Best Earbuds for Around $150

AKG n20u. Just what you're looking for around $150. The inline controls work for both IOS and Android and has a built in mic. For the money I find AKG very hard to beat.

I havn't looked at other brands, but wanted to show you what AKG has at your budget.

The ie 60s are typically very good, but I believe the bowers to be a bit better in terms of sound quality.

Shure SE215 is said to have good low end. It's $99. It has removable cables and you can get a replacement set with inline controls for $25-$50 depending on manufacturer.

The Grado iGe is shown to have very good full range sound. Also $99 with inline control. No surprise from Grado.

The Seinheiser Momentum aren't as great as the first 2 and not rated very well.

The AKGs are also rated very well overall although a bit weak in the bass compared to others. For electronic music it might be bad, but for classical it would be good. It depends on your preference. They are more for Broadcast use than music.

RHA MA750i rated very well and by some as the best under $150. But there are many bad reviews.



So in conclusion the AKGs are very neutral sounding and best avoided for you.

The Shures are very popular being Shures and being very common, and they are very good. Just not the best. But definitely top 5 and a great build quality with removable cables. If they fit you and are comfortable, a worthy purchase.

The Grados are very good sounding at their price point. And being Grado it's nearly impossible to sound bad. Probably the best at the $100 price point and competes with $150 phones. They are not as common being Grado and must be purchased from limited stores or direct from manufacturer. There are some bad reviews of these floating around where people are surprised at the bad sound from Grados, however the pro reviews state that at $99 they are great. Just not in the $150 range.

The RHA MA750i are rated very good and some rate them as best under $150. Others not quite so well. I have found mixed reviews.

Going through pro reviews and through the forums I've seen many quality control issues and bad reviews of other brands. Also many don't quite have a good soundstage across the board. Some are too strong on the bass making it muddy, with no highs or mids. Others have no inline control. I've seen some very good reviews of SOny and Bowers Wilkins.

Now for one final search I knew about Klipsch and how they are known for in ear headphones. So under $150 they have the Reference X6i with inline control. They are rated very favorably with one audiophile putting they ahead of his past favorites under $150. Compared to the X12i there is an obvious difference, and compared to $600 phones again a big difference, but at $150 these Klipsch are very well received.

So in the end the pair with the most positives, and the least amount of negatives as far as sound quality and build quality go seem to be the Klipsch X6i. In second place the Shure SE215. Others are rated higher than the Shure as far as sound quality goes, but there have been some negatives. They Shues seem more of a safe bet if purchasing online before testing.

In the end it comes down to comfort and fit. Changing tips on in ear monitors can alter the fit and sound quality. It's important to test them out first. But overall Klipsch is well known for in ear monitors and I wouldn't hesitate to try them out.

There are a few lesser well known brands with in ear headphones. Many headphone manufacturers don't make in ears and some specialize with in ears. Like how Klipsch, RHA, and Alclair are known for in ears but are unrecognizable with regular over ear headphones. Keep searching.