| | Home > The BEST Earphones The Best Earphones for the iPod and other MP3 players.Over 2,000 Customer Reviews PostedLast updated: May 11th, 2011    
Are we biased? YOU BET! We are biased towards the BEST!
"I will never pay $100 for earphones!"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 Shure SE535 sits at the top of our list. These triple-driver earphones have a new fit with removable cables. In second comes the first true 3-way triple driver earphones with universal fit, the UM3X with a slight "bump" on the lower end, clear vocals and great soundstage. The Westone 4 is hands down our favorite earphones for Classical music. The Westone 4 earphones have a 3-way crossover and it's the very first Quad Driver earphones with universal fit ever made. Each earpiece has four drivers! One "tweeter", one mid-range and two "woofers" in a 3-way crossover configuration.
Shure SE535 outputs slightly more detail in the mid range and highs. The UM3X has slightly stronger bass. The SE535 is brighter while the UM3X is more balanced (flatter). The Westone 4 is a great option for iPod owners as the drivers are more elastic and accepting of EQ changes. For comfort we do prefer the UM3X because of its slightly elongated nozzle. The Westone 4 however is simply amazing for cello, violins and classic masterpieces.
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, Cowon, iPod Classic, iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, iPod Touch, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 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...
The UM3X is the FIRST TRUE 3-way triple driver earphones and what Westone did with the sound signature is simply amazing. Along with Shure’s SE535 this is the best universal fit earphones money can buy. 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 W3. 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 SE535 and Triple.fi in contrast have a 2-way configuration with 1 driver of one kind and 2 identical drivers opposed to UM3X'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.
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.
The Shure SE535 with triple driver delivers awesome sound and comfort. The major difference between the Westone 4 and the SE535 will be personal taste. The SE535 outputs slightly more detail in the mid range; while the Westone 4 has stronger bass than both SE535 and Triple.Fi. In our opinion the Triple.Fi has over extended highs. The UM3X is slightly more balanced (flatter) than the SE535 and the Triple.Fi. Both Shure SE535 and Westone UM3X comes with a 2 Year Warranty (when you purchase from Earphone Solutions and after you send the registration card). The Triple.Fi comes with a 1 Year Warranty. Fit and comfort are absolutely awesome with the SE535 followed very closely by the UM3X and not so great with the Triple.Fi specially for those customers that want a flush fit.
We love the sound of the new Shure SE425 specially for Rock and Classical 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.
The new Shure SE425 have excellent bass due to the new passive dual crossover and dual driver. Shure was able to pack the passive crossover plus 2 drivers inside each earpiece. For now, the Shure SE425 is the most comfortable dual driver earphones tested so far.
The UM2 has dual drivers with awesome sound quality and excellent bass. It also has an excellent comfort and fit. The UM2 has more emphasized highs and lows than mids. It comes with a no hassle 2 year warranty by Westone when purchased from Earphone Solutions. A great option for stage monitoring (professional musicians) and for those iPod owners that like strong bass and highs.
With the same new desing of SE425 and SE535, the SE315 has a single armature driver on each earpiece and beats everything under $200. It's actually a more affordable version of all the best principles in construction, driver, comfort and fit acquired by Shure on their $500 model: SE535 but on a single driver configuration.
The TURBINE has the best bass among all earphones under $150 but it's more prone to failure than its competitors. 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.
The brand new Shure SE 215 Earphones is the first high-end earphones under $100 with removable cables. Best for those looking for comfort and very good detail on mids and highs. The dynamic drivers on the SE215 deliver lots of bass, giving you more definition on the low end of the frequency range. EXCELLENT comfort and design. It matches the fit and comfort of Shure’s top of the line SE535.
The Shure SE215 is a huge upgrade from stock earbuds. A great first in-ear earphone. Good bass and much more detail than consumer in-ear earphones. The SE215 comes in CLEAR or BLACK. The SE215 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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