Grado SR-80i

Name: Grado SR-80i

Price: $99.00 MSRP, $99.00 on amazon, $82.00 when I bought it through a presidents day sale from WorldWIdeStereo.

Build Quality: Most likely the most durable pair of headphones a person can get for under $100. Unfortunately, the stock earpads that they provide kind of pinches my ears due to it being thin. 

Overall Sound Quality: Amazing. Although without an amp, the full power of these headphones can't be projected, they still sound amazing without one. I have never heard any over the ear headphones to be so clean, or even in ears. They're better than the Monster Turbines in terms of clarity.  

Highs: The best part of these Grados. They excel in providing clean highs, and with an amp these can drive the highs and make them clean. 8/10

Mids: Warm mids, still really clean and clear, I don't think there has been any mids that I've ever used with this much clarity. Again, requires an amp to get full effect. 8/10

Lows: Sadly, these headphones don't have strong bass, therefore the lows aren't as good. I would say that they have a balanced amount, especially for rock or pop songs, but for electronic/dance/trance music, it's just not enough. 5/10

Comments: Luckily, it is possible to fix the lows. I've replaced the earpads with HD414 earpads and did a reverse quarter mod on them. Then, I opened the grados and then poked the holes through the filter, making more air go through and provide a bump to the sound. Then, I put some silly putty on the driver so that it doesn't vibrate too much, as more air flow would generate more vibrations and in turn, the highs would get worse. However, after all my mods, I believe these headphones have been modded to perfection, as they provide the same quality highs with a strong bass. These headphones definitely require modding and and amp, which makes them DIY cans. 

Value: 8.5/10 I would recommend these unmodded to anyone who wants decent headphones. However, as this requires an Amp to drive, I would recommend the Grado SR-60i ($79.00 MSRP) instead, as it doesn't require so much power and provide similar results. 

Overall Rating: 8/10 Definitely the best headphones you can get for under $100. They're Made in Brooklyn NY, and shows the quality of good craftsmanship. 

Monster Turbines

Name: Monster Turbines

Price: $179.95 MSRP, $129.99 on Amazon, I snagged for $58.99 on Amazon Gold Deals

Build Quality: The earbuds themselves and the connector feels sturdy and is made out of all metal. However, the cord is kind of weird, as it’s a special plastic cord that doesn’t tangle, but also has a cheap feel. However, its solid build quality though.

Overall Sound Quality: Amazing. These IEMs pack so much power that they’re one of the best earbuds I’ve ever tested. Everything was crisp and although bass overpowered a little, it didn’t cover the mids or the highs at all.

Highs: Crisp, clean, bright, almost perfect. 7.5/10

Mids: Warm, pure, sounds like I was listening to a live acoustic instrument during playback. 7.5/10

Lows: Power, powerful bass. I was shocked at how much bass was in this thing, yet it wasn’t like the Beats Tour where the bass overpowered everything else. Monster kept the bass at the strongest threshold without distorting the mids or the highs. 8/10

Comments: I was honestly surprised at how wonderful these Monster earbuds were. Although they focus on Dr. Dre Beats, the turbines has a different monster inside. I cannot believe the amazing sound coming out of these earbuds, and they’re actually making me consider getting the Miles Davis Earbuds from Monster.

Value: 6/10 Although they’re great, they come at a heavy cost, and at $180, they’re not too overpriced, but most likely better alternatives for that price exist. For $120, they’re most likely the best a person can get for IEMs, and when I got them for 59, they were just an amazing steal. However, just like most earbuds, they require a heavy burn in time before everything was crisp.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10 Truly one of the best consumer earbuds on the market. Even if it’s a monster, it’s definitely not overhyped.

Beats Solos By Dr. Dre

Name: Beats Solos By Dr. Dre

Price: $199.95 MSRP, $179.00 on Amazon, $108 when Karmaloop had a 40% off coupon.

Build Quality: To be honest, the build quality of the beats doesn’t seem that good. It’s too plastic, and its mainly for fashion. Although it seems durable, I’m not sure as I’ve heard of people snapping their beats in half on the top.

Overall Sound Quality: I was very surprised to see a very balanced set of tones for the beats solos. Being a Dr. Dre product, I expected full heavy bass, but instead I received not overpowering but decent bass, with clean mids and highs.

Highs: Very nice, not too harsh and has a bright feeling. Didn’t distort like I expected. 5/10

Mids: Warm and smooth. Some parts were a little bit muddy, but overall it was a pleasing experience. 4.5/10

Lows: Strong, but not heavy bass. The bass is there, but its balanced and not to a point of where it overpowers everything else. 5.5/10

Comments: Really surprised me about the lack of bass, and apparently the beats solo HD fixed the issue with bass.

Value: 2/10 The Beats Solos, like any Beats By Dr. Dre Product, are overpriced for their value. Although they’re decent cans, the price of these cans shouldn’t even be more than $100, much less $200.

Overall Rating: 4.5/10 They’re mainly for fashion, and not much else. There are a lot better headphones for a lot less, even if they’re more ugly.

Maximo iMetal iM-590 earbuds

Name: Maximo iMetal iM-590 earbuds

Price: $59.99 MSRP, $53.76 on Amazon, $15 due to a groupon coupon

Build Quality: The thing feels kind of flimsy with plastic casing, but it so far has been pretty durable due to it’s rubbery plastic shell and its cloth woven wires. However, the wire is less thick than the V-Modas and feels slightly flimsy, even for woven.

Overall Sound Quality: Amazing sound for an amazing price. These earbuds in my opinion are one of the best you can get for under $100, and with the exception of something like Head-Direct RE0, there is almost no comparison for any sub100 earbuds. These have better overall than the Klipsch S4, and even has a stronger bass, which is the Klipsch’s S4 strong selling point.

Highs: Clean sharp highs, bright and clear. However, the highs aren’t the selling point of the iM-590s. 5.5/10

Mids: Warm mids, with clear sounds and a smoother experience for most songs. 6/10

Lows: Insane bass, more than the beats tour surprisingly. These blow beats tours away in depth for bass. 6.5/10

Comments: Although it may not look like it, but these headphones are one of the most powerful ones I’ve ever used. These also require burn in though, as they sound like V-Moda vibes right out of the box and after 3 ½ days of burn in, they were a lot clearer.

Value: 8/10 One of the best headphones for under $100, yet it’s only about $50. The build quality slightly worries me, but they have a lifetime warranty, so I’m not afraid.

Overall Rating: 6/10, Truly one of the best earbuds for under 100, and it parallels a few over 100.

Meelectronics M9P Hi-Fi Sound-Isolating Headphones

Name: Meelectronics M9P Hi-Fi Sound-Isolating Headphones

Price: $29.99 MSRP, $15.13 on Amazon, $9.99 when I bought it because Amazon pricematched Newegg’s on sale price

Build Quality: Ok. The first pair I bought broke within a day, but the replacement has been working ever since then. It is plastic but at least has a 1 year warranty so that any random quality issues can be replaced and fixed.

Overall Sound Quality: These earbuds are kind of strange. While most earbuds always have similar quality connected for certain sound levels, the M9P has good Highs and heavy Bass, but not so good Mids

Highs: Very clean and bright. I was honestly surprised as I started the review with a heavy bass song, but then moved to a high vocal pop song. 5/10

Mids: The mids are kind of muddy, even after burn in. Honestly I didn’t expect much from a budget earbud but these mids just feel really empty. 3/10

Lows: These earbuds are also really bass heavy. Just like the V-Modas, they can get muddy sometimes with the bass, but overall its still pretty good. 5/10

Comments: These earbuds will suck unless they’re burned in. When I just opened the replacement and listened to them, they were like skullcandys. However, after 3 ½ days of continuous burn in, the sound greatly tightened and everything became clean and crisp. The customer service is also really good on these earbuds as they send you the replacement first before you return the defective ones.

Value: 7/10 One of the best budget earbuds a person can buy for its price. Although durability might be an issue, it also has a remote and mic for iPhone and other smartphone users. The sound quality overall is pretty amazing for 15 dollars.

Overall Rating: 4/10 Great budget earbuds, and it could have been one of my top recommended choices if it wasn’t for the build quality. 

V-Moda Vibes Earbuds

Name: V-Moda Vibes Earbuds

Price: $59.99 MSRP, $26.99 on Amazon, $59.99 because I bought it in Costco when it just came out (at that time the MSRP was still $99.99)

Build Quality: Excellent. I love the metal earbuds, cloth wiring and the Y Jack. I’ve been using these V-Moda Vibes since 10^th grade of high school and its’ been 4 years and they still haven’t broke.

Overall Sound Quality: One of the most balanced earbuds on the market. The bass is a little bit heavy, but it doesn’t really matter as the highs and mediums are still well defined. These were designed as fashion earbuds with emphasis on bass, but in reality it’s still one of the most balanced earbuds on the market.

Highs: Clean and warm. However, as these were slightly designed as bass centric, the highs aren’t as well defined as earbuds like the Monster Turbine.  5/10

Mids: Same as the highs. Clean and warm. Although for their price range these are the best, they can’t compare with any earbuds sub 100. 5/10

Lows: A little bit heavy on the bass, as it gets slightly muddy. However, due to it being a bass centric earbud, this is expected. 5/10

Comments: My first decent quality earbuds. These started it all for me, and are still the most balanced. However, these earbuds require a heavy burn in time or else everything sounds slightly muddy.

Value: 8/10 I would recommend these earbuds any day for anything under $40. There is really no comparison in build quality and sound for a budget market.

Overall Rating: 5/10 Great budget earbuds, can’t go wrong with really balanced and high build quality. For anybody who want their music to actually sound like music without paying a premium.

Sennheiser CX-300 II Precision Enhanced Bass Earbuds

Name: Sennheiser CX-300 II Precision Enhanced Bass Earbuds

Price: $79.95 MSRP, $31.03 on Amazon, $22.89 paid because of a $10 rebate

Build Quality: Originally I thought they weren't that good as the plastic seems kind of flimsy. However, these are my gym earbuds, and after all the shit they’ve been through, I gotta say they’re pretty damn good.

Overall Sound Quality: Damn. I wish I could say these were better, but I should have known they would be super bass heavy from the name. Compare to the original CX-300, these are a lot less balanced.

Highs: Not so good. I mean, they’re still pretty good, but for a sub-budget IEM, the highs are lacking. 3/10

Mids: The mids are great. Everything seems either balanced or heavy in bass through these earbuds and definitely the projection of mids is super clean. 4/10

Lows: Godly. These lows are comparable to Beats Tours and other bass heavy earbuds. They’re one of my most bass heaviest headphones and anyone who likes heavy bass will love this earbud. 6/10

Comments: I hate the sports one ear short the other ear superlong wiring layout. I’m always used to the Y cable layout, and having a sports layout frustrates me, especially in wrapping it. Also, although the build quality is pretty high, having a rubbery wire for a decent priced headphone bugs me.

Value: 4/10 Sadly, the price for these earbuds are way too high in comparison to others of similar quality. However, as a bass lover, these earbuds are the perfect price. If they were always sold for amazon price, then these earbuds are a great value.

Overall Rating: 3.5/10 These earbuds are made for bass lovers, and those in that demographic buying these earbuds will not be disappointed by their purchase. 

Audiotechnica ATH-ON3 headphones

Name: Audiotechnica ATH-ON3 headphones

Price: $69.99 MSRP, $16.21 on Amazon, $7.99 I got on sale from jr.com

Build Quality: Fantastic. The concept is ingenious, having just a thin, but sturdy metal wire holding the 2 cups together. The only problem is that the wire is kind of thing plastic, but it’s still ok.

Overall Sound Quality: Pretty good for its price. These little suckers packs quite a bit of punch for headphones. These are definitely balanced for headphones, albeit lacking especially in bass and mids, but still passable.

Highs: These have one of the warmest highs for a budget headphone. When putting on some Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, I could hear everything clear. Too bad that’s not always the case as some songs turn out pretty muddy. 4/10

Mids: Sadly, these mids were muddy, but still passable. I would compare these to the HD201s from Sennheiser, but its not as flat and hollow. 2.5/10

Lows: The bass was really balanced, but that also meant they were really muddy and flat. Although they can be heard, the muddiness sounds actually similar to the skullcandies. 2/10

Comments: I love the design. If only the design could be used on other earphones, with better drivers, then it would be awesome. Apparently these were never sold for MSRP and the average price was always around $30.

Value: 3/10 If only they were averaged for under $10, then they would be the best budget headphones a person can get. However, even for $16, there are almost no alternatives (maybe the Sennheiser HD201s) that can compete.

Overall Rating: 2/10 Although the sound quality for these isn’t that great,but for its price, these little suckers are worth it. Plus, this is most likely super biased, but they’re super cool looking. 

Skullcandy INK’d Earbuds + Microphone

Name: Skullcandy INK’d Earbuds + Microphone

Price: $19.95 MSRP, $10.80 Amazon, $5.48 bought through Ross

Build Quality: Not… bad for $5 bucks, but it’s still pretty bad. I’ve used one, and my friend has the same one and even after burn in, they sound different. Mine seems especially muddy on the bass, and I definitely blame quality control for these problems.

Overall Sound Quality: Crap. The sound quality is so shitty that I could sing and people wouldn’t cringe as much. Although I have to say, these… have bass, if not too overpowering through them.

Highs: Bad. Similar to the iPod headphones these lack crisp highs. The music just flats out when hit a certain level and my god, do they sound like shit. 1/10

Mids: Surprisingly, these mids are pretty clean for budget earbuds. However, for many songs they push too much power and the bass overpowers the mids. 1.5/10

Lows: Ok. The lows on these earbuds are most likely what they’re known for and marketed as. The bass is too overpowering most of the time and muddles quite a bit. It’s a good thing for most hiphop/rap listeners but as an overall earbud, it’s just not as nice. 2/10

Comments: Just like iPod earbuds, these are just fashion statements. Apparently people go crazy over the skull logo? I’m not sure, For $5, they’re not bad. I would definitely use these on a day to day basis for extreme sports, knowing that they’re going to break anyway. Having a good seal is important on any in-ear headphones, but in this case it doesn’t matter, as the earbuds themselves can’t drive out enough strong points.

Value: 3/10 if bought from Ross, or any place around $5. 1.5/10 for MSRP or on amazon for $10-20 dollars. There are just a lot better in-ear buds for the price range of $10-20.

Overall Rating: 1/10 If these were marketed as $5 earbuds, they would be almost worth their price, but with an average cost of $10-$20, I really don’t know how people can use these everyday. Although, with a microphone for the iPhone, These might be half decent skype or just talk head sets, especially for $10. But just as earbuds, they’re pretty bad.

Apple iPod Earbuds

Name: Apple iPod earbuds

Price: $29 MSRP, $26 on Amazon, I paid nothing due to it being bundled with my iPod/iPhone

Build Quality: To be honest, the build quality varies a lot. I’ve seen a pair that’s been through hell since 2007 and still works fine. Yet they break every 1-2 months for most people I know. The quality control of these earbuds is horrible though.

Overall Sound Quality: Pretty bad. I don’t think people can hear the difference between 128kbps, 64 kbps, or 256 kbps. When tested through classical songs, I couldn’t hear individual instruments at all, for electronica/club/dance music everything seems muddy, like radio.

Highs: Horrible, just dies out when hitting the highs, and flats out. Mine actually cracked a little bit when trying to get that high. 1/10

Mids: Not that bad, in comparison to the lows and the highs, it.. well plays music. 2/10

Lows: Nonexistant. I’ve tried songs with heavy bass, low bass, and they all sound the same. It… just can’t play out any bass.  0.5/10

Comments: That quote on Dr. Dre beats box, “People aren’t hearing all the music”, is definitely true. While walking around campus, I see everyone wearing the iconic white earbuds and I feel like I’m walking past a pasture, where those who have those iconic earbuds are sheep grazing through because they don’t know any better.

Value: 0/10. No really. $30 for this piece of shit? Unless you purposely like listening to crappy sound quality music, or are really into design, I can’t think of a reason to buy these earbuds.

Overall Rating: 0.25/10. To be fair, their design allows better fit for those with smaller ears (me included) compare to the other cheap earbuds, but unless they’re for backup, I wouldn’t touch them with a stick. I guess if they’re only around $1 a pair, then I’d use them for disposable earbuds during the gym or when I know I’m going to kill them anyway.