Top earbuds buyers guide
This is the buyers guide showing general directions rather than extensive review or comparison. There are a lot of comprehensive review and comparisons at Head-Fi, including some of my own. I list them at the end of the guide, please, add the links which I missed.
What are the earbuds?
There is some confusion on this term, some people refer earbuds to IEMs (like
Etymotic ER-6i), canal phones (like
Sennheiser CX300) and hybrids (like
Sony EX-90). True earbuds are shown on the picture below and fortunately these are 5 best earbuds up to date:
Update 11/5/09 - AKG K319 added:
Why earbuds?
They are good for walks as well in any other situation when isolation is not recommended. They are very portable, it is easy to carry them around. Unlike to any other headphone, they are comfortable enough to "disappear" in your ears. You may lie on them. They are quick to put them in and pull them out.
How good are the earbuds?
Many people still consider earbuds to be inferior and they are wrong. Modern (2008) top earbuds are on par with mid-fi full size headphones in terms of sound quality. They also stand well against most of the IEMs, while beat them easily in terms of soundstaging and comfort.
Why did I listed too few earbuds and why they are too expensive?
This guide is result of my own seek for the earbud which may sound as good as full size can. I tried a lot, but just few sound good. So I mention only the best which are quite expensive at the same time - $80 to $230.
Warning!
Buying any of the expensive earbud you'd better listen to it. Earbuds sound perception varies extremely from person to person as the fit varies. Look, I'm fond of PK1 and my GF likes CM700. The same time, she hates PK1 ("too boomy!"), while I can not stand stock CM700 ("too ringing!"). There are no such big differences with IEMs or big size cans, so take this into consideration.
Overall sound quality rating
I divide some of the cans I listened into the 3 classes - Hi-Fi, Mid-Fi and Low-Fi. I divide each class further with 3 levels and marked the headphones I reviewed with bold. Note that this chart may differ from its previous versions shown in my former reviews.
OK1, PK1 and ATH-CM700 are “big cans in small bodies”, providing you with the better/same/almost the same SQ correspondingly as mid-fi full size cans do. OK2 stays at the borderline between mid-fi and low-fi, K319 took its place right in the middle of low-fi category, while PK2 is placed between low-fi cans and the regular earbuds crowd.
Chart:
H1 HD650, W5000, SR-404,
ER-4S OFC recabled, w/ custom tips
---
RE0 is in-between
H2 Denon D2000, AKG 701, W1000,
E500
H3 DT880, HD600,
ER-4P w/ custom tips
---
G1A is in-between
M1 DT990, AD1000, K501, Ergo 2,
OK1, ER-4P w/ triple flanges
M2 DT770, SR225, HD595, AD900, K271, MDR-F1, E4c, UM2,
PK1, ultramodded KSC-35
M3 AD700, HD555, HD280, DT660, SR80, ER-6i,
CM700*, EW9*
---
OK2, G2A is in-between
L1 iGrado, A900, HD485, K181, E3c, UE 5 EB
---
DYI Grado clip-ons is in-between
L2 PortaPro, PX100, DT231, K81, D-Jays,
K319
L3 SportaPro, PXC 250, K27i, UE 3, E2c, CX300, modded Marshmallow,
KSC-75
---
PK2 is here
the rest of the earbuds
* With the most synergetic amps – XIN Supermicro and Millett Portable correspondingly. Otherwise both should be placed to L1 category.
NOTE: all the cans from L category are rated unamped. Some of them (say Koss) may go step up when amped.
Brief descriptions
#1. Yuin OK1 - “Accuracy”
It provides the most accurate sound in any terms – tonality, details, instrument separation and positioning, frequency response, etc. It beats many of mid-fi cans in terms of general SQ, so it may dethrone them easily due to portability and comfort.
Cons:- Needs an amp. Tube, hybrid or warm SS are appreciated. Otherwise it sounds a bit lifeless.
- Sounds much better when loud, so it provokes to crank the volumes up.
You will probably like it if you like: HD600, DT880, K701.
#2. Yuin PK1 – “Pleasure”
It sounds both smooth and detailed. Lows are deep and very punchy, mids are slighlty warm and forward, highs are emphasized a bit. This gives it a very pleasant sound even at low volumes. SQ is on par with most of the mid-fi cans, while PK1 is more comfortable and less demanding to amplification.
Cons:- Distorts very deep lows a bit, though it is quite hard to notice with real music. I found this only using sine waves test tracks.
- Sometime may have a little sibilance.
You will probably like it if you like: HD650, DT990, Denon D2000, Shure E500.
#3. Audio-Technica ATH-CM700 – “Details”
I love&hate this ugly duckling. “Ugly” is not about its look, which is excellent BTW. This is all about its sound. It always fools me with a feeling that it is capable to perform much better than it does. Trying to get the best from it, I changed the cushions, amps, EQs, added resistors… No luck! Sometime I will recable and reshell it (most likely in wood), I still hope this will help.
It has excellent frequency extensions, going very deep and high. It has the best clarity and speed, it never sounds congested, separating as many instruments / voices as you throw in it. It has the widest soundstage, beating most of the full-size cans in this area! And it is extremely revealing, having terrific details, like those of Etymotic or electrostats.
Cons:- At the same time it may sound flat, dry, thin, bright and sometime harsh. It happens with some songs, sources, with slight changes of in ear position. Or just happens.
- Unforgiving to bad records.
- Finicky to sources.
- Big caps and long sticks make them incomfortable and/or tricky to fit.
You may like it (though I am very unsure) if you like: HD280, ATH-AD700, ER-6i. Some electrostats owners like it also. Again, I never heard any other headphone with so contradicting, love&hate sound.
#4. Yuin OK2 – “Energy”
It is opposite to CM700, it is not trying to bite off more than it can chew. It just does its job fairly. It does not have wide frequency extensions, but it has very even frequency response. It is moderately detailed without harshness. Bass is very tight and detailed, mids are clear and “in-to-the-face” type, highs are just right. But it has its own character - overall sound is fast, punchy, clear, pleasantly aggressive… Are we talking about Grado? Almost.
Cons:- Lacks harmonics, dropping the decay quickly.
- Sounds kinda schematic, simplified. Does not match most mid-fi cans in terms of SQ.
You will definitely like it if you like Grado.
#5. AKG K319 – “Clarity” (added 11/5/09)
Speed and instruments separation are terrific, clarity is absolute. Soundstage is wide, though yields in depth to the top Yuins. Tonality is slightly dry; frequency response is pretty even, with minor forgivable peak somewhere in lower highs. Bass extension is good, quality is excellent; mids lack warmth and harmonics; highs are not extended well but pronounced. Extreme legibility spans across the whole spectrum with no harshness or sibilance.
All genres sound well with K319, those fast paced or imaging demanding benefit (say trance). In general, K319 is impartial, it is like a very clean window to the music made of the somewhat cool-tinted glass.
Cons:- Can not stand well to the mid-fi cans in terms of resolution and decay.
- Comfort is average, especially if you listen it under the hat.
It sounds like lesser version of K701, keeping its tonality along with excellent speed, separation and clarity. Unfortunately, it lacks K701s micro details and overtones.
#6. Yuin PK2 – “Background”
It sounds very similar to stock (non modded) KSC-75. Moderately elevated bass is a bit slow and non-accurate. Mids are warm, slightly muddied, lacking clarity and details. Highs are slightly emphasized and a bit edgy. Separation is so-so, overall sound is congested/veiled.
EDIT: Some kind words from my previous review are also true if you are not so picky as I am now
. Mix the description above with these to get the whole picture: "Sound is balanced, fun and energetic. Details are ok, mids are forward and smooth. Bass is not deep, but punchy. Highs are fine, no hisses. It seems that very high frequencies are recessed. Probably this is the reason for sound imaging to be so-so."
Pros:- It serves well for background listening.
- It is better than the rest of the earbuds and suffers only when you compare it to #1-#4.
You will probably like it if you like KSC-75, PortaPro, PX100.
The rest of the earbuds
Pretenders
There are also some earbuds that worth to be bought, if you can not buy any of the #1 - #5:
- ATH-CM7 and its derivations ATH-EC7, Bang & Oluffsen A8 (which I did not listen though)
- Sennheiser MX75, MX90
- Sony MDR-E888
- Sony EX-90, though it is not true earbud
I wish I might include Yuin OK3 and PK3 into this list. I never heard them because they are out of my personal interest, so I did not want to buy them. I asked Nankai (Fang from Head-direct ) for review samples, but he did not reply. You may find more on entry level Yuins here at head-fi. It seems to be general consensus that OK3 is very similar to PK2, while PK3 sounds like bassy version of PK2.
Outsiders
Some people may also mention ATH-CM3, Sony 828, MX500, some other buds. I heard many of them, I found them to be better than stock buds. But they are not good enough to enjoy music or not tame enough for background listening. I’d better stay with iPod stock buds (which are quite good for background) or pay for some better earbuds to enjoy the music.
Genres matching:
OK1 is #1 for jazz, vocal, pop, while PK1 is the second.
PK1 is excellent for rock, blues, hip-hop, followed by OK1.
CM700 suits best for classical (OK1*), trance (OK1), ambient (OK1), new age (PK1).
OK2 shines with metal (K319), hard rock (PK1), house (PK1).
K319 performs fast (i.e. trance) and congested (i.e. trash metal) music with excellence.
PK2 does not outperform others in any genre, while is capable to play any music satisfactorily, excluding the most complex genres like orchestra classic.
* In brackets I mentioned the second best player for the genre.
Source and amplifications matching
There are many who ask “Which is better unamped?”. This simple question does not have a sense, if you do not specify the source. Look, unamped Classic is miles ahead of unamped Shuffle. Moreover, Classic sounds very different from Cowon D2, while both are similarly powerful.
Pay attention that the record itself also matters. Most of the modern records are volume boosted (search for “Loudness war” to learn more). This leads to clipping. When I normalized my records with Foobar reply gain feature, I was disappointed by the fact that Sansa Clip is not able to drive PK1 loud enough as it did before.
So here I did my best to provide specific recommendations on sources/amps based on “normalized” records.
OK1. It is the most hard to drive, even the most powerful DAPs (Classic, Cowon D2) are not enough to power it adequately. If you are not going to use an amp, you may find it a bit lifeless comparing to PK1. OK1 shines with tubes or hybrid, I bought Millet Portable to drive it and this is a match made on heaven.
PK1. It is excellent with most of the amps, good with powerful DAP (Classic, Cowon D2) and acceptable while quiet with moderately powered one (Sansa Clip). It is not worthy to pay its price if you are going to drive it with the weak source (Shuffle), since it will sound muffled like PK2 while quieter. PK1 has nice synergy with Cowon D2, making a compact and great sounding combo.
CM700. It is sensitive so it does not need an amp itself. It is extremely revealing so it is able to pull out good sound from weak, dark or non-detailed sources (Shuffle, mobiles, PC onboard sound cards). This is a double-edged feature and you are at risk with crappy records. Also avoid the sources, which are cold, bright, harsh or noisy. I do not even want to try it with Cowon D2, which is cold and dry. I may tolerate it straight out of smooth DAPs like iPod Mini 2G or FLAC updated Clip. Nevertheless, I recommend to use proper amp to further soften the source. The best portable combo I found for it is iPod Mini 2G -> Millet Portable (smooth sounding hybrid amp). CM700 will take you to heaven with the stationary rig like Lossless -> Good DAC (say Pico) -> tubes.
OK2. The most unpretentious, clear compatibility winner, it plays well with anything (even Shuffle) and does not improve much with amplification. Detailed and fast amps with good frequency extensions and touch of warmth are recommended if you want to squeeze out the last tiny bit of SQ. What am I talking about? Meier Move / 2Move / 3Move, of course
Based on the readings, I believe XXS (Headsix) and Predator are also good, though I never listened one.
K319. Sensitivity is high; amplification is neither necessary nor improves the sound. Warm sources, like Sansas, are recommended to anybody; bass-boost option is must for bassheads.
PK2. It is sensitive, so no amp is necessary. At the same time it is veiled, so need accurate matching. Avoid warm, dark or non-detailed sources. If you have Shuffle, choose OK2 or CM700. If you want go ultraportable with PK2, get Sansa Clip. For portable, choose Cowon D2 over iPod. You may benefit a bit from amp if you choose dry/cold/bass light amp instead of warm/bassy/smooth one.
Background play
This is very underrated and misunderstood category. Many pursue the best SQ while choosing an earbud primarily for background use indeed. Later they find themselves unsatisfied. What is the heck? Background listening has its own specific:
- It is often quiet. Otherwise, loud music will detract you from reading at home or monitoring the traffic around you at the street. So headphone should play well at low volumes. Typically, it has to have emphasized bass and treble.
- SQ should NOT be very good, neither in terms of accuracy nor in terms of fun. Otherwise the music will involve you, detracting your attention off your primary task (say reading or writing).
- SQ should not be bad at the same time. Crappy sound does also detract, especially if you are audiophile (are not you?). I prefer silence to any offensively sounding gear.
- Sound should be comfortable and relaxed, say warm, without too many details, dynamics and so on.
These requirements are not easy to meet and I know few cans which do that well – MDR-F1, Koss UR-40 and …
PK2! It is the clear winner in background category, both for walks and reading/writing.
PK1, due to stronger bass, may be a bit better for walks, if your source is loud enough for noisy streets. Unfortunately, my Sansa Clip is not. Moreover, PK1 can not compete to PK2 if you reading/writing, because PK1 does sound better, thus interferes more. So, I gave it the second place.
OK2 and CM700 share the third place. Former has more even sound, while latter is better tone-compensated.
K319 does not suite well for background listening if your primary task requires mind concentration, say writing the review in foreign language. This is due to the extreme legibility - you would distinguish every word and note even on lowest volume and this would distract you.
And
OK1 is the worst (surprise!) earbud for background listening with its true Hi-Fi sound and accurate frequency response.
Final guide- First, estimate fairly your background and critical listening shares.
- Then examine your music preferences.
- Then decide which sources you will use.
- With all this info use this guide to finalize your choice.
Examples:- I need an earbud for walks listening simple relaxed music from the Clip. Answer: PK2.
- I need an earbud for gym listening metal from the Shuffle. Answer: K319.
- I need an earbud for my bedside attentive listening of jazz from Portable Millet. Answer: OK1.
Links
My threads on earbuds:
Yuin OK1
Yuin OK2
PK1, PK2, audio-technica ATH-CM700
AKG K319 review
MX75 foams - recommended for PK1, PK2 and other earbuds
Antonyfirst
Review: The BIG Yuin Comparison (PK series - OK series)
Yuins
It is easy to find threads on Yuin and there are a lot of them. If you feel that I should place links to some of them, feel free to post your suggestions.
Where to buy
Head-Direct.com | YUIN
Audio-Technica ATH-CM700
Nomad
Audio Technica CM700: Qualias on earbud form factor (sadly without perfect fit)
robbie
CM700
Elephas
Audio-Technica ATH-CM700Ti
Where to buy
AudioCubes.com - Japan's Best Kept Secrets, Delivered.
Links to be updated, please post your suggestions.
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Earbud buyer's guide, feat. OK1, PK1, OK2, K319, PK2, ATH-CM700
