Best cheap earbuds and headphones

Sarah Tew / CNET

The most impressive thing about the EarFun Free earbuds is their collection of functions: Bluetooth 5.0, both USB-C and wireless charging, and they are completely waterproof (IPX7) according to their specifications. Is the audio elite? No, but the earbuds sound decent – it’s not just a sound coming from the real wireless earbud speaker. They don’t have the audio clarity of real high-end wireless earbuds that cost $ 150 a pair or more, but they do have plump bass and enough audio detail to make you think you made your money and more . This Bluetooth earphone option is also great for making calls. The battery lasts six hours at moderate volume and the case offers four charging processes on the go. An elite worth $ 45.

Read our first version of EarFun Free.

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Anker’s Soundcore Life Q20 is arguably the best value for noise canceling headphones. These over-ear headphones not only sound decent for their regular list price of $ 60 (they often sell for $ 10 less), but are also comfortable to wear thanks to the well-padded, secure ear cups.

No, the Life Q20 doesn’t sound as good as premium Bluetooth headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM3, but the audio quality isn’t bad. That’s all you can ask for noise canceling headphones at this price. It’s fairly well balanced with a fair amount of clarity and plump bass that isn’t bloated or mushy (there’s a bass boost or bass-up mode if you want an extra helping of bass for your music). In addition, noise cancellation is acceptably effective and a solid wireless headset for making calls. The battery life is 40 hours. A simple carrying case is included.

Sarah Tew / CNET

The Soundcore Life P2 earphones are currently the best value in the real wireless anchor line and cost only half as much as Anker’s Soundcore Liberty Air 2 with similar functions. They sound warm with a little less clarity and are charged horizontally rather than vertically in their case (both the case and the buds feel a little cheaper compared to the Liberty Air 2).

Like the Liberty Air 2, they have four microphones, two of which are designed to reduce noise when calling in louder environments. While there is no wireless charging, USB-C is charging. The battery life is seven hours and they have IPX7 water resistance, which means that they can be completely submerged in water to a depth of three feet and survive. An almost identical version of these cheap earphones is sold at Target under the name Soundcore Life Note.

Read our Anker Soundcore Life P2 review.

David Carnoy / CNET

During last year’s vacation, JLab had its real wireless JBuds Air buds on sale for $ 30 or $ 20 off the list price of $ 50. That was a decent deal for cheap earphones. Now we get the Go Air, which is 20% smaller, lists for $ 30, and is otherwise similar to the Air. It is available in four color options.

Like the Air, the Go Air is pretty good for the money ($ 30). The battery life is 5 hours (a USB cable is integrated for charging), the sound performance is better than expected and they are sweat-proof with protection class IP44 (ie splash-proof). While there is no app for adjusting bass and treble, you can switch through some preset EQ settings – JLab Signature, Balanced, and Bass Boost modes – by double-tapping one of the buds (yes, they have touch Controls). I went with Bass Boost to take some of the edge off the highs and give them a slightly warmer sound.

The charging case has no top, but the buds stay in the case thanks to magnets. To put it bluntly, these aren’t fantastic – and they only work fine for calling – but for $ 30 you won’t do much better. And they fit my ears well – I was able to tightly close the largest of the three earplugs that were included.

David Carnoy / CNET

The SoundLiberty 79 list from TaoTronics costs $ 60, but is sold for around $ 50. I don’t like their look – the little chrome accent is not my cup of tea – but they fit my ears well and sound decent for the money, with just enough definition and plenty of bass. Nevertheless, they are best noticed as a headset for making calls. Thanks to their excellent noise reduction, they get five stars in this department – people had no problem hearing me on the noisy streets of New York. The company’s “Smart AI Noise Reduction Technology” works.

They are completely waterproof (IPX7 certified) and you can achieve up to eight hours of battery life at moderate volume. The charging case, which delivers an additional 32 hours of juice on the go, feels a little cheap, but is compact and has a USB-C charge.

Sarah Tew / CNET

For $ 35, the Tribit XFree offers excellent sound quality. They’re also well built, and although they’re not particularly comfortable (don’t expect Bose-like comfort at this price), they have well-padded ear cups.

Read our review of Tribit XFree Tune Bluetooth Headphones.

Retro chic

Koss Porta Pro

Amazon

We gave the Koss Porta Pro an editorial selection in 2008. Former CNET editor Justin Yu described his bizarre 1980s design as “ultimate in retro chic”. Even all these years later, they still sound excellent. Koss does one too wireless version That costs $ 80 (or $ 50 more than the wired model).

Continue reading.

Sarah Tew CNET

While the JVC Flats may not be particularly durable, you will hardly find better sounding on-ear headphones at a price. They are available in several color options, but the blue version is available for only $ 11. These also ensure decent children’s headphones.

Read our JVC Flats review.

Sarah Tew / CNET

Panasonic’s ErgoFit RP-HJE120 in-ear headphones, available in multiple colors and retailing for less than $ 10, sound remarkably good for the money. A version with an integrated microphone (RP-TCM125) costs a little more, but for some reason it doesn’t sound quite as good.

Read our Panasonic Ergo-Fit test.

Sarah Tew / CNET

Anchor’s Soundcore Liberty Air earbuds have a more comfortable fit, but the Soundcore Liberty Neo earbuds sound just as good and cost less (the model costs $ 60 but is available for $ 35). These earphones are similar to the Tribit X1, but are a bit heavier and look a bit more robust. As with the Tribit, the quality of the audio depends on how well you seal one of the included earbuds that are meant to drown out ambient noise. The battery life of this inexpensive earphone option is 3.5 hours of listening time after charging (somewhat short) with an additional battery life of approx. 8 hours from the charging case.