The giant headphone styles that dominated the 1970s through early 1990s have gradually disappeared from the scene as technology advanced, and consumer desire changed. Since headphone components decreased in size large bulky cans were no longer necessary to achieve optimal sound. That coupled with consumers’ desire for maximum portability allowed in-ear monitors, or earbuds, to take their place. Today, it’s easy to find earbuds in large assortment of colors and configurations. We’ll look at the best earbuds with a mic since people get the most use out of this variety.
This concise buying guide will help you decide which earbuds are worth your money. We’ll talk about characteristics to look for, furnish a list of strong options, provide a detailed review of the top three choices. With our help, your buying experience is sure to be quick and easy.
Consider the Following
- Style. Earbud headphones are available in a two basic styles.
The traditional style consists simply of one wire extending from each bud. That wire terminates at the headphone port of your audio source. This style is the most common. These earbuds are easy to transport because they can be balled up and stuffed in a bag or purse. The drawback, though, is that they wires tend to become tangled.
Newer earbuds employ the use of a neckband to contain those cumbersome wires. Each earbud is retractable into the neckband’s sides. The neckband, usually plastic, is lightweight and unobtrusive.
- Connection. Like traditional headphones, earbuds can be connected to your audio source wired or wirelessly.
Wired connections used to be preferred over wireless because they had better reception. Wireless connections were once unreliable and plagued by static, but those are no longer issues. Wireless headphones are just as clear as the wired kind.
One consideration with wireless headphones is battery use. Running a Bluetooth connection causes your audio device to use more power than it would otherwise.
- Amenities. The earbuds available on today’s market come equipped with a wide range of extra features. It’s possible to find models with active noise cancellation, premium materials, carrying cases, and more.
Top 10 Earphones with Mic Overview Table
[ws_table id=”64″]Top 3 Best Earbuds with Mic Reviews
1. Bose 741776-0140
The SIE2i, more commonly referred to as SoundSport, frequently shows up here. They rate highly as exercise and sport earbuds because they combine durability and clear sound.
SoundSport comes with a short cable but includes a longer extension to ensure the cord is always the correct length. Their thick weighted cables stay tangle free, and hassle free. They stay out of the way and don’t slip around your clothes or other a accessories no matter what you’re doing.
SoundSport delivers orchestral-like sound that Bose is known for. They focus mainly on the low-mid frequencies but those are complemented well by solid bass undertones and treble accents.
Clear sound isn’t restricted to music. SIE2i SoundSport is easily used for calls, speech-to-text or anywhere a microphone is needed. Vocals are neither muffled nor echo. Clarity doesn’t depend on positioning the microphone extremely close to your face; you can let the cord dangle in front of your chest.
SIE2i, SoundSport, is a supremely low maintenance unit. It’s easy to use on the go for business, or for fun.
2. Symphonized nrg 2.0
We were quite surprised, and impressed, by the NRG 2.0 by Symphonized. Normally such budget-priced earbuds are chintzy with thin cords and components that were hastily thrown together. That’s not the case with the NRG 2.0.
The wood is smooth and refined just as you’d find in the premium wood models. All the seams are sturdy so you don’t need to worry about things like the bud’s housing coming off or the plug coming loose from the cord. These are certainly durable for their size and don’t feel like they’d fall apart as a result of regular use.
Symphonized made a notable change when it released the 2.0. The original nylon cord has been coated in clear plastic cord alleviating many of the issues with tangling. The length has thankfully stayed the same; as NRG provides an obviously longer cord than most other headphones.
Wood housings are great for audio; that’s why the best speakers are constructed from it. Wood generally deepens and adds depth to bass tones, and that’s what we found when using these. It’s balanced with appropriate treble, mid, and vocals. And the NRG 2.0 is perfectly clear.
The inline remote doesn’t control volume but it will pause, play, and connect calls. Incoming voices were clear with sufficient volume. Callers reported that our mic picked up quite a bit of wind and background noise but not enough to interfere with call quality. You wouldn’t want to take business calls with NRG but it should be okay with friends.
Symphonized’s newest NRG earbud with mic has better build and sound quality than most units near its price point. It’ll exceed your expectations just as it did ours.
3. Etymotic Research HF5-Black
There’s a pretty good chance you’ve never heard of Etymotic Research unless you work in the hearing aid industry or in an acoustic research lab. Etymotic is primarily an engineering company so their H5 is an audiophile’s dream.
Its slender elongated bud easily fits in your ear and comes with a multitude of tips. And several extra tips are included in the package- two pairs of rubber tree-shaped eartips, a pair of mushroom-shaped tips, and a pair of foam tips.
There’s enough variety for everyone, but Etymotics includes a failsafe that pretty much guarantees the H5 fits perfectly: a voucher to have professional impressions taken of your inner ears. Those impressions can then be sent to a lab to create custom eartips.
The H5 by Etymotics has the precise resolution and tonal balance you’d expect from a group of scientists. Their sound reproduction is so accurate that it’s nearly impossible to distinguish recorded instruments from live instruments. Etymotics punched up the bass a bit in order to appeal to consumers, but in no way hampered the overall sound.
H5 provides the detail necessary to enjoy the most intricate orchestral and jazz pieces, and supplies enough kick to power hip-hop, electronica, and even heavy drum-and-bass. The sound quality created by Etymotics is nothing less than impressive.
H5 excels at everyday use such as taking calls and using voice to text applications. Its microphone picks up your voice without distracting background noise. Callers didn’t report us sounding garbled or muffled.
Etymotics’ expertise has allowed them to develop a product that is as comfortable as it is functional. The H5 is your choice when you require unsurpassed professional sound.