Best budget in ear headphones for wfh video calls

reddead66

Recruit
Hi folks,

Looking to replace my cheap mi earphones which work still perfectly but the wire has started coming off from a few places.

Not looking for something fancy. The mic should be good, ideally not pickup too much background noise. And should be comfortable for long usage.

Budget is 1k.
 

Alucard1729

Disciple
Take a look at this earphone @1.3k-

KZ - Ling Long

KZ Ling Long Dynamic Driver In-Ear Earphone : Shop for earphones online at the best prices in India. Choose from SoundMAGIC, Shure, BLON earphones & more at Headphone Zone. Enjoy expert advice from our Headphone Gurus. Avail Free Express Shipping, Cash on Delivery, and EMI.
www.headphonezone.in www.headphonezone.in
They would be a step up in durability and mic is also decent. Should work fine for calls and music session in leisure hours.

Other option is Moondrop quarks DSP earphones, but they are out of stock. They are similar but come with extra volume control and are bit more fragile than KZ counterpart.
 
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BullettuPaandi

Disciple
Wired - I liked using these. Build quality sucks, but since they're cheap and offer the best comfort, I ordered the same pair again after one broke. Not sure about the mic quality, but none complained. JBL C200 is a reliable alternative.

Wireless - Sony WI C100. Slightly over budget, but comes with some features.
 

agentmilo

Disciple
Alucard1729 said:
Other option is Moondrop quarks DSP earphones, but they are out of stock. They are similar but come with extra volume control and are bit more fragile than KZ counterpart.
Click to expand...
I don't know how different the Quarks DSP is to the normal ones, but I own the original version. Its one of the most durable earphones I've ever used, and I've abused the nuts out of it. I'm surprised an earphone without proper stress reliefs can be this strong to pulls. Not to mention is the THE most comfortable in ears I've ever used- they literally disappear into your ear and isolates noise superbly. Far better than earphones priced 10 times as much as these.

SQ wise, its alright, but literally no bass. Mic is decent but you have to orient it to you for the other person to hear properly.

Total vfm earphone.
 
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Synth-Pop

Adept

JBL Endurance Run 2, can't go wrong with these.​

 

reddead66

Recruit
Alucard1729 said:
Take a loot at this earphone @1.3k-

KZ - Ling Long

KZ Ling Long Dynamic Driver In-Ear Earphone : Shop for earphones online at the best prices in India. Choose from SoundMAGIC, Shure, BLON earphones & more at Headphone Zone. Enjoy expert advice from our Headphone Gurus. Avail Free Express Shipping, Cash on Delivery, and EMI.
www.headphonezone.in www.headphonezone.in
They would be a step up in durability and mic is also decent. Should work fine for calls and music session in leisure hours.

Other option is Moondrop quarks DSP earphones, but they are out of stock. They are similar but come with extra volume control and are bit more fragile than KZ counterpart.
Click to expand...

i am fine with increasing the budget.

i would have gone for these but the i kinda find those inward shaped earphones more comfortable. Like these:


BullettuPaandi said:
Wired - I liked using these. Build quality sucks, but since they're cheap and offer the best comfort, I ordered the same pair again after one broke. Not sure about the mic quality, but none complained. JBL C200 is a reliable alternative.

Wireless - Sony WI C100. Slightly over budget, but comes with some features.
Click to expand...

Is your first link correct? it's taking me to - Miracle Black Noise Cancelling Soft Silicone Headphones??

JBL seems nice.

Not looking for wireless actually. I have a band, one plus buds z and samsung buds pro 2.
agentmilo said:
I don't know how different the Quarks DSP is to the normal ones, but I own the original version. Its one of the most durable earphones I've ever used, and I've abused the nuts out of it. I'm surprised an earphone without proper stress reliefs can be this strong to pulls. Not to mention is the THE most comfortable in ears I've ever used- they literally disappear into your ear and isolates noise superbly. Far better than earphones priced 10 times as much as these.

SQ wise, its alright, but literally no bass. Mic is decent but you have to orient it to you for the other person to hear properly.

Total vfm earphone.
Click to expand...

Looks like both Quarks DSP and the normal ones are out of stock.
Synth-Pop said:

JBL Endurance Run 2, can't go wrong with these.​

Click to expand...

Hey i actually saw a review on yt where these ended up being the best. Do you use them? Would they be comfortable for long sessions and how's the mic for teams calls?
 

BullettuPaandi

Disciple
reddead66 said:
it's currently out of stock though
Click to expand...
I'm sure different sellers are selling with different brand names - like this.

reddead66 said:
And should be comfortable for long usage.
Click to expand...
Shared only because you mentioned this. These are basically the size of your typical small/medium ear tips with the driver, roughly the size of a pepper bead, on its stem. So lightweight and comfortable. I bought this to use with helmet but ended up using throughout the pandemic for video calls.

But audio & build quality sucks. Worth considering though.
 

Synth-Pop

Adept
reddead66 said:
Hey i actually saw a review on yt where these ended up being the best. Do you use them? Would they be comfortable for long sessions and how's the mic for teams calls?
Click to expand...
Yes I am using these earphones (first gen). Everything is good about these earphones.
Build quality, Mic quality, sound quality everything is good for the price you pay. They also have good water resistance IP rating. I am satisfied with these earphones in this price range. Sound is Crisp clear and balanced. Vocals are slightly recessed but its just me nitpicking.
 

Heisen

Recruit
reddead66 said:
Budget is 1k.
Click to expand...
I suggest double your budget (I assure you, it will be worth it) and just get apple earpods 3.5mm from direct apple.com costs only 2k.

Nothing comes close to it when considering it's price.
 

agentmilo

Disciple
Alucard1729 said:
Take a look at this earphone @1.3k-

KZ - Ling Long

KZ Ling Long Dynamic Driver In-Ear Earphone : Shop for earphones online at the best prices in India. Choose from SoundMAGIC, Shure, BLON earphones & more at Headphone Zone. Enjoy expert advice from our Headphone Gurus. Avail Free Express Shipping, Cash on Delivery, and EMI.
www.headphonezone.in www.headphonezone.in
They would be a step up in durability and mic is also decent. Should work fine for calls and music session in leisure hours.

Other option is Moondrop quarks DSP earphones, but they are out of stock. They are similar but come with extra volume control and are bit more fragile than KZ counterpart.
Click to expand...
I have no need for a new earphone but this one piqued my interest and I ended up ordering one. It looks similar to the Quarks but with a V sound signature and more low end rumble according to reviews. Also apparently has a better mic. Ty @Alucard1729
 

agentmilo

Disciple
Just hijacking the thread a little more, for anyone who might be looking into getting this earphone. So I got the Ling Longs. Compared to the Quarks, there's definitely more low end- but I prefer the neutral sound of the Quarks. These are harsher and have a slightly more wider soundstage. Comfort wise they seem to be identical- have only used them for a couple hours. The isolation is really good despite the vent in the LLs.

Microphone quality is a marginal step up. Build quality seems to be better- while still being lighter than the Quarks. Microphonics is noticeable and I wish they provided a shirt clip. There's also heavy driver flex which is a bit concerning. I wouldn't also suggest this for people living in very humid regions- the wire and stress reliefs are the soft rubber kind that will get icky quite soon.

Good beater earphone given the price- sounds quite similar to the Meelectronics CC51 I used to own many years ago.