I test a lot of earbuds. Almost every week, I've got a new pair of buds that I have to evaluate for performance, value and usability. You'd think I'd be bored with it by now, but you'd be wrong. Testing out earbuds is one of my favorite parts of my job.
As I get my hands on so many of the best earbuds, I've got a robust understanding of what makes earbuds soar. They've got to sound good, obviously, and they've got to have a decent range of features for their price point.
Don't worry, I've got a selection for every price range. My favorite budget earbuds are just $36 (down to $29 generally), and other cheap earbuds simply dream of being as good as the JLab Go Pods ANC. My top choice for mid-range is the $129 Skullcandy x Bose Method 360 ANC, and my premium selection is the gorgeous $299 Denon PerL Pro. Let's dive deeper into what makes these earbuds so good.
My favorite budget earbuds
Oh, I could write a thesis on these earbuds. To this day, no other budget earbuds come close.
Every single pair of sub-$40 earbuds wishes it could be the JLab Go Pods ANC. In my 4.5-star JLab Go Pods ANC review, I waxed lyrical about every single aspect of these super-budget earbuds.
Honestly, nothing else comes close. If you're on the tightest of tight budgets, the JLab Go Pods ANC is the only recommendation I have. They perform like a pair of $99 buds for just $36 (and even less on a deal).
As the Go Pods ANC are well under $50, they obviously don't have as many features as you might find on the premium option on this list. However, considering their price, the features that do exist are surprisingly excellent.
The Go Pods ANC have decent ANC that drowns out environmental noise without kicking up a fuss. I wrote "the seagulls screeching outside my apartment were pleasantly silenced (as they all should be, controversial opinion)," and I'll stand by that statement.
But the best part? The sound quality is actually great. I know what you're thinking: But how can $36 earbuds sound good?
Let me tell you, I'm just as perplexed as you. But the Go Pods ANC have rich, immersive bass, and the mid-range isn't tinny at all. Usually, budget earbuds are marred by tinniness — even JBL earbuds can suffer from this — so I was really impressed by the Go Pods ANC's sound quality.
Sound is not the only positive, though. The Go Pods ANC are also app-compatible, so you can customize EQ, they're comfy and are IP66 rated, so you can wear them while working out without risking their life.
My favorite mid-range earbuds
I didn't expect much when I picked the Skullcandy x Bose Method 360 ANC up for review. Due to the ostentatious charging case (it's like 4 inches long), I assumed these earbuds would be annoying, finicky and gimmicky.
Thankfully, I was wrong on all counts. The Method 360 ANC are awesome.
What makes the Bose-tuned Method 360 ANC so good? Well, obviously, the sound quality.
Thanks to the Bose audio tuning, the Method 360 ANC have a lustrous, complex soundscape. The bass is punchy and rich, while the treble is sonorous. I couldn't believe how good these earbuds sound, especially considering the $129 MSRP.
In my 4-star Skullcandy Method 360 ANC review, I wrote, "‘Fallen Alien’ by FKA Twigs['s] ... choral sections were clear and seemed to surround my ears. I could hear every piece of audio detail, from the inflections in the lead vocal to the discordant bass and mids."
Even though the charging case looks like something I would've chained to my belt in 2009, I actually kind of love it. It's unique. If you're prone to losing your earbuds, maybe you should invest in the Method 360 ANC because surely this charging case is a little harder to misplace than, say, an AirPods case?
It's not just the sound quality that has me impressed. The earbuds are compatible with the Skull-IQ app, which has a great range of features like EQ, ANC modes and touch control customization.
I also love the call quality — it's identical to my AirPods Pro 2 — and the battery life isn't too shabby, either. 11 hours in the buds is pretty mad.
I cannot recommend the Skullcandy x Bose Method 360 ANC enough. If you want the best mid-range bang-for-buck buds out there, it's got to be these ones.
My favorite premium earbuds
Some naysayers will claim the Denon PerL Pro are not premium earbuds. Well, they're $300, which, in my opinion, is enough to be premium. If earbuds are pricier than AirPods Pro and the same price as Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, then they're premium as far as I'm concerned.
And, well, the most important part?
The Denon PerL Pro sound like premium earbuds.
In my 4.5-star Denon PerL Pro review, I praised the expansive soundstage and the second-to-none instrument separation. The music sounded more immersive than on my AirPods Pro 2 (which I adore), especially thanks to the hi-res tracks on Qobuz, our best music streaming service for audiophiles.
Perhaps my favorite part of the Denon PerL Pro is the fantastic personalized sound. Denon's personalized sound is more than just a marketing gimmick, like what you might find on alternative brands' buds.
Denon's personalized sound uses sound waves and tiny mics inside the earbud to real-time analyze how your ears perceive sound. The earbuds then adjust their EQ to suit your physical ability to hear sound waves.
If that still sounds a bit confusing, imagine this. The PerL Pro sends a pulse of 20kHz into your ear canal. The mic inside the earbud picks up how your eardrum vibrates against this sound wave. If your eardrum barely reacts — which means you're not great at hearing high-pitched sounds — the Denon app will increase the volume of all sounds at 20kHz.
This process sounds super technical, but really, it's very straightforward. It's basically like a treadmill, increasing or decreasing speed depending on your natural running speed.
I've tested other audio products with similar features — like JBL's PersoniFi and Soundcore's HearID — but none of these alternative "personalized audio" products are actually personalized. It's more like a quiz that you complete (Do you prefer bass or detail? Do you like loud treble? And so on). I've not come across another automatic personalized audio like this before.
I adore the Denon PerL Pro earbuds. The only reason I didn't make the switch and finally ditch my AirPods Pro 2 for them? The fit. The PerL Pro are just too big for my tiny little ears.
If you don't have normal-people-sized ears, then this won't be a problem. But if you do decide to get a pair of the PerL Pro, just know that I'm very, very jealous.
Which pair of earbuds I recommended tickles your fancy the most? Let me know in the comments!
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