6 brilliant, budget-friendly headphones for students — including 5-star earbuds, and Sony cans that deliver 'flagship-level features' for an astoundingly low price

Great headphones don't need to cost the earth.

If you're heading back to school and in need of a budget-friendly pair of cans or earbuds to help you block out distractions while you study, I'm here to help.

At TechRadar, we review dozens of pairs of headphones every year, and while we've tested some superb premium models, we've also been blown away by a few budget-friendly options.

Below, I've rounded up the affordable headphones we rated most highly in our tests, and the ones we'd recommend to any student seeking maximum auditory bang for their buck.

If it's over-ears you're after, our top pick is the CMF Headphone Pro , which our tester commented "could easily cost twice as much", after being impressed with their "surprisingly zealous and bass-hungry sound quality" and "outstanding battery life".

For in-ears, the Nothing Ear (a) are our #1 recommendation — they earned a perfect five stars in our tests.

Read on for more brilliant, budget buys — and hit the 'Read more' button for a rundown of what we thought of each one.

Affordable audio Nothing Ear (a) Read our full review Pros Fun, zealous, expansive sound Vastly improved active noise cancellation Smaller, more pocketable case Cons No wireless charging support No flagship sound profile curation Sony WH-CH720 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones Read our full review Pros Great sound balance Lots of detail in audio Effective noise cancellation Full of useful features Cons Sound feels constrained Noise cancellation leaks in low sounds Plastic feels a little cheap OneOdio Focus A6 Read our full review Pros Sensational sound quality Extensive software features Comfy, quality construction Cons On-ear controls are a little sensitive ANC is good rather than game-changing JLab Go Pods ANC Read our full review Pros Solid ANC Lightweight build Truly low price Cons Poor eartip fit Lean battery life Aggressive transparency mode Huawei FreeArc Read our full review Pros Top-tier sound Competitive price Comfortable fit Cons App download pains Middling battery life Would benefit from ANC CMF Headphone Pro Read our full review Pros Excellent hearing tests; unexpected at the level Emotive, circumaural sound Exemplary battery life Cons ANC isn't amazing Energy slider feels a tad gimmicky No hard carry case or USB-C charger in the box Soundpeats Clip1 Read our full review Pros Fantastic listening test Comfortable build Competitive value Cons Low max volume Cheap-feeling case Touch control issues