What headphones should you buy for under 100 euros?
These days you can get a surprising amount of headphone for under a hundred bucks. You can also get a surprising amount of garbage. China ships whole containers of 29.90 euro "premium" headphones whose sound quality is roughly on par with two tin cans and a piece of string. We don't sell those.
We don't sell anything under a hundred euros, and it's worth saying straight out. The cheapest Valcos are warranty-serviced: a warranty-serviced VMK20 costs 109 euros and a warranty-serviced VMK25 costs 139 euros. Both come with a two-year warranty, so it's not a gamble.
Two options close to a hundred euros
Warranty-serviced VMK20 costs 109 euros. It's an over-ear model with active noise cancelling across four microphones, a Qualcomm chip, aptX HD and aptX Low Latency, 45 hours of battery life, and a fabric-covered outer shell from Lauri Lumme's pen. Warranty-serviced means the headphones have been through our service, inspected, and had worn parts replaced. The warranty is 24 months, same as new.
Production of new VMK20 headphones has ended, but we take them in as trade-ins and refurbish them. That's why they're still for sale.
Warranty-serviced VMK25 costs 139 euros. It's the previous generation of our flagship: 45 mm drivers, hybrid ANC, transparency mode, and Jasse's tuning. If your budget stretches another thirty euros, it's worth the reach.
45 hours of battery on the VMK20, even more on the VMK25. Charge it Sunday, and you might remember the charger again by Thursday.
An honest comparison
Let's be straight: for just over a hundred euros, you won't get the world's best ANC. The Sony WH-1000XM5 costs three times as much and cancels noise a shade better. If you sit eight hours a day in an open-plan office and want absolute silence, save up longer.
But the VMK20's ANC is plenty for a plane, a train, and that open-plan office, as long as you put some music on. Low frequencies disappear effectively. No technology on this planet removes a screaming kid, though.
A warranty-serviced pair might show small signs of use. Good to know upfront so there are no surprises. They don't affect performance, and the warranty is still a full 24 months.
Speaking of sound quality: both are Jasse's handiwork. Jasse is the guy whose ears are insured, who can hear if the neighbor's dog barked at the wrong frequency three blocks away. At this price point, you won't find better tuning.
Why Valco?
Three reasons.
Price. You get headphones with a Qualcomm chip and noise cancelling for 109 euros. Big brands' equivalents cost 250 to 400 euros. Know why? Because their marketing budget is bigger than our entire revenue. We spend our money on sound engineering and Henri's Alfa Romeo repairs.
Repairability. When Sony's headphones break, you toss them and buy new ones. When Valco's headphones break, and yes, electronics do break sometimes, Hannes and the crew fix them. Pads get replaced, parts get replaced, the headphones keep going.
Being Finnish. A small Finnish company with its own repair service. Every cent goes into salaries, product development and the Death Star construction fund. We’re currently at about 0.00003 percent. Your purchase helps.
Who should pick something else?
If you need the best possible noise cancellation and don't care about price, buy Sony or Bose. They're ahead on ANC. We happily admit it.
If you want earbuds that integrate into the Apple ecosystem, AirPods work more seamlessly with an iPhone. You do pay double for that integration, though.
And if you're buying headphones purely for sports and need hooks that stay in your ears even if you run through a wall, there are more specialized sports models out there.
Summary
- Warranty-serviced VMK20, 109 euros. Noise cancelling, 45-hour battery, Qualcomm chip and a 24-month warranty. The cheapest Valco you can get.
- Warranty-serviced VMK25, 139 euros. The previous generation of our flagship, transparency mode and bigger drivers. The best choice if your budget stretches a little.
Both get repaired instead of thrown away. Both were tuned by Jasse. Both help fund the Death Star.
If you still can't decide: buy both. Henri needs money for his Alfa Romeo's timing chains, and the Death Star's corruption budget doesn't fill itself.
