The $60 earbuds that made the $300 pair harder to justify
We ran both through the same 2 weeks. The gap is real, and it is smaller than the price suggests.
Maya BrandtAudio editor
Cheap earbuds used to be a compromise you could hear in the first 10 seconds. That stopped being true about 2 years ago, and the $60 pair we lived with proves it in a way that is slightly uncomfortable for everyone selling the expensive ones.
Where the money still goes
- Noise cancellation. The expensive pair is a clear step ahead on a plane and roughly level on a street.
- Microphones. On a windy call the gap is embarrassing.
- The case, the hinge, the coating. Cheap buds age visibly and expensive ones do not.
Where it does not
Straight listening, indoors, on a decent recording. Both are enjoyable, and the differences are the kind you hear when you switch back and forth rather than the kind you notice on a Tuesday.
If you take 4 calls a day, buy the expensive pair. If you take 4 a month, the case for it gets thin.
Maya Brandt
Audio editor
Spends more time in listening rooms than is strictly healthy. Writes about headphones, speakers, and the difference a room makes.
