| | BEST IPOD EARPHONES  ![Best iPod Earphones]()  Best iPod EarphonesLast updated January 26th, 2010
We have been testing and ranking the best iPod earphones for more than 8 consecutive years now.
This is NOT another silly "Top 10 iPod Earbuds that suck" that we see all over the net.
How we do it:
12 people (4 females and 8 males) among employees, friends and family members, that have been listening to dozens of models of earphones, vote for the earphones that sounded and fitted their best at any price range. We limited the songs to 7: Cello Concerto in A Minor, Take Five (Dave Brubeck), It's a Beautiful Day (U2), Viva La Vida (Coldplay), Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash), One More Drink (Ludacris) and Iron Man (Black Sabbath). Each person could skip between any of those 7 songs with each earphone model on a given price range group of models. They had to listen to at least one time each song with each model before voting for their favorite models on each price range.
     
In the category of Best iPod in-ear headphones, the winners are... Shure, Westone, Monster, Audeo, and Denon. Providing sound isolation of up to 44dB (compare that to 26dB with noise cancellation headphones such as Bose), these show-stopping micro headphones award you the opportunity to enjoy your music at a much lower volume and with much more detail.
In-ear earphones are the superstars of iPod earphones. They implement a different technology than those B-list earbuds offered by the big box retailers. These high-end iPod ear canal headphones are designed with balanced armature drivers—high precision drivers made only in the USA and two other European countries. Armature balanced drivers work much like a tuning fork instead of the common dynamic speaker drivers. They create dazzling performances compared to the cheap dynamic mini speakers equipped in stock Apple earbuds and other budget earbuds. Megastar artists like Justin Timberlake use nothing but these high-end, in-ear headphones for stage monitoring and for use with their own iPods and other portable players.
Click on different earphone groups or earphones by brand to find the ideal earphones for your iPod. You can also check out our Best iPod Headphones RANKING to view our staff’s premier picks. Our higher-end Earphone prices range from $69 to $499. Make sure to read our customer reviews on the product pages, and check out the “Our Rating” tab for results on our extensive tests of each model. You can also contact us by email or call us Toll Free at 1-888-473-9661 to get our opinion on what might be the best fit for your lifestyle.
Helping you find the best iPod headphones for your personal needs is what we do here at Earphone Solutions. We’ve been giving our customers the star treatment for over ten years. Whatever role you live, work or play, from bicyclist to subway commuter to movie soundtrack aficionado, you’ll find your winning solution here.
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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. | | |  | | 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. | | |  | | 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 new Westone 2 along with the Westone 1, which share the same exact casing, are the most comfortable earphones in the market tested so far. With a 2-way passive crossover built-in and 2 dedicated drivers on each earpiece, the Westone 2 outputs great sound quality. The bass, mids and highs are improved over the little brother Westone 1, while featuring the same excellent cable design. If you have a $350 budget, get the Westone 2 for $249 and save a $100! They will outperform all the earphones we tested even in higher price categories only losing in sound to Turbine Pro Copper ($399), Westone 3 ($399) and if you really like your bass pumping, the UM2 ($299). | | |  | | 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. | | |  | | 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. | | |  | | 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. | | |  | | 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. | | |  | | 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 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. | | |  | | The Denon AH-C360 outperforms most Sennheiser earbuds up to $80. We also like the quality build and the fit, although not in par with the more expensive earphones, is also good for an earbud that sells for only $49. Sound quality is good but lacks detail in the mids when compared to higher rated earphones. | | |  | | If you like "straight down" cable design, the Sennheiser CX400-II might be your best choice in this category. Very good sound from these dynamic drivers. Some customers like the cable, some don't. Regardless, this a very good product launched fairly recently by Sennheiser to be positioned as a premium earbud and they got exactly that. | | |  | | Under $50, these are only surpassed by the Denon AH-C360 ($49). It's a big step up from the iPod earbuds and they sound very good for an earphone that sell for only $29. Construction is quite superior to everything we tested in this price range. | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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