comparison of $100-$150 earbuds
Given that you can’t try earbuds and headphones in the stores, I’d guess many of us choose a pair, buy them, use them, and just assume that’s how things sound. But as my testing of 4 expensive models of earbuds show, things aren’t as they sound…. If audio quality is what you’re after, read on to find out what I thought about some fairly expensive earbuds.
Harmon Kardon EP720 $149.99
These earphones were surprisingly tinny. So much so that I spent a good 5 minutes putting them in and out to see if I had done it wrong. Perhaps it isn’t a surprise that I found them quite uncomfortable. Sound-wise, I found the high frequency detail to be surprisingly lacking, the mid-range to be sharp and unpleasant, and the bass to have left the building along the way. I didn’t spend too long with these ones, as they pretty much sucked. Any garden-variety $20-$40 headphone/earbud, competes well with this product. As the most expensive of my test units, they almost certainly will finish last, unless the others don’t play any sound at all.
JBL Reference 220 $99.99
The JBL’s were tinny as well, but thankfully had better high-end frequency representation. They also sounded harsh in the midrange and lacked in low frequency response, though better than the Harmon Kardon’s. The earbud covers were good, the small ones fit nicely into my ears and stayed there. The cord was cloth-wrapped, which seemed to make a bit more durable, although perhaps unrelated, the cord movements resonated directly into the earbuds, and that noise is very irritating. The included plastic lanyard and over-ear clips both worked very well at stabilizing the buds for exercise or movement…best of all the tested earbuds. But that wasn’t enough to make up for another disappointment in audio quality, especially for the price.
Bose In-Ear Earphones $129.99
These were promising, although I’ve always been suspicious of Bose products which seem to “hype” their sound. The earbuds were designed so their wasn’t any tight fit squeezing your ear canal, but rather a silicone pad that rested inside of your outer ear…very very comfortable. Combined with the lanyard string, they were fairly stable, although not exercise-friendly. The sound, however, was the fullest of the bunch in the low end. To full! Everything sounded unnaturally bass-ish, like I’d pushed some kind of XTRA Bass button on my cheap stereo. Surprisingly, the high frequency detail was lost to this low-end consideration…and I had to adjust the iPod’s EQ settings to boost the treble. Another disappointing experience.
Shure SE110 $119.99
Almost the last in this earphone shoot-out, the Shure SE110 has impressed me from the outset. Interestingly, these come with a cable that is only about 1 1/2 ft long, and an additional 3 ft extension cable for when you need it. It’s nice to leave extra unnecessary cable length behind when you don’t need it. The earbuds come with the sponge-like earplug style material that you pinch small, insert in your ear, and it expands to a very snug fit. It does two things very well: 1) keeps them in your ear tightly, 2) blocks out almost all ambient noise. I could listen to my iPod very comfortably at one volume notch above nothing. I could also cut the grass and listen, which is a first, as I have the loudest lawnmower ever made. And it was a comfortable listening volume too, at about halfway. Most importantly, however, the sound was great! It wasn’t hyped, or deficient that I could tell. I was able to hear detail in the mids and highs without having my hair running to get away, and the bass was punchy and present but not overbearing. Very real sound, and very much what I’ve been after. Way to go Shure!
So, I’ve taken all of these back except for the Shure SE110’s. I’m curious about the the Shure SE210’s, which,at $199.99 are way out of my budget for earphones. I just have to know if they are $80 better than the entry-level SE110’s.
Testing is ongoing….
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