I'm a bit late with this, I wanted to originally have this out yesterday night but it took a bit longer than expected. The topic for the day is the Stocking Stuffer Special, a ranking of headphones I own that can all be bought for under $50. The field is crowded and honestly there aren't a large number of standouts but let's get started anyways.
All told, there were 14 pairs ranked this time around and they got grouped into 2 small groups at the ends and one big blob in the middle
So let's get to the ratings:
1. Superlux HD668B
2. Yuin PK3
3. Sennheiser CX200
4. Incipio NX-100 f38
5. Panasonic RPTCM125K
6. NuForce NE600X
7. UrbanEars Plattan
8. Sony MDR-PQ5 (Discontinued)
9. TTPOD T1-E
10. California Headphones Silverado (Discontinued)
11. Klipsch S4i Rugged (Discontinued)
12. Sol Republic Amps
13. NuForce NE770X
14. Zipbuds Juiced
Let's start with the bottom because it's kind of depressing and I want to move towards better things. At the very bottom of the barrel are the Zipbuds Juiced headphones. To be blunt, they sound awful. They're horribly muted and honestly are more of a novelty item than working headphones. By novelty I mean the zipper the cord runs through to keep it tangle free which it does but also adds a lot of weight hurting the already crap ass comfort. The headphones simply don't fit well and don't sound good, moving on. Next is the NuForce NE770X which is a bit bittersweet as they were the second pair of headphones I bought since moving down to Austin. Overall, they just don't match up well. While not as bad as the Zipbuds, the sound is also muted and the bass kind of just whumps around. I say whump because it would be a disservice to call what the NE770X has for bass, thumping, it's too bloated and slow for that. Rounding out the bottom is the Sol Republic Amps which are really mainly here because I could not for the life of me understand how they were supposed to fit. They always felt awkward in my ears and had too much allowable motion while in. That, and the sound was quite middling overall.
Next up is the blob. Honestly everything from 5 to 11 in the rankings felt...uninspired? A lot of them suffered from bass that was too forward in the sound stage, including last year's Wirecutter winner the Panasonic RPTCM125K. What I mean by that is that the bass takes up a forward position which conflicts oftentimes with the general point of bass, to be a foundation and support to the rest of the music. Overall, the biggest weakness in the group as a whole was the mids. Vocals didn't pop, instruments lacked detail, and they just sounded flat. I will call out the Sony MDR-PQ5s though as an example of when a combination of a smaller sound stage and strong mids can be fun to listen to, even if they aren't necessarily super detailed or realistic. It's a shame that they're no longer in production. The other note I'll put here is why the Klipsch S4i Ruggeds are so low in the standings. While a lot of people like the Klipsch S4 series (now discontinued), I found these particular headphones quite vexing. The bass was a bit too strong and pronounced, like the NE770X/RPTCM125K, even though it was higher quality than either. The mids and sound stage were a massive disappointment as they lacked the spark of the top headphones. Additionally, the Ruggeds have a mic block that is way too big and heavy, not to mention that I did not like the feeling of the tips in my ears. I'd lean towards the top of this group, but honestly the top isn't too far off in price.
Coming to the top, we have 2 Asian companies taking the crown, Superlux, a Taiwanese company, and Yuin, a Chinese company. Following that are Sennheiser, a German company, and Incipio, an American company?, not too sure about that last one. We'll get into each one a bit more than the other 10 headphones below.
In fourth is the Incipio NX-100 f38 headphones. A new addition to my growing headphone collection, the f38s are bassier headphones that are strongest when mids aren't that important. The reason for this is that the mids can sometimes be quite recessed, which is exacerbated by a larger sound stage and more bass to fill that stage than there should be. The highs also rate a bit lower than the top 3 due to some lack in detail, leading to occasional splashiness when percussion, especially cymbals, are involved. As a note, I placed these as the most comfortable headphones of the group as the cups were large enough to fit my entire ears. On the box, they're labelled as on ear headphones but the cups should generally be large enough. Even though spots 2-4 are all rated overall at 8/10 I placed these in fourth because they aren't that interesting to listen to. In my opinion, they are the sound of places 5-11 done better, but still too bassy for my liking.
Moving to third is the Sennheiser CX200 headphones. These in ears surprised me when I got them last year as I find them to be great all rounders. While they lack some of the shine and detail of the 2 headphones above them, I find them to be quite balanced in sound with bass that has a good amount of impact, mids that are just barely strong enough, and highs that are clear enough to interest you. To this point, I disagree with Wirecutter's opinion of them that the bass and treble are too intense. My view is that the bass is more toned down than their previous winner, the Panasonic RPTCM125K, and that the highs, while more intense than the majority of other headphones at the price, are more interesting and dynamic to listen to. Overall, I really do like the Sennheiser CX200s and would recommend them as a great cheap pair of headphones, no mic.
In second is the Yuin PK3 headphones. It's a bit funny that these are as highly rated here as they are considering they look like the cheapo earbuds you get with a new phone. If you think they sound like that though, you'd be sorely mistaken. With an expansive sound stage and clear mids and highs, the PK3s are completely different sounding than anything else on this list, except the winner. The main flaw of the PK3s is the completely weak bass. The actual quality of the bass is quite good, but the volume and amount is paltry in comparison to even the next weakest bass in the group. Additionally, the highs are crystal clear and seem to sparkle, which can be an issue if you're sensitive to the higher frequencies. All in all though the PK3s are a solid pair of earbuds, sound wise and definitely worth a listen to if you would rather wear earbuds instead of in ears.
Last but certainly not least is the winner of the group, the Superlux HD668B headphones. The HD668Bs are the only semi open headphones on this list, the only headphones with a removable cable, and most importantly, the best sounding headphones on this list. While the amount of bass isn't the highest, the HD668Bs have some of the best sounding bass and the best balance of bass to other frequencies in my opinion. They also have the clearest and most detailed mids and highs of any of the other headphones with only the Yuin PK3s coming close. Rounding out things, they have the most consistently good sounding stage, both expansive and airy in quality. Out of this group, it is my opinion that only the HD668Bs can hold up in the $100+ range with headphones like the ATH-M50, AKG K612Pro, or Beyerdynamic DT880. The downsides of the HD668Bs, they look super retro and odd. Additionally, instead of a top headband, they have these two pads that kind of look like flippers that, while pretty comfortable, also do the weirdest things to your hair. That said, no headphones in this group perform as well as them and their ratings are really high up there with only 2 one star ratings on Amazon out of 211 as of this writing. Going into this ranking, I had the Superlux HD668Bs at the top, and never once did I doubt that they belonged there.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this look at the bottom of the headphones price spectrum. Next up is a review of the year, both in the world and on this blog. Until next time.
--CsMiREK
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