I've been using <10$ IEMs for the past few years, maybe its time to "upgrade" to <50$, any suggestions?.

[Puqo]

I've gone through a few pairs of these, likely knockoff, AKG IEMs that I got off Amazon and the last pair is finally starting to give away with the left side's audio being completely gone.

After a bit of searching I quickly came to the conclusion that I have no idea what I'm looking at and would probably end up buying something subpar even for this price. Some of the ones I've looked through were the KZ ZSN Pro X, 7Hz Salnotes Zero, Moondrop CHU, Sennheiser CX 300S, etc, and a dozen others I can't remember.

Preferences:
Audio- This may be sacrilege but audio quality isn't all that important to me since my standards have gotten pretty low after using these IEMs and I don't often listen to music. As long as it doesn't sound like I'm underwater or in another room I'll be happy. I don't have any preferences for the sound ranges.
Durability- This is probably the most important part for me since the reason why I started using cheap IEMs was so that it would be fine if they break.
Uses- I will be using these frequently for 1 hour+ commutes in the subway so noise cancellation would be appreciated but not too necessary, mostly watching videos I've downloaded. Also will be occasionally gaming with some friends but we usually don't play anything that would require good audio like online shooters.
Price- Something below 50$ would be good but I'm fine to spend up to 100$ if there is something much better within that price gap
Technical- It needs to have a mic for online classes and the occasional call and be wired, 3.5mm and USB-C are both fine but USB-C is more convenient, I don't really know about replaceable cables since they seem more like a marketing gimmick from how expensive the replacements are. I prefer ones that dangle down over ones that go around the ears.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[pbui44]

Check out the Tin Hifi T2 Plus:

https://audio46.com/products/tinhif...tm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping

 

[earmonger]

OP is looking for a model with a mic.

USB C is going to be tough -- it's a digital connection where the IEM needs an analog signal. But Apple makes a $9 dongle to connect USB-C to a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.

The reason for detachable cables is that the weak point of a hardwired headphone is where the cable connects to the bud. A detachable lets you just replace the cable. There are expensive cables, but if you go to Aliexpress.com you can get a decent NiceHCK or TRN cable for $10-$20. That's cheaper than replacing a $50 IEM.

All that said, if @Puqo doesn't care about sound quality but is using the IEM for classes, the mic quality is key. Maybe @Puqo should get an inexpensive IEM (a KZ EDX, or CCA CRA, or whatever is being touted this week in some of the IEM forum threads) and find a detachable cable with a quality mic. Perhaps someone can offer advice on that.

 

[Puqo]

OP is looking for a model with a mic.

USB C is going to be tough -- it's a digital connection where the IEM needs an analog signal. But Apple makes a $9 dongle to connect USB-C to a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.

The reason for detachable cables is that the weak point of a hardwired headphone is where the cable connects to the bud. A detachable lets you just replace the cable. There are expensive cables, but if you go to Aliexpress.com you can get a decent NiceHCK or TRN cable for $10-$20. That's cheaper than replacing a $50 IEM.

All that said, if @Puqo doesn't care about sound quality but is using the IEM for classes, the mic quality is key. Maybe @Puqo should get an inexpensive IEM (a KZ EDX, or CCA CRA, or whatever is being touted this week in some of the IEM forum threads) and find a detachable cable with a quality mic. Perhaps someone can offer advice on that.

I think these ones may be the best pick? https://www.amazon.com/Linsoul-7Hz-Zero-Composite-Detachable/dp/B0BQWCRP2V/
The Zeros aren't too bad from what I've seen and surprisingly this one comes with not only a mic but also USB-C. Would save some money from not needing to buy an additional cable or a dongle, although there doesn't seem to be any spare cables that come with USB-C.

 

[earmonger]

Bingo. Good find.

Haven't heard them myself but they've gotten a lot of positive reviews on Head-Fi and elsewhere. You could Google around and see if anyone has talked about the mic quality -- or just get them and try them, since they have free returns.