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Have a look at the Tyre Reviews website - your tyres are amongst the most popular sizes (THE most popular 16in tyre is the 205/55 R16 V as you'll see on that website by the number of tyres available over recent years in that size). 71dB is a bit above average on the noise, but not too bad really.
Have a look on BOTH the tyre reviews they list from magazines (often group tests) AND the user reviews by actual ordinary people, but just be wary if the score of the latter is very high of low IF the aggregate mileage covered is relatively low (i.e. there aren't many reviews by drivers or that they are only reviewed after a few hundred miles or so when still brand new).
Some tyres, as you'll see from the user reviews (not the group tests, which mainly use VW Golfs, especially the continental magazines) score well for some cars and badly for others. This can be down to whether one is FWD or RWD or 4WD, performance or standard, or the type of car, e.g. small hatchback vs MPV/SUV etc. Some cars seem also to vary considerably in terms of soundproofing, but note that the dB level quoted is the external noise heard by pedestrians, not the internal noise by the car's occupants, though it's better than nothing as a guide.
I would avoid the cheapo makes as they often sacrifice wear rate for better comfort or grip, or vice-versa. Some up-and-coming mid-range brands can be very good alternatives to the big names (many being made by them anyway), one to pick out is Hankook, who seems to have been getting better in recent years as far as their reviews, and could be good value for money. It really does depend whether you're after tyres that are biased towards comfort, longevity or performance (grip).
Note also that some tyre fitters and sellers (like Blackcircles) often have money off deals if you buy 2 or 4 tyres from a particular brand or sub-model, for example I got £25 off my Michelin Cross Climate+ all-season tyres (for my 12yo Mazda3), which are normally above average price for that size (even amongst the premium brands) but were quite competitive when the discount was applied.
I'd personally be looking at the following as a start (not in any order - prices will vary from day-to-day, sometimes by up to 10%):
- Bridgestone Turanza T005 - £55 (good all-rounder [especially in the wet], slightly noisy - the Firestone Roadhawk equivalent [same firm] is a bit cheaper, not quite as good in the wet but still reasonable, though does wear a bit quicker);
- Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance/Dunlop BluResponse - £50 (better on comfort than handling, they wear quicker than rivals);
- Continental Premium Contact 5 - £61 (make sure you get the latest version with the better economy/wet grip rating - always seem to do well in reviews, slightly noisy compared to rivals);
- Hankook Ventus Prime3 K125 - £48 (decent all-rounder);
- Michelin Primacy 4 - £60 (similar to the Continental [slightly below? in terms of performance], quieter and long-lasting);
- Michelin CrossClimate Plus - £72 (£25 off for 4 still going; not as good as the above in non-winter conditions, but as good as a summer tyre designed 3-5 years ago [IMHO], but better comfort generally AND has far superior grip in snow/ice than any of the above [not as good as full winter tyres, but not bad for the Midlands and the South of the UK] and are long-lasting - why I bought them to replace my [very good] Dunlop SP Sport FastResponse tyres). HJ recommended.
Many decent mid-range tyres in the £45 - £50 range that practically match the Goodyears/Dunlops, like the Hankooks, pay £75 each for the high performance tyres for better summer (dry/wet) grip at the expense of wear and comfort.
Very few bad tyres from the premium/mid-range brands nowadays, though Bridegstone has only recently started to improve after a period of producing tyres that weren't so well regarded. My Mazda's OEM tyres were a predecessor of yours (mine were the ER30) and were fine for the first year/10K miles, but were hard (great for wear, bad for noise) and eventually were VERY poor in the wet - something that Bridegstone has only improved [IMHO] over the last couple of years on their latest tyres, e.g. the T005 and its predecessor, the T001 EVO.
I also found that my Mazda dealer could fit the tyres for less (£10 each) than going through Blackcircles (£13.50 each), but it was marginal as the cost of postage is included in the 'fully fitted' price and not the 'mail order' one (£11.50 total for 4 tyres). Best to get them fitted by whoever you trust to do a good job, especially if its not a newish car, as some fitters/dealers may not pay enough attention to using the correct amount of sealant or may not give the right advice about whether any wheel alingment is required.
Easy enough for you to check if it is by seeing if the car deviates a reasonable amount (taking into account the road camber - the car should offset this a bit) on a straight bit of road. Similarly a good indicator is excessive tyre wear on the inner or outer edges of the tyres/one side of the car (different to under/over inflation).Some dealers/fitters charge a LOT for this, or (ironically) not enough and do a poor job.
The Honkooks could be within your current budget, but if you wait just another month or two's worth of pay, then you could afford one of the premium brands if you save up a bit (one less round of drinks, for example). Given your tyres are the only contact between your car and the road, better to spend a bit more for quality.
PS. Rarely do tyres sourced through a main dealer are good value for money. I used my local as they were cheaper on fitting, and I got my tyres couriered to me and I brought them to get fitted in the boot/on the back seat.
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