Best In Ear (earbuds) under $100?

trav0810
trav0810 Posts: 1,056
in Headphones
The wife has been listening to her iPod a lot at work lately and has been using the buds that came with her phone. She is wanting something a little better, but these are just going to be ran off of her iPod, not any kind of a headphone amp or anything. Just looking for the best deal between $50-100
The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

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Comments

  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    I like Klipsch for wired in-ear: https://www.klipsch.com/products/r6-ii-headphones
    Jake
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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,156
    ^^^+1 on the Klipsch. I recently bought that exact model and am very pleased with them. I have not tried a huge variety of earbuds over the years, but these are by-far the most balanced I have used. Maybe not a huge amount of bass, but enough, and great detail in the mids and highs. I don't listen to a lot of bass-heavy music anyway, so maybe they are better in that regard than I give them credit for. And using different sizes of the rubber inserts can help 'seal' the bass in if needed.
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
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  • jeremymarcinko
    jeremymarcinko Posts: 3,785
    edited March 2019
    I had these klipsch. They were a little over $100. Pretty nice sounding but the ear pieces would stay stuck in my ear canal and my wife had to remove them with tweezers. Twice this happened. Had to wait half a day once. The more I tried myself the deeper it went. Anyway the right side died after a year or so maybe a little longer.

    I would honestly go Bose for earbuds.

    https://hifiheaven.net/shop/Klipsch-X4i-In-Ear-Headphones?language=en&currency=USD&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhPfkBRD0ARIsAAcYycFN3rNUxtMcuJkyrR8nB9aXcECUdf8c5KMnZ8jchO91r24o1oSZ61caAkZNEALw_wcB
    Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
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  • msg
    msg Posts: 10,116
    haha, just like that scene from Fletch!

    pugeqc6u7vjo.png

    I disabled signatures.
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  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    edited March 2019
    jeremymarcinko wrote: »
    I would honestly go Bose for earbuds.
    I got some nice Bose bluetooth ones for my daughter for Xmas and they are nice.

    Also, if one wants a decent budget Bluetooth to work out in, cut the grass, etc and nor worry about damaging or loosing, the TrebLab XR500 has to be one of the better values out there.

    https://www.amazon.com/XR500-Headphones-Waterproof-Sweatproof-Secure-Fit/dp/B01G60GO7K

    My Son thought they sounded better than his BEATS wireless.

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  • trav0810
    trav0810 Posts: 1,056
    Thanks guys. Gives me some food for thought. I had already been looking at Klipsch since they were pretty reasonably priced
    The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

    Sony Playstation 3 for CD and Streaming
    Thorens TD320
    Modified Carver C-1
    Carver TFM 42 and 45 Amplifiers
    Polk RTA15TL Speakers w/Decato mods
    White Lightning Moonshine DIY Speaker Cables and Interconnects
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  • Irrenhaus
    Irrenhaus Posts: 1,092
    I have this one's and they are very good. Sometimes I use them more than the Shure 425's and good price.

    https://www.mezeaudio.com/products/meze-12-classics-gun-metal-wood-earphones

    Cheers
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  • trav0810
    trav0810 Posts: 1,056
    zingo wrote: »
    I like Klipsch for wired in-ear: https://www.klipsch.com/products/r6-ii-headphones

    I just noticed they are running a special on the refurbished R6 for 19.99!
    The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

    Sony Playstation 3 for CD and Streaming
    Thorens TD320
    Modified Carver C-1
    Carver TFM 42 and 45 Amplifiers
    Polk RTA15TL Speakers w/Decato mods
    White Lightning Moonshine DIY Speaker Cables and Interconnects
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  • Bgoodfella
    Bgoodfella Posts: 107
    Am i the only one that has trouble keeping the in ear buds, in my ears? ive tried out various different silicone tips on the ones where its available and they seem to fall out all the time. also the standard ear buds never want to stay in either... ive been trying to just find something that doesnt pop out while im at the gym. will any of these recommendations work?
    (2) Rti A7's
    (1) CSI A6
    (2) FXi A6's
    Denon AVR - X4300H
    Monster 850i interconnects ( not sure what everyone hates about these - maybe my untrained ears are too innocent to know what's bad)
    Parasound HCA2205A amplifier
    Sony XBR65X900E TV
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  • Irrenhaus
    Irrenhaus Posts: 1,092
    Bgoodfella wrote: »
    Am i the only one that has trouble keeping the in ear buds, in my ears? ive tried out various different silicone tips on the ones where its available and they seem to fall out all the time. also the standard ear buds never want to stay in either... ive been trying to just find something that doesnt pop out while im at the gym. will any of these recommendations work?

    Here.

    They have a very good fit.

    https://www.shure.com/americas/products/earphones/se-earphones/se215-sound-isolating-earphones-hear-it-all

    Cheers

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  • mlistens03
    mlistens03 Posts: 2,767
    I like JBL headphones, but I've personally never tried their IEMs. But they get my recommendation.
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  • Bgoodfella
    Bgoodfella Posts: 107
    I will have to check both of those out thank you guys for the recommendations :-)
    (2) Rti A7's
    (1) CSI A6
    (2) FXi A6's
    Denon AVR - X4300H
    Monster 850i interconnects ( not sure what everyone hates about these - maybe my untrained ears are too innocent to know what's bad)
    Parasound HCA2205A amplifier
    Sony XBR65X900E TV
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  • msg
    msg Posts: 10,116
    trav0810 wrote: »
    zingo wrote: »
    I like Klipsch for wired in-ear: https://www.klipsch.com/products/r6-ii-headphones

    I just noticed they are running a special on the refurbished R6 for 19.99!

    Yay! Good thing the rest of us can telepathically mine the link from your brain, otherwise we'd miss out.
    I disabled signatures.
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  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 8,121
    msg wrote: »
    trav0810 wrote: »
    zingo wrote: »
    I like Klipsch for wired in-ear: https://www.klipsch.com/products/r6-ii-headphones

    I just noticed they are running a special on the refurbished R6 for 19.99!

    Yay! Good thing the rest of us can telepathically mine the link from your brain, otherwise we'd miss out.

    Here ya go: https://www.klipsch.com/products/r6-earphones-refurbished
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  • trav0810
    trav0810 Posts: 1,056
    rooftop59 wrote: »
    msg wrote: »
    trav0810 wrote: »
    zingo wrote: »
    I like Klipsch for wired in-ear: https://www.klipsch.com/products/r6-ii-headphones

    I just noticed they are running a special on the refurbished R6 for 19.99!

    Yay! Good thing the rest of us can telepathically mine the link from your brain, otherwise we'd miss out.

    Here ya go: https://www.klipsch.com/products/r6-earphones-refurbished

    thank you. Doing a Google search for that model and seeing where they are on sale would have probably been far too much work! LOL
    The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

    Sony Playstation 3 for CD and Streaming
    Thorens TD320
    Modified Carver C-1
    Carver TFM 42 and 45 Amplifiers
    Polk RTA15TL Speakers w/Decato mods
    White Lightning Moonshine DIY Speaker Cables and Interconnects
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  • teekay0007
    teekay0007 Posts: 2,289
    trav0810 wrote: »
    zingo wrote: »
    I like Klipsch for wired in-ear: https://www.klipsch.com/products/r6-ii-headphones

    I just noticed they are running a special on the refurbished R6 for 19.99!

    I wonder if the refurbishing process includes clearing of all cerumen deposits...
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  • trav0810
    trav0810 Posts: 1,056
    teekay0007 wrote: »
    trav0810 wrote: »
    zingo wrote: »
    I like Klipsch for wired in-ear: https://www.klipsch.com/products/r6-ii-headphones

    I just noticed they are running a special on the refurbished R6 for 19.99!

    I wonder if the refurbishing process includes clearing of all cerumen deposits...

    No, they give you that for free!
    The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

    Sony Playstation 3 for CD and Streaming
    Thorens TD320
    Modified Carver C-1
    Carver TFM 42 and 45 Amplifiers
    Polk RTA15TL Speakers w/Decato mods
    White Lightning Moonshine DIY Speaker Cables and Interconnects
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,156
    Bgoodfella wrote: »
    Am i the only one that has trouble keeping the in ear buds, in my ears? ive tried out various different silicone tips on the ones where its available and they seem to fall out all the time. also the standard ear buds never want to stay in either... ive been trying to just find something that doesnt pop out while im at the gym. will any of these recommendations work?
    One of the features of the Klipsch are the oval-shaped silicone tips. Most earbud silicone tips are round, but our ear canal openings are oval-shaped, so the Klipsch in theory should stay-in better.
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
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  • acmf74
    acmf74 Posts: 936
    Been very happy with the Klipsh and Polks Nue Voe & Nue Era
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  • trav0810
    trav0810 Posts: 1,056
    jdjohn wrote: »
    Bgoodfella wrote: »
    Am i the only one that has trouble keeping the in ear buds, in my ears? ive tried out various different silicone tips on the ones where its available and they seem to fall out all the time. also the standard ear buds never want to stay in either... ive been trying to just find something that doesnt pop out while im at the gym. will any of these recommendations work?
    One of the features of the Klipsch are the oval-shaped silicone tips. Most earbud silicone tips are round, but our ear canal openings are oval-shaped, so the Klipsch in theory should stay-in better.

    According to Jeremy, they stay in VERY well!
    The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

    Sony Playstation 3 for CD and Streaming
    Thorens TD320
    Modified Carver C-1
    Carver TFM 42 and 45 Amplifiers
    Polk RTA15TL Speakers w/Decato mods
    White Lightning Moonshine DIY Speaker Cables and Interconnects
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  • trav0810
    trav0810 Posts: 1,056
    I bought the refurbished R6 for my wife. Now, she has only ever used whatever came with her phone or the iPod, but she is really impressed with these.
    The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

    Sony Playstation 3 for CD and Streaming
    Thorens TD320
    Modified Carver C-1
    Carver TFM 42 and 45 Amplifiers
    Polk RTA15TL Speakers w/Decato mods
    White Lightning Moonshine DIY Speaker Cables and Interconnects
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  • pkquat
    pkquat Posts: 748
    I happened to see this a few days ago. I will also add the refurbished R6 sound quite good overall. I just wish they had a mic/pause button. I also got refurbished X4i's. In theory these should be much better, but the bass is severely lacking. Reading some of the reviews they are supposed to be "flat" and accurate, but many mention the lackluster bass. There is some talk of break in so I will see, and also if my ears adapt, but I doubt it. They may be flat, but the roll of is steep. While listening to a few tracks with 4 few bars of bass only riffs, or bass and drum, the low end is just not there, its mostly the overtones. I think my Polk M4 speakers have less apparent roll off. The midrange is pronounced, but yet seems to lack some clarity. They don't sound "flat".

    If you find a store that carries "AUVIO" headphones they might be worth a shot. RadioShack carried them. I consider them a sub $50 headphone these days with many being in the ~$25 range. I get a few pair in case they get lost stolen or damaged. They are an every day pair. The QC is not tight, so that is why I recommend a store to listen to a few of a given model range. I brought my own clean ear pieces and never had an issue taking some for a test listen. Some of the cheaper ones actually sounded better and that some of there more expensive ones. Some even include a zippered case. They got some $15-20 plastic ones where 3 out of 4 sounded pretty good and beat the sound of their metal ones. Compared to the R6 I would say the plastic AUVIO are about a 7. They are not as flat and loose a little detail, but overall have a pleasing balanced sound. Sadly I have a few pairs of other brand ~$50 or more retail priced earbuds (mostly purchased on sale etc. for less) that sound like crap. I also use Comply ear pieces most of the time. Very good noise blocking and they stay in the ear well even on hot days.

    The main reason I bring up the Auvio brand is I stumbled across a model they made 6+ years back that were only about $30 with iControls. They were light metal and sounded AMAZING. Deep rich bass detailed bass, but not boomy and clean clear midrange and highs. The QC was pretty good on these. They beat a number of $100+ earbuds I tried at the time. They even came with a semi-rigid zippered case. I may update with the model number if I can find an old box. Sadly AUVIO is a generic off brand that makes a run of products and moves on to the next marketing design. They stumbled on something really good. I wish they kept it around longer.
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  • Irrenhaus
    Irrenhaus Posts: 1,092
    Not sure is I can pots this here but here are some good reviews of IEM under $100 granted one was $230 but still good.

    No Affiliation.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyg-J22jR14

    Cheers
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  • PSOVLSK
    PSOVLSK Posts: 5,208
    I know the OP has already found what he was looking for, but just thought I'd throw these out there. Tough to beat for $30 IMO:
    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BTYOL38/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
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  • gyosa
    gyosa Posts: 750
    edited May 2019
    Look into Final Audio ....
    I have a pair of the E2000 I use as beaters when not using my 2nd gen QJays....

    The finals are less than 50 bucks and sound great
    Bk
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