Our ranking follows a very simple criteria; it is a consequence that comes from 15 years of: collecting customers' feedback, processing returns, dealing with dozens of manufacturers, quality control issues, testing fit and comfort, sound quality, different music styles and durability. You will only find models and brands that have the highest satisfaction rate among thousands of customers. We test, rank and tell. This is our opinion of what the BEST HEADPHONES for the iPod, iPhone and other MP3 players are.
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.Enjoy the "The Best Earphones" ranking!
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 with universal fit. The UM3X is also a 3-way triple driver with a slight "bump" on the lower end, clear vocals and great soundstage.
Shure SE530 in-ear headphones and the earphones UM2 tied in second place. The SE530 outputs slightly more detail in the mid range and highs. The UM2 has slightly stronger bass. The SE530 is brighter while the UM2 is more balanced (flatter). The Shure SCL5 and Westone UM3X come as the best option for professional musicians with very strong highs and lows.
These models are our overall best ear canal headphones, combining the best fit, comfort and sound, along with the best fitting cables. We tested them with a RIO player, iPod 30GB, iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, iPod Touch and a Sony CD player.
We strive to be the best at what we do and 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. We understand that this choice is a very personal matter, however we have found along these 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 headphone technical specifications.
Back to our top of the line in ear headphones...
1 The Westone 3 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 were released in November of 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 3 drivers. Each driver is different and optimized. One to handle highs, one for mids and one for lows. Simply amazing combination of art and technique. The sound is simply on a different league of its own.
2 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.
3Discontinued The new Shure SE530 with triple driver delivers awesome sound and comfort. The SE530-PTH includes the PTH (push-to-hear) accessory. The major difference between the UM2 and the SE530 will be personal taste. The SE530-PTH outputs slightly more detail in the mid range; while the UM2 has stronger bass than both SE530 and Triple.Fi. Overall the SE530 is slightly brighter and the Triple.Fi has over extended highs. 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 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.
4 We love the sound of the new Westone 2 specially for Hip-Hop music. The comfort and fit are unbeatable and the earpieces offer a negative profile (as in recessed in the ear design) making it a perfect earphone to listen to music while falling asleep. They have excellent bass due to the new passive dual crossover and dual driver. Westone was able to pack the passive crossover plus 2 drivers inside the same casing as the Westone 1. For now, the Westone 2 is the most comfortable dual driver earphones tested so far.
5 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.
6 With the new released Westone 1 the competition should be very worried about this new kid on the block as it poses a threat to models all the way up to $200 when in fact it sells for $139. The Westone 1 has just been released and it's much more than a simple improvement on the UM1. It's actually a more affordable version of all the best principles in construction, driver, comfort and fit acquired by Westone on their $300 plus models.
7 The TURBINE has 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.
8 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.
9 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.
10 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.
