Introduction
Streamers and YouTubers, whose content revolves around gaming can benefit from developing their brand of style. Having a slew of eclectic gaming accessories is just one of the critical aspects of building brand recognition. One of the more peculiar gaming accessories these past couple years is the cat ear headphone.
As the name suggests, this is a headphone with cat-like features, namely the ears that are installed on top of the headband. The first cat ear headphone began as an Indiegogo project and managed to raise $3M. Nowadays, there is a wide variety of cat ear headphone models available in the market today from the standard ones to more extreme variations that include LED lights.
Cat ear headphones are primarily designed to be visually striking gaming or listening accessory and are often not built to deliver top-notch sound quality. That’s not the case nowadays, though. In this list, we will be giving you the best cat ear headphones in the market today.
Not only are these feline-esque headphones stylish, but they also meet the industry standards in terms of sound quality. So, without further ado, let me introduce to you the budget-friendly cat earphones of 2020.
Brookstone Wireless Cat Ear Headphone
Let us start things off with the one that started it all, the Brookstone Wireless Cat Ear Headphone. From its highly successful fundraising campaign in Indiegogo, the OG cat ear headphone has since finetuned their design with the latest iteration coming in chockfull of excellent features.
The Brookstone Cat Ear Headphone features the signature adorable cat ears-shaped speakers. These speakers are designed so that it can broadcast audio both on the outside and within the ear cups, which is a signature feature of the Brookstone Cat Ear Headphone.
Other features include LED lights that are installed inside both cat ear speakers as well as a circular LED light on the ear cups. Since this is a wireless headphone, battery life is a vital aspect of the product. On that regard, the Brookstone delivers a solid 5-hours of battery life on a single full charge.
The headphone also comes with a microphone functionality for answering calls and playing online with other players. Please note that the wireless version uses a built-in microphone while the wired model uses a detachable one.
LOBKIN Cat Ear Headphones
Now let us begin looking at the alternatives to the OG Brookstone headphone. First in line is the equally stylish and feature-rich LOBKIN Cat Ear Headphones. The LOBKIN Cat Ear Headphone is also a perfect gift for friends or family members that love to cosplay or is into geek culture, as well.
Aside from the apparent cat ear-shaped design on the headband, the LOBKIN also allows users to customize their LED lights via a button that is located on the left ear cup. This button will enable users to choose the brightness level of their LED light and control whether you want it in blinking or steady mode.
One of the best qualities of the LOBKIN is its emphasis on providing excellent comfort. This is achieved via the superbly soft paddings that line the interior of the ear cups. Also, the LOBKIN is considerably budget-friendly, making it a viable option for those who are on a limited budget or as a gift.
MindKoo Cat Ear Bluetooth Headset
If you are looking for a cat ear headphone that can be adjusted to fit both a young adult and a child, then you should check out the MindKoo Cat Ear Headphone. As a wireless headphone, its battery life is awe-inspiring as it managed to clock around 16-hours tops with LED lights turned on occasionally. If you wish to turn on the LED lights. You can expect approximately 8 to 10 hours of listening time which is still an impressive number to reach.
The sound quality meets a level of clarity that makes this perfect for electronica and most pop songs. LED light feature allows for up to four different light modes with all LED lit or just on specific parts of the headphones. Overall, if you are looking for another budget-friendly cat ear headphone that kids can wear, MindKoo Cat Ear Headset is an excellent place to start.
SoundBeast Bluetooth Cat Ear Headphones
The SoundBeast Cat Ear Headphone focuses more on delivering on-point audio rather than its aesthetic qualities. That’s not saying that the manufacturer skimped on crafting their entry to the very niche cat ear headphone category. That’s far from the fact as the SoundBeast Car Ear Headphone check all necessary boxes in this market.
Comfort is another strong suit of the SoundBeast with its highly adjustable headband and decent padding around the earcups. As for its LED feature, you can set it to either steady or blinking. Another notable feature is the 3.5mm audio jack that allows wearers to keep using this headphone even when the battery runs dry.
I do like to point out that the SoundBeast feels more fragile the other entries in this list. Fortunately, this concern is offset by the one-year warranty that comes with all SoundBeast products.
Censi Moecen Wireless Cat Ear Headphones
The Censi Moecen Cat Ear Headphone takes a more conservative approach with its design. This cat ear headphone altogether forgoes LED lighting features in favor of higher durability and comfort. Its simple ergonomic design is one of the reasons our eyes were drawn to it in a sea of near-identical cat ear headphones. We are glad we gave this a shot.
While it is slightly more expensive than most of the entries in this list, it does manage to give customers a good reason for the few extra bucks. One of these main features is its substantial noise reduction capability. Since gamers are probably the primary target audience for this type of headphones, the Censi Moecen can be an excellent headphone during online games where communication is vital.
This headphone also comes with a decent IPX4 water resistance rating and a battery life that can last up to 10 hours on a single charge. This is an overall well-rounded cat ear headphone for those who want something more low-key.