[RikudouGoku]

No wonder you haven‘t ever seen those headphones . The vertical disc-like driver shells go directly into your ear canal. They don‘t seal, so they really are more like ear buds. Believe it or not, a lot of them had bass head levels.

Did earbuds make them extinct?

 

[IEMusic]

Did earbuds make them extinct?

Pretty much, but the popularity of on/over ear headphones also contributed.

 

[Ron Good]

What genre's do you typically listen to? What volume level? What lows are you looking for? Do you want massive sub-bass and warmth or just enough to sound natural with ok 'punch'?

Thank you so much for your detailed answer. Very helpful. I mostly listen--low to mid volume--to C-pop, chill/wave, dream/folk pop, lo-fi, post-rock, IDM, the less aggressive end of shoe gaze, smooth jazz, soul and R&B. Sometimes classic rock. The heaviest is maybe like Prodigy or Pantera, but that's very much like spice on my main courses

I hope the others can chime in as I'm not that experienced in earbuds...There's an aliexpress summer sale due in mid june 2020, so possibly some good discounts to be had if u wait 2 weeks or so! Good luck with your search. I'm also interested in low ends in a bud, so hopefully there are other suggestions!

Great hint about the summer sale! I appreciate your detailed suggestions, too.

 

[FastAndClean]

why old thread closed? i have ourart acg, they hi res

 

[AZ Greg]

Hi all! First time posting here in quite a bit. Over 10 years ago this place helped me discover the Yuin PK3s which blew me away at the time for the price to value ratio and satisfied my needs.

I recently found myself looking at cheap buds again out of boredom and realized they've come a long way. I ordered another pair of PK3s for nostalgia's sake, but I also ordered and received the NiceHCK EB2s. I'm really enjoying them and it's reminding me of what I've been missing going the full wireless route with my AirPod Pros (Which are good in their own right).

I also have a pair of HE 150PROs on the way that I'm looking forward to. Anyway, I'm just looking for other earbud recommendations in the sub $50 category to try out. What are some of the other best choices that are still available? I listen to a little bit of everything and at sub $50 I don't need specialized recommendations, just anything that stands out in this price group.

Thanks!

 

[BadMusicVideos]

Can anyone recommend a pair of $20 or less earbuds available within the US? VE monks are out of stock on amazon and such, and I'm looking for a decent pair. Amazon has Edifier P190, Sennheiser MX365 in stock, but I'm wondering if there's anything else available without ordering from China. Ordering from China where I live takes forever and I'd like to pick up something fairly soon. Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

[baskingshark]

Can anyone recommend a pair of $20 or less earbuds available within the US? VE monks are out of stock on amazon and such, and I'm looking for a decent pair. Amazon has Edifier P190, Sennheiser MX365 in stock, but I'm wondering if there's anything else available without ordering from China. Ordering from China where I live takes forever and I'd like to pick up something fairly soon. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Not sure if u can find these from Amazon, and whether they are sub $20 (prices below are Aliexpress prices, and Amazon generally ups prices for more peace of mind for returns/warranties):

1) FAAEAL Datura Pro - a midcentric bud. Has treble and subbass roll off, so not the most versatile in terms of tuning, but it is good for vocals if u are a vocal lover. Around $20ish USD.

2) BK2, neutralish and balanced set with good technicalities (and comes with detachable cables to boot at $21 USD). Non fatiguing with no harsh frequencies. Though a bit bass lite.

3) RY4S 300 ohm ($18ish USD) is pretty hard to drive, but it is also quite balanced, with wide soundstage and above average technicalities. The upper mids can occasionally be harsh, but otherwise it is slightly cheaper than BK2. There's some other cheaper RY4S models below $10 USD such as the RY4S 32 ohm and RY4S 32 ohm Plus, the latter having added bass boost.

NiceHCK B40 and NiceHCK ME80 are also very good at the $10ish USD range, and there are a lot of cheap bang for buck gems u can read reviews about like Vidos, TY HIz 32ohm, Monk/Monk +, Fengru MX985, Yincrow X6, Yincrow RW9, and perhaps some cheaper sub $30 Toneking, FAAEAL and Moondrop buds.

Good luck with your search!

 

[RikudouGoku]

Here is my review on the Moondrop Shiroyuki: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/moondrop-shiroyuki.24393/reviews#item-review-23759

Grade D.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Do you guys think it is correct to have earbuds that don't have a replaceable cable as a con? Personally if it were an iem over 50 usd without replaceable cable it would be quite the big con for me even if the build and sound is outstanding...

 

[IEMusic]

Do you guys think it is correct to have earbuds that don't have a replaceable cable as a con? Personally if it were an iem over 50 usd without replaceable cable it would be quite the big con for me even if the build and sound is outstanding...

I think it‘s reasonable for an ear bud to have a fixed cable, unless it’s expensive, $50 or more.

 

[wskl]

Do you guys think it is correct to have earbuds that don't have a replaceable cable as a con? Personally if it were an iem over 50 usd without replaceable cable it would be quite the big con for me even if the build and sound is outstanding...

I actually prefer fixed cable earbuds, I find them to be lighter, more comfortable and fit my ears better, perhaps I take care of them well but all of my earbuds since I started this hobby about 4 years ago are still in working condition. However I totally understand why people would want detachable cables, they can be easily replaced if they break and also good if someone likes to do some cable rolling. For the detachable earbuds that I own, they have some negatives for one reason or another, e.g.

• **** PT15 is a bit heavy
• Rose Masya just keep falling out of my ears, can be solved by using ear hooks but I don't like to use them
• Smabat ST-10 is a bit bulky
• RY4S Plus just do not fit my ears well at all due to the modded design of the MX500 shell, when MMCX cable is attached the stem becomes very long and it just hangs in my ear instead of being fitted in the ear, ideally the stem should just be above the ear lobe but with the RY4S it is practically at a vertical position and moves (swings) around a lot.

Of course, these are my own personal experiences and I know from reading other comments that other people enjoy using detachable earbuds.

 

[assassin10000]

Thank you so much for your detailed answer. Very helpful. I mostly listen--low to mid volume--to C-pop, chill/wave, dream/folk pop, lo-fi, post-rock, IDM, the less aggressive end of shoe gaze, smooth jazz, soul and R&B. Sometimes classic rock. The heaviest is maybe like Prodigy or Pantera, but that's very much like spice on my main courses

Of the 3 I listed... I'd probably choose the K's LB. It's warm, smooth but still detailed. Didn't have the muffled or veiled sound you can get with some warmer tunings.

There may be other good warm buds with the larger 15.4mm drivers but I don't know them. I have smaller ears and typically go for 14.8mm drivers whenever possible.

Do you guys think it is correct to have earbuds that don't have a replaceable cable as a con? Personally if it were an iem over 50 usd without replaceable cable it would be quite the big con for me even if the build and sound is outstanding...

Yes and no. The majority of TOTL buds are not detachable cable. It's a use and preference thing.

I now go with MMCX buds only. But that's only because my phone has no 3.5mm jack. I do have a usb-c to 3.5mm adapter but I'm not a fan of cables after the convenience of no wires. I use my BT20S for buds the majority of the time.

 

[mochill]

Do you guys think it is correct to have earbuds that don't have a replaceable cable as a con? Personally if it were an iem over 50 usd without replaceable cable it would be quite the big con for me even if the build and sound is outstanding...

Not a con

 

[Saoshyant]

Personally, in retrospect looking at various high end earbuds I've owned, the lack of detachable cable in most cases has not been a con. Detachable only would have limited the options for some truly amazing earbuds like the CampFreds for example. The cable failures I've had all ended up being my fault due to accident, and earbuds that have been properly cared for have had no issues. The example I can think of is one of the cables for my Mojito due to an accidental drop of a dap it was attached to ended up causing damage. Now, an earbud like the Red Demun with it's stiff cable has kept it from being listenable for me due to inability to get a proper fit, and the option to change it would have allowed me to get actual use out of it, but worst comes to worst modding is an option.

 

[baskingshark]

Do you guys think it is correct to have earbuds that don't have a replaceable cable as a con? Personally if it were an iem over 50 usd without replaceable cable it would be quite the big con for me even if the build and sound is outstanding...

Well I respect the views of everyone regarding the non detachable cables in gear > $50 USD, but for me, it is not only an issue of longevity (as I had a few midfi sets die on me at the cable).

Some of us wanna use balanced connections, some of us prefer different cables for haptic/ergonomic/feel, some of us like different cables to change the sound signature (if u ain't a cable skeptic).