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Best In-Ear Headset Under $100

dansgil

dansgil

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 17, 2005
206
0
Vancouver, BC
I'm looking for the best in-ear headset under $100. I've read mixed reviews about many headsets and was looking for some opinions.

I've narrowed my options down to a few:

  • V-Moda Vibe Duo
  • Skullcandy iPhone FMJ
  • Griffin Tunebuds Mobile
  • Maximo iP-HS2 iMetal

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
 
I will be keeping an eye on this thread as I am also very interested in this.
 
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SimplyBlue said:
Not sure if it ranks under the best in-ear headsets but I have a pair of these and they are great for the price and sound quality. They are supposedly the same as the Senheiser CX-300.

Creative EP-630 In-Ear Headphones - $29 from Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LVIC58/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Click to expand...

I actually have these, but I'm looking for a headset, not headphones. I want to be able to use the headset for calls and controlling the iPod functions.
 
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Here are the two best in-ear headphones that I have used are the:

Bose® - In-Ear Headphones
7997322_sb.jpg


They are $99 and the quality was absolutely amazing for sound. I used these for about 18 months before they completely crapped out on me with normal usage. Besides the fact that they stopped working after 18 months and weren't covered by warranty, they were amazing headphones. Here is the BestBuy link to them:

Best Buy Link
___________________________

Shure - Sound-Isolating Ear Bud Headphones - Black
8460337_sb.jpg


These also are $99 and are the headphones that I currently use. They took me a little while to get used to, and took a lot of experimenting to find the right ear attachment that would give the best fit and sound. If you do get these, then I would recommend using the foam attachment (included), this attachment offers the most comfortable fit of the two included options, but takes a little bit of getting used to, to get the right sound. After the few weeks of experimenting with the earbud attachments I would have to say that these headphones offer the best sound of any headphones that I have used. I would highly recommend them if you have the time and patience to get used to them. Here is the BestBuy link for them:

Best Buy Link

EDIT: Just saw your most recent post, sorry about that, I took it that you meant headphones, not a headset, in which case I have never used a headset other than a crappy bluetooth Verizon one for my current phone. Sorry I can't help here, hopefully my post helps somebody else with a question to the best in-ear headphones.
 
I have the Griffin TuneBuds Mobile:

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/tunebudsmobile

I paid $29 for them and they include a small carry case, 3 sets of sizeable ear plugs and of course the ear buds themself with a integrated mic.

Don't expect great Bass with these but for casual listening and making phone calls $29 can not be beat. Another nice plus (for me) is they are black and also have a mesh (tangle resistant) wire.

If you are serious about sound I would probably stay away, but thus far I would say they are "slightly" better than the ear buds that ship with the iphone (they stay put in my ears). :)
 
If you're looking for sound quality, the only ones of those I've heard are decent are the V-Moda Vibe Duo. The rest are generally "avoid" brands for headphones. Another option would be to get Belkin's 9.99 iPhone adapter with built-in mic and clicker, and then get the Altec Lansing iM716, which are generally regarded as one of the best in the price range. If you can afford to move up to the next level, I'd go with the Etymotic HF2. It's based on the ER4 driver, which is an amazing set of in-ear headphones. One of the best, most detailed on the market today (unless you're willing to go up to a WAY higher price bracket) despite having been around for about 12 years.
 
Meyvn said:
If you're looking for sound quality, the only ones of those I've heard are decent are the V-Moda Vibe Duo. The rest are generally "avoid" brands for headphones. Another option would be to get Belkin's 9.99 iPhone adapter with built-in mic and clicker, and then get the Altec Lansing iM716, which are generally regarded as one of the best in the price range. If you can afford to move up to the next level, I'd go with the Etymotic HF2. It's based on the ER4 driver, which is an amazing set of in-ear headphones. One of the best, most detailed on the market today (unless you're willing to go up to a WAY higher price bracket) despite having been around for about 12 years.
Click to expand...

The Etymotic HF2 is way out of my price range. I really cannot justify spending more than $100.

I have heard that the V-Moda Vibe sounds good, but I am a little bit concerned after hearing so many reports of the things breaking frequently.
 
I finally found a Canadian supplier for the Griffin Tunebuds Mobile, and I ordered them today. Can't wait to try them out! I'll post again when I do.
 
I have the Sennheiser MM 50 iP headphones. They use the same driver as the CX 300 headphones, and they include a microphone with an answer/end button. They sound good, and work with the original and the new iPhone. They actually work better with the new iPhone than they did with my original, there was a slight hiss at low volumes on the original iPhone that is gone with the 3G.

They also hit at exactly your $100 price point on Amazon.
 
I have the Ultimate Buds UB5, they're $50 and sound great, they also have other models for 30, 130 and 150 i believe.

http://www.ultimatebuds.com/store/home.php

This company takes existing headphones or headphone housings with their custom selected drivers and splices them with the iPhone microphone and adds a windscreen to the microphone. They are very high quality, and you get 10 days to try them out, and have a 1 year warranty.

http://www.ultimatebuds.com/store/product.php?productid=16145&cat=0&page=1&featured
 
meglet said:
I have the Sennheiser MM 50 iP headphones. They use the same driver as the CX 300 headphones, and they include a microphone with an answer/end button. They sound good, and work with the original and the new iPhone. They actually work better with the new iPhone than they did with my original, there was a slight hiss at low volumes on the original iPhone that is gone with the 3G.

They also hit at exactly your $100 price point on Amazon.
Click to expand...

The CX300 is a great IEM for the price range; I'd definitely go with this if that's true.
 
Meyvn said:
The CX300 is a great IEM for the price range; I'd definitely go with this if that's true.
Click to expand...

I can only base this on what I read while researching headphones. Info on the MM 50 iPs was pretty limited a month ago, but from what little I could find, the drivers were stated to be the same as the CX 300.
 
I've been looking at the same sets as you. I'm leaning towards the ip-hs2. I like the placement of the play/pause/answer button better. Having to reach up to my face like on the stock buds seems weird and awkward to me. Or I just might get the adapter and find some better headphones.
 
dansgil said:
I have heard that the V-Moda Vibe sounds good, but I am a little bit concerned after hearing so many reports of the things breaking frequently.
Click to expand...

The sound is astounding. Amazing. Perfect. I'd pay $200 for this sound.

I've had mine for a month. They broke. Same "cutting out" problem everyone else is having. V-Moda was quick to replace them. We'll see if these hold up any better. I sure hope so. I really love the sound.
 
Heavy Doody said:
The sound is astounding. Amazing. Perfect. I'd pay $200 for this sound.

I've had mine for a month. They broke. Same "cutting out" problem everyone else is having. V-Moda was quick to replace them. We'll see if these hold up any better. I sure hope so. I really love the sound.
Click to expand...

I really don't want to purchase a headset and have to worry bout constantly sending it in for repair.

I think I'll just go for the Griffin TuneBuds Mobile. They're a fair bit cheaper than all the other options, and the reviews are pretty good.
 
I have V-Moda Vibe Duo Have no problem with them so far. I am using them about 6 months running jumping and staff
 
Bose® - In-Ear Headphones

I heard that you can use the $50 headset adapter for these from the Quiet comfort headphones so that you can use these headphones for calls also

any validity to this?
 
I have used the V-Moda Vibe DUO's since November/December of '07 and I definitely recommend them.

PRO's:
- sturdy fabric-shielded cable that's perfect in length (just under 3 feet)
- inline microphone with button for answer/pause/skip control
- small, so they take up minimal space when storing

CON's:
- sound favors the low-mid frequencies (I overcome with treble booster)
- for me, they tend to start slipping after about an hour of use

The Vibe DUO's have been the perfect option for my iPhone usage. If you favor neutral sound you might be disappointed in sound quality; if you're a bass-lover then I think you'll appreciate their sound. Sound quality has been a non issue for me.
 
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