So my kids got me Amazon music unlimited for Fathers Day/ I am blown away by all of the music on there, and find myself using my I phone much more than before. I have a $20 pair of bluetooth earbuds . I like them. But I keep reading about all these high end bluetooth earbuds. Technics has a new model coming out next week for $250. Sony has some for a similar price. There are many models for $100 to $150.
Is the sound that much better on the high end models? If so, do you have a favorite model? Am also curious, how many sets of earbuds do you own?
thanks for any advice you can provide!
I personally haven't found any that I love.
I'm not a fan of earbuds, prefer headphones, but the rule with audio tech is you get what you pay for. A lot of it is subjective - depends on the listener and how much they care about sound, how they listen and what they listen for. Also the audio demands of the type of music is a factor. For immersion in an audio experience you need the best gear you can afford , whereas for listening to bro country as a soundtrack to your lawnmower rodeo ride - $20 buds are fine.
I dont know if I am the best one to give advice, but personally
I would never drop 100.00 or more on pair of headphones.
Not that much of an audiophile. 50.00 would be pushing it.
I always was kind of against the ear buds at first becasue they
never fit my ears that well.
I do have a pair of blutooth earbuds I bought awhile back. and I do like
them quite abit.
Here is a link. I think I paid around 20.00-25.00
I also have a cheap pair of Panasonic that are wired and I like those also.
Like I said ,I may not be the best one to give advice, but the above works
for me.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ELYQGG/ref=twister_B07S764D9V?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
[Edited on 7/14/2020 by jszfunk]
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
BrerRabbit pretty much nailed it. You have to ask yourself how much fidelity means to you. Are you obsessive over your music? If the answer is yes than invest in high quality audio gear. That doesn’t necessarily make you an audiophile if you’re concerned w that stigma; but yes, you get what you pay for. Designers and manufacturers of high-audio go to great lengths to mine for nuance and detail. Extreme craftsmanship and engineering play a big role, hence the high cost. It’s a throwback art form and certainly worth paying a premium for imho. I don’t own earbuds but have a pair of sennheisser hd600...a classic. The rare occasion when I can step away from this stressful world (esp these days), strap on my 600s and drop the needle on Coltrane ‘Ole...I get transported to a very lush, intoxicating place. You get what you pay for.
Quality headphones are noticeably better than cheap ones, but ear buds are never going to be as good. You lose a lot of sound with buds compared to headphones. I have a pair of $20 wireless bluetooth buds and they are fine, I wouldn't pay much more than that. If you're listening to a compressed mp3, $150 earbuds aren't going to enhance the quality too far other anyways.
I do have a pair of blutooth earbuds I bought awhile back. and I do like
them quite abit.
Here is a link. I think I paid around 20.00-25.00
25,000 5-star reviews cannot be wrong! I have had lots of luck with the Mpow brand of budget bluetooth items. Not those headphones, but others for my kids and have been amazed at what they can do for such small prices. I did buy some bluetooth earbuds that look identical to these that are incredible and cost <$20. Not audiophile high fidelity by any means, but really amazing for bluetooth earbud style headphones. They look identical to these but made by a company called Hitasian that also had identical Amazon pages as Mpow down to the item descriptions and pictures. I suspect they rolled off the same factory line in China.
Worth $18 just to try them, and then always have a back-up pair if they don't meet your needs.
Earbuds suck for bass. They are also just kind of nasty. Anyone here ever come up with a way to get the wax out without damaging them?
I have spent way too much money on ear buds ranging from 25 dollar ones to top of the line Shures which run 450 bucks. I have had Bose, and Klipsch as well. What I have found is that there is a difference if you are paying for quality. Absolutely.
However if you are paying between 25 bucks and 100 bucks there is little difference. If sound quality is important and you have the bucks, splurge. There is a major difference. My Shures are head and tails above everything else.
Thanks to all for your feedback on the earbuds!
Agree with Brer Rabbit> When I am doing my most serious music listening, headphones are my go to. The first high end cans I bought cost more than my first car! Made by Grado. I really liked them but over time they just fell apart. I never took them out of my music room. Was never rough with them. Enjoyed them while they lasted.
I replaced them with a pair of Bose that my wife bought me about 12 years ago. Really happy with them.
Earbuds are go to when I am working out, which happily is a lot these days. I find cans are harder to maintain when I am running on the treadmill. So I have always used buds. again really love my Bose Buds my wife got me years ago for my I pod. Needed new ones when I moved more exclusively to my Iphone. And the photo of those $18 buds look exactly like what my daughter recommended! I continue to be happy with them so I will keep using them for the present.
thanks again for all the helpful comments.
I really need a set of wireless ear phones. Every day when I use my Grado wired ear phones when working out I tell myself 'buy some wireless ones'. Then I never do because I get discouraged they are all made in China. My Grado wired ear phones were made in Japan (Grado makes traditional headphones in the US).
Does anyone know about US made/assembled ear phones, or non-China ones?
I thought I had a line on some from Westone, but their non-professional musician ear monitors are made in China. Their $1000+something pro units are US but you have to get a mold make of your ear opening and everything.
If not US, is there a product made/assembled in Japan or Germany maybe? Or Korea atleast?
I've been gifted some pretty nice earbuds.
Apple airpods first generation have a very clear overall sound, somewhat lacking on base.
Bose Freesports have significantly more base, a better overall sound for music and are more secure in your ear.
The Apple airpods are great for watching TV or movies on an iPad. Very quick to grab and use.
Airpod's battery case stays charged much longer that the Bose battery case does.
Currently because an update is about to come out, Sony's full sized WH1000MX3 are available around $270 Vs $350.
While that's a lot of money, the sound quality and comfort are hard to beat in bluetooth products.
Just FYI, when getting the Sony headphones, I compared them directly with Bose 700's and Bose QC35's.
For me the Sony's were clearly more to my taste. However, that is completely subjective.
With that said, in most cases you get better sound quality for the money with wired products, at the cost of some convenience.
Expensive buds are definitely worth it if you get the right ones (or the ones that best fit your needs).
Im a bit of an audiophile, but far from an authority on any/all things audio.
As an avid user of earbuds, both wireless and wired, I can tell you the best pairs Ive used have been from Shure. Anything from the 3, 4 or 5 series. I would not buy their bluetooth wireless, unless its purely for listening. I was using the wireless kind for working out, and seemingly the slightest bit of wetness (sweat) and the buds wouldnt work. I also own a pair of bluetooth earbuds from B&O. They're expensive but sound is great. Call quality sucks, though.
Ive tried on the Bose and other high end brands, theyre all clunky.
If youre looking for best combo of music sound quality and telephone call quality, I'd recommend the Jabra Elite 75 Active.
While I have never owned airpods, pple I somewhat trust swear by them.
JBL is another quality name in audio, so try out some of their buds.
Without a doubt you do get what you pay for when it comes to audio sound/speakers, etc. Thats why anyone that has built a home theater or Stereo set up will tell you to allocate as much of your budget as possible to your speakers (and buds, phones, etc.).
Im not discounting any advice anyone else in here gave you. To each his own. Im just giving you my 0.02c based on my experience of owning a boatload oh earphones/buds, wireless and wired, and spending a lot of $ on it.
Good luck, man.
Bought some shure earbuds for the gym and they sound heads and shoulders above Klipsch, Bose and Apple that I have also tried. Tons of bass. Highly recommend
