Well…
I have the KZ ATE (the half-clear ones) and I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone
I don’t know if I got fakes (if there are any), but they sound very unclear. Hard to explain for a non-native speaker
I would recommend any of the XIaomi In Ears. Piston 3 (not available anymore), Hybrid or the imo best, the Hybrid Pro
Yes, they are a lot more expensive, but they are well worth it!
Since they are directly from the KZ-Ali Store, I don’t think that they are fakes
Both loose very very badly againt any of the Xiaomi IEMs!
I bought two of each (because of the recommendations online) and I just tested and never touched them since.
In my opinion, there is just no reason to spend less money. 19$ isn’t that much and if you use them often, you want them to sound good. I use mine 4-8h per day at work and I am very happy about my purchase
I ordered a Xiaomi earbuds and was not impressed. A 7 dollar pair of skull candy was way better somehow. I got it from marshall’s. There are always less than $10 earbuds and the skullcandy ones are good! I have seen iluv ones there too.
I can honestly recommend panasonic rp-hje350. They are now discontinued, but you can still find them on ebay and other places, sometimes as low as under $10.
Their noise isolating isnt the greatest, but I find their sound quality really good. Crystal clear highs, and respectable bass. Not fake overbearing bass, but just clear bass, although this probably depends on how good of a fit they end up being for your particular ears. If you are a bass head, then these are probably not for you.
Ive tried many other earphones, including $100 eshure, and these $10 panasonic beat them easily, in my experience.
Las year I ordered another pair from groupon. When my current set dies, Ill have a new set waiting.
Some of the lower-tier offerings from JVC are pretty decent, and perform well above their price-point IMO.
With your criteria, I’d maybe look at the FX102 or even the older FX101 (or FX202/FX201 for the versions with an inline mic).
Or, you might take a stroll through your local Goodwill as well. I’ve scored a couple smoking deals on higher-end IEMs there. Just get some new tips and you are GTG.
Speaking of tips: They are not all created equal, and the amount of isolation you get is largely dependent on which ones you use. Personally, I use Comply Isolation tips (compression foam) with all of my IEMs, and they are excellent. You just have to find which size/shape works best for your ears. The only downside is that they tend to wear out rather quickly with regular use, and they are a bit spendy (if you sign up for their emails, you will get coupons/deals now and then). :+1:
Hmmm can you play with some settings? Maybe get a program like razor synapse. They are very neutral sounding but that makes them good i use them on music player only. I wouldn’t say they have no bass but the bass is not over powering.
They sounds great all around without having to use a EQ.
Also sound is very different to every person interpretation.
I have 6 sets of earphones i use for different things. If you want good bass check out Pioneer earphones they are the most bass heavy set i have without spending to much.