[ikamusume]

I've been using the same pair of Sony MDR-A44 headphones for over a decade. They're an old vertical in the ear design. My A44's are still working, but I've been noticing the left side is quieter than the right side, I suspect earwax or maybe too many wires have broken over the years? With other headphones, the sides are the same volume, so I'm not just going deaf

I found Head-Fi from a Google search that unearthed this ancient thread with people raving over the A44's, so I guess I'm not the only one who liked them! https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-mdr-a44.85171/

Here is one review from that thread by TenaciousO (edited for length), which hopefully gives an idea of what the A44's are like:

"... They are a little bright but not overly so. They have a nice bite like etys and have decent bass. ... I would describe the overall sound as pretty smooth. They falter a bit though during complex passages; the vocals can get a bit grainy, and the sound becomes a bit muddy and congested. Otherwise, these are great portable cans. If these were a bit warmer, they would be perfect, but I tend to like my headphones on the warmer side so some might find the sound just fine.

What I am most impressed with, however, is the soundstage and imaging. Don't get me wrong, the soundstage is not spectacular by any means, but it's much more than I would except for headphones at this price range. Soundstage is not all that wide, but I can actually hear some degrees of depth. And the imaging is simply great. I can pinpoint exactly where a sound is coming from, and the sound is spread evenly over a 180 degrees and not confined to 3 point blobs like a lot of cheaper cans. ..."​

Anyways, I'm wondering if there is a pair of earbuds that sounds like the A44's (or maybe better?). Here's what I'm looking for:

• Earbuds, because I suspect the vertical design is extinct. I like that the A44's are lightweight and not bulky.
  
• I'll be listening to these on a phone, so they need to be able to sound good without an amp.
  
• The specs need to be at least as good as the A44's (I like the sound of efficient speakers): Sensitivity 108db/mW, Impedance 16 ohms, Frequency Response 10 - 23,000 Hz. This is one reason I'm asking for help, because poking around Amazon, the specs were almost always bad. I don't know why, but inefficient speakers sound muffled to me, like the sound is struggling to come out.
  
• Definitely not any kind of mega bass, and the bass should not intrude on the mids, it should be neutral, not "warm" (notice that TenaciousO wished they were warmer, well I think they're just right, but maybe this provides a clue to how these headphones sound). To my ears, the A44's go really deep, but the bass isn't overpowering the rest of the music. When there is supposed to be bass, there is, but when there isn't, the headphones aren't introducing any fake bass especially in the mids. For an example of what I'm trying to avoid, I have an ancient pair of iPod earbuds, they're not bad, but they sound like when someone turned up the bass control on the stereo because there is bass all the time.
  
• Provides listening privacy and won't disturb my coworkers.
  
• Noise isolation is a plus but not a requirement.
  
• My goal is $75 or less, but if that's unrealistic for what I'm asking for, so be it.
  
• Able to be returned if I don't like them.

If I haven't narrowed it down enough, please let me know. Or if I've over-constrained it, let me know that too!

Thanks so much for reading!