Xiaomi Piston 3

There are some good reviews of more premium earbuds here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLknCNmc8uMa7qMMQGdoV-n2vWoxBhtiK3

there goes the thread

i find earbuds to be very different in all sorts of price ranges

headphones will generally be much better at 150 than 20, but I know a lot of 20 dollar earbuds that are certainly on par with 150 dollar earbuds

just food for thought, I would never spend lots on earbuds because the diminishing returns are evident pretty quickly

Been using the Vsonic GR07 Bass Edition and love them so far. A little bit sibilant at first, but I have seen that it will mostly go away in a few weeks.

Doesn't have a mic, though.

shure se215

I'm using the Xiaomi Piston 3 atm. Sound is nearly on par with my Hifiman RE-400 and the mic sounds good. I've also used the Shure SE-215 but the bass was a bit too much. I'd recommend checking out the Etymotic Hf5 but don't think they have a mic.

I find the Shure SE215-CL to be a great pair of earbuds. Durable, amazing sound quality, and in you're price range. The sound isolation really helps when you're trying to hear subtle sounds in-game (footsteps, de-cloaks from far away, etc.). Straight up great for listening to anything

I own 2 pairs of pistons and both of them have the right side either not working or far quieter than the left. I personally do NOT recommend the pistons

its the same thing every earbud thread

I second this, I have owned 2 pairs of SE215's- great earbuds and great quality from a reliable company.

KZ ATEs

they're a relatively unknown Chinese brand but their sound is brilliant and they're even cheaper than pistons

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2015-New-Arrival-Original-KZ-ATE-3-5mm-in-ear-Earphones-HIFI-Metal-Stereo-Earphones-Super/32350895239.html

I'm interested in these Xiaomi ones (I've never heard of them before), but I'm seeing people on Amazon saying they're counterfeit and the right or left side doesn't work. Can anyone give me a link to where I can buy legit ones in Canada please

Edit: I've owned two pairs of Klipsch earbuds and they've both sounded great, although the rubber has worn out on me with both of them after about a year or so

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame-ear-monitors

Scroll down for the $99 and under. Can't go wrong with any of them.

xiaomi pistons sound really bassy and mono to me; i just go for monoprice 9927s

Thanks a lot guys, i'll check all of them!

it's an easy answer, but then you end up coming to the question of "who actually sells them legit and who's just selling knockoffs", because that happens real often with them

are the pistons 3 lighter than the pistons 2? not a fan of the weight

This happened with my piston 2's. Still debating getting the piston 3 because of how quality the piston 2 was, when it was alive.

So pistons 2 vs 3?

they are basically the same, 3s are a bit more comfortable to me and have a slight angle where it goes into your ear where the 2s are just straight

I have Shure SE535s, which are ridiculously expensive. I later tried Shure SE215s and was surprised by the fact that I didn't absolutely hate them in comparison to the SE535s which are 5x as expensive. The 215s are a bit dull in the low mids and the resonant frequencies of drums especially are a bit weak compared to the 535s, but still MUCH better than most all earbuds, especially at the ~$100 price point. Their bass is also far more consistent; usually earbuds either have far too much or far too little bass compared to the higher regions because it is hard to get that into such a small package. Their construction is also very good and the cables can be replaced if they get a break in them, even though they are very tough to begin with.

Bose Soundtrue. I am absolutely in love with them.