What kind of phone do you use?
What is the streaming service and/or type of local music files you listen to?
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Welcome @Saturn
First, there are differences in the cost efficiency between headphones and IEMs or earbuds. In your price range, some IEM will give a more robust solution. If you are using the Apple ecosystem, then as was said by @Tsumake, AirPods Pro 2 have completely acceptable sound and enough electronic trickery to handle ANC or transparency. Many of the experienced folks here use them because of their general usefulness and smart compromises.
Outside the Apple ecosystem I Iike the better Samsung earbuds or Sennheiser Momentum 4 (IEM) to get a similar experience to Apple. It will be less refined in most respects.
If you want headphones, you have a lot of less pleasant compromises. As @NickZ so rightly says, wireless doesn’t give the best quality. Even at 2 to 3 times your price point, (Focal) drawbacks are obvious. That said, I do listen to my Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones (not the IEMs which I also have) not infrequently for movies, casual listening, or when I’m on the porch and the cicadas are singing. In your price range
For more precise guidance, we need to know a lot more about how you listen, what you like, and why you want wireless. Are you open to other options and do you have the opportunity to listen to equipment before you buy? Would you consider used?
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And and and
Because wireless has to carry its own power supply.
And that can’t be too big or powerful.
And it also needs to supply its own amplification.
Which is a cost. And it needs to run on the little batteries. So it can’t have the power you can deliver with wires.
For all of these reasons wireless isn’t able to deliver the same sound quality as wired units — when they choose to design them to do so.
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The OP is talking about a portable setup so the battery source is the same for wired and wireless.
What’s different is that wireless does not have the bandwidth of wired connections so no amount of wireless choices or design is going to change that.
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Nick - battery in a phone or DAP is bigger than onboard an IEM or headphone. In many cases the analog output of the DAP or phone is also more. Even, in many cases the power from digital out to dongle adapter is more, especially when balanced. Not saying anything you don’t know perfectly well.
Note I’m using battery as a shorthand for power output to drivers
Or am I being obtuse and you’re saying something else?
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Hi, I am looking to get some in-ears for a friend who watches YouTube videos on her phone (mostly relaxation types of things) to fall asleep to in bed.
She isn’t very technically minded and isn’t interested in wireless earphones or anything with ANC or that requires an app but does want something comfortable that won’t fall out or dig into her ears as she is a side-sleeper.
I am in the UK and looking for something at the more budget-end of the market. Would the Sennheiser IE 200’s be a good match. I read the review on headphones.com and it’s mentioned that it’s best to buy a new cable for them so that would add to the cost. They suggested the Tripowin Amber cable but I am not sure she would like the colour (she’s pretty understated and prefers black really as a colour) or whether it’s really necessary. She won’t be that bothered about quality (she’s not an audiophile at all), just comfort more than anything and cost (although I think I will probably just get them her as a surprise).
Thanks for any recommendations.
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I’m saying that if sound quality is the highest priority then a wired connection is the only choice since it allows playing uncompressed cd quality and above.
If wireless convenience is the most important priority then it will not be possible to (reliably) achieve the quality of a wired connection.
Other factors are irrelevant to this fundamental choice.
I just wanted the OP to be aware that this choice exists and he/she can make a deliberate decision on which way to go.
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Welcome @AfxTwn
I wrote about this very topic years ago:
Bottom line- for sleep with IEMs get something made for it. Experience suggests wireless better for restless sleepers. I found the below on UK Amazon. Don’t get cheapest possible but also don’t worry much about sound. Comfort is king.
Sleep A20 by Anker Sleep Earbuds, Noise Blocking Sleep Headphones, Small Design for Side Sleepers, 80H Playtime, Stream Content via Bluetooth 5.3, Personal Alarm soundcore Sleep A20 by Anker Sleep Earbuds, Noise Blocking Sleep Headphones, Small Design for Side Sleepers, 80H Playtime, Stream Content via Bluetooth 5.3, Personal Alarm: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo
Ozlo Sleepbuds® | Comfortable Side Sleeper Headphones | Up to 10 Hours of Bluetooth LE Streaming | Science-Backed Sleep Sounds | Snore Blocking Comfortable Earbuds Ozlo Sleepbuds® | Comfortable Side Sleeper Headphones | Up to 10 Hours of Bluetooth LE Streaming | Science-Backed Sleep Sounds | Snore Blocking Comfortable Earbuds: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo
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Try these - AZLA ASE-500 Silicone Earphone USB-C Sky Blue : Amazon.ca: Electronics
These are pretty awesome little IEMs/earbuds made to sleep in. They have an extra long cable, they’re tiny with a soft silicone shell around it, and they sound surprisingly quite good. Also comes with a set of my favorite tips.
I always use my phone its a Samsung a35. The streaming service im using currently is spotify however im going to switch to youtube music very soon. Im willing to go for a wired setup as long it is portable. Im very open to other options I just didnt know that wired setups can also be portable. Im down to get some iem’s its just that I have tried someone else airpods and they didnt fit my ear very well so I was swayed away from the category.
I have been looking at the senheiner momentum 4’s however I saw alot of complaints online about its software. I also looked at the FIIO - FT1 PRO but i really have no idea about how to use a wired setup.
If I can get decent wired headphones in my budget id be very down as long as they can be used in commute. For other use cases like the gym and all ill continue to use my jbl 660nc.
Iem’s would be a last resort cause I really dont like things inside my ears.
Thanks again
You just pick up the appropriate adapter so the 3.5mm plug can plug into your phone (likely USB-C) and you’re good to go. The Apple dongle is the most popular adapter.
The FT1 Pro is an open back headphone, so it’s not recommended for commuting on the subway. Did you mean the FT-1?
These services don’t offer uncompressed music so there’s not much to be gained by using a wired connection.
You would need a paid service that offers uncompressed music (Apple Music, Tidal, Quboz, etc.) to get the benefits from a wired connection.
I should have said this in my previous posts.
EDIT: As of 9/10/2025 Spotify offers uncompresed music to Premium tier subscribers.
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Yea sorry I meant the ft1’s tho im thinking against them cause they seem to cost quite lower than my budget and im very willing to spend like 250$ if I could get a better pair of headphones than the ft1’s.
How much of a difference would such a subscription make because I really am not the biggest audiophile and all I care about is lyrical fidelity and perhaps some “feeling” of the instruments. I listen to alot of nujabes, radiohead and old rock and ive heard it being mentioned that you can feel the music rather than just hear it and If such a subscription would help in achieving that I would consider it. Probably apple music because the others are unfortunately out of my budget.
I am being convinced to get into the wired headphones realm more and more and would be more than willing to get an apple music subscription. So please let me know the best option I have for 200-300$.
Im really sorry for switching from the wireless to wired after asking so many questions. Its just that after being on this forum I have realized the benefits of wired.
Thanks again
I’ve not had any issues with the Sennheiser software. The same program works for both my Momemtum 4 earbuds and headphones. Once you set things the way you want, you don’t interact often with the software unless you want to change something.
The hardware has a lot of processing capability - which means that people can easily set in a way that isn’t what they wanted. But error between the headphone cups isn’t within the scope of my discussion.
@NickZ and I both favor a wired headphone - as do most people on this forum, unless convenience outweighs other considerations. While the “apple dongle” is very convenient and cheap (About $9) and I keep one on most of my Koss Porta-Pro headphones, it is not what I suggest for headphones that would benefit from more power.
There is an entire class of ultra-portable DAC/AMPs that can be of real benefit, from the iFi Go-Link at the low end to some of the Fii0 devices which can offer balanced output, to Quedelix and Audioengine and up to the Luxury & Precision W4 or the Woo Audio Tube Mini in the $500 range. These can all provide a better result than the Apple Dongle or the Samsung USB-3 to Headphone adapter. Expect one of these to be in the $100-160 range for the current sweet spot.
Note that in order to reap the benefit of Balanced you need a headphone that has detachable cables and a balanced cable. The DAC/AMPs that offer balanced also have a standard unbalanced 3.5mm mini jack.
Fortunately convenience is no longer the biggest thing to take in considerations. Its more about the budget of 300$ to create a well rounded wired setup if possible. I like the idea of high fidelity audio and If I can achieve that at the cost of some convenience I am more than willing.
Thank you so much for validating the sensheiner momentum 4s. If you suggest that a 300$ wired setup will be worse than the momentum 4’s ill just get them. Otherwise I really appreciate the idea of getting a wired setup and then down the line being able to just upgrade the source or the dac to get better audio.
Exactly what I was getting at when I asked my questions
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FT-1 will be hard to beat for a wired closed-back under $300. You could grab that and a nicer DAC/amp dongle to provide more power than the Apple dongle
If you don’t need noise cancellation, which I presume you don’t since you’re now considering wired headphones, the Audeze Maxwell performs quite well for $300. The app is easy to use and offers EQ presets and manual adjustments. The battery life is nuts for a wireless headphone.
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I can’t possibly say that a (fill in the blank with hardware) $300 wired system would be worse than Senn Momentum 4 for you.
These things get very personal. Some for me would be better, some not. The software with the Momentum 4 is really pretty versatile and you can to a great extent customize the sound to your taste. I generally dislike closed backs but the electronics help so much that I listen to them voluntarily. That is high praise from me. I’ve had the chance to do a long evaluation of ZMF Verite closed on my tube amp setup, and would never pick them as a choice. Not saying that the Momentum 4 is better or comparable to that $3500 or so system, but its convenience and utility is.
Part of the problem is that you don’t have your own preferences set — yet. But if you’re here, eventually you will.
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Hey everyone.
Im a student and recently ive gotten into the habit of listening to music while studying and hence i spend like 6hours with my headphones every day. So, I wanted to upgrade my music listening setup. Currently i have some jbl live 660nc which are pretty bad and I have finnaly saved up some money to upgrade to a better pair of headphones dac and amp combo. I have a pretty low budget of about 200-300$ and was wondering what’s the best setup possible for this budget. I would like to be able to use these on the go so would prefer closed backs. Also a portable dac, amp. If an open back is just alot better than closed backs than ill be willing to get it and just continue using my 660nc’s for travel.
I know its recommended to get iems at this budgets its just that I really dont like things inside my ear. I’ve tried the airpods in the past couldn’t even use them for a 30 minute call. I would really prefer a set of over ear closed back headphones. Im very new to the audiophile genre of headphones hence have basically no idea about whether I prefer warm or bass etc. I listen to music of all genre from old rock to hip hop to some French and Japanese music. I enjoy vocals alot more than the instrumental track. But id like to be able to appreciate for example a great guitar solo.
Thank you so much.
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