Looking for Earbuds

[uJalled]

My Sony earbuds that I got six years ago have finally died, so I am in the market for new ones. It would be great to keep the price under 40 USD. The buds don't have to be super high caliber, just a pair of nice sounding, balanced earbuds from a reputable manufacturer. Any recommendations would be great. Thanks

[daerid]

I've heard good things about the new Apple EarPods. Plan on getting a pair for my iPhone

[uJalled]

I've heard good things about the new Apple EarPods. Plan on getting a pair for my iPhone

I've never had good experience with Apple earbuds. The ones that came with my iPhone didn't impress me all that much.

[TheSoulhunter]

I used the Sennheiser CX300 (v1 ...now they have a v2 it seems) back then,
not as good as similar priced headphones but much better than the other buds I tried.

[Turbo Slaab]

Jlab makes impressive earbuds for the money.

[thegunner100]

Get the Vsonic GR02 Bass edition, it's about $36 on ebay and worth far more than they cost.

[daerid]

I've never had good experience with Apple earbuds. The ones that came with my iPhone didn't impress me all that much.

I know the Earbuds get a bad rap, and for good reason. I'll let you know how the newer redesigned ones are after picking a pair up.

[tp4tissue]

I used the Sennheiser CX300 (v1 ...now they have a v2 it seems) back then,
not as good as similar priced headphones but much better than the other buds I tried.

These require alot of eq tweaking to "sound natural",   by default they produce Muffling bass which overpowers mid and highs.

[rowdy]

I'd just like some that will stay in my ears.

The original Apple ones came closest, but they have been superseded by the earpods.

[Jocelyn]

Jlab makes impressive earbuds for the money.

Jlab iems are mediocre at best.

I used the Sennheiser CX300 (v1 ...now they have a v2 it seems) back then,
not as good as similar priced headphones but much better than the other buds I tried.

These require alot of eq tweaking to "sound natural",   by default they produce Muffling bass which overpowers mid and highs.

This^

Get the Vsonic GR02 Bass edition, it's about $36 on ebay and worth far more than they cost.

This is what you want. You're not going to find a better in ear monitor at this price point imo.

[TheSoulhunter]

I used the Sennheiser CX300 (v1 ...now they have a v2 it seems) back then,
not as good as similar priced headphones but much better than the other buds I tried.

These require alot of eq tweaking to "sound natural",   by default they produce Muffling bass which overpowers mid and highs.

True, but then again, most buds at this price need EQ'ing, the Sennheisers at least deliver in the lows,
once tamed they are at least acceptable from what I remember. Still, I prefer portable cans

[strafe]

I have a pair of Brainwavz M4's and I really like them, you can pick them up for around $30 from time to time.  They come with foam tips, which i find more comfortable than the normal rubber tips that most headphones come with.

http://www.mp4nation.net/brainwavz-earphones/brainwavz-m4-iem-earphones

[uJalled]

What about the Vsonic GR99?

[nar]

I never liked IEMs so if you want the normal earbuds rather than the in ear ones, the best ones I've found tended to be from smaller new manufacturers in China and the surrounding area. They are mostly using the same factory and engineering resources that the bigger brands used when making stuff in China so there's no real noticiable difference in quality from what I've seen and I've never heard anything bad online.

Yuin, Sunrise Audio and Hisoundaudio are the three main ones that make good non-IEM earbuds. The Yuin PK1, Sunrise Audio AS-Feeling and Hisoundaudio PAA are the ones under $40 and are pretty good. I've owned the AS-Feeling and they're definately better than the apple earbuds, though I had to replace it after an accident where I basically crushed the earbuds.

I'm using the Hisoundaudio Live earbuds right now and they can sometimes even beat my Grado earphones on some music.

[KangarooZombies]

I've never had good experience with Apple earbuds. The ones that came with my iPhone didn't impress me all that much.

I know the Earbuds get a bad rap, and for good reason. I'll let you know how the newer redesigned ones are after picking a pair up.

I have a pair that I got with my iPhone 5, they're fine, they are much better than the old ones for sure. Probably not the best ones you can get for 40 bucks though.

[rowdy]

Do the earPods actually stay in your ears?  I must have non-standard ears as pretty much every earbud design Ihave tried falls out if I turn my head or look up or down while wearing them.

The old Apple ones would mostly stay in if I tightened that little rubber thing under my chin.

[sth]

I used the Sennheiser CX300 (v1 ...now they have a v2 it seems) back then,
not as good as similar priced headphones but much better than the other buds I tried.

These require alot of eq tweaking to "sound natural",   by default they produce Muffling bass which overpowers mid and highs.

yep, i couldn't believe they were sennheisers when i tried them. really disappointing sound.

one earphone i don't see recommended too often but is actually not bad is the Koss Plug. they have HUGE foam inserts so if your ears get fatigued by earplugs you might not like these.
JVC's in-ear phones in the 30 dollar range are also pretty dang decent.

[wcstick]

I have a pair of Brainwavz M4's and I really like them, you can pick them up for around $30 from time to time.  They come with foam tips, which i find more comfortable than the normal rubber tips that most headphones come with.

http://www.mp4nation.net/brainwavz-earphones/brainwavz-m4-iem-earphones

I second these. I bought a pair for under $20 on eBay. Best cheap purchase I've ever made. Balanced signature (to me anyway), comfortable comply tips, and lots of accessories. The only drawbacks are the lack of isolation because of its open drivers, the lack of a cinch after the wire split, and the microphonics from the memory cable.

[kealokian]

There are probably better ones to fit your price, as these are relatively inexpensive.
But there's a large crowd of people who swear by them, so I couldn't NOT at least
mention them.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082303&p_id=8320&seq=1&format=2

I have a pair (although, I'm no audiophile), and I love them!

[llovro]

Get the Vsonic GR02 Bass edition, it's about $36 on ebay and worth far more than they cost.

+1 for vsonic GR02 bass edition, definetly best bang for buck