The BLON BL-03 can be worn like a earbud actually. Just cut the stock cable's plastic cable guides or use a cable without earhooks, swap the left and right earpieces and wear it cable down. That's how I use the BLON BL-03 actually, better fit for me than overears.
As for an "equivalent BLON BL-03", are u asking about a similar sound profile (Harmanish with midbass bump)? Or something that has good price to performance ratio that has good timbre/tonality?
Pros of earbuds:
- Earbuds bring better soundstage to the table compared to IEMs.
- They are sort of a compromise from headphones, without the clamp or heat in summer.
- I also prefer earbuds sometimes when having ear infections or abrasions in the ear canal from too long IEM usage.
- Generally good timbre.
- Relatively cheaper than IEMs: $10 - 20ish can get u some pretty good sound for earbuds nowadays. Maybe $50 - 100 can get u a midfi earbud, and TOTL earbuds probably can be obtained at the $200 - 300 mark.
Cons of earbuds:
- Generally have poorer subbass extension/quantity compared to IEMs due to lack of seal. So bassheads have to look elsewhere. There are some earbuds like SMABAT ST10S Black Gold and SMABAT ST10 that have good subbass extension, but those are rare.
- No isolation -> so not the best option to be used outside as one might jack up the volume to compensate for poor isolation, which is not safe for hearing health. People may be able to hear what you are playing too as such. Isolation may not be wanted in some cases though, I know friends who purposely want to use earbuds outside for safety reasons.
- Some also have quite high impedance and do need amping to shine.
- Fit of earbuds may be an issue for some. Thankfully, they come in various shapes and sizes, so see what fits you:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-3207#post-15645387
