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We’ve added the Strauss & Wagner EM205 to Other good under-$50 earbuds, and we’ve added new earbuds from Cleer, EarFun, JLab, Soundcore, Urbanista, and more to The competition.

Let’s be honest: Most earbuds priced under $50 are junk. They’re uncomfortable, cheaply constructed, and terrible sounding. But the 1More Piston Fit BT defied our assumptions about how good an inexpensive pair of Bluetooth earbuds could sound. Plus, the earbuds are comfortable and solidly built, and they coil up for easy storage. Buy them—and don’t tell 1More that it could be charging more.

If you just want inexpensive headphones that sound decent, fit well, and can take a phone call, this guide is for you.

While our focus was on wireless Bluetooth earbuds, we also tested wired earbuds and have picks for both types.

The tips should come in enough sizes that most people can get a good seal, and the cables (if there are any) shouldn’t be too heavy.

We don’t expect perfection here, but you should be able to hear every instrument and every word, without blur or distortion.

The Piston Fit BT earbuds sound more expensive than they are, and they come with a nice assortment of features for such a low price.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $22.

Having reviewed more than a thousand pairs of headphones (and over 200 for this guide alone), we are not easily surprised—but the 1More Piston Fit BT earbuds wowed us. In our tests, these neckband-style wireless earbuds (the two earbuds are connected by a flexible band) offered a balanced, clear sound that all our testers thought was far better than one might expect from $30 earbuds. The thin, lightweight neckband rests comfortably around the neck and coils up for easy storage in a pocket. 1More includes four sizes of ear tips in the package, so everyone on our panel was able to get a secure fit. The aluminum earbuds feel sturdy, and magnets hold them together so you can wear them around your neck when you’re not using them. The controls are easy to manipulate by feel, and the eight-hour battery life will get you through a full workday. The IPX4 water-resistance rating means you don’t need to worry about a little rain on your commute, and the one-year warranty protects you from any other hiccups.

The EarFun Free 2 earbuds are completely wireless and come with a lot of features you don’t usually find at this price, but the sound quality isn’t as balanced as on our top pick.

If completely wireless earbuds are a better fit for your lifestyle and you don’t want to pay more than $50, we recommend the EarFun Free 2 set. You get a lot of features with this affordable pair of earbuds: a wireless charging case, a full complement of tap-based controls, clear-sounding microphones for phone calls, and seven hours of listening time per charge (with 23 more hours in the case). The earbuds have a high water-resistance rating of IPX7, so you don’t need to stress if you drop them into a puddle. Plus, EarFun backs the Free 2 pair with an 18-month warranty. However, these earbuds don’t sound as balanced as the 1More Piston Fit BT pair, with a pronounced high-frequency spike that may be fatiguing for sensitive listeners.

The RP-TCM125 ErgoFit wired earbuds sound quite good for their super-affordable price, and they come with an optional single-button remote and microphone.

If you want to spend the absolute least amount possible and still get quality sound, you can’t beat the Panasonic RP-TCM125 ErgoFit wired earbuds. The RP-TCM125 pair has a nice balanced sound, with airy, mellow highs and present but not dominating bass. Unlike on most competitors in this price range, every sonic frequency plays well with the others, so this pair sounds just as good with acoustic guitar as it does with hip-hop and rock music. This set doesn’t have the depth of field (the sense that music emanates from performers located at various positions in a given space, rather than a flat wall of sound) or bass quality of the 1More Piston Fit BT, and you do have to contend with wires, but for the price, the RP-TCM125 is still great. The ErgoFit earbuds have an optional single-button remote/mic on the cable, and they come in a variety of colors.

The Piston Fit BT earbuds sound more expensive than they are, and they come with a nice assortment of features for such a low price.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $22.

The EarFun Free 2 earbuds are completely wireless and come with a lot of features you don’t usually find at this price, but the sound quality isn’t as balanced as on our top pick.

The RP-TCM125 ErgoFit wired earbuds sound quite good for their super-affordable price, and they come with an optional single-button remote and microphone.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in both music performance and audio production from Ithaca College, and I have tested more than a thousand pairs of headphones and earbuds while working for Wirecutter.

In addition to reviewing gear for AV magazines, I’ve been in and out of top recording studios for over a decade, first as a radio producer and on-air talent, then as a professional voice actor. My articles have been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, and Time, and on Good Morning America, the BBC World Service, and NBC Nightly News.

We assembled a testing panel that included Brent Butterworth, a Wirecutter senior staff writer with decades of audio-review experience, and John Higgins, a session musician, sound editor, and occasional Wirecutter writer (and my spouse) with a music master’s degree from the University of Southern California.

Some people just want headphones that work well enough, don’t cost much, and can take a phone call without sounding terrible. If you’re in that group, these low-priced earbuds are for you. Maybe you need something to listen to podcasts while you’re walking the dog or doing housework, or maybe you want a spare pair of headphones to keep in your gym or travel bag. Maybe you have a loved one who loses their earbuds frequently. Or maybe you’re just frugal.

These days, most people prefer the convenience of wireless headphones, and the headphone jack has disappeared from many popular smartphones, so here we focus primarily on wireless earbuds—although we do include one pick (and several other recommendations) if you prefer a wired option. Generally speaking, wired earbuds can deliver better sound quality for less money than wireless models, and you don’t have to worry about charging them. But wired pairs need to stay tethered to your music device via their cable, and if you own a newer smartphone that lacks a headphone jack, you have to buy an adapter.

If you choose a pair of wireless earbuds in this price range, keep in mind that the vast majority of the money you spend goes into the components that make them wireless (the Bluetooth tech and the batteries). This means that the manufacturers often cut costs in other areas: the drivers (the sound), the build, and the extra features. In all of those aspects, you definitely get what you pay for. It’s exceptionally rare for under-$50 wireless headphones to be a slam dunk in all facets of our testing. If you remember these trade-offs when making your purchasing decision, you’ll definitely be happier with what you ultimately choose.

If you’re willing to spend a bit more, you can get better wireless sound and more features. Check out our guide to the best Bluetooth earbuds to learn more:

If you’re seeking improved stability and durability for the gym, one of the picks in our workout headphones guide should stand up to just about anything you dish out.

The vast majority of under-$50 earbuds haven’t been professionally reviewed. As such, we pretty much have to rely on customer reviews and our own testing. Of course, we always look at Amazon reviews with a skeptical eye in an attempt to suss out which ones are genuine and which ones smack of paid reviewing. In this category, that skepticism proves to be especially important, as manufacturers often have difficulty getting reviews from earbud owners unless some sort of incentive is involved. Generally speaking, $20 earbuds don’t inspire passion so much as a shrugging acknowledgement that they function as advertised.

We have tested more than 200 earbuds over the course of several years and multiple updates to this guide. In our research and testing, we consider the following criteria:

In each round of tests, our panelists choose their top earbud sets (based on fit, sound quality, ease of use, comfort, and overall appearance) and then take price into consideration to help select a potential overall pick.

We then take all the potential wireless picks and test the Bluetooth connectivity and range. I spend at least a full workday with each set. I put down my phone and walk a few rooms away. I walk around outside with my phone in my bag and pocket. And I check for any noticeable connection issues.

Bluetooth can’t travel through water or thick metal. Your body is made of mostly water, so you may notice that wireless earbuds maintain their connection better if you keep your playback device on the same side as the Bluetooth transmitter, especially when you’re outside. You might also notice that the signal drops if you walk away from your device and into a room with a lot of metal pipes, such as a bathroom.

The Piston Fit BT earbuds sound more expensive than they are, and they come with a nice assortment of features for such a low price.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $22.

The 1More Piston Fit BT is the rarest of things—an under-$50 pair of wireless earbuds that sounds great and works well. The neckband-style design is lightweight and comfortable, and the controls are straightforward and designed to be easily accessed with one hand. If you get caught in a drizzle, it’s no problem, as the Piston Fit BT earbuds are IPX4 rated for water resistance. Additionally, the microphone sounds clear over phone calls, the Bluetooth connection is stable, and the eight-hour battery life is long enough to get you through your workday. If none of that convinces you, consider this: After our expert panelists John and Brent conducted their listening tests, I asked them how much they thought this pair cost. John said $80. Brent guessed $100. Seriously. These things are that good.

Unlike a lot of under-$50 neckband-style wireless competitors, which connect the earbuds with a thick or rigid plastic collar, the neckband on this model is thin, lightweight, and flexible, with a textured silicone-type coating that doesn’t snag or transfer a lot of movement noise. 1More’s design is useful for folks who put their earbuds on and take them off throughout the day. The neckband assists in supporting the cable and battery weight (thereby reducing the tug of the cable on the earbuds), and magnets connect the earbuds to allow you to rest the pair around your neck while you have a conversation.

The earbuds have an aluminum housing rather than a plastic one, which makes them feel more expensive. 1More hasn’t skimped on the ear tips, either, including four sizes in the package; everyone on our panel was able to get a comfortable seal. The entire design feels well thought out and less breakable than that of comparably priced wireless earbuds. And if anything does break, 1More offers a one-year warranty.

The controls are located at the end of the neckband on the right side, and they cover all the standard commands. The Piston Fit BT is compatible with most major devices, though with a minority of operating systems, its volume buttons may not adjust the volume on the device itself. The microphone is located on the controller and sounds better than we expect for this price category. In our tests, the Bluetooth connection (version 5.0, a relatively advanced version that came out in 2016) remained solid for calls and music up to a few rooms away, without dropping or stuttering. In addition, because the connection has little latency, you can watch movies or take part in a video chat without encountering annoying delays.

Sound quality is where the Piston Fit BT truly excels. We were shocked, honestly. At $30 or so, this pair sounds light-years better than anything else in the price category. So many competitors produce boomy, loud bass that blurs and covers male vocals, or harsh, inauthentic highs that make cymbals sound as if they had been made from trash-can lids. But the sound from the Piston Fit BT is clear and rather balanced, and great with every kind of music.

If we had to quibble, we’d say that the bass in our tests was a little soft in the mix and lacking in definition, so hip-hop didn’t have the popping oomph that you’d get from more expensive headphones. And although the higher frequencies didn’t pierce or hiss the way they did on a lot of competing earbuds, they were still a little coarse, so higher sounds like strings lacked the sparkling quality that you’d hear in $200 earbuds. But really, we’re discussing $30 earbuds that sound like they cost 100 bucks.

1More rates the battery life at eight hours, which will get you through the workday if you listen nonstop. Of course, depending on your volume levels and the number of calls you take, your set’s duration may vary. In our tests, playing music at 70% volume nonstop, we actually got a bit longer than nine hours. A full charge takes about an hour with the included USB cable; there’s no quick-charge function, a feature you often get with more expensive wireless earbuds.

If you wear these earbuds out in the rain, note that they’re protected by an IPX4 water-resistance rating. That’s not as high a rating as you get with some of our workout picks, but it’s nice to know that a little water won’t kill the Piston Fit BT. You should still close the charge-port door completely before use and dry it fully before plugging these earbuds in.

With this pair’s price tag of $30 or so, we feel a little greedy asking for much more. Would we like faster charging? Sure. Longer battery life? That would be nice. It also would be handy if the Piston Fit BT powered off and on when you connected and disconnected the earbud magnets. Perhaps a little storage bag would’ve been a nice touch. But if we have to cede these minor requests to get headphones that function, feel, and sound like they cost three times their sticker price, we’ll do so.

The EarFun Free 2 earbuds are completely wireless and come with a lot of features you don’t usually find at this price, but the sound quality isn’t as balanced as on our top pick.

If you’re willing to pay a little extra to go completely wire-free, the EarFun Free 2 pair provides an experience that is on a par with—and occasionally better than—that of true wireless earbuds in the $90 to $100 range. Our test panel was impressed not only with the sound quality but also how many additional premium features this pair includes while still selling for around 50 bucks.

EarFun did an excellent job in tuning the Free 2’s mid and low frequencies. In our tests, bass notes had actual pitches rather than thumps, and the attack and decay of kick-drum hits were clear and defined. The Free 2 provided more detail in the high frequencies than many similarly priced earbuds, so the top end didn’t sound dull or soft—but there was a big spike in the range from 7 kHz to 9 kHz that could be fatiguing to listen to, especially at louder volumes. Sensitive folks may find this spike off-putting, while others may only register the bump as a whistle-like quality in “s” sounds or an overemphasis on cymbal rings. Unfortunately, this isn’t an uncommon sound profile; we’ve criticized this same flaw in earbuds that cost two to three times more than the Free 2 set. At those higher prices, it’s a dealbreaker, but this pair is so affordable and gets so many other things right that we’re able to forgive the spike here.

Unlike many true wireless earbud sets, which limit the range of controls on the earbuds, the Free 2 has the full control suite, including play/pause, volume, track forward/reverse, call answer/end, and digital-assistant activation. The Free 2 relies on touch-based controls instead of physical buttons. Though our team generally prefers the latter, we’ve found the larger touch-surface area on these earbuds to be more forgiving than other touch-based systems we’ve tested. It’s still not as foolproof as control systems that have mechanical buttons to press, but because we didn’t encounter frequent misfires, we’re willing to overlook this minor drawback.

Although these wireless earbuds are a bit chunkier than our top pick in our Bluetooth earbuds guide, their shape is contoured in a way that should make them comfortable for most people. EarFun includes three sizes of tips in the package, and all of our panelists were able to get a secure fit. However, as with all true wireless earbuds, people with very small ears or ear canals may have a little more trouble getting the Free 2 earbuds to stay put. If you’re in that group, you may want to look for a pair that has hooks over the ears or stabilizing wings instead.

The microphone quality is excellent for phone and video calls. We were impressed with the clarity, especially for earbuds at this price, when we used this pair for calls in home and office environments. This pair isn’t resistant to wind noise, however, and a solid gust will lead to a buffeting sound, so you’ll probably want to duck inside to take a call on a blustery day.

The Free 2’s charging case is relatively small and should fit in many jeans pockets. It is Qi-compatible for wireless charging, and the quick-charge function supplies two hours of listening time after you leave the earbuds in the case for just 10 minutes. Once fully charged, the earbuds play music for around seven hours, though the time can vary depending on how many phone calls you make and the volume at which you generally listen. If you happen to leave the earbuds out of the case, the 10-minute auto shutoff prevents the battery from draining once your audio device disconnects.

With a dust and water resistance rating of IPX7, the EarFun Free 2 set can definitely handle rain. IPX7 means you can leave the rated device in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes with no adverse effects. The rating applies only to clear water, however, so rinse any saltwater, sweat, or dust off the Free 2 earbuds after exposure, and be sure to allow the earbuds to dry thoroughly before placing them back in the case. Should anything go wrong, EarFun covers the Free 2 pair with an 18-month warranty.

Although the water resistance means you certainly can use the Free 2 set at the gym, we don’t think the earbud design is secure enough for high-impact workouts or jogging. If you’re looking for the perfect workout companion, check out our guides to workout headphones and running headphones instead.

The RP-TCM125 ErgoFit wired earbuds sound quite good for their super-affordable price, and they come with an optional single-button remote and microphone.

If you’re looking for ultra-affordable wired earbuds, the Panasonic RP-TCM125 ErgoFit has withstood the test of time. This set was a top pick in this guide back in 2013, and with an average price of $15, it’s still a fantastic value. Obviously, sound quality and wireless capabilities have improved in the budget earbuds category since we first found the RP-TCM125, so our top pick has changed over the years, but we’ve yet to find a wired earbud pair that performs this well for so little money.

The mellow sound quality of the RP-TCM125 will be pleasing for people who are more sensitive to high frequencies. You’ll find less emphasis on cymbal crashes and hard “s” and “t” sounds with this pair than with our other picks. Despite the slightly soft quality to the highs, vocals and strings aren’t overwhelmed by the robust bass notes. Acoustic music sounds just as good as hip-hop and rock. Nothing pierces, nothing muddies: Every frequency plays well with the others, and that’s not often the case when you get below $20. Although the RP-TCM125 can’t compete with the 1More Piston Fit BT or the EarFun Free 2 when it comes to high-end detail or spatial depth, this pair bests a good number of earbuds that cost twice the price.

A single-button universal remote/mic was once a common feature in cheap earbuds, but these days it’s harder to find decent wired earbuds under $50 that also take a phone call. The RP-TCM125 continues to defy this trend, and its single-button remote plays, pauses, skips tracks, and activates voice control on most devices with headphone jacks. The built-in microphone isn’t up to the standards of the software-enhanced mics available in $200 headsets, but you’ll still sound perfectly clear to your callers. Plus, the upside of a wired connection is that you don’t need to stress over potential Bluetooth signal drops or battery issues. (But do note that this set is also available in an even cheaper remote/microphone-free version, so be sure to double-check that you have the version you prefer before you hit the buy button.)

Although this pair’s plasticky design won’t win any awards for beauty or construction, it is available in a variety of fun colors. The earbuds are lightweight and come with three sizes of silicone tips (small, medium, and large) that have an elliptical, ear-canal-friendly shape once you put them on the buds (hence the name “ErgoFit”). People with larger ear canals may find that these earbuds require a bit of fiddling to create a good seal, but everyone else on our panel was able to have a positive listening experience with these headphones.

If you want an affordable wired pair with a three-button remote and mic: We recommend the Strauss & Wagner EM205. This pair costs more than the Panasonic ErgoFit, but it has track and volume controls on the cable that should function with most devices with headphone jacks. (For those who need a USB-C cable rather than a 3.5 mm one, Strauss & Wagner also makes the EM8C, but that pair costs around $10 more.) The EM205’s sound quality is equally as good as the ErgoFit’s, but with slightly boosted bass and a little extra spike in the highs. This can give strings a metallic edge, and piano-key depressions sound a bit clicky. The microphone quality is also on par with the ErgoFit’s. The only caveat we have is that Strauss & Wagner is a newer company, so we don’t have a track record to refer to when it comes to customer service. But with earbuds under $50, that may not be a concern for many people.

If you prefer a sportier-looking true wireless design that comes in a variety of colors: Skullcandy's Sesh Evo (a former pick in this guide) provides a fun, bass-forward sound, a comfortable fit, water resistance (with an IP55 rating), and easy-to-use controls, in addition to Tile integration. The battery life of five hours per charge is middle of the road for true wireless earbuds, but you do get 19 hours from the included charging case, which is small enough to fit in a pocket. We prefer the EarFun Free 2 set’s longer battery life, higher water-resistance rating, and clearer microphone for calls, but if the Free 2 is unavailable, the Sesh Evo is still a solid pair of budget earbuds.

If you’re looking for a more affordable way to get the Beats and Apple pairing experience: You’ll be pleased with the Beats Flex neckband-style pair of earbuds. In our tests, the sound was quite good—the bass was forward but not blurry or blobby. The fit is comfortable, and the controls are easy to use. We like the 12-hour battery life and the auto-pause function that engages when the earbuds are joined around your neck via magnet. Folks who own more than one Apple product will appreciate the iCloud-based pairing, and if a friend has Beats headphones or AirPods, the audio-sharing feature is nifty. However, our top pick performs on the basics just as well and costs less. Plus, we wish the Flex earbuds were water resistant and came with optional wings to hold them in place more securely for a wider range of ear shapes.

If you want a great-sounding pair of wired earbuds but don’t need a remote and mic: The RevoNext QT5 sounds far more expensive than it is. In our tests, the bass was a tad forward in the mix and the highs were a bit pronounced, but overall the QT5’s sound quality rivaled that of some $100 earbuds. As for build quality, this pair felt well made, with a metal housing for the drivers and a replaceable cable. The earbuds are comfortable, too, equipped with three sizes of ear tips and a flexible wire hook that loops the cable over your ears. But the QT5 set doesn’t come with a remote and mic, though the cable is detachable. If it weren’t for that omission, the QT5 might have stood among our top picks.

For this guide we’ve tested well over 200 headphones, which is a lot to digest, so we’re sticking with sharing our thoughts on the most notable competitors here. However, if there is a specific model you’re curious about, reach out to our team via Twitter (@wirecutter) or email (notes@wirecutter.com), and we’ll be happy to help.

Aukey EP-T21: Sadly, this pair didn’t impress us. The sound was rather tinny, the controls were too easy to accidentally activate when we were adjusting the earbuds, they lacked volume controls, and the microphone sounded notably compressed over phone calls. Overall, despite this pair’s very affordable price, we liked our picks better.

Bluedio Particle: These wireless earbuds are very inexpensive, but the included tips didn’t fit any of our panelists who had medium or large ear canals, as the Particle comes with only two sizes of tips, both of which are suited to smaller ears. Additionally, the tap-based controls were prone to accidental triggering when we adjusted the earbuds in our ears.

Cleer Roam NC: We wish this pair came with stabilizing wings, as the design of the earbuds will be tough to keep in place for people with medium to small ears. Even our testers who usually wear large tips found that the Roam NC slowly slipped loose. The noise cancellation is minimally effective, and the sound has a piercing quality in the highs that the app-based EQ can’t adjust. We do appreciate the hear-through mode, and the microphone works well for phone calls.

EarFun Air: These true wireless earbuds have small stems similar to the AirPods Pro design. Our panelists who generally choose large ear tips had trouble getting a seal because the short stem prevented the earbuds from seating deeply enough into the ear canal. When the pieces were properly fitted, the sound quality was quite good for the price, with just a little too much energy in the consonant and cymbal range of high frequencies, which could make high-hat hits sound tinny. We also missed having a track-reverse control.

EarFun Free: Brent Butterworth really liked this pair’s sound and fit, and the rest of us did, too. In our tests, the audio quality was pretty fantastic for the price, with clear highs and slightly boosted lows that didn’t blur the mids, giving a nice sense of space to music. The fit was comfortable, as well. The control buttons were quiet, but when we pressed them, they could cause the earbuds to push into our ears in a mildly uncomfortable way. Additionally, phone calls sometimes sounded choppy and compressed. Overall, these earbuds are decent, but they’re not nearly as good as the sequel, the Free 2 pair.

House of Marley Smile Jamaica Wireless 2.0: These earbuds come so close to being fantastic, especially for the original $30 asking price. The fabric-wrapped cable is very soft, we like the environmentally conscious approach of the company, and in our tests the sound quality—while a little dull in the lows and slightly coarse in the highs—was quite balanced and respectable for the price. However, the two sizes of included eartips were too small for two of our panelists, and the remote is absolutely massive. If you sit still, the chunky remote isn’t a big deal, but the minute you start to walk around, the swinging remote has a pendulum effect and starts to tug on the left earbud. Drat.

iFrogz Impulse Duo: Despite our attempts to use various tips, the odd shape of these earbuds created an unstable fit for our panelists. The problem may have affected the sound quality, as we thought this pair sounded cheap, with tinny highs and dull lows.

iFrogz Plugz Wireless: The fit on the Plugz can alter the sound profile—one panelist thought these earbuds had a lot of bass, while another found them tinny. We’d prefer a better than fifty-fifty chance of you liking how your earbuds sound.

JLab Go Air: These are especially inexpensive for true wireless earbuds, and they provide sound reliably. For our panelists, the earbuds stayed in place reasonably securely, but we probably wouldn’t use them for high-impact workouts. If you listen only to podcasts, you might love these earbuds. For music, however, our panel found that all three EQ presets were less than stellar, basically adjusting the blurry bass volume from too loud to nonexistent.

JLab Go Air Pop: If you need the absolute cheapest true wireless earbuds that function, the Pop meets that standard. We love that this pair has a charging cable embedded in the case, a small earbud size, an IPX4 water-resistance rating, fun color options, and a two-year warranty. The downsides? This is a $20 pair of true wireless earbuds, and it kinda sounds like it. The bass is blurry and smeared, no matter which EQ setting you choose. The microphone picks up your voice well enough to be understandable, but you’ll get better from our picks. For $20 you could do a lot worse, but for a little more money our picks will get you a lot better performance.

JLab JBuds Pro Wireless: This pair is fine but lacks any kind of wow factor. The sound is somewhat coarse, with emphasized, blurry bass notes. It’s not overtly objectionable, but there’s nothing to gush over. What’s really the dealbreaker for us is the large remote that dangles annoyingly from the cable that connects the two earbuds. Even though you can tether the cable to reduce the pendulum-like movement when you’re walking, there are so many other options, it’s hard to justify earbuds that tug.

JVC Gumy HA-FX9BT: These earbuds come with only medium and small tips, so anyone who has larger ear canals is out of luck. Add the fact that they lacked bass in our tests and didn’t get very loud (so quieter classical recordings could be too soft for us to hear properly), and you can understand why we recommend passing on this pair.

LinearFlux HyperSonic DX: We like that this true wireless pair has full controls, a seven-hour battery life, and an IPX6 water-resistance rating. However, we found that the touch controls could be fiddly—they were prone to activate accidentally as we adjusted the earbuds in our ears, or to not register at all if the wearer had long or full/thick hair that interfered with the sensors’ ability to register taps. We also found that the low frequencies were boosted in a way that smeared male vocals, and the high-end frequencies lacked sufficient detail. Although the HyperSonic DX isn’t a bad pair of earbuds, its flaws kept it from being a pick.

Monoprice 15273: Everyone on our panel found this pair uncomfortable, and the bass sounded as if it were coming from inside a wet cardboard box. A total miss.

Skullcandy Dime: This true wireless pair costs $25, so we didn’t have high expectations. We were surprised to find that, for such a low price, the Dime didn’t suck. In fact, these earbuds sounded decent, had an impressively small case, and functioned perfectly acceptably. But the controls are limited, and the three-and-a-half-hour battery life means that this pair is destined for the dumpster far sooner than other pairs that cost only about $15 more.

Skullcandy Ink’d Wireless: This former top pick has lots of bass—some might say a little too much—but clear vocals. The neckband-style Ink’d Wireless earbuds fit our panelists with medium to small ears comfortably, but Skullcandy doesn’t include large tip sizes, so people with larger ear canals may have difficulty getting a good seal. These earbuds are water resistant (although Skullcandy hasn’t received an official IP rating for this pair), and the eight-hour battery life will get you through a full workday. However, our current top pick, the 1More Piston Fit BT, sounds better and feels more substantially built, and the collar of the Ink’d Wireless is more likely to get in the way of workouts, so the 1More set bumped this pair out of our top spot.

Skullcandy Jib True: Sadly, these true wireless earbuds were just not comfortable to use. The thick buds stuck out from our ears like the neck bolts of Frankenstein’s monster. The buttons required a firm press to activate, which jammed the earbuds into our ears uncomfortably. And the low notes were so loud and blurry that male vocals were totally swamped.

Soul S-Gear: This pair is cheap but really misses the mark. The hinge on the charging case is made of flimsy plastic and feels as though it will easily snap. When you use the large ear tips on the earbuds, the case doesn’t close fully. In our tests, the audio quality was dull and muffled, and the microphones caused our tester’s voice to sound compressed and distant to callers.

Soundcore Life P2 Mini: If you just want an affordable pair of earbuds that can take phone calls, the microphone on the P2 Mini performs well. Unfortunately the sound quality features shushing highs (“s” sounds take on a “sh” quality) and bloated bass, and the controls lack volume adjustment.

Tribit FlyBuds 1: There are no track-reverse or volume controls on this pair of true wireless earbuds, and although the buttons weren’t difficult for us to press, they still caused the earbuds to push into our ears somewhat. The lower mids were so forward that male voices were overwhelmed by bass guitar, and even podcasts ended up sounding like they were coming from a speaker in the back of a cardboard box. Any one of those downsides alone wouldn’t be a dealbreaker, but it’s the overall meh experience that would make us want to spend the extra money for the EarFun Free 2.

Tribit FlyBuds 3: These earbuds are also inexpensive, but the sound quality in our tests was pretty poor, with coarse highs and a dull “puh puh” aspect to bass notes. The microphone quality wasn’t the best, either, with our callers saying that our words often sounded clipped. The charge case is rather large, and the touch controls are easy to trigger accidentally. Overall, the best part of these earbuds was the little winglet/fin that held them in place comfortably.

Urbanista Lisbon: If this pair were more water and sweat resistant, we’d recommend it as an affordable pair for runners or people who need to stay aware of their surroundings. Unfortunately, these can only handle the lightest mist of water, and not much more. As with all unsealed earbuds, the Lisbon loses a lot of bass response and hasn’t been tuned to compensate, so don’t expect to hear deep bass notes evenly supporting your tunes. But if you prefer an AirPods-like fit without the stem and only listen to podcasts, the Lisbon offers nine hours of battery life per charge and full controls for an inexpensive price.

Apple EarPods: Across our panel, the general conclusion was that the EarPods were unobjectionable but unremarkable. They come with Apple devices, but if they break or get lost and you need to replace them, we recommend buying one of our recommendations before paying for a second set of these.

Brainwavz Delta: This pair was once a favorite of ours, but over time its sound quality has fallen behind that of the competition. However, as more phones are designed without headphone jacks, fewer headphone companies continue to make inexpensive wired earbuds with three-button remotes. So if the Strauss & Wagner EM205 isn’t available, the Delta is an acceptable option.

Final E2000: This pair had more mids and highs than lows, leaving it sounding unbalanced and unsupported.

JBL Live 100: There’s a lot we liked about this former wired pick, including its fabric-wrapped cables, its single-button remote/mic, and the aluminum housing that gave this pair a higher-quality feel. The sound represented a step up, too, with a better balance between low and high notes and a more realistic sound than we heard from most other wired earbuds we tested for this guide. However, we’ve seen reports that the manufacturing quality hasn’t held up to our standards over time, the price has jumped around a lot, and stock issues have frequently made the Live 100 unavailable. As a result, we’ve moved this set out of our list of recommendations.

JLab JBuds Pro Signature Earbuds: We love the stabilizing wings on this pair, and the microphone sounds surprisingly good. However, music lovers will not be pleased with the unbalanced performance. There is a huge dip in the vocal range that makes the body of voices hard to hear, yet consonants sound piercingly loud. A broad bass boost causes lead guitars to sound quieter than bass guitars. If the ErgoFit didn’t exist, we might accept this from a $10 pair of earbuds, but we think the extra $2 to $4 for the Panasonic pair is well worth it.

Strauss & Wagner EM8C: The most compelling reason to buy this pair is the three-button remote and mic on a USB-C cable. Though the 8C sounds quite good, it’s not a significant improvement over the Panasonic Ergo Fit to warrant the $35 price difference. But if you need this type of cable configuration, the EM8C is the most affordable, good-sounding pair that we’ve come across.

Wicked Audio Drive 1000cc: Drumstick hits on the rim of a drum had more of a “thwack” quality than a “snap” sound, and we heard coarseness where there should have been detail. The low notes on electronic music sounded formless, as if a blanket had been laid over a too-loud subwoofer.

Lauren Dragan is a senior staff writer and has tested over 1,000 headphones for Wirecutter. She has a BA from Ithaca College in music performance and audio production. She’s been featured in Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, and more. Additionally, she’s a voice actor whose work includes projects for Disney and Mattel.

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