Good £20 earphones?

[oli_ramsay]

I'm in the market for some new earphones, the last pair I had were some (possibly fake) CX500's from ebay, but I lost them. I'm after a new pair and my max budget is £20. the only pairs I know are good for that price is the Sennheiser CX300-500 range.

Do you know of any better noise-isolating earphones for this price?

Also I know that there are a lot of fake cx500's knocking about especially on ebay. Is there any chance that I'll get a fake pair from here: (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-lis...7112354&sr=8-1)
What raises my suspicion is the price, they are as cheap as the fake ones on ebay, and I'm not sure whether these amazon traders are reliable or not.

Thanks in advance for your help

[ShaunG]

The Sennheiser CX300 is a solid choice at that kind of price point.

I think it's VERY likely the CX500's you linked to on Amazon are fake. Looking at our Sennhieser price list the price they are listing is less than we can buy in CX300's for!

These days it's possible for pretty much anyone to list products on Amazon, so unfortunately it's fast becoming similar to eBay for fake goods.

[chineseWisper]

A uk company called Soundwise offer a range of earphones around your budget. There is reviews at Lordpercy.com - Your Guide To Gadgets or type Soundwise T4 into google. I have a pair of Soundwise S6 for running and they are great

[Daveevo]

If you don't want in-ear 'phones I'd suggest the great sounding Koss Porta Pro. If you're bothered by their style try the similar (but brighter) Sennheiser PX100. The Koss 'phones meet your budget, with recent price increases the Sennheiser's sadly don't.

[chineseWisper]

I would say you definetly do want in-ear earphones as the sound you get for your money is much higher. If really don't like things in your ears I would go for small headphones. Cresyn have a few good pairs around your buget. I have seen a few reviews which look good. Aparently Cresyn are actually the maker of a few high end names like Audio Technica.

You can get cresyn on amazon.

[lucati]

Just as an alternative solution, I have heard alot of good things about the V-Moda Bass Frequency Headphones; they can be bought from Amazon.co.uk for just under £20 so are well worth considering at that price, even if they aren't noise canceling so to speak.

V-Moda Bass Freq headphones Full Review, Accessory Reviews on CNET.co.uk

Hope that helps

[ShaunG]

Another headphone under £20 well worth considering is the SoundMAGIC PL11.

Below is our review of the SoundMAGIC PL11 from our top 10 best earphones guide:

SoundMAGIC PL11

SoundMAGIC have pushed the boundaries of what can be expected from an entry level earphone with the SoundMAGIC PL11 (RRP £22.95). The sound is a quantum leap up from the cheap earbuds supplied with most MP3 players, with warm deep bass and plenty of detail in the trebles.

While you might expect a cheap earphone to be badly made, the PL11 comes fitted with good quality cabling and strain relief that is built to last. The quality of the product is truly commendable.

Supplied with a neat carry pouch that is very usable and three size ear tips to get a good seal, the SoundMAGIC PL11 is a very well thought out package.

HiFi Headphones Verdict

In times past the Sennheiser CX300 was the first choice for entry level in-ear earphones, but the PL11 has just stolen that spot. Sound quality compares with earphones costing two or three times the price.

[chineseWisper]

These soundmagic look so ugly

[joeromero100]

The Apple standard earbud gets a really bad rap in my opinion. I find it very curious that this earbud gets so much bad press yet roughly 60% of people still use these earbuds. Now that may be primarily because they come free with your iPod/iPhone, but I also think it is because there are a lot of audiophiles out there who feel that you should get a high end Bose quality earphone with your iPod. Somewhat ridiculous. Now I will concede that the Apple headphones to hurt after about 30 minutes and the grey ring they have can begin coming apart, but those things can be taken care of easily with something like Breppies earbud covers. I work for the company and we get a lot of people that say they are going back to using Apple earbuds because our product makes them so comfortable. For the value I say get some Apple earbuds and get some Breppies for them. Earbud Covers for the Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad by Brepps.

[chineseWisper]

Originally Posted by joeromero100

The Apple standard earbud gets a really bad rap in my opinion. I find it very curious that this earbud gets so much bad press yet roughly 60% of people still use these earbuds. Now that may be primarily because they come free with your iPod/iPhone, but I also think it is because there are a lot of audiophiles out there who feel that you should get a high end Bose quality earphone with your iPod. Somewhat ridiculous. Now I will concede that the Apple headphones to hurt after about 30 minutes and the grey ring they have can begin coming apart, but those things can be taken care of easily with something like Breppies earbud covers. I work for the company and we get a lot of people that say they are going back to using Apple earbuds because our product makes them so comfortable. For the value I say get some Apple earbuds and get some Breppies for them. Earbud Covers for the Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad by Brepps.

I can't see anyway your product would make ipod earphones more comfortable. If anything it would make them bigger and heavyer. Thus less comfortable. I suppose your product adds a little bit of individuality.

I don't think the ipod earphones are that bad. They are just not good. They are worth about $9. If you need or want to replace your apple earphones I would go for 'Sound Isolating earphones' every time. They are smaller and lighter than any other style and they help block external noise so you will play your music at a lower volume(thus less risk of damaging your hearing).

I have am still using,every day, a pair of Soundwise earphones I bought years ago. I still like soundwise and think I got a bargin. I am not sure if they are still cheap in comparison to compertion, I think there is a few new players?