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 Shure SE530-PTH, most recent arrival Shure SE420 and the UM2 are our overall best ear canal headphones, combining the best fit, comfort and sound, along with the best fitting cables. The difference here between the UM2 and the SE530 (SE420 has the same sound signature but on a dual driver configuration -- less expensive, slightly less detail) will be personal taste. 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 in second place now 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 and a Sony CD player. Enjoy the "The Best Earphones" below!
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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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| Dual driver earphones. Best sound, very "musical", PERFECTLY BALANCED OUTPUT, detailed and comfortable. The UM2 has better designed cables, providing better fit and better comfort than the 5PRO. Customer service from Westone is outstanding. Extremely fast and responsive. Also, the Westone UM1 and UM2 are the ONLY earphones Made in USA. |
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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 EarphoneSolutions.com |
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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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| In comparison to the SE210, the SE310 outputs more detail but we like the fit and comfort of the SE210 slightly better. Fit and comfort are VERY GOOD. The only reason we don't give it an "excellent" for comfort and fit is because the SE310 has a slightly longer nozzle/eartip than we would like. Bass: GOOD, Mids: VERY GOOD, Highs: EXCELLENT. 2 Year No Hassle Replacement or Repair by Shure when you buy from an Authorized SHURE Dealer such as EarphoneSolutions.com (must present our invoice to Shure). |
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| Extreme detail on the mid and high range providing a very clean background. One of the best earphones for jazz, classical and songs that require a clean background but have few instruments in the music. The SCL4 has emphasized mids and highs with weaker bass. If you are looking for something more balanced, the Shure SE210 could be a better and cheaper solution. Comfort and fit are very good and when you purchase the Shure earphones from Earphone Solutions you are guaranteed the 2 Year no hassle replacement or repair by Shure. |
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| Best for those looking for comfort and very good detail on mids and highs. The bass is tighter than the Shure "E" series so you will get more definition on the low end of the frequency range but 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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| Very well-built, strong mid-range puts the SCL3 as one of the best earphones for audio books and an excellent option for outdoors, jogging, etc. as well. Cable design could be improved as the exit of the cable shoots straight up falling many times right across the ear instead of behind the back of the ear. Its 2 year warranty and build quality set it apart from the Etymotic ER6i and ER4P (ER4P has greater detail on the highs but its lack of bass is disappointing). Ultra-lightweight, sound isolating earphones deliver high-performance, full-range audio to enhance your music listening and gaming experience. It comes with a 2 Year no hassle replacement or repair by Shure when purchased from EarphoneSolutions |
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| After further testings we discovered a new sound coming from the 5PRO after experimenting with smaller sleeves. Dual driver earphones. Outstanding full sound. Great performance specially when taking in account cost. The reason we don't rank them higher is because some may find them a bit on the bulky side and they will not fit people with smaller ears. |
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| Most inexpensive dual driver earphones in the market. Extended bass delivers a full strong low range but with definition. Much better built than the Etymotic. It could be a bit too large for smaller ears. |
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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 EarphoneSolutions. |
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| After its big brother, the UM2, these are the second most comfortable earphones we have reviewed. It's direct competition for the Shure SE110, Shure SCL2 and Shure SCL3. The SCL3 will have more emphasized mids, the SE110 will have great sound and fit with lots of detail on the mid range as well while the UM1 has a more balanced output and not so much detail on mids and highs. As far as comfort and fit, this is it. Cables are also better designed than the others. The Westone UM1 and UM2 are the ONLY earphones Made in USA. |
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| Great entry level high-end earphones. It disputes with Shure E2C and personal taste will determine which one is best between the two. Sound is great. Return rate is one of the lowest which tells our customers also like them a lot. They could be a bit large for very small ears if you want to use them flush. |
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