Best Headphones Under Rs.2,000 (Over the Ear) (March 2019)

Headphones are the holy grail for audiophiles. Good music accompanied by a great headphone will satiate their quest for nirvana.

Not only audiophiles, who doesn’t appreciate a good music listening experience right?

There are a lot of great, quality over-the-ear headphones coming under this price bracket and here we are suggesting you the best headphones under Rs.2,000 that you can buy.

NOTE: If you are looking for wireless headphones (over the head), please check out our list of best wireless headphones under Rs.2,000.

Best Wired Headphones Under Rs.2,000

Audio Technica, the Japanese audio equipment company is famed all around the world for their studio grade professional earphones and speakers.

The ATH-AX1iSBK from the company is a budget-oriented over the ear headphones that delivers one of the best quality audio output in this price category.

Design and build quality

The build quality is decent if we must say.

The plastics used are of good quality but the wires seem a bit fragile. Audio Technica could have added a nylon braided wire for durability.

The headband is adjustable and can fit on the contours of your head perfectly fine. Long time listening with this headphone isn’t painful.

The ear cushions over the speakers will feel a little hard at first but will get softer as days pass by.

The stylish Audio-Technica logo over the earpiece makes this product a lot more cool to look at.

Speaker and sound quality

Now coming to the sound quality, this product features a 36 mm driver speaker which delivers excellent quality sound.

The bass isn’t much overpowered and is very much balanced along with the crystal clear mids and highs.

Since the speaker driver covers a large frequency response spectrum ranging from as low as 15 Hz to 20,000 Hz, notes from every instrument are audible.

Miscellaneous

The inline remote consists of a mic and a volume slider. The mic picks up your voice clearly during voice calls even while you’re engaged in jogging or in gym sessions.

Since the ear cups of this over-the-ear wired headphone swivel and fold flat, it is easy to carry around.

Verdict

If you’re a music lover who likes to listen to music in its full glory, the Audio Technica ATH-AX1iSBK will be the best choice in this budget of Rs.2,000.

JBL is a company well known for their speakers. Their entry to the headphone market was wildly successful and the company even have a cult following from audio enthusiasts all around the world.

We at Bettershark personally think there won’t be any best headphones list without an offering from JBL.

JBL T450 is a great entrant to the list of best headphones under Rs.2,000 and let’s analyze its features.

Design and build quality

First things first, the build quality remains a lot to be improved.

There is no foam padding on the headband and this might make the headphone listening experience cumbersome for bald people out there.

The ear cup quality is decent with comfy padding that will let you rest your ears without any issues.

The overall weight of the headphone in minimal and it is easy to wear for extended usage.

Speaker and sound quality

A 32 mm driver powers the T450 with a frequency response range spanning from 20 Hz to 20000 Hz.

The lows, mids and highs are distinct and the bass levels are rich.

The sound output being the most desirable quality from a headphone, T450 excels and beats its competitors with a punch.

Miscellaneous

The headphone comes with a flat tangle-free cord that won’t make you wait for the cord to be untangled before listening to your favourite track.

An inline mic is given for attending calls.

The one-button remote can be long pressed to invoke Google assistant on Android phones.

Verdict

If you are in search of a great quality headphone under Rs.2,000 and is not bothered about the wireless connectivity options, JBL T450 will fulfil your needs.

Cosmic Byte is a gaming accessories manufacturer based in India that specializes in the marketing of affordable PC accessories.

G1500 is one of the gaming headphones Cosmic Byte has introduced to the market at an enticing price point.

Design and build quality

Being a gaming headphone, G1500 is heavy and feels bulky. This is mainly because of the internals that Cosmic Byte had to stuff inside such as a vibration motor along with LED lighting setup.

Overall, the headphone seems to be well built with a sturdy finish.

Speaker and sound quality

Cosmic Byte G1500 comes equipped with a 50 mm driver that is the largest one in our list.

It delivers good audio quality over the frequency range between 20 Hz and 20000 Hz.

The bass is deep and the vocals are clear.

Miscellaneous features

There is an inbuilt vibration mode that will activate based on your actions while gaming and the LED lighting around the ear cup add flair to the overall gaming experience.

The G1500 comes with a flat cable that is thick and feels durable.

Omni-directional noise cancellation helps gamers to communicate with their teammates without any hindrance even when playing in a loud environment.

Verdict

The Cosmic Byte G1500 with its affordable price tag and gaming-centric features it offers can easily be termed as the best gaming headphone under Rs.2,000 price segment.

If you would love gaming, don’t forget to check out our article on the best gaming laptops in India.

Audio Technica is a Japanese company that specializes in the manufacturing of audio equipment.

They are known for their high-end earphones and headphones that are widely used in recording studios.

The ATH S100 is the company’s entry-level headphone offering.

Audio Technica has provided a great package with ATH S100 without compromising on the audio quality it is famed to deliver.

Design and build quality

The build quality of Audio Technica ATH S100 screams premium with flexible headbands that will help with the snug fit of the headphones on your head.

The design is minimal and aesthetically pleasing.

The one side cable ensures that there won’t be any unnecessary distractions while listening to music.

Speakers and sound quality

The ATH S100 is powered by 36 mm drivers that produce great quality output over the 15 Hz – 20 KHz frequency response range with minimal impedance of 32 Ohm.

The output gets pretty loud even without the amplifier and the bass feels more natural.

Miscellaneous

The closed-back design ensures lesser sound leak and better noise cancellation.

Although the cables are tangle free, there is no inline mic for attending calls.

Verdict

Budget wise, the Audio Technica ATH S100 beats its competitors in the list to become an affordable over the ear headphone under Rs.2,000.

Sony is an electronics as well as media corporate giant.

With a huge fan following for their quality range of headphones, Sony can’t afford to make any mistakes.

The MDR-XB450 is the entry-level offering from Sony on their much revered XtraBass lineup.

Design and build quality

The Sony MDR-XB450AP has a premium design that resembles many of the expensive headphone from Sony.

The earpiece in itself swivels flat and this makes it easy to be carried in tightly packed bags.

Sony has designed the earpiece in such a manner that there is an improved seal between the driver housing and the ears which enhances the bass.

The materials used for construction of this wired headphone is of top notch quality and feels really premium.

Speakers and sound quality

Those Bass fanatics looking for the best headphone under Rs.2,000 need not look further.

If you are the one who is longing for the deep bass, the XB450 is the go-to headphone under Rs.2,000 category.

With its 30mm driver unit along with the lower impedance rating of 24 Ohm, the lows in the music will be more pronounced.

This headphone has a frequency response range varying from as low as 5 Hz to 20000 Hz to get you covered all the notes in the music you’re listening to.

Miscellaneous

MDR-XB450 comes with a tangle-free serration cord that feels premium quality that will resist the tendency to knot.

Addition of pressure relieving comfy ear cups adds up to the overall quality that this headphone offers.

Verdict

XtraBass lineup from Sony being synonymous to the rich bass, audiophiles with an affinity to bass can definitely pick this up over the other competitors.

The brand Sennheiser doesn’t need any introduction for audiophiles around the world.

This German audio equipment manufacturer is synonymous with high-quality audio equipment such as headphones and earphones.

The Sennheiser HD206 is an entry-level wired headphone from the company offering a taste of signature Sennheiser audio quality under an affordable budget.

Design and Build Quality

The Sennheiser HD 206 is completely made out of polycarbonate plastics. This makes the headphone lightweight and extremely comfortable to wear.

There is no flex or creeks on the chassis, in case you’re wondering about the build quality.

The dual tone black and silver finish imparts a sense of premium quality to this headphone.

The cables are reinforced at the joints to minimise the possibility of damage when handled roughly.

Speakers and Sound Quality

The Sennheiser HD206 comes with 32mm custom factory tuned drivers for precise audio reproduction.

This is one of the cheapest supra-aural headphones which will deliver you a perfect, tonally balanced audio output across the entire 21 – 18000Hz frequency spectrum.

The bass, mids and the treble very well compliments each other to provide pleasant music listening experience, no matter which genre of music you’re hooked in to.

The closed-back design helps in preventing the ambient background noise from getting inside your ears and offers a serene and calm, immersive experience altogether.

Miscellaneous

Unlike the other headphones, the Sennheiser HD 206 comes with a really long cable, almost double the length of conventional 1.2m cables found in earphones and headphones.

This allows you to conveniently place the smartphone in your pocket and listen to music with enough slack to the cables, protecting the phone as well as the headphone from damage.

The only downside of this budget headphone might be the lack of an inline remote and microphone for voice calls.

However, the premium quality sound output makes up it for this omission.

Verdict

The Sennheiser HD 206 is one of the cheapest headphones you can purchase in the market right now with exceptional sound clarity.

If you are tight on your budget and the lack of an inline microphone doesn’t bother you, this is it.

This concludes our list of the best headphones under Rs.2,000. We have taken a genuine effort to include headphones in each category that we feel might suit our readers in order to make your choice selection easier.

The list, although is not an exhaustive guide, will let you have a basic idea of what to look for while purchasing headphones in this segment.

Meanwhile, if you wish to have a look at the much more compact “in-ear” earphones, do read our article about the best earphones under Rs.2,000.

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