Back to school: my pick of the 4 best ANC headphones for studying — affordable, durable noise-cancelling cans this Prime Day
Because Prime Day is here, and even if you're not into 'back to school' headlines, you will be into the headphones —and the deals.
Do you need headphones for the next semester or term? I get it. And is money, er, relatively tight? Again, I understand — and the good news is, a huge sales event known as Amazon Prime Day is here to help.
See all early Prime Day deals at Amazon
I'm also here to help, as TechRadar's audio editor and full-time headphones tester since 2019. So, even if I do flatter myself, I know what makes a good set of headphones — and which pairs will lend themselves to studying that aren't those flagship sets few people can afford on a student loan.
When I went to college, there was no Bluetooth audio (why thank you but no really, it's true). There were also no music streaming services and the MP3 format was very much in its infancy.
What I did have was a portable CD player and some Sony headphones. And let me tell you that I owe every exam I passed to these products (plus my local HMV store, which I scurried along to armed with money from a part-time job waiting tables at a Wimpy restaurant).
As a dancer since age two, it turns out I have always needed music and simultaneous movement (or the compulsion to move) to retain information from books. I've since found out I'm not alone — and maybe that's why you're here.
What follows are the four best pairs of headphones I've found for students. I'll explain why briefly, and link to the best deals live now. And don't worry, you've got this.
1. CMF Headphone Pro: artsy over-ears that won't break the bank
Did you know that CMF is simply Nothing's more affordable arm — so these headphones carry a lot of Nothing Headphone (a) magic, just in a more affordable build? And what a lovely original build it is too.
I tested these budget-friendly, very comfortable and surprisingly customizable over-ear headphones and if zealous, bass-hungry sound quality sounds like a bit of you, you'll love these. Add to this the outstanding battery life, the kinds of hearing tests (and personal sonic profile curation) I'm more used to seeing in headphones much higher up the food chain, an 'Energy-slider' that can ramp up the low end even further and a glorious volume wheel on the right ear cup that's something reminiscent of much pricier headgear (the kind made by a company named after a fruit, if you get me) and they're a winning combination.
All of this for a sub-$100 / £80 fee — before we start looking for discounts? OK, the ANC is acceptable rather than amazing and you don't get a hard case, but still, you’ll struggle to find a more original set of affordable headphones that offer this much for this little. Need more? Read my glowing 4.5-star CMF Headphone Pro review.
CMF Headphone Pro
TechRadar's official review scores
| Product | Features () | Sound Quality () | Design () | Battery Life () | Noise Cancellation () | Value () | Overall () |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMF Headphone Pro | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5 | 4 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
2. OneOdio Focus A6: one of the team's best budget headphones by a mile
For one of the TechRadar team, these are the best affordable cans they've ever tested — and it's not even close, as a quick scan of our 4.5-star review of the OneOdio Focus A6 shows.
You know the flagship Apple cans I vaguely mentioned before — the ones that very few of us can afford? This particular team member prefers the product you're looking at here to those elite over-ears, for sound. What else makes them so good? Well, USB-C audio support, a solid and classy build quality, plus a super-slick companion app you very rarely see at this level and Bluetooth 6.0 for starters.
Again, the ANC is very good rather than stellar, but this is budget-friendly territory and you will struggle to better it at anything like this price point. Highly recommended.
OneOdio Focus A6
TechRadar's official review scores
| Product | Features () | Sound Quality () | Design () | Battery Life () | Noise Cancellation () | Value () | Overall () |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 | 4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4.5 |
3. 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51: ignore the name — focus on the value
Try to get past the name that sounds like some sort of water filtration system (sorry, maybe just me?) and there's a musically sensitive and expressive set of headphones here that'll reward you time and again for your nominal asking fee.
In fact, we called them the "ultimate in sound-per-pound value" in our 4.5-star in-depth 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 review. The aesthetic is much more 'your average set of basic cans' here, but at school, college or university (where the security of your valuables will never be far from your mind), that's no bad thing. And although they might look fairly anonymous, the budget has certainly been spent on the drivers under the hood, because they sound fantastic for the money.
Here, the app isn't especially slick, but it's functional. Also, the battery life is extensive, the ANC is up to scratch and you can even listen via 3.5mm with the bundled cable in the box. If you don't mind their relatively anonymous looks, it's a winner.
1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51
TechRadar's official review scores
| Product | Features () | Sound Quality () | Design () | Battery Life () | Noise Cancellation () | Value () | Overall () |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4.5 |
4. Sony over-ears, but not as you know them
Alongside the flagship Sony WH-1000XM6 and even newer, arguably even fancier Collexion set of cans, there exists a cheaper set of Sony over-ears. And while they're a little older now (having launched in Spring 2023) they still boast effective noise cancellation and many aspects of the Sony sound quality that made their upmarket siblings the industry standard.
The name — Sony WH-CH720 — is instantly forgettable, but the sound quality is not. OK, the build is a little bit plasticky and you're not getting hi-res codecs, but the ANC does a great job at nixing extraneous sounds for this money. And while the sound feels just a tad compressed when pitted against pricier rivals, Sony's Sound Connect companion app helps to tweak things and make them a fantastic option for the money.
Also, given their relative age, I'd look out for extra discounts on Prime Day…
Sony WH_CH720
TechRadar's official review scores
| Product | Features () | Sound Quality () | Design () | Battery Life () | Noise Cancellation () | Value () | Overall () |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony WH-CH720 | 4.5 | 4 | 4 | 4.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 4 |
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