Music is one of the things that helps us take our mind off worries and troubles. There is no doubt that it can be considered to be one of the finest creations of humans.
If you’re anything like me, you sure would love listening to music while working, or maybe enjoy an audiobook while driving, you’d definitely dig to buy the best earbud under 100. We’re well over the time of clunky music players and heavy headphones. We’re now rocking tiny smartphones and iPods that are sleek and easy to carry around.
Earbuds fall in the perfect place, they’re the perfect combination of comfort, sound, and noise cancelation. If you don’t have a lot of budget of $100, you won’t have any problems finding astonishing earphones which are affordable as well.
What Goes into these Reveiws ?
I spent hours and weeks finding and researching the best earbuds. There are tons and tons of earphones in the markets, and I wanted to get you away from the hustle and irritation of finding the right earbud by showing only the top-notch earbuds.
I’ve carefully tested and compared each and every aspect of these earbuds including but not limited to noise cancellation, comfort, sound quality, and price in order to help you select the best earbud for your everyday use.
Staff Pick : Best Earbud Under 100$ Mark
Audio-Technica ATH-CKS990iS
Simply a fit for everyone!
Sleek, and affordable pair of earbuds that come from the top reputable names in the audio accessories. Audio Technica is known for its range of high-end microphones and headphones. This model stands to prove that they haven’t left the earbud market yet.
It rocks asleep look along with great performance and design. You’ll get full inline support for controlling a compatible device or for making calls.
Runner Ups for Best Earbuds Under $100
Bose Sound Sport Earbuds
These earbuds from bose aim to provide total audio clarity to users. Now, as implied by the name, these earbuds were built for people who like to commute or workout while emerging in music. Sound test on this device was amazing which gave the output of clean and crisp audio that sound muddy or irritating at even high frequencies.
My Review : Built for sport savvy people, who are mostly on move. They deliver a very good and smooth sound with a power packed and clean performance unless you’re a heavy audiophile. They’re a little bit prone to external noise which kind of ruins the overall experience sometimes.
Shure SE215
- Comfortable ear tips, and fit perfectly
- Balanced sound quality
- Stays in place due to the wire cable
- Excellent noise isolation
- Durable design
- Detachable cable
Shure is one of the companies that is known to produce excellent audio products. This earbud from them is no exception. They’re designed to be and used by professionals.
The durability and sound quality make them stand above the rest earbuds at this price point. Although the 3.5mm L connector might not fit some devices that have fat cases.
Other Best Earbuds Under $100
Sennheiser Momentum Earbuds
The momentum series actions of Sennheiser earbuds aim at providing a great immersive experience to users who dig crystal clear sound without spending a lot on equipment. They love to boast a wide bass range in a slim and lightweight design.
Although you can’t put them into high-end category, you can expect sonic sound. They have an excellent treble presence as well. When we talk about mods, there could be litter more effort put into these from Sennheiser.
The overall tone and texture of these sound extremely great throughout the experience. They sound great if you listen to trance, and EDM tracks. Since they’re very small in size, they are extremely portable and fit very easily into ear canals and pockets.
One very strong point is the price tag that it comes at. The earbuds are extremely affordable for people who’re looking for replaceable earbuds that were shipped with mp3 players/ smartphones.
Thanks to their inbuilt microphone, you can shuffle smoothly between music and calls without hassle.
Shure SE215-K
If you want an earbud which won’t burn a hole in your pocket, this is your go-to the earbud, coming from none other than Shure itself.
Right from the get-go, the earbud is extremely affordable, and sound isolating which claims to stop noise from disturbing user’s listening experience.
If you need the absolute best noise canceling earbuds, then this is the go-to option you should opt. It has a noise prevention range of 37db which can silent the background noise.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re traveling in a metro or on a busy street, they cancel out noise pretty well and offer an excellent immersive experience.
They’re suitable for people who’ want to focus on their work while listening to music. You hear a very well balanced sound across a wide range of frequency spectrums.
If you’re a bass lover, you’ll dig these earbuds and audio quality offered by these. They sound natural without any forced feel. The mids are crystal clear, and high-frequency treble that sounds very smooth without producing any irritating tin sound.
The end result is surround sound which won’t leave you disappointed. From my side, it’s a very big thumbs up considering the price at which it comes. The product does an excellent job when we talk about keeping wires uncluttered. The sleek over the ear design ensures that wires never get tangled even if you put them in your bag.
Although, I think that shure should have spent a little bit more time on the design part. The over the ear feels quite damp for regular users. Due to the way these are designed, they are bit weird to fit and can sometimes ruin the overall listening experience.
AKG Y20U Earbuds
If you are on a very very tight budget and want an alternative to the stock earphone that came with your smartphone, then don’t go further down the list. AKG’s Y20U is your best shot.
Talking about sound, they handle high frequencies quite well. You can also hear the treble range very well. The bass is very clean and they don’t overwhelm the treble. But, with the cheap price, comes some downsides.
The company has some slight compromise on detailing in low and high notes. But it is ignorable considering the price of earbuds. If you hear on high volumes, you a bassline sequence paves the way for overpowering moments over vocals and guitars.
Although, hip-hop, rock, and pop play very well.
These fit extremely well in your ears thanks to its curved and lightweight design. They also secure very tight against the outer earlobes ensuring no need of further adjustment from the user's side.
This means, no matter how fast you jog, or walk down the road, or how intense you work out, these won’t come off. Also, they come with a single button remote. This acts for play/pause and microphone.
The strongest point although is the price point at which the company’s selling them for. Apart from being very affordable and easy to fit, they sound surprisingly good. Although you should not expect extraordinary sound at this price range, at the same time, you won’t be disappointed either.
Brainwavz Delta
Now, there are earphones which are affordable, earphones that sound very well, but only a few of them aim to fit very well. Delta from Brainwavz aims at doing just that. They also come at a sort of throwaway price range.
They fit perfectly for almost all ear shapes and sizes. They do this because of the perfect seal. You can wear them for a wide range of purposes such as early morning jogging, gym workout and much more.
You’ll forget the times where you had to constantly adjust earbuds every now then to aural pleasure. The treble boost gives a robust and clear sound to music without letting loose clarity in lyrics, guitar or snare hits.
When we talk about sound, the earbud offers the signature well-balanced sound which is pumped by neatly defined mids and highs.
The bass range is a bit weak and muffled, but it is evenly balanced by a slight treble boost that gives a clear and robust sound to the music without losing clarity in guitar riffs, lyrics, or snare hits.
Although, I feel that Brainwavz could have worked a bit more on rectifying the frequency bumps in the bass range. The design is quite minimalistic and earbud feels extremely lightweight, one wire has a two button remote, pause play button, and a volume booster. Overall, if you’re looking for a pair of earbuds that will fit well and delivery great sound as compared to the stock earphone, these can be a great choice.
Jaybird Freedom F5
The sound signature on this device is pretty well balanced and it fits perfectly fine in your ear because of the fins. This enhances your surrounding a bit since it’s a wireless earphone. The earbud offers 8 hours of play time which is quite enough for usage. Although, when I listened to the earphone for a long time while working on articles, the fins start pricking the ear’s insides which can be really irritating.
The design, on the other hand, is good and the main body of these earbuds are carved in a particular way to deliver more natural sound audio. The earphones aren’t placed perpendicular so they won’t get knocked out easily. The controls offered via the earbud are excellent and so in the call reception. The only thing that bothers me is the battery. I won’t carry a power bank for my phone, let alone for my earbuds.
Now, it doesn’t matter how much mAH battery you have, if you are using wireless headphones or earphones, it is going to drain faster.
Some Earbuds that Deserve a Mention
Sony MDR-EX650 B Inner Ear Headphones
The MDR EX650 B were designed carefully to provide top-notch sound quality that you can expect with headphones over the years. The only thing is that these come at a more affordable price as compared to many high-end models.
They offer amazing sound and fit very comfortably. The audio quality is crisp and there is an adequate amount of bass to each ear. You’ll feel the enrich sound in some favorite songs of yours.
The headphone comes in 4 pairs of earbuds that you can pick from to adjust with your ear shape. The earbuds manage to deliver a very mixed sound that results in a rich listening experience regardless of what you listen to. The headphones cord has been tailored to prevent tangling so that you don’t have to spend time untangling them.
Focal Sphear High-Resolution In-Ear Headphones
These headphones focus on keeping the original tone of the song, i.e, delivering the music the way it was supposed to be heard, without overemphasizing on low or high tones.
The headphones make use of a combination of drivers in order to create rich and fulfilling sound which is sure to please audiophiles that ask for crystal clear sound and tone but don’t want to spend more than $100 for it.
The headphones come with a large driver system which is full in the mid-range area that ensures better clarity in sound. The Bass Reflex System has merged alone with a 10.8mm multichannel transducer for improved high-quality low range frequencies. Another great thing about these headphones is that they’re compatible with every mp3 player, tablet, phone, and computers as well.
You also get an included remote which lets you answer phone calls, control volume, switch tracks, and you don’t need to access your device in order to do these things.
Klipsch R6 In-Ear Headphones
Now, in-ear headphones are tricky, they are either very cheap or very expensive. There are not a lot of models which sound good but also fall in under $100 price range. Klipsch offers a break from the traditional pricing by offering quality, performance, and durability at an affordable price range.
Not only are these headphones sound extremely great, they have a bunch of convenient features as well.
- Tangle-Resistant: The headphone’s flat cord prevents a cord tangling issue that affects so many headphones and earphones.
- Soft ear tip: The company actually has used Klipsch’s patented oval ear tips that fit very comfortable in any ear shape and size, while providing pressure points in all the right areas to fit.
- Extra accessories : Inside the box, you get clothing clip, carrying case, and 4 pairs of earbud covers.
Buyer's Guide : Key Features To Consider When Choosing The Best Earbuds
Since you’ve already decided to purchase a new pair of earbuds, you should be ready to upgrade your musical experience. The following text will help you understand more about earbuds, what to expect, how to decide which one is perfect for you, and more. Below mentioned are the most important features you need to understand when purchasing the best earbuds under $100.
Fit
How does the earbud fit is a very important thing when you’re purchasing a new pair of earbuds. A lot of people ( including me) consider fit to be the most important factor while purchasing the earbud. If it doesn’t fit me, I won’t be using them as much as I want to, which means I’ll either return them or they’ll sit around gathering dust.
Tight Fit
Majority of the earbuds now are designed to be loose inside the ear. Although, some people love using a long tip. A longer tip gets inserted easily into ear canal which cancels most of the noise. It is also capable of providing a much better sound quality if you pick the right product of right quality.
Loose Fit
If you don’t prefer tight earbuds, the loose-fitting earbuds are much better for your usage. They are very easy to find and are usually the stock headphones that come with your smartphone. Although, these are not very good at canceling out the noise.
Wired or Wireless
Bluetooth has taken the audio world by storm. A lot of people I work with prefer to use Bluetooth headphones. Although, I still love wired headphones. If you use earbuds for long hours, you should certainly get wired headphones.
If you are going to use them for sports purposes, then wireless ones would be more useful as the wires won’t come in the way. But the thing is, Bluetooth devices drain the battery faster which is why some people don’t like these headphones.
Sound Quality
This isn’t something I should be explaining. Why would you buy an earbud with a bad sound quality? This is a very straightforward point which I am trying to make. The only thing that an earbud does is deliver sound, and if that is bad, there is no point in purchasing it.
Furthermore, if you are going to use them while driving or business, you want to purchase the best possible equipment available. Also, you should keep in head that earbuds with better sound quality cost a bit more than normal ones.
Design
Although some people only focus on functions, I believe design is also a very crucial part. If your headphones aren’t stylish, you might want to opt for another pair. Colors also play a very crucial role and you should check out other unique color options that can make you stand apart.
Weight
Now, weight doesn’t seem to be an important factor for everyone. But I think it can make a difference. If you travel very frequently, you need a light and portable option. I recommend that you check out how much do the earbuds weight. The lighter they are, the comfortable they will be for long usage.
Interchangeable tips
This one is really beneficial as it helps you find and use better or new tips. I recommend that you look for such earphones as they’re versatile. This is very easy to spot, companies mention it, or when you receive the package, you’ll see more than one pair in the box.
Brands
There are tons of brands out there which makes it very easy to get lost. You can’t focus on only purchasing from the elite brands out there. But, there are tons of knock-offs in the market from which you need to stay away from. I recommend that you look at reviews of the brand before purchasing the earbud.
- Best Earbuds Under $10 to Buy in 2022 : Handpicked by Experts - April 24, 2022
- Best Podcast Microphone to Buy in 2022 - April 23, 2022
- Best Looper Pedals: Ultimate Buyer’s Guide (Updated 2021) - July 20, 2021