DISCLAIMER
After my last pair of earphones broke, I did some research on the forums to find high praise for Edifier, much of which for the 185's. A bit of research showed that the company sought reviews for their products in exchange for said products. So after about a hundred hours of listening over the last month, here we are. While I do have a positive outlook on Edifier for giving me these headphones and for having friendly and personable customer service, I believe that my opinions that follow would be identical even if I were to pay the low cost of the headphones.
BACKGROUND INFO
About Me
I primarily listen to hip-hop, neo soul, R&B, and jazz. I've been an avid headphone listener for over half my life and have gone through many models, mostly small and portable like these. Headphones I've owned include the Koss KSC-75, Sennheiser PX-100, Yuin PK3, Brainwavz M2, Altec Lansing iM716, Super.fi 5pro, Westone UM1, Westone UM2, Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro, Sennheiser HD595, Sennheiser HD202, and Audio Technica M30. My sources for listening to the P185's are my phone (Samsung Galaxy S6), generic laptop sound card, and HeadRoom Total BitHead.
About The Product
There are two models that use the same drivers. This model, the P185, has an in-line microphone attached, whereas the otherwise identical H185 does not. The housing has an angular design so that the headphones fit comfortable in and outside of your ear with the wire hanging straight down. That, along with the mic button, is useful in determining which earbud goes in which ear without having to read a small L or R on the housing. The cable is covered by a smooth, slightly sticky rubber. It's just sticky enough to sometimes make it hard to unwrap and untangle them from storage. I have a hard time with it about half the time, but it might have something to do with how I wrap them up before putting them in their case. Speaking of cases, these headphones do not come with a case. As mentioned above, I've gone through many similar headphones in the past, and cases tend to outlast headphones.
PROS
Let me start with the most impressive attribute of these headphones: The sound signature. They are the only headphones I've ever tried that I haven't created a custom equalizer setting for on my phone. While it isn't extremely hard to create equalization settings, it is convenient to plug them into any source and know that they will sound how I like without having to tweak things. A complement to this attribute is that the P185 easily has more detail and separation than any other headphone I've listened to below $35. I haven't been listening to my big headphones much lately, but in terms of detail, these have clearly outperformed multiple quality stereo systems and my Brainwavz M2. They also have a good, open soundstage which is again great for the price, and they are comfortable to listen to all day long.
NEUTRALS
I've heard from people over the phone and Xbox Live that the mic quality isn't great, but none of them has had trouble understanding me. Basically, it's average for an in-line mic. While the single button on the mic is useful and feels nice to press, I do miss having volume buttons on the mic controls.
CONS
I only have one issue with these headphones. The foams barely fit! They're stretched out while on, and always fall off. Luckily I only lost one foam before noticing this. Take them out of your ears? Better check in your ears for foams. Hang one earbud over your ear or shoulder? Check the floor every few seconds. Unwrap them from storage? Make sure you do it over a surface top. These foams fall off all the time, and they're more difficult than you'd think to put back on. It's not complex, but it sometimes takes a few tries. Without foams, these have less bass and less bass clarity. I didn't notice any other differences, but I've barely listened to them without foams because of the aforementioned bass issue. If you prefer that, then maybe this isn't a con.
CONCLUSION
As said in the title, these are the best headphones under $20. They outperform many headphones that cost much, much more. I like them a lot more than the Koss KSC-75's that people (my past self included) rave about here on Head-Fi. You should seriously consider these if you are looking for open earbuds.
After my last pair of earphones broke, I did some research on the forums to find high praise for Edifier, much of which for the 185's. A bit of research showed that the company sought reviews for their products in exchange for said products. So after about a hundred hours of listening over the last month, here we are. While I do have a positive outlook on Edifier for giving me these headphones and for having friendly and personable customer service, I believe that my opinions that follow would be identical even if I were to pay the low cost of the headphones.
BACKGROUND INFO
About Me
I primarily listen to hip-hop, neo soul, R&B, and jazz. I've been an avid headphone listener for over half my life and have gone through many models, mostly small and portable like these. Headphones I've owned include the Koss KSC-75, Sennheiser PX-100, Yuin PK3, Brainwavz M2, Altec Lansing iM716, Super.fi 5pro, Westone UM1, Westone UM2, Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro, Sennheiser HD595, Sennheiser HD202, and Audio Technica M30. My sources for listening to the P185's are my phone (Samsung Galaxy S6), generic laptop sound card, and HeadRoom Total BitHead.
About The Product
There are two models that use the same drivers. This model, the P185, has an in-line microphone attached, whereas the otherwise identical H185 does not. The housing has an angular design so that the headphones fit comfortable in and outside of your ear with the wire hanging straight down. That, along with the mic button, is useful in determining which earbud goes in which ear without having to read a small L or R on the housing. The cable is covered by a smooth, slightly sticky rubber. It's just sticky enough to sometimes make it hard to unwrap and untangle them from storage. I have a hard time with it about half the time, but it might have something to do with how I wrap them up before putting them in their case. Speaking of cases, these headphones do not come with a case. As mentioned above, I've gone through many similar headphones in the past, and cases tend to outlast headphones.
PROS
Let me start with the most impressive attribute of these headphones: The sound signature. They are the only headphones I've ever tried that I haven't created a custom equalizer setting for on my phone. While it isn't extremely hard to create equalization settings, it is convenient to plug them into any source and know that they will sound how I like without having to tweak things. A complement to this attribute is that the P185 easily has more detail and separation than any other headphone I've listened to below $35. I haven't been listening to my big headphones much lately, but in terms of detail, these have clearly outperformed multiple quality stereo systems and my Brainwavz M2. They also have a good, open soundstage which is again great for the price, and they are comfortable to listen to all day long.
NEUTRALS
I've heard from people over the phone and Xbox Live that the mic quality isn't great, but none of them has had trouble understanding me. Basically, it's average for an in-line mic. While the single button on the mic is useful and feels nice to press, I do miss having volume buttons on the mic controls.
CONS
I only have one issue with these headphones. The foams barely fit! They're stretched out while on, and always fall off. Luckily I only lost one foam before noticing this. Take them out of your ears? Better check in your ears for foams. Hang one earbud over your ear or shoulder? Check the floor every few seconds. Unwrap them from storage? Make sure you do it over a surface top. These foams fall off all the time, and they're more difficult than you'd think to put back on. It's not complex, but it sometimes takes a few tries. Without foams, these have less bass and less bass clarity. I didn't notice any other differences, but I've barely listened to them without foams because of the aforementioned bass issue. If you prefer that, then maybe this isn't a con.
CONCLUSION
As said in the title, these are the best headphones under $20. They outperform many headphones that cost much, much more. I like them a lot more than the Koss KSC-75's that people (my past self included) rave about here on Head-Fi. You should seriously consider these if you are looking for open earbuds.
