ULTRA Budget Earbud Roundup!

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[@ImAWSMDanny]

Anyone looking to buy the EB2S, keep in mind this is the new Pro version he has. The original is not as good.

[@JoseFerreira-zb7wh]

so, not really around 20 dollars, right?

[@akira357]

That's good to know, I'm no expert but making something sounds good with clarity must be a challenge in itself under $20 😂

[@DukeNukenNukem]

IMO Both are good. The pro version just have better cable and different color. Not so much difference in sound.

[@ImAWSMDanny]

@@DukeNukenNukem it is very different in sound.

[@ImAWSMDanny]

@@JoseFerreira-zb7wh EB2S Pro was like $22 on release with some extra freebies as well. It was a promotion.

[@xxbos5xx]

One thing I hate about “earbuds” is how hard it is to specifically research for good earbuds because nobody uses the terms right!

[@ddh756]

Thanks for drawing attention to flathead earbuds. They definitely have their own unique use cases and shouldn't disappear. Some rants: Many earbuds use the MX500-style cases, are too big for my ears. Using them for extended periods can be painful. The PK1 style is somewhat better, but still. I used to use the Qian 39 for a very long time and have purchased many of them. Not that they provide the best sound quality, but I prefer them for their comfort and cheap. NiceHCK has a pair of earbuds priced around 1 or 2 dollars. They're their best-selling product and perhaps the best-selling earbuds in China today. They even got a term "NiceHCK spirit," which I find amusing lol. I like this one a lot, despite their size. I would describe them as solidly tuning "crap"- they're the crappiest earbuds, but in the right way. Lately I've been using "sleeping earbuds" quite often, but I find that there aren't many quality products in this category. Hopefully, as the market matures, we'll see improvements. I would love to see DMS do a video review on this when the time comes :) Oh and also: I've used a lot of cheap earbuds. And every time when I'm ready to get a better one. I find the choice are so so limited. Hope DMS can do a video on $50~400 range. Or folks that sees this can recommend me some. Thanks.

[@JtwasLuck]

Yeah no problem, some solid recommendations include (from lower to higher end) the following: FIIO FF3, Yincrow RW-2000/3000, Rikubuds Grand Alter Saber 2, Yinman 2.0 600s, TGXear Serratus, TGXear Sunniva. Depending on your sound pref, you will be pleasantly surprised by the TOTL sound!

[@Ausemere]

I want to try earbuds but most are MX500 shell which is uncomfortable for me (I had RY4S and TC200, gave them to my mom). I want to try the PK2 shell such as the DQSM Panda, which one do you recommend in the $20-25 USD range? I listen to rock/metal/j-pop.

[@RNeeko]

Earbuds are such a unique experience. Would definitely like to see another big comparison video covering the next few price brackets

[@luisroque9996]

Thank you for giving flathead earbuds the attention they deserve. I stand by the yincrow but also enjoy the low end of the Iris 2.0. I'd love to see a review of the Moondrop Chaconne.

[@truemusic1]

Love that you covered flatheads, they don't seem to get as much love as the IEM space and I think there's a lot of potential for growth. Had the X6 but it was too big and uncomfortable for my ears. Also surprised VE was not in the lineup anywhere!

[@dpodblood2439]

Would love to see more content like this for different price brackets. I've had a pair of VE Monks that I've used for years. Low key one of my most used sets since I always use them to watch Twitch and YT where top tier detail and resolution isn't the priority.

[@fiddlix]

Venture Electronics has all kinds of buds at different prices you should consider. Thank you DMS.

[@sesenol252]

Yup, i was hoping that VE monk is featured in this video. Really want to see the graph on that

[@fiddlix]

@@sesenol252me too

[@axhng]

Always great to see earbuds getting some love. Earbuds are one of my favourite ways to enjoy music at home since I don't like the feel of headphones. Got the EB2S at launch and they've been one of my favourite pair of earbuds, and probably my most used pair too since the tuning is generally very inoffensive to my ears and works well with most genres, and the sound quality i think is pretty good too for the price.

[@miki890098]

I love seeing this after getting the eb2s a couple weeks ago and having my suspicion confirmed that they were actually extremely good for the price and very neutral lol

[@nickchen1134]

Was astonished not to find the proven Venture Electronics VE Monk Plus buds in this comparison. I used them in the office, they really have bass worth mentioning, and the rest of the band is quite natural (ish). No detail monsters of course. When it goes to higher tiers, the Yuin PK1 was the first "good" bud back in 2005 or so, there was quite some hype in the forums. It's worth the price of 135, but it is IMO more tuned for Jazz lovers who like prominent mids of the AKG or Grado sort.

[@JoseFerreira-zb7wh]

Keep up with the earbuds adventure! Very few info on them online... I really like using earbuds when commuting or out in the street. One can listen to music while being aware of the surroundings( cars, other people, animals, or even some unique potential harming situations), making them more safe and practical in these kinds of contexts.

[@markyap2603]

Just bought the EB2S Pro and it sounds freakin amazing. Thanks so much DMS in making this video. Hoping to see more similar content.

[@marksafe5463]

Yes, another round up would be great! I’m curious what’s out there. there’s something great about the portability of open earbuds.

[@themilk3]

OMG...love that you are bringing attention to flathead earbuds. I am one of the people that swear by them. If possible you should def try the ones by the maker Bisoy Siosan. He lives in the US. I have most of his earbuds and love them all. Love your videos, keep them coming. Also def try more VE earbuds, the kind of expensive ones. I remember you made some videos regarding the Monk Plus and Zen 2.0. A revisit of those and some new ones from VE would be awesome. I would love your perspective on them. Also what is the outro song you use. I am obsessed with it. I have played that small snippet of the track at the end like 20 times now hahah

[@mattythehat]

Absolutely 2nd for some samples from VE. They have a number of models and profiles to suit different tastes. I'd also add the Earbuds Anonymous "EA" buds as a good indication of what's possible for a little extra money (~$50) - no frills, with a fun V-shaped profile and good detail for the money.

[@crabbycat8884]

Love earbud because it doesn't ruin hair when wearing like headphone or some uncomfortable feel pushing in to ear canal like in-ear. With earbud just put it in intertragal notch, naturally, done and you can still talk with other people while wearing it. This is perfect!

[@Kekinger09]

Please try out some of the TGXEar gear. Jims buds look awesome!

[@zachbeck4963]

They sound awesome too!!

[@saltedpeanut5571]

YES DMS! I’m already loving that you will go down the rabbit hole regarding earbuds/flathead earbuds. I’m an enthusiast myself. Maybe you know this, but DUNU is releasing a new flathead earbud on July the 15th - ALPHA 3 ($399 - $419). With this new audio territory for you to explore, it could be perfect if you got your hands on a review unit. I would love it!

[@asciisuki7002]

They're actually 70usd, the 399 was an error from shenzen audio and its supposed to be 399rmb (china currency)

[@saltedpeanut5571]

@@asciisuki7002 Oh, what a nice information. Thank you.

[@CalebA]

FiiO has a few good earbuds around the $100 range (FF3, FF5). My favorite bud is Yincrow's flagship, the RW-3000. You can get it for $200-$250 or so.

[@Foobymaster1]

Rikubuds are solid for fairly cheap. 50 for the cheaper ones and up to i think around 200

[@armandomontanez8511]

I can't stand the feeling of IEMs, so I'm super glad that there's other options still. I'm still using over-ear headphones on the go for that very reason. Would love to see what the $100-$200 range offers, but for now I placed an order for the EB2S Pro so I can finally put away my backup IEMs.

[@JtwasLuck]

DMS, I will personally give you my Yinman 2.0 600s to try out, high end flatheads are insanely good and having you shed some light into this niche subset of the hobby would be greatly appreciated!

[@Vostrax]

Nice roundup but you should've add the Apple Earpods to make a good reference point. They are probably top tier in this price range

[@DukeNukenNukem]

It would be great to see earbuds roundup under 100$. For example: Sivga M200, Fiio FF3, BGVP DX5 and DX6, Lun Sheng YE01, Ourart TI7, Ksearphone BellLBs, Smabat M2s pro, Yincrow Calf, Yincrow RW-1000 and new Yincrow Rhino.

[@ROCKSTAR3291]

Under $100 earbuds, nothing beats the Fiio FF3. Our bud community loves it, Z was also very impressed. I'd love to hear another big KZbinr's opinion.

[@jerrykamis2011]

First time watching your channel and I like it! Nice to see a review with test results, not just by ear experience. I don't understand what people said neutral, warm, or airy etc. But with these test results I can understand it better. Keep up the goood work!

[@zachbeck4963]

Looking forward to seeing you review some TGXear! I love my Totem and Ripples

[@ta114]

X6 for the win! Found these some months ago for office use where i dont want to blockboutside noise completely. Might try thise EB2s,but i sure like some bass

[@25-8]

I can't find the exact ones on video to buy, they are yellow corded.. it seems it's an older model?

[@y0val]

finally i have been looking for a roundup like this for years !!! pls make more affordable and expansive as well looking forward to it.

[@nafdog127]

Would love to see a $100-$200 price bracket.

[@moonsofjupiter]

Great short round up. Those Yincrow look interesting as a basshead. Def do more in the $100-$300 range soon.

[@adamcanterbury]

yes i am intrigued now...and it would be nice to have different products to learn about than the same old same old stuff... TY for your hard work making enjoyable and informative content...Peace

[@ruru4855]

Just finished watching the video. Please do go down the rabbit hole and get a Venture Electronics Sun Copper and others from known DIY earbud makers. I think the difference in technicalities across the price range exponentially increase, so maybe you can focus more on this aspect as you review earbuds. Flathead belivers are rare now, thanks for the video.

[@penpen35]

As one who prefers earbuds, any earbud (not IEM, not wireless) videos are appreciated. If you want to look into the top price bracket, do seek out the Moondrop Chaconne. I still would prefer my Yincrow X6 over it, but it's also quite rare to find an earbud at a premium price. Great sound with nice treble and separation, though the drawback is its weight.

[@bing-chilling1713]

Should've compared them to apple earpods or their Huawei/honor copy for control.

[@sebQbe]

Agreed, would be nice to know how much of an upgrade these are comparatively, bet a lot of people still use earpods/regular airpods because of their open design (some people really dislike having their ears plugged).

[@BBZL]

I've tried the faael Iris 2.0 their ok, but the Faaeal Rosemary is much better. They need more power but the vocals are amazing. Its a fun and relaxing tunning that sound great.

[@minidee2194]

My daily drivers are the HD600, ER4XR and a pair of some shitty $6 earbuds called the Fengru Tingo TC200. They beat the loving crap out of every other iems I own for some reason, and I don't even know how they measure lol.

[@BwipBwop]

I love earbuds! Lighter than iems, staging like headphones, cheap as fuck compared to iems and headphones of the same quality. Definitely check out custom sets like Rikubuds Alter Rider or Berserker and TGXear Ripples or Serratus. My around the house mainstays recently have been Ripples custom ordered with the Bell shell and MMCX connectors hooked up to the Shanling MW200 neckband Bluetooth dac/amp and it’s an excellent pairing for all day, wire-free, audiophile listening

[@ROCKSTAR3291]

It’s the unmatched comfort that makes earbuds so appealing to me. Headphones can be heavy, hot and clampy. IEMs can also be heavy, hurt your ears… oh and the earwax. Buds have none of those problems.

[@PatrickPecoraro]

My favorite earbuds were the Sennheiser mx-500. Unfortunately they were discontinued years ago soon after the IEMs gained popularity.

[@jafizzle95]

Yes please, would love to see what's available in the higher price brackets.

[@hevennn]

What a cool video! I've become obsessed with earbuds but I couldn't find much information or review outside of the head-fi forum. I can't afford to get into the more high end side of these when there is so little information out there. So I'm definitely staying tuned for more :)

[@cian.horgan]

I'd like to see a good jump up in budget, skipping the $50 range and going to like ~150 or

[@Indy4Cookie]

this is a super interesting type of audio to me. i have a move coming up so dont want to wait on ali express right now so I got some sony MDR9ELP's on the way. the sony linkbuds seemed interesting because of the open back feature so i can hear whats going on. however after using airpods pros for a long time i've realized they're just e waste waiting to happen to just going wired from here on out. once i'm settled i'll check back in on the earbuds niche. look forward to any other content about this type.

[@nathans5773]

Would definitely be up for more earbuds content.

[@lazar1an]

Probably worth mentioning that measurements of earbuds is a bit of an unexplored art, namely as they seem to be so variable in fit on everyone. In terms of buds you should move up to, RikuBuds, TGxear would be great to see you try, especially the new gen 3 Riku's and the Serratus / Sunniva from tgxear.

[@JtwasLuck]

100%, the Sunnivas are incredible, but for the price I'd also like to see him check out the Yinman 600s, they are fantastic!

[@dayfornight88]

Rosemary Is the best sounding.

[@ubacow7109]

You can fix the marble using white epoxy and some clamps.

[@sarahobert2836]

Please do a follow up vid series crawling up the price ranges. Not enough out there!!!

[@hectorcolumbani6566]

Great info, but you didn’t cover an earbud you loved, VE Monks! Would love to hear how these compared to the monks.

[@pmAdministrator]

I get youre busy, but please upload more. I miss your videos.

[@kempesmario77]

I only feel confortable with earbuds and is REALLY hard to find good content about them, really appreciate dms

[@renatobdc]

I would very much appreciate it if you could go up on the price range testing more earbuds. Congrats by the video. Ps: Apple earpods are great.

[@johnhurley8918]

FINALLY! Someone who apreciates Earpods! I've been looking for a more detailed pair of headphones with the same tonality as them.

[@colinmartin9797]

The EB2s are indeed kings. Nothing they do qualifies as "budget". The build, fit, sound, accessories, cable, all amazing. I would strongly disagree with the pinned comment that the pro's sound different. I have four pairs, including the balanced, unbalanced, and pro, and they're functionally identical sounding, especially since niceHCK has not claimed any difference. The "pro" means, as far as I can read, a new color, with an anime girl stand (the cable is the same build quality and style, just a diff. color like the pink pair) and a couple more foams in the box. I've been using them for about six months, only recently upgrading to the FF3's because I wanted something with some more bass and I'll be honest, the FF3's have had to go back for servicing once already, they don't fit quite as well, and I genuingly think that the eb2s still hangs with them in a lot of ways. I personally want to see some company try different drivers. 15mm planar earbud anyone? Electrostat, piezo? a wall of like 12 BA's all playing the same tones?

[@abhishekjm8611]

Would be amazing to see your suggestion of a wired/wireless combo in ear earphones. Reducing e-waste in the process compared to just getting pure wireless ones

[@doso1083]

is this the EB2S PRO? non pro has no blue variant, just wondering..

[@johnhurley8918]

I'll still argue that Apple Earpods are a great pair of wired buds for $20. They're not zuper detailed, but they have a really nice tonality that has good vocals and instruments while still maintaining some level of bass.

[@LuciferArc1]

Truthear hola, salnotes zero, simgot ew200, tangzu wagner, etc. All way better bang for buck

[@vzero8612]

​@@LuciferArc1why didn't this dude include the iem's you've just mentioned in this video?

[@LuciferArc1]

@@vzero8612 probably hasn't heard them I guess. I suppose he's not into the chifi scene

[@LuciferArc1]

@@vzero8612 not to mention we got the moondrop chu 2 now

[@vzero8612]

@@LuciferArc1 so chifis are better than the iem's in his list?

[@springbay1]

For sure you need to dig in to some Cypherus Audio, ABnormal and Shozy buds. Problem being that the high end Indonesian buds are often only done in limited batches

[@whollymindless]

Thanks for stretching out. It'll be fun to see what you find out.

[@bernardoandrade88]

looking forward for your upcoming venture electronics and tgxear impressions.

[@techsurvival101]

For the next price tier up see if you can pickup the FiiO FF3 (under $100) and FF5 ($130). Although, I do believe these start to need an amp to sound their best. Zeos seemed to like the FF3 in particular.

[@cyphre]

Thank you for this! I can't really use IEMs (my ear canal is too small) so its nice to see a comparison. Is there even a more expensive mid-range for this market segment? Like $50-100?

[@RikudouGoku]

There is, Rikubuds.

[@WesleyFiles]

Reposting this because (I assume) bots didn't like me naming some companies: I'm curious if the Iris 2.0 you have is really the Iris 2.0. These companies do some confusing things, in this case, the item you have is no longer being called the Iris 2.0 on Faaeal's popular international store (starts with an A). It is however called the Iris 2.0 on the most popular U.S. based online retailer (starts with an A). The product hopefully came in a box that Faaeal uses for several of it's products, with a sticker label that should read "Model: Iris 2.0".

[@moots27]

serratus is pretty nuts from what ive heard

[@Bumper210]

Soundpeats Free 2 Classic, best money to quality ratio IMO

[@RussianOrthodox63]

please, try more earbuds of higher range and make alike video. 50-80$, 100-130$, 150-200$ etc. Good job!

[@lavatr8322]

Which among These Sounds Closer to Blon 03 or even better.? _i don't like screaming High end , almost tinnitus shiet.... I love Bass but not the Overpowered bass..._

[@krisnadarma8284]

yincrow x6 , or try vido first if you like the fit then go for yincrow x6

[@lain2236ad]

a 70-150 video like this would be perfect

[@thenorthway7006]

This is a really interesting video since I've always had a bit of an ick when using iem's due to hygiene concerns. Would totally love to see what offerings there are in higher price brackets

[@JtwasLuck]

IEMs are dead to me ever since I found flatheads. Depending on your sound prefs, you can get TOTL sound for 100-150, currently the absolute best is at 350 for the TGXear Sunniva. If you like a dark set, nothing beats the Yinman 2.0 600s for its price at around 120, it’s magnificent!

[@thenorthway7006]

@@JtwasLuck Sweet I'll check those out. Thanks for the recommendations!

[@JtwasLuck]

@@thenorthway7006 No problem, please update me on your findings. After discovering flathead earbuds, I honestly can't go back. I have a ton of more expensive gear but I keep going back to these and honestly the sound out of these buds are truly TOTL.

[@MrJabinho]

This was good one ! A nice surprice :)

[@WesleyFiles]

I can't fault you at all for sticking with the included foams of each set, but the Iris 2.0 with the low density foams from Venture Electronics (EX pack lite) is my favorite headphone I've ever owned. The Yincrow X6 which I also own just feels simple by comparison. And anything besides the included foams make's the X6 feel unbearably bright to me. It seems like you're hard set on neutral as the ideal? My observation leads me to believe you'll find that the wired earbud space hasn't moved toward a neutral tuning ideal as of yet.

[@johnt3500]

FiiO FF3, safest buy.

[@af1762]

Im looking for this type of headphones and this was really a useful video, thank you. A lot of videos just cover IEMs, but I want to go back to earbuds. Have used sennheiser mx360 for years, then VE monks and Vido, and switched to IEM, but sometimes you just want convenience of earbud. Id be interested to see 60$ price range comparison. Thank you.

[@MichaelAmster]

My vote for an IEM version of this. Thanks as always DMS!

[@D1N02]

IEM's simply do not fit me so buds are the way to go for me if i don't want on or over ear.

[@thepumpkinking13]

I've never been able to wear IEMs comfortably, so I've always had to stick with earbuds when I need something super compact. Unfortunately, helpful discussions or videos on earbuds seems to be very niche and hard to come by; not to mention searches just end up giving you IEM results because of naming semantics. I've probably tried about 10 different earbuds under $30 but haven't found anything that sounded better than the wired apple earbuds (which I think sound pretty decent for what they are).

[@ImAWSMDanny]

Flatgang baby!

[@zachbeck4963]

We’re hitting the big time now!

[@paultomaszewski1964]

Wish I could use this type, but in the past none were comfortable. They just hurt to wear them and they didn't stay in very well. It's a "me" thing on that so I made the move to IEM's.

[@kleind4670]

would love to see more content abt these earbuds!

[@anatol1204]

Very nice review.I love graphs..One image = 1000.words

[@seefeel2043]

Absolutely, please go deeper!

[@TheHulksMistress]

That’s what she (the most polite and formal lady of the night in town) said

[@ivegyattocomment]

i took the dive buying the monks+, now i have 3 earbuds... VE monks+, nicehk traceless and the yincrow X6* and that replace my headphones and IEM for months now xD

[@John87721]

How well the other two fare against the monk+?

[@helggii9634]

Mister DMS, could you provide links to these products?

[@gngjtjt]

Yeah we need more

[@Drinkyoghurt]

Why are the Apple earpods not listed? I have 3 pairs of them, 1 for gaming, one for listening in environments where I need to hear outside noises and a backup. They can be had for $12 and are a real no-brainer.

[@AsAgral]

Great video! No Venture Electronics Monk Plus? Upd - thanks for the comment: "I have the monk also. I loved the older ones, but the current generation didn't stand up." :)

[@EG-MAN]

love to see new products, especially if they have a proper review 👌

[@FromWitchSide]

I just pronounce "Nice Hack". Some well known earphones there, although for me the best one in this price range is Qigom S300 which isn't there. Now, there are hundreds of earphones in this price range so no way we will see them all, although I was a bit surprised to see FAAEAL Iris, but not a higher $9 model Snow-Lotus 1.0 which I personally find superior in everything. Although I get Iris Ancestor is actually hugely popular at $6 (Iris 2.0 sounds the same, they only differ by cable). A bigger surprise is perhaps no VE Monk Plus given its probably the most popular one and actually how instrumental it was in helping the classic earphone craze, but I personally think it isn't worth buying anymore. It would be amazing if we could get the actual Sennheiser MX500 for comparison with all those though, and perhaps even the final top end model MX985 for the pricier ranges.

[@OledBurnInKing]

I got the moon drop quarks with the mic non dsp version but the 3.5 mm version for $15.99. Josh valour made a video about the moon drop quarks.

[@justanut]

No follow-up to the higher end game?

[@25-8]

I just got the Yincrow 6🙆 how are these not the best bro... I love them can't believe these sound that good at a super affordable price man! Audio has become real cheap! Is there a good soundalike over the ear headphones that you would recommend this same style of sound for?

[@ruru4855]

waiting for this after the twitte post 😃

[@GadZookz]

Looks to me like that HE1 has QC issues. Hope you demanded they send you another one ASAP. 🙂

[@rionlkzz]

Tgx Serratus. ❤

[@zachbeck4963]

👆

[@rhalfik]

Yincrow X6 is the same earphone as Vido, only with a different cable and accessories. You can even see that in the graphs in the video by switching between 3:25 and 6:04 You can also see the bias on display. Vido costs way less, which is probably why he didn't group it with other earphones that sound like this. The accessories are better on Yincrow, but the sound is the same. The EB2S is also not clearly better than Vido. He's testing a newer variant of EB2s.

[@DMS3TV]

Look at the graphs you linked... They're more than 6db different. Not the same at all.

[@rhalfik]

@@DMS3TV Yeah, but if you buy enough Vidos, you'll find that they have different levels of treble. I had a few Vidos and some were dark. Yincrow wasn't an upgrade for me. Nicehck Traceless was. It had a tad more midrange.

[@RightHandLeo]

Try some of the ve monk variations they seem like a great bunch of sets

[@CRW93]

Can you EQ them? That would be a fun video.

[@eruilluvitar]

I've gotten so accustomed to seeing raw measurements that seeing compensated measurements deeply confused me initially

[@Floatacious]

Moar roundups please!!!!

[@LyK0sa]

I'd be interested to see some measurements and thoughts on the KSearphone DB1e. They're a nice looking set with a removable 2 pin cable, unfortunately all I can find on them is a single head fi review.

[@lufeacbo8]

Great to see videos about earbuds. I would like to know how they compare with these: Kbear Stellar TRN EMA TRN EM BGVP DX6 Thanks.