In-Ear Under $50 Notes
-Scores based on value in comparison with competitors.
-Sub Tested at one click over half volume on iPad.
BASIN- Bsinger+PRO (127 ratings, 4.5 Stars, $46.99) 45/50
Box- Great Packaging with foam. Includes 6 sets of ear plugs, 2 cables (One woven, one smooth with mic), 1/4” adapter, cleaning tool, clip and CASE. 10/10
Use/Ergonomics- Ear tips fit nicely and stay in place. I really liked how the cable doesn’t grab my clothes. I LOVE that they use a swivel cable connection! Makes it a lot easier to talk with people without having to take them completely off. The construction of the in-ear fits very nice in my outer ear and goes unnoticeable when I wear them for a extended period. The ear-hook is adjustable and stays in place. It tucks against the back of my ear and doesn’t come out of place with movement. I like the cable tension slider! They are lightweight. Ear-tips seal into my ear canal really well. No issues when I open and close my mouth while singing. Same cable as Shure, Westone and UE. 9/10
Build Quality- Seems to be high very quality and high quality plastic around jack. Nothing feels cheep. Cable could be better but still good. 9/10
Sub Test- good down to 19-20Hz. Clean and smooth tone throughout sub frequency range. 9/10
Sound/Clarity- Boast a dual dynamic micro driver with a PET and copper diaphragm Smooth rich sound. Good balance from highs to lows. 8/10
2. CCA- C10 ( 290 ratings, 4.5 Stars, $40.99) 38/50
Box: Good packaging. Includes 4 sets of ear tips, ear pieces and 1 woven cable. NO CASE 6/10
Sub Test mSmooth tone down to 30hz then begins to drop rapidly between 25-20. Starts to wobble slightly at 25Hz but pitch is still distinguishable. Nothing below 20hz. 8/10
Sound/Clarity: Great sound overall especially considering the price. I didn’t experience any muddiness. With the 1 10mm dynamite woofer and 4ba 6mm tweeter they claim to have silky highs, detailed mids and deep lows and I would have to agree. They are very balanced. 9/10
Use/ergonomics: I’m afraid the sound quality out weighs my nit-picks but here they are anyway. Not the. Most comfortable in-ear. I’m always “feeling it” and feel like I need to take them out more often. They are a little on the heavy side. They stay in place really well when singing. However I wish he over-ear wire were more stiff. The braided cable has a little grip but still slides decently well against clothing. They need a cable tension slider! I like the 90 degree plug. 7/10
Build Quality: Excellent. The in-ear is well built with zinc-alloy top and resin body. High quality braided cable and a high quality 90 degree gold plug. Nothing weird or out of place about this design. However, the chrome two-pin in-ear connectors look cheap. Still needs the cable tension slider to hide the cables behind my neck. 8/10
3. KZ-ZST Pro (1492 ratings, 4.5 Stars, $18.99) 34/50
Box- Good packaging. Includes 3 sizes of ear tips, ear pieces and 1 woven cable. NO CASE. 5/10
Sub Test: Big sound under 60hz. Decently smooth but starts wobbling slightly at 25Hz and unusable under 21hz. 7/10
Sound/Clarity: These are Dual driver with 1 balanced armature and 1 10mm dynamic driver. So good especially considering the price. I might could use a little less low-mids and seems to get a little muddy when a lot is going on. I loose mid tone clarity. Regardless I puffer a little too much lows to never enough. Highs are nice and crispy. 7/10
Use/Ergonomics: I really like the look of the in-ear design and colors. No cable tension slider though?? could use a stronger over-ear wire to help with stability. Otherwise stays is place pretty well when I sing. Doesn’t grab clothing and cable does what you want it to do except behind the neck. 7/10
Build Quality: Good plastic design. Strong cable but the cable end is on the cheep side with a weird shaped design. 8/10
4. MEE- M6 PRO (529 ratings, 4 Stars, $41.74) 31/50
Box- A+ packaging with foam. Ear pieces already install on cable. Includes 6 sets of ear cups and 1 set of memory foam ear cups, two cables (one with mic), 1/4” gold adapter, clip, ear pieces and CASE. 10/10
Sound/Clarity: clean and balanced mids and highs but too light on the lows. The sound holds together nice as more instruments some in. If it had better bottom end, I believe these would win especially considering the entire package. 4/10
Sub Test: not great. Quiet after 70hz and nothing after 30hz. I can push and hold them to hear down to 26hz, but that’s not practical at all. I tried a couple other ear plugs. Nothing seemed to help with low frequencies. 2/10
Use/Ergonomics: they feel ok and as expected. The cable has too much shape memory. It would be really nice to see a braided cable. It kinda grabs clothing a little. They are light weight and hardly noticeable in the ear. I like the cable tension slider. It keeps the cable together as it travels up the back of the neck. The ear plug sizes are strange compared to the others. When I open my mouth it looses its seal and all low end drops out. I could’t find a perfect fit. Might be why memory foam plugs are included. The over-ear cable stays in place well. 7/10
Build Quality: Made of hi quality plastic. In-ear has a nice clear plastic and very slim profile. Grip plastic on plug. Light weight and great look. 8/10
5. TRN-V80 (105 rating, 4.5 Stars, $39.99) 30/50
Box: Good packaging with foam. Nice resealable plastic bag for cable. Includes 3 sets of ear cups, ear pieces, and black woven cable. NO CASE. Metal bits on cable is a nice touch. 7/10
Sub Test: Not enough sub volume after 80hz. It was there just quite. They were useless below 30hz. Very quiet and when I did turn the volume up the tone was extremely dirty and wobbly. 3/10
Build Quality (Fit & Finish): Great. He in-ear is a mat black metal outer casing. I love the mat black metal bits on the plug and the “separator” in the middle of the cable. It has a nice braided cable that has a little more grip on it than I prefer. Gold 1/8 inch jack is always a nice touch as well. Doesn’t feel cheap. 8/10
Use/Ergonomics: These are one of my favorites to wear for a long period of time. If I’m not worried about having the best low range, I might choose these. The over-ear cable holds well and stays in place. They also stay in really well when singing. These really need a cable tension slider. I just used an ear tip and it did the job well enough. 7/10
Sound/Clarity: 2 dynamic and 2 balanced armature drivers each ear. I like the sound overall but I can get over the lack of bass. Highs and mids sound good and clean. However, the highs are almost too pointy in some situations. I can’t get them to become muddy mostly because they lack a lot of sound below 100hz. If these had great lows them they might be top two. 5/10.