using independent lab testing.
The verdict in 30 seconds
What mattered most
- Noise cancelling
- Sound quality
- Comfort & weight
- Battery (ANC on)
- Build & extras
- Street price
Cheap ANC headphones used to mean cheap-sounding compromises, but the sub-$150 tier now delivers genuinely useful noise cancelling. The catch is that every option trades something away, so the right pick depends on whether you prioritize noise blocking, comfort, or all-day battery. We pulled the consensus from independent lab testing.
The best all-round ANC value under $100 — if you can live with bass-forward sound.
Best for: Commuters who want the strongest noise cancelling per dollar and will tweak the EQ.
- Strong ANC for the price that beats most passive isolation at this tier
- Genuinely comfortable for all-day wear with solid build
- LDAC Hi-Res support and a deep app with EQ and control customization
- Fast charging: ~4 hours of playback from a 5-minute top-up
- Sound is bass-heavy and unbalanced, with underwhelming mids and highs
- Real-world battery (~26h) fell short of the 40h ANC claim
- Default tuning needs EQ tweaking to sound its best
The lightest, comfiest pick with real Sony sound, wrapped in cheap-feeling plastic.
Best for: People who wear headphones for hours and value comfort and battery over build feel.
- At 192g, among the lightest wireless ANC over-ears tested
- 40+ hours of ANC battery confirmed in independent testing
- Sound quality reviewers consistently rate above its price tier
- Wired and Bluetooth listening plus a usable mic
- Lightweight plastic build feels toy-like; it flexes and creaks
- ANC is decent but struggles to filter out voices
- No carrying case and the cups don't fold down
Astonishing $80 value with USB-C lossless audio, but the ANC and calls are the weak links.
Best for: Budget buyers who want wired USB-C audio and long battery and mostly listen to music.
- Crazy value at ~$80 with USB-C wired/lossless audio and a strong app
- Long battery: ~70h with ANC off, ~40h with ANC on
- Comfortable cloud-foam cushions and foldable design
- Punchy, immersive bass-forward sound
- Sources disagree on ANC — some praise it, others rate it below average
- Weak, hollow-sounding transparency mode
- Poor call quality; not one to rely on for daily phone calls
The famous name people grab for a 'noise-blocking' commute — but it has no ANC at all.
Best for: Honestly, most people should skip it — reviewers call it overpriced, worth a look only under ~$99 on sale.
- Long 50-hour battery life
- USB-C lossless wired audio, easy Apple/Android pairing
- No active noise cancelling at all, despite the price
- Weak passive isolation — bus and engine rumble come right through
- On-ear clamp gets uncomfortable on long wear
- Bass-heavy sound with no EQ or presets
| Criteria | Soundcore Space One Top pick | Sony WH-CH720N | JLab JBuds Lux ANC | Beats Solo 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Buy it | Buy it | It depends | Skip it |
| Best for | Commuters who want the strongest noise cancelling per dollar and will tweak the EQ. | People who wear headphones for hours and value comfort and battery over build feel. | Budget buyers who want wired USB-C audio and long battery and mostly listen to music. | Honestly, most people should skip it — reviewers call it overpriced, worth a look only under ~$99 on sale. |
| Price tier | $ · budget | $$ · mid-range | $ · budget | $$ · mid-range |
| Noise cancelling | Strongest of the three | Decent, weak on voices | Divisive — good to some, weak to others | None — no ANC, weak passive seal |
| Sound quality | Bass-heavy; better after EQ | Balanced, above its tier | Fun and bassy but can sound muddy | Bass-forward, mediocre; no EQ |
| Comfort & weight | Very comfortable, solid feel | Lightest tested (192g) | Comfy cloud-foam, foldable | On-ear clamp, ~217g; warm on long wear |
| Battery (ANC on) | 40h claimed; ~26h real | ~40h, confirmed | ~40h (70h ANC off) | N/A — no ANC (~50h playback) |
| Build & extras | Solid, LDAC, deep app | Flimsy plastic, no case/fold | Foldable, USB-C lossless | Plasticky; USB-C audio, no soft case |
| Street price | ~$100 | ~$100–130 | ~$80 | ~$150 (MSRP $199) |
Which one is right for you?
- Commuters who want the strongest noise cancelling per dollar and will tweak the EQ. Buy it Anker Soundcore Soundcore Space One
- People who wear headphones for hours and value comfort and battery over build feel. Buy it Sony WH-CH720N
- Budget buyers who want wired USB-C audio and long battery and mostly listen to music. It depends JLab JBuds Lux ANC
- Honestly, most people should skip it — reviewers call it overpriced, worth a look only under ~$99 on sale. Skip it Beats Solo 4
How we judged the field
Under this ceiling, the trap is paying for a spec sheet, adaptive-ANC labels, “98%” noise-reduction claims, and spatial-audio modes, rather than for quiet and comfort you notice on a real commute. We weighted how much low-frequency rumble each set actually removes, all-day comfort and clamp, battery honesty, and whether the companion app can fix the tuning. We read across independent testing and owner reports and synthesize those findings rather than lab-testing units ourselves. The result favors headphones that isolate and stay comfortable over ones that lead with codec logos. Our pick is the Soundcore Space One for class-leading isolation and battery at this tier; the featherweight Sony WH-CH720N is the runner-up when comfort and balanced sound matter more than outright silence.
Soundcore Space One — Buy
The Space One is the most complete package here. Its adaptive ANC, with five selectable strength modes, does the actual job better than anything else at this price, noticeably knocking down the low droning rumble of engines and HVAC rather than just muffling the top end. Battery is the other standout: roughly 40 hours with ANC on and around 55 with it off, which is genuinely more than most rivals deliver. It supports LDAC for higher-bitrate streaming and Bluetooth multipoint to hold a laptop and phone at once. What we liked more is that the isolation and comfort make it easy to forget you are wearing them on a long flight. What we liked less is the default tuning with ANC on, which reads as flat and slightly hollow in the mids; you will want to spend a few minutes in the Soundcore app EQ to wake the sound up. Right buyer: a commuter or traveler who wants the most quiet and stamina per dollar and does not mind tweaking EQ. Wrong buyer: someone who wants great sound with zero setup.
Sony WH-CH720N — Buy
The WH-CH720N wins a different way: at about 192 grams it is one of the lightest ANC over-ears you can buy, and that near-absence of head weight is what makes it disappear over a long session where heavier sets start to ache. Sony’s V1 processor drives competent ANC, better than you expect for the tier though clearly short of Sony’s flagships, and DSEE upscaling adds a little detail back to compressed streams. Bluetooth multipoint is included. What we liked more is the balanced, punchy tuning that sounds right out of the box with less EQ fuss than the Space One. What we liked less is the build and isolation ceiling: the plastic frame feels cheap in hand, the earcups do not fold up for a smaller travel bundle, and the ANC lets more low rumble through than the Soundcore. Right buyer: anyone who prioritizes lightweight all-day comfort and easy, agreeable sound. Wrong buyer: a frequent flyer who wants maximum silence and a compact fold for a bag.
JLab JBuds Lux ANC — It depends
The JBuds Lux ANC is the value play, undercutting the others while looking and feeling more premium than its price. It pairs 40mm drivers with hybrid ANC, quotes up to 40 hours with ANC on and 70 off, folds flat for travel, and includes one of the better budget apps with a 10-band EQ. There is even a party trick: wireless audio sharing to a second Lux. Where it turns conditional is the fundamentals. The ANC is below average, letting through more noise than the Space One, and the stock sound leans on a heavy, sometimes muddy bass with highs that can turn piercing until you tame them in the EQ. It also connects over SBC only, so there is no high-bitrate codec. It depends on your budget and habits: buy it if it is meaningfully cheaper and you will use the app to fix the tuning. Skip it if strong ANC or refined sound out of the box is the point, where the Space One is the better spend.
Beats Solo 4 — Skip
The Solo 4 is tempting: a fashion-default brand, a real 50-hour battery, plush cushions, lossless audio over USB-C, and quick pairing on both iPhone and Android. In a noise-cancelling roundup, though, it fails the core test, because it has no active noise cancelling at all. It relies entirely on the passive seal of its on-ear cushions, which muffle some office chatter and higher pitches but let the low-frequency rumble of buses, subways, and traffic pass straight through. The on-ear form also clamps against the ears rather than around them, which grows tiring for some over hours, and it sits at a higher price than better-isolating over-ears here. The one buyer it suits: someone who wants a light, stylish on-ear mainly for music and calls in already-quiet rooms, values the long battery and wired lossless option, and does not actually need ANC. For anyone shopping this list to silence a commute, it is the wrong tool.
Soundcore Space One vs Sony WH-CH720N: which should you buy?
These two split along quiet versus comfort. The Space One removes more noise, especially the low rumble that matters most on transit, lasts longer per charge, and adds LDAC, which is why it takes the pick, though its ANC-on sound needs an EQ pass to shine. The WH-CH720N counters with weight, or the lack of it: at around 192 grams it is the more comfortable set for marathon wear, and its tuning sounds agreeable immediately with less fiddling. Choose the Space One if isolation and battery are your priorities and you will spend two minutes in an app. Choose the WH-CH720N if all-day comfort and grab-and-go sound matter more than squeezing out the last bit of silence, or if you find the lighter frame simply easier to live with. Both are honest buys; they are tuned for different pain points.
What to look for
Get the Soundcore Space One if your main goal is silence on a commute or flight and long battery life, and you are willing to adjust EQ once to get the sound you want. Get the Sony WH-CH720N instead if comfort is your deciding factor, you wear headphones for hours, or you want balanced sound with no setup; its light frame is the real selling point. Consider the JLab JBuds Lux ANC if price is the hard constraint and you will lean on its app to fix a bass-heavy tuning, accepting weaker ANC as the trade. Across all three, treat “adaptive ANC” and noise-reduction percentages as marketing, and judge by how much low-end rumble a set removes and whether it stays comfortable, since those decide daily satisfaction. If you genuinely do not need noise cancelling and want style and battery, that is the only case for looking at the Beats Solo 4 instead.
Our final take
For most people under this budget, the Soundcore Space One is the smart buy: the best isolation and battery here, provided you spend a minute in the app. The Sony WH-CH720N is the better choice if comfort and easy sound outrank outright quiet, thanks to its unusually light frame. The JLab JBuds Lux ANC makes sense only as the budget option for EQ-tinkerers. The Beats Solo 4 has no active noise cancelling, so despite its battery and looks it does not belong in this category for anyone who needs quiet.
Questions, answered
Which has the best noise cancelling under $150?
The Soundcore Space One removes the most noise at this tier, particularly the low-frequency rumble from engines and HVAC that matters most on commutes. The Sony and JLab reduce noise less, and the Beats Solo 4 has no active noise cancelling at all.
Do the Beats Solo 4 have noise cancelling?
No. The Beats Solo 4 have no active noise cancelling. They rely only on the passive seal of their on-ear cushions, which muffle some higher-pitched chatter but let low rumble from traffic and transit through. Skip them if silencing a commute is your goal.
Are the lightweight Sony headphones comfortable enough for all day?
Yes. At roughly 192 grams the Sony WH-CH720N is among the lightest ANC over-ears available, and that low weight is exactly why it stays comfortable across long sessions where heavier headphones begin to press. Comfort is its strongest argument over the Space One.
Is it worth saving money with the JLab?
Only if budget is tight and you will use its app. The JLab JBuds Lux ANC costs less and looks premium, but its ANC is below average and its bass-heavy tuning needs EQ correction. For stronger isolation out of the box, the Space One is the better value.
