Budget wired earphones comparison

10 October 2021
We test some of the most popular entry-level wired earbuds under $30.

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Pier Paolo Pasolini, 10 Oct 2021Idk lol... Maybe if you listen to music while sitting compl... moreYou do realize that the KZ/CCA and Blon included in this comparison have detachable wires? There's also something called the KZ AZ09 which makes them True Wireless or the TRN BT3s which also makes them wireless. With that if the cable breaks you just buy another cable or bluetooth module and still get the same sound you might like out of these IEMs. It's not hard. It's not even $100 or more. The IEMs themselves are also durable. I sleep with them on sometimes and dropped them a few times. No problem. For reference I have the KZ ZAX.

    Eh, 11 Oct 2021Nah! All gaming headphones are pathetic in terms of sound. ... moreYou missed out on the CoolerMaster MH752 a.k.a Takstar Pro82. The second most comfortable headset according to Z Reviews. Only beaten by the AKG K361.
    Is it good? yes. I have it. I wear it one ear on sometimes and it still feels comfy.

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      • Tyfyh
      • MD@
      • 11 Oct 2021

      Define "budget". I usually buy $1.5. Microphone? really??? I just want the cheapest, but working headphones, only headphones.
      and what bout other headphones? How did you pick only a couple of them and why them?

      I didn't really benefit from this page despite clicking on it with hope.

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        • mixedfish
        • imn
        • 11 Oct 2021

        I will never buy a phone without a headphone jack.

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          • Parasuraman
          • teu
          • 11 Oct 2021

          Stil using my SONY MDR XB50AP

          Never thought about buying any other earbuds :)

          I LOVE IT ;)

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            • Anonymous
            • nI8
            • 11 Oct 2021

            Pier Paolo Pasolini, 10 Oct 2021Idk lol... Maybe if you listen to music while sitting compl... more"durable" lol - battery life ?

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              • AnonD-762416
              • Sec
              • 11 Oct 2021

              This is why I bought a digital audio player when I stopped using my Note 9 as my daily driver.
              These companies can market their bluetooth audio as hard as they like, none of them can break the hard limitations of bluetooth bandwidth.

              I still use my Buds Pros a lot, but when I'm going on a longer bike ride, or commute, I will always use wired audio.

                Anonymous, 10 Oct 2021My friend like the KZ ZSN a lot. The Moondrop series only s... moreCurrently I'm using moondrop spaceship and I admit the cable was bad. But overall sound quality is fine. It has balanced output with great 'woman sound's detail. It's very effective to hearing J-Pop song since moondrop is aiming to sell their product to weebs especially for the package.

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                  • Eh
                  • t4n
                  • 11 Oct 2021

                  AnonD-731363, 10 Oct 20217 years ago bought wired earphones Kraken World of Tanks ed... moreNah! All gaming headphones are pathetic in terms of sound. Stylish garbage. That’s it except few Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Audio techinca models. Watch Crinacle’s video on this. https://youtu.be/nDxr_7_JJYk

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • t4n
                    • 11 Oct 2021

                    Anonymous, 10 Oct 2021My friend like the KZ ZSN a lot. The Moondrop series only s... moreLol you are definitely living under rock. Go, get updated. I guess using cheap $5 earphones have clouded your opinion. Ever heard of Blessing 2 or Variations or S8 , direct contenders for other kilobuck models like andromeda, mest mk ii, monarch? My answer is NO. Lol. Pathetic viewpoint.

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                      • Anonymous
                      • xZI
                      • 10 Oct 2021

                      My friend like the KZ ZSN a lot. The Moondrop series only sell you fancy packaging because of the anime girl printed on the box, otherwise terrible audio quality.

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                        • davisrases
                        • utA
                        • 10 Oct 2021

                        Though I've stopped posting comments on gsmarena entirely I'll spare a moment this time to write one. This article is by far the most satisfactory one. The market push towards the stupid wireless audio is well put here. Thank you for this article gsmarena, as I am a huge fan of wired audio and wireless audio is still nowhere near the quality of analog output. Great read.

                          Kt, 10 Oct 2021Try headphonezone.in All the above mentioned stuffs are th... moreThanks for the reference and personal experience bro. I'll check it out.

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                            • Machiavelli
                            • n2T
                            • 10 Oct 2021

                            ZolaIII, 10 Oct 2021Meh... If you like IEM's and don't have comfort p... moreYou are missing the point here. These are sub-50, even sub-30 IEMs. This is an adequate budget range before you go into true awful earphones. And most people will ever buy these as going above it is a serious investment most dont see a reason for or cant splurge on.

                              I appreciate you getting some of the better but slightly more unknown chi-fi brands, most of these lists have the anker and taotronics sort of stuff and it's all mediocre.

                              I personally have the KZ ZS10 Pro and the ZSN Pro, the ZSN sound like good earphones but the ZS10 sound like great ones. The extra BA's add a lot of depth and complexity to the sound that it's impossible for the 2 driver set up to accomplish.

                              I got my ZS10's for £25 on AliExpress, but they cost £50ish off Amazon

                              By the way CCA are a sub-brand of KZ and the CC10's are basically ZS10 Pros but in an all plastic housing instead of metal/plastic.

                                Meh... If you like IEM's and don't have comfort problems with them I would start with at least FiiO FH1s which are around 60$ or Creative Aurvana Trio that usually go for about 100$ (wired/wireless) just trow your preferred bass lv and you are really to go.
                                For dongle alike DAC TempoTec Sonata HD Pro is still unbeatable for the price and if you want a portable BT (LDAC) look at the Tooping BC3 around 70$.

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                                  • Indrajit
                                  • Dk5
                                  • 10 Oct 2021

                                  Have u tried Realme buds 2? This one cheaper compared to the list but sounds good

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                                    • BudgetAudiophile
                                    • u1E
                                    • 10 Oct 2021

                                    Pier Paolo Pasolini, 10 Oct 2021Idk lol... Maybe if you listen to music while sitting compl... moreYou buy earphones with detachable cables. That argument only works for the cheapest of earphones. Today pretty much every decent earphone comes with mmcx or 2-pin connectors. And if you so desire to go wireless, there are fantastic bluetooth neckbands you can buy from Fiio and Shanling with excellent DACs and all the codecs.

                                    If you don't care about sound quality; or care about active noise cancellation and waterproof ratings then only would the wireless options make sense. Or for fashion.

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                                      • Pier Paolo Pasolini
                                      • nyT
                                      • 10 Oct 2021

                                      Idk lol... Maybe if you listen to music while sitting completely still. The audio quality argument might work if I had a single pair of wired headphones where both sides still worked. I just think as a society we're past wriggling those flimsy wires and fiddling with that 100 year old connector to be able to hear our music properly. Wireless headphones are much more convenient and durable.

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                                        • Anonymous
                                        • xHY
                                        • 10 Oct 2021

                                        No jack no Buy, 10 Oct 2021So it has been 5 years already and still people are still u... moreWhen you see people in the wireless earphone bandwagon going back to wired earphones, you can definitely tell that people have become wiser.

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