Heading to uni? Here are 7 affordable audio products every music-loving student should have

It's around this time of year when kids go back to school and, usually a few weeks later, students head off to university. Whether it's your first time going to college or you're a seasoned veteran about to tackle your PhD in ancient Nordic runes or the effects the seed drill had on 18th-century agricultural practices, you're going to need the right audio gear to enhance your studies and, more importantly, give you a break from them.

Most students naturally won't want to spend a huge amount of money, so we've whittled down the products we feel offer the best value for music-loving students seeking great sound that won't have them living off leftover beans and stale bread for the next semester. There's a nice variety here, too, from wired headphones to wireless earbuds and even a dinky DAC to boost your smartphone or laptop's sound quality.

To everyone heading off to university: good luck, work hard... and always make time for your music!

JBL Flip 7 Bluetooth speaker

No self-respecting uni student can go without a Bluetooth speaker, it's just the law. We're not saying they're the last word in sound quality, but their convenience, portability and affordability make them the ideal choice if you've got mates round for pre-drinks and need a quick way of getting the tunes firing.

We've got the JBL Flip 7 (£130 / $150 / AU$170) as our top pick here, owing to its appealing balance of sonic punch and overall affordability. If you want something bigger and bolder, the JBL Charge 6 is a worthwhile companion that will go louder and prouder, but note that it will cost you a bit more cash at around £170 / $199 / AU$200.

For most students, the easily portable Flip 7 will do the job. It sounds dynamic and exciting, even when reaching its surprisingly loud max volume, it looks fun and funky, and it is durable and robust enough to be taken outdoors and survive rain, dirt and bumps.

Plus, with Auracast sharing, you can hook it up with your mates' compatible Bluetooth speakers, while around 14 hours of playtime will keep you partying until the sun comes up.

Read our full JBL Flip 7 review

Sony WF-C710N wireless earbuds

We know that schools and universities can be rather cliquey places, and that many of your contemporaries will likely be sporting the latest pair of pristine white AirPods as a signifier of their social status.

If you're after genuine value, though, we'd steer you towards the mighty Sony WF-C710N. There are plenty of budget buds on the market, but ignore them: the C710N deliver genuinely satisfying noise-cancelling, comfort and sonic chops for the money and leave the rest in the dust. These buds are our top pick for most people, most of the time, especially if you can catch them at a regular discount.

Their design is bold and comfortable (that transparent finish is great), while their noise-cancelling is excellent for the price paid. Plus, they really are some of the most entertaining, balanced and musical earbuds you can buy for under £100 / $120, so you'll never be bored as you hunker down for a long study session or during your journey to lectures.

Read our full Sony WF-C710N review

Qobuz Student streaming subscription

If you're serious about high-quality music, French music streaming service Qobuz is a much better shout than Spotify's more mainstream waters. It offers CD-quality sound and above, so it will be a far better audio stream than Spotify's MP3 quality. And at just £4.99 per month for students, it's something of a bargain, undercutting the £5.99 per month of Spotify's ever-popular student tier.

You don't need high-end gear for Qobuz to sound better, though you will really notice the benefit of its impressive catalogue of hi-res tunes if you're rocking a solid set of wired headphones, say. If you do have such a pair (might we suggest the Røde NTH-100, below?), then a hi-res streaming service such as Qobuz will elevate your listening beyond what the likes of Spotify can muster.

This isn't a limited catalogue of obscure Belgian jungle or avant-garde jazz, either. Qobuz has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years, with a clean interface that highlights new music, human-curated playlists and recommendations, and clear, detailed, refined sound.

Qobuz has become a genuine alternative to the more popular Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal services, offering plenty of hi-res music and latest album drops, and it even has a download store where you can purchase high-quality album files to keep forever.

Read our full Qobuz review

iFi Go Link Max DAC

Unless they're studying sound engineering or music, most of your contemporaries probably won't know what a DAC is. Frankly, that's their loss.

As a way of boosting your laptop or smartphone-based performance when using headphones, and for a reasonably small pile of cash, a DAC (combined with headphone amplifier) is a small superweapon in your musical arsenal. The iFi Go Link Max is particularly small, with the same sort of dimensions as a standard USB stick, but it's capable of giving your desktop music a real shot in the arm.

With support for hi-res audio playback up to 32-bit/384kHz, the iFi can be plugged into smartphones, laptops or portable musical players courtesy of its USB-C, Lightning and USB-A connections.

You'll certainly notice the results of your Spotify or Netflix streams if you use wired headphones, with the DAC offering a powerful boost in quality beyond what your laptop or smartphone is capable of.

Adding detail and clarity, not to mention perceptible new levels of space and openness, it's a great buy for enjoying music and videos for a pretty small price of £79 / $79 / AU$139.

Read our full iFi Go Link Max review

Røde NTH-100 wired headphones

If you're a student reading this, you might not realise just how much better wired headphones sound over their wireless counterparts. Wireless earbuds and headphones have taken massive leaps in the past ten years, but a wired connection is still the way to go if you truly care about sound – it's simply a far better way of transmitting the audio signal without any data loss.

Don't worry if you're confused about cost permutations, sound profiles, open-back versus closed-back designs, or over vs on-ears – we just have one piece of advice: just get the Røde NTH-100 wired headphones.

Why? Because, put simply, these over-ear headphones sound great without costing a packet. At this price, only the Austrian Audio Hi-X20 (£120 / $150 / AU$250) really come close, but for us, the Award-winning Rødes offer stunning sound-per-pound value.

They're eloquent and musical, with a real flair for revealing the essential character of your music, no matter the genre or style. Their sturdy, comfortable design with Alcantara earpads make them easy to wear, too, as minutes of listening turn to hours. Highly recommend.

Read our full Røde NTH-100 review

Roberts Revival Petite 2 radio

It might feel a bit retro to recommend a radio in this day and age, but hear us out. While the JBL Flip 7 Bluetooth speaker is a crowd pleaser, the Roberts Revival Petite 2 DAB radio for under £100 is an adorable, lovely-to-use design that will be your companion throughout your time studying.

Its tiny footprint is about the size of an iPhone (smaller than a current iPhone 16), and can be placed in the kitchen while you cook up a pasta bake, or you can pop it on a windowsill, a shelf or on the desk in your room – it's small enough to be placed literally anywhere.

And it will reward you not only with clear, smooth sound, but also with its cute, stylish looks that's available in a variety of fun colours. It's not just a DAB/FM radio, either – it also has Bluetooth, a headphone port and a hefty 20 hours of battery life.

It really does sound great for its size. There's solidity and weight to the music, with voices sounding clear, natural and full of personality. You won't get a lot of bass from such a small unit, but what bass there is comes over as well judged and nicely controlled. It simply sounds fun.

You can stream your own playlists from your smartphone via Bluetooth, play podcasts, listen to live sports and talk radio, or you can let experienced radio DJs regale you with curated tracks – it's a great way to discover new music without relying on AI algorithms.

Read our full Roberts Revival Petite 2 review

Ruark MR1 Mk3 powered desktop speakers

If you really are serious about music and you have a bit more cash to splash for your sound system (£399 / $579 / AU$899), we can't recommend the five-star Ruark MR1 Mk3 enough.

These are beautifully designed compact desktop speakers with amplification and Bluetooth built in, meaning you can easily stream your favourite songs directly from your phone or laptop. You can plug a CD player or TV into its aux/optical input, too. There's no separate amplification needed – and it is a genuine (and stylish) modern alternative to a hi-fi stereo system.

One of the major selling points of the MR1 Mk3 is that they have a built-in phono stage, which means you can plug a turntable directly into the speakers. No extra boxes needed. If you have been swept up in the popular vinyl craze, the MR1 Mk3 will play ball beautifully.

They sound hugely powerful, punchy and dynamic at the best of times, but their built-in phono stage is their trump card, vastly outshining that of the similarly priced Elac Debut ConneX DCB41 rival when listening to records.

However you choose to use them, the MR1 Mk3 are compact, versatile desktop speakers that deliver rich detail, superb rhythmic drive and powerful bass that's vastly superior to average computer speakers. If your budget stretches that far, these Ruark speakers are worth investing in – they will last you beyond your entire stint at college.

Read our full Ruark MR1 Mk3 review

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