THE BEST EARPHONES  ![The BEST Earphones]() The Best Earphones for iPod and other MP3 players.A Brief Summary or Skip this and take me to the BEST EARPHONES
We strive to be the best at what we do. We know the difference between a dual driver earphone and a single driver earphone, the difference between the sound signatures of a Shure earphone, an Ultimate Ears earphone and a Westone earphone. We can tell you what "microphonics" is.
 So you can trust us when we rank the best earphones here. All of the in-ear earphones (also known as ear canal headphones) you find on Earphone Solutions are special and of the highest quality, but the ones you see rated here are, well, extra-special. Of course this is a very personal matter, however we have found along these 7 years that, the great majority of our customers that had the chance to try more than one model, are in agreement with our findings. Our staff, contributors and friends simply listen to all the earphones and then we vote the best earphones for the iPod and other portables. We listen to all kinds of music in different situations and with different sources. We do not get hung on technical specifications. We simply listen to them. We also take in account comfort, fit, ease of use, build quality, manufacturer's warranty, manufacturer's customer support, cost and of course, sound quality, in order to rank the best earphones.
So, after much testing, jogging, listening at home, on the airplane, at the subway station, we decided to list here the best in-ear earphones available today in the market.
The best earphones are listed here in order of our preference. The Westone 3 sits at the top in a very comfortable position, being the first true 3-way triple driver earphones. After the Westone 3 you find the SE530-PTH and the UM2 tied in second place. These 3 models are our overall best ear canal headphones, combining the best fit, comfort and sound, along with the best fitting cables. As far as the UM2 and SE530 goes, personal taste will dictate your choice. The SE530 outputs slightly more detail in the mid range and highs. The UM2 has slightly stronger bass. The SE530 is slightly brighter while the UM2 is slightly more balanced (flatter). The Shure SCL5 comes as the best option for professional musicians with very strong highs and lows. We tested them with a RIO player, iPod 30GB, iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, iPod Touch and a Sony CD player. Enjoy the "The Best Earphones" below!
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| The Westone 3 has set the bar pretty high for the competition. This is the FIRST TRUE 3-way triple driver earphones and what Westone did with the sound signature is simply amazing. This is the best universal fit earphones money can buy. They have just been released on November 2008. Comfort and fit are unbeatable. The achieved clarity AND warmth is a first in the industry. If you have $399 to spare, these are unbeatable. Clearly better sound than the UM2 and SE530. It comes with a 2 Year warranty (you need to mail the warranty card in with the Earphone Solutions' proof of purchase). The crossover on these earphones does an incredible job in distributing and controlling the frequency ranges among the 3 different drivers. The SE530 and Triple.fi in contrast have a 2-way configuration with 1 driver of one kind and 2 identical drivers opposed to Westone 3's first 3 driver, 3-way which has a specific driver to handle highs, one for mids and one for lows, each with their individual characteristics. Simply amazing combination of art and technique. The sound is simply on a different league of its own only achieved before by custom in-ear earphones that cost $850 plus. |
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| The new Shure SE530-PTH with triple driver comes in first place for sound and comfort. The SE530-PTH includes the PTH (push-to-hear) accessory. The major difference between the Triple.Fi, UM2 and the SE530-PTH will be personal taste. The SE530-PTH outputs slightly more detail in the mid range; the Triple.Fi outputs the most detail on the high frequency range while the UM2 has stronger bass than both SE530 and Triple.Fi. Overall the SE530-PTH is slightly brighter and the Triple.Fi is the boldest of all three. The UM2 is slightly more balanced (flatter) than the SE530 and the Triple.Fi. The UM2 sells for less but both the Triple.Fi and SE530PTH are triple drivers. The SE530-PTH includes the PTH (push-to-hear) accessory and it comes with a 2 Year Warranty while the Triple.Fi does not include the PTH (you can purchase it for $59) but comes with a 2 Year Warranty as well while the UM2 comes with a 1 Year Warranty. Fit and comfort are very similar between the UM2 and the SE530-PTH and not so great with the Triple.Fi for those customers that want a flush fit. |
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| The Westone UM2 dual driver in-ear earphones provide perfectly balanced output with a very musical sound. We also like their superior designed cables and the outstanding customer service Westone offers—extremely fast and responsive. Both the UM2 and the UM1 are made in the USA. |
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| The SCL5 has dual drivers with awesome sound quality and excellent bass. It also has an excellent comfort and fit (the memory wire that goes behind the ear has lovers and haters).
The SCL5 has more emphasized highs and lows than mids.
It comes with a no hassle 2 year warranty by Shure when purchased from Earphone Solutions. A great option for stage monitoring (professional musicians) and for those iPod owners that like strong bass and highs. |
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| This is the newest earphone in the market. The bass is incredibly tight. Comfort and fit are EXCELLENT and it has one of the highest noise isolation if not the most. This dual driver wonder took 6 months more than the other SE earphones to come out but the wait was very well worth it! Shure included airline adapter, external volume control and the new black foam sleeves (our favorites now) PA910. The sound is more refined than the UM2, specially on the highs which are very controlled and precise with no sibilance. Construction quality is also very high. The SE420 will come with a 2 Year No Hassle Replacement Warranty when you have an invoice from Earphone Solutions. |
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| The sound of this dual passive balanced armature driver will surprise many. We absolutely loved the sound of this new in-ear earphones made by Phiaton in Korea. The packaging resembles a jewelry box and attention to detail is fantastic. The fit is great and easy to put on. We got a good seal right off the bat which is an exception to the rule. After a three hours of listening we did get a bit of soreness in the outer ear but that will vary with your ear size and shape. Bass was full, with rich mid range and detailed highs. This is already a winner in our book. |
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| The TURBINE has by far the best bass among all earphones under $150. The fit was good but we have not tested the comfort for longer listening hours. Nevertheless, we can firmly state that it's far better than its competitor in the bass category, the Ultimate Ears 5EB, for fit, comfort and sound. Good mid range, good detail on the treble as well and better bass than the 5EB, which is a big statement in itself, without the bulkiness and cable issues. |
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| Sound wise we thought that the Turbine had slightly better performance than Dr DRE's BEATS, however, the cool factor goes, hands down, to the BEATS. The flat cables are way cool and the sound didn't disappoint. All of it at a relatively affordable package. Nice accessories and good fit complete the BEATS and at less than $150, it also made our "Best Earphones" rank. |
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| After its big brother the UM2, the Westone UM1 Single Driver True Fit is the next most comfortable set of earphones we’ve reviewed. We find them to be a direct competition for the Shure SE110, Shure SE210, Shure SCL2 and Shure SCL3. The UM1 offers a more balanced output, a more comfortable fit, and better designed cables. |
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| The Shure SE 210-K Earphones are best for those looking for comfort and very good detail on mids and highs. The SE 210-K’s bass is tighter than the Shure "E" series, giving you more definition on the low end of the frequency range. However, it may also sound like "less bass" when playing heavier bass songs. EXCELLENT comfort and design. If it weren't for the fact that the SE210 are slightly bigger than the more expensive earphones, the fit and comfort would be about the same as the top of the line SE530. |
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| Huge upgrade from stock earbuds. A great first in-ear earphone. Good bass and much more detail than consumer in-ear earphones. The cables on the SCL2 Black is 5 inches shorter than the SCL2 clear. We prefer them with the shorter cables because it's less to deal with and still enough to reach the iPod on your waist. The sound of its direct competitor, the UE's 3STUDIO, is slightly better but the fit and comfort of the SCL2 and 3STUDIO are very different. The 3STUDIO is designed to stick out of the ear and if you wear them that way the 3STUDIO will be more comfortable than the SCL2 which is designed to stay flush in the ear. Some of our customers prefer the fitting of the 3STUDIO. The SCL2 are very nicely finished and they come with a 2 Year no hassle replacement or repair policy by Shure when purchased from Earphone Solutions. |
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