There's less protrusion than with Sony's more affordable buds ( Sony WF-C500, all eyes on you), because they're 37% lighter and 38% smaller than the top-tier WF-1000XM4 . It should come as no surprise then that we found these to be some of the most easy to wear, comfortable earbuds we've ever had the pleasure of wearing and they stay put for hours on end. After spending a few weeks with both the 1MORE Triple Driver in-ear headphones and the 1MORE Quad Driver in-ear headphones, we were blown away at just how much value each one gave in their prospective price ranges.Although you might find more detailed and better-sounding in-ear headphones out there, you'll have to pay much more to notice a significant boost in performance. If you want earbuds that come with a cable to keep them secure so you can avoid losing them, the 1More Triple Driver in-ear headphones are the best wired earbuds you can buy today. You want wireless: It goes without saying that if you've become accustomed to wireless earbuds, you're not going to be happy with these. These Cambridge Audio buds boast levels of detail and clarity that could rival some of the best over-ear headphones. Boasting 5.8mm dynamic drivers, these earbuds offer tons of dynamism and character, with a lively presentation that will have you tapping your feet. During our testing, as we listened to Normal Song by Perfume Genius, they eked out every last drop of detail with stunning clarity. You love touch-sensitive controls: The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus have physical buttons, so if you like to swipe, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

You're looking to save money: With so many brilliant budget earbuds out there, these are perhaps an unnecessary expense. But they are a perfect 'big present'. If you're looking for a pair of the best running headphones, you should look for IPX4 water-resistance so they can withstand sweat and rain. Some of the top waterproof earbuds can even be used for swimming. You don't have permission to access "http://www.argos.co.uk/browse/technology/headphones-and-earphones/c:30128/type:in%252Dear-headphones/" on this server.

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Wired earphones have that annoying habit of entangling themselves so badly so fast, that it takes whole minutes to kink them out. Those sailor’s knots catch the best of them, be it iPhone or Samsung earphones. You own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone: A no-brainer. The Buds 2 Pro present themselves on your Galaxy device for easy pairing and give you handy home-screen widgets.

They’re not the cheapest buds, but because Sony has combined performance, ergonomics and build quality so effectively, we think they’re excellent value. Other true wireless earbuds may surpass the Sony WF-1000XM4s in particular areas – like noise cancellation – but they don’t offer excellent quality across the board. This is even the case after the release of the newer Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds, which are fantastic, but we still rate the XM4s as the best all-rounders. The Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW are a budget pair of buds that look very cool indeed. They offer exclusive 5.8mm drivers, plus an "IPX4-equivalent" splashproof design and user-friendly features. There’s dual connectivity onboard, so you can connect to your laptop and phone at the same time. Touch controls work well and you can use them to cancel low-latency mode or use the hear-through function. Battery gives you 6.5 hours of use with the headphones fully charged, plus an additional 13 hours of juice from the charging case, for a total of 19.5 hours. There’s no active noise cancellation or a companion app, but at this level (and thanks to the impressive levels of passive isolation provided by the buds), we don't miss these perks. If you do opt for wireless or true wireless earbuds, make sure the battery life is up to scratch, otherwise you may find yourself caught short without any music in the middle of your commute.Finally, the brand you choose will depend on what you're looking for – but we're careful with our lists. That means all of the earbuds and in-ear headphones above come from brands we trust. Still, if you're not sure where to start looking, respected brands like Sony, Apple, Cambridge Audio, Jabra, and Nura are good places to start. How we test the best earbuds There’s nothing artificial about the way the Technics EAH-AZ80 sound, they offer convincingly realistic and coherent listening in all circumstances. Two important things to consider when you’re choosing new earbuds is what you want to listen to and where you want to listen to it. The Jabra Elite 7 Active buds are similar to the regular Elite 7 Pro buds, but there are a few things that set the Active version apart, including a marginally lower price, as well as a rubberized coating on the buds, which means they’re more secure during intensive workouts. They also have an IP57 rating, too, which means they're dustproof and waterproof up to one meter, so sweaty workouts aren't a problem either.

They put many other earbuds in the shade in terms of audio performance, battery life, and ease-of-use. Sure you’re missing ANC, which is bound to be a dealbreaker for some people, but for everyone else these are a solid pair of buds that should suit those with mid-range budgets. You want the best noise-cancelling in the industry: For that, we’re likely to direct you towards theBose QuietComfort Earbuds 2. These buds only do a decent job.With fantastic ANC, high quality audio and a bunch of features that work extremely well when used with an iPhone, these buds are a no-brainer for Apple lovers. Design-wise, they’re lightweight at just 3.7g per earbud and incredibly small with three different types of eartips, which means they should suit almost everyone and we certainly found them incredibly comfortable to wear during our testing. We’ve included both wired and wireless earbuds on this list, but you don't have to compromise on audio quality by going wire-free. Our current favorite true wireless earbuds, the Sony WF-1000XM4 combine class-leading sound with high quality noise cancellation tech.

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test. But only looks, as that’s what makes them stand out amongst rivals. These buds are cubist, cool and refreshingly different. Audio-Technica hasn’t tried to emulate any other earbuds from competing brands here, and we love the Tokyo audio outfit for it. They’re also available in no fewer than six delicious-sounding colorways (Caramel, Popsicle, Cupcake, Blueberry, Liquorice and Popcorn). Not only is this a beautiful product, it fits comfortably, too. The output is a wholesome well-balanced sound, equal parts booming bass interposed with crystal clear stereo sound. The sound fills the caves of your eardrums with a rich pulsating sound.The size of the XM4s has been reduced since the previous model, and the charging case is a full 40% smaller, weighing in at 41g. Positioning the buds comfortably took longer than it should have during our testing (we found them fiddly), but once we got used to them, we found them secure and easy to wear. ANC is top of your list: There's no active noise cancellation here, sadly, although the hear-through feature works beautifully to stay aware of your surroundings. An excellent value pair of in-ear buds for those who don't like the idea of going true wireless. The audio performance on offer here is lush and the build quality is hard to beat at this price.