Tech & Auto
Ranking The Biggest Headphone Brands From Worst To Best
By RON BAKER
Avantree
Although Avantree's strongest products are good, its reputation has been hurt by headphones that perform very poorly in frequency response tests.
Consumer reviews tend to be around 3.5 stars, but this could result from review manipulation. Avantree models tend to be mid-priced, offering budget and more premium options.
Raycon
Raycon is a stylish and popular brand with the unusual combination of both a poor reputation and very poor neutral soundscape results.
Rtings.com rated three Raycon models: the highest score was 6 out of 10, with the other two being 5.6 and 4.4. Raycon tends to be bass-heavy with a poor soundstage.
Cowin
Cowin is generally considered a mediocre brand, but the company occasionally produces a fairly high-quality product like the SE7 and E7.
The brand's headphones tend to have the usual over-reliance on emphasized bass. However, its bass-boosted drivers manage to please listeners despite the poor sound quality.
1MORE
While it's easy to see 1MORE as simply a budget headphone brand, its products easily outperformed most similarly priced competition.
The sound is balanced, accurate in the bass and mids, and has a consistent frequency response. 1MORE has built its reputation on using its three drivers in all its devices.
JBL
JBL is well-regarded for its loudspeakers and other sound equipment. However, its headphones are well-reviewed by audio professionals.
The brand offers similar quality to Focal headphones at a lower price, though the products tend to overemphasize the "JBL Pure Bass" sound.