I love reviewing ear-things (yes, that’s the actual technical name for all things headphone, earphone and earbud) for a variety of reasons, principal amongst them being that I simply love music.
But coming a ridiculously close second is the fact that I also have an unquestionably legitimate reason to ignore all other audio around me. The insistence of phones, the interruption of doorbells, the general incessance of others, all can (and have to) be aurally overlooked when it comes to lending your ear to the latest and greatest in-ear headphones.
Which is precisely what I have been up to of late. And in keeping with my recent reviews of the coolest sounding cans, I’ve gone full wired with this lot. Why? Because as advanced as wireless audio options have become, you simply cannot beat the sound quality of a pair of perfectly fitting wired sound-wranglers that have been unerringly engineered for your ears.
And I have several such examples right here, each of which have intimately explored my ear canals and been subjected to a wide range of musical stylings, from rock to pop to hip hop, and from classical to soul to sophisti-pop, with many other sound sorts sandwiched in between.
Want to know my thoughts? Well, you’ve read this far; you may as well carry on.
Best wired in-ear headphones at a glance
- Best for outstanding innovation in the arena of personal audio: Flare Audio E-Prototype - £199.96, Flare Audio
- Best for big sound, bargain price: Sennheiser IE 200 - £129.99, Amazon
- Best for expert audio and idyllic isolation: Shure AONIC 3 sound isolating headphones - £147, Amazon
- Best for simply sublime sound: Shure AONIC 4 sound isolating headphones - £195, Amazon
- Best for hi-res music for less moolah: 1MORE Quad Driver headphones - £119, Amazon
- Best for impressive, affordable audio: JLab JBuds Pro - £8.99, Argos
- Best for refurbed finery bring the bass: Sony MDR-XB55AP Extra Bass - £25, Sony
- Best for a bullseye of British audio excellence: Flare Audio Flares JET 3 - £49.99, Amazon
- Best for ultimate audio when missing a 3.5mm input: Astell&Kern HC3 DAC Amplifier Cable - £199, Amazon
- Best for a USB-C connector: Belkin SoundForm Wired Earbuds - £21.99, Amazon
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Best wireless earbuds of 2023, from budget to high end options
Flare Audio E-Prototype
Best for: Outstanding innovation in the arena of personal audio
I’ve been testing all manner of personal audio products, across all price points, for absolute decades. What this means is that I’ve had the privilege of experiencing the evolution of said audio first-hand and may also have not heard many things said to me, so if I’ve still not fixed that thingie you asked me to, ignored any and all of your phone calls, or utterly failed to turn up at your wedding despite being best man, then I both apologise and blame it all squarely on my obsession with putting other sounds in my ears.
Now, speaking of obsession with sound, we come to Flare Audio, a British company based out of West Sussex, which has taken control of in-ear audio to a whole new, previously unexplored level of utter innovation. Indeed, I could (ear)wax lyrical about the company’s work in noise/distortion-reducing ingenuity, but I feel that’s a topic for whole other article, for here I’m going to focus on the firm’s incredible new flagship earphone, the E-Prototype.
Hailing from Flare’s EARS range, what we have here is a true revolution in personal others-ignoring that, frankly, simply blew me away. Featuring 10mm drivers, gold-plated connectors, stress-tested cable, in-line mic and control, plus Mirror Image Sound Technology (which we’ll get back to in a moment), they also come in a - as far as I’m aware - unique 3D printed design, and a guarantee that says it all: “The best sound you’ve ever heard or your money back”.
And that’s no idle boast, because returning to that Mirror Image Sound stuff, Flare Audio has looked at exactly how everyone’s wildly different inner ears mangle the sound that goes into them with no possible uniform thanks to all the differing degrees of sound wave reflection. But by applying the Law of Reflection to the problem and swapping out sound for light (which reflects in precisely the same way as sound), Flare measured and mapped out how light reflects within the individual ear, thus applying that info to create that long sought mirror image of sound. Hope you got all that.
The upshot is the most astonishingly open, distortion- and colour-free in-ears imaginable; and that really is no overstatement. Which is why the E-Prototype has already racked-up testimonials from the likes of composer David Arnold, Ian Broudie of The Lightning Seeds, and the producer of Blondie, Barb Morrisson, amongst many other luminaries.
Comfortable and light too, £250 may seem like a steep price for in-ears from a company you may never have heard of before, but, whether recording, mixing, mastering, playing games or just listening to your favourite tunes, this truly is like nothing you’ve ever heard before.
Buy now £199.96, Flare
Sennheiser IE 200
Best for: Big sound, bargain price
It’d be fair to say that Sennheiser ear-gubbins have been soundtracking my life ever since I first grew out of my unnatural obsession with Terry Wogan’s ‘The Floral Dance’ as a musically confused four-year-old. Or maybe it was a tad later than that, for although Senny has been around since 1945, I suspect it may have been a bit longer into life before I could afford entry into this world of utterly enhanced audio.
However, here I find myself today, an almost uncountable amount of years later, getting to test out the very latest in-ears from the company’s eminently affordable end, the IE 200.
Naturally the classic go-to track for reviewing ear-things is the absolute all-time classic ‘Whole Lotta Love’ by Led Zeppelin. If you don’t know the track, then you need schoolin’, as this epic not only boasts one of the greatest guitar riffs of all time, but also a freeform soundboard “freakout” section. This features panoramic audio that sweeps from ear to ear, accompanied by the guttural cries of lead singer, Robert Plant, walking barefoot and blindfolded across a floor festooned with Lego (just listen to it and you’ll hear what I mean). This proved perfect for putting the IE 200’s precision 7mm TrueResponse drivers through their paces, the truly epic noise they funnelled down my shell-likes being both as punchy as a particularly moody Conor McGregor and beautifully distortion free.
Indeed, for pure audio the way it was intended to be heard, the IE 200 just excel, the highs perfectly pitched, the mid-range so clear you might cry, and the bass - tunable to your own preference via cunning two-way ear tips - pounding away in balance beyond compare to complete the unerring audio picture.
Ridiculously comfortable to wear, too, once you find the foam tip size to best suit you you’ll also find that natural noise isolation keeps the ceaseless jabber of the flibbertigibberts around you well and truly at bay.
An absolute steal at £130, if your music matters, make it the Sennheisers.
Buy now £129.99, Sennheiser
Shure AONIC 3 sound isolating headphones
Best for: Expert audio and idyllic isolation
Shure is a name within the world of audio as, well, reas-Shuring as it gets (apologies), thanks to an epic amount of years spent working with musicians to achieve sonorous sublimity, so you don’t simply ‘buy’ Shure earphones, you invest in the sum of all that audio experience. Exactly as it is with the more-than-reasonably-priced AONIC 3, in-ears that pump utterly immersive full-range sound lovingly into your lug holes without distortion or colouration to taint your tunage away from how the recording artist originally intended it.
The smallest options from the AONIC range, the 3 sit very comfortably in your ear canal and also come blessed with the ability to drown out up to 37dB of surrounding racket, thanks to sound isolation technology and finding a nicely snug fit via the included ear tips.
An integrated remote and mic makes controlling audio and dealing with phone calls child’s play itself, while the detachable cable - yes, yes - means the AONIC 3 can be paired up with Shure’s separate Wireless Adapter to let you switch to true wireless, but that’s not why we’re here.
In short, then: incredibly accurate audio, splendid isolation and full-on flexibility, the 3 is a Shure-fire winner. Apologies again, I don’t know where these awful quips keep coming from.
Buy now £147.00, Amazon
Shure AONIC 4 sound isolating headphones
Best for: Simply sublime sound
Big guns time. Having taken a tour of the AONIC 3 earlier, now we turn our ears to the step-up big sibling, the absolute epitome of audio awesomeness that is the AONIC 4.
First of, what we have here in the design of the AONIC 4 is far from a fashion thing, instead the transparent casing is nothing short of a statement of intent, inner workings exposed like the intricately engineered gears of a skeleton watch, as a sneak peak of the A1 audio experience to come. Stark and beautiful simultaneously, it would be easy to bang on about the minimalist aesthetics, but you don’t care about that (much), so let’s cut to the care-about chase.
Important to point out at this stage is that the AONIC 4 comes with a nicely tough carry case, in which you’ll find a choice of foam sleeves, soft flex sleeves, triple flange sleeves and yellow foam sleeves in varying sizes to get that sound isolating fit perfected. And, once you do, you’ll find a world of comfort that barely feels like aural-violation at all. Also in the case comes a ¼-inch adapter, setting you up for any audio input comers.
Now to the tech. Featuring Shure’s first dual-driver hybrid, this combo of thrustingly dynamic driver and balanced armature results in sound that is nothing short of stunning. The highs float effortlessly around your head, vocals possess the clarity of cut crystal and the bass, the bass, ah the bass, it drives with a force and accuracy that could bring tears of joy to the eyes of even a grown reviewer. No matter how weird the genre of music and/or artist I chucked through it, the AONIC 4’s performance was simply sublime every time.
With an integrated mic and remote for calls and control, and the ability to convert to true wireless, Shure’s AONIC 4 offers a world of practicality and the ultimate in in-ear comfort and isolation, but the vital thing to take away here is that, addressing the raison d’etre of all earphones and hitting it head-on, Shure’s AONIC 4 offer all-round musical immersion that literally has to be heard to be believed.
Buy now £195.00, Amazon
1MORE Quad Driver headphones
Best for: Hi-res music for less moolah
I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing some giant-killing kit from 1MORE before, namely the surprisingly sub-£100 ComfoBuds, so I’m well-aware of the audio quality the company is capable of. Which is why I was keen to get my earholes wrapped around 1MORE’s sleekly specced Quad Driver wired in-ears, due to the promise of diamond-like carbon dynamic drivers combined with 3x balanced armatures, a DLC diaphragm delivering full mids and bass for balanced human voice and high resolution playback, and incredible tonal depth tuned by top audio engineer and Grammy winner Luca Bignardi. So, as you can see, a lot on the menu.
First things first, good-looking, solidly built, light and comfortable, the Quad Driver comes with a 1.25m cable featuring in-line mic and controls and a selection of nine ear tips to help you achieve the firmest fit, so all convenience is catered for. Then there comes the sound this whole combination conjures up - stunningly spacious, clean, clear and dynamically detailed across the audio spectrum and across all musical genres, handling pop or Pomp and Circumstance with equal aplomb.
Coming packed with a leather travel case, an aeroplane adapter, and a 6.3mm-3.5mm gold plated audio adapter, the 1MORE Quad Driver is the complete high-fidelity package that joins the ComfoBuds in the 1MORE pantheon of sub-£100 personal audio perfection.
Buy now £119.00, Amazon
JLab JBuds Pro
Best for: Impressive, affordable audio
In-ears for under a tenner? Well, there’s no denying that times are hard financially and not everyone can afford to hurl handfuls of cash at a means to getting personal with music, but why should anyone have to miss out on in-ear audio? That’s certainly the attitude JLab took when it took to creating its ludicrously limbo-low price JBuds Pro In-Ear wired wonders of the personal audio arena that offer a lot for very little.
So, you’re clearly wondering from that look I’m imagining on your face, what does £9.99 get you in terms of wired in-ears these days? Well, firstly (and vitally) a nice snug fit that keeps the noise you like in and the noise you don’t out via passive isolation. Then you get 10mm drivers for sound that’s pleasingly full-range and bass that’s not caught lacking in the boom-department either; audio that absolutely should cost much more than the asking price.
Featuring a nicely lengthy 1.2m nylon cord, the JBuds Pro are light, ergonomic enough to keep your ears comfortable even with prolonged use and include an in-line mic and controls for calls and track/volume changes. What’s more, the JLab JBuds Pro even come IPX5-rated, making them water- and sweat-resistant.
Basically, an absolute bargain, if the cost of living crisis has made money tighter than an otter’s pocket, but you still need decent music to drown out the masses, you’ll probably never spend nine quid better.
Buy now £8.99, Argos
Sony MDR-XB55AP Extra Bass
Best for: Refurbed finery bring the bass
New things are great. That new smell, that new feel and that new cost, of course. But why buy new when you can save cash and still enjoy that nearly new experience with kit that’s been expertly refurbished? Take these thunderously precise in-ear audio thumpers from Sony for excellent example, priced at £53 new on Amazon, the review model I currently have plugged into my head have come to me courtesy of tech refurb site Back Market where - for ‘excellent quality’ - you can pick them up for just £25. What’s more, original packaging aside, you wouldn’t know the difference.
Perfectly presented, the MDR-XB55AP appeared brand-new, with not a scratch or, indeed, any evidence of previous usage in sight, which is always reassuring when faced with something you’re going to insert inside yourself. Which is exactly what I did once I’d selected the correct size earpads and let me start by saying that Sony was not kidding when it chucked the words ‘Extra Bass’ in the name. Punchier than Will Smith at an awards ceremony, these lightweight in-ears are extremely comfortable to wear and the combined 12mm neodymium driver units and Powered Bass Duct++ tech deliver distortion-free high sensitivity and the kind of kick-bottom bass that brings real thrills to the low-end of things.
Featuring an inline mic for the making and taking of phone calls, a tangle-free cable and, from the Back Market side of things, the original Sony carry pouch and all four sizes of earpads, the Sony MDR-XB55AP is ideal for those seeking a beefier sound from their in-ears; and at less than half the price of buying new, represent an absolute bassy bargain.
John Lewis has price matched the headphones at the same purse-friendly price tag.
Buy now £25.00, Sony
Flare Audio Flares JET 3
Best for: A bullseye of British audio excellence
From the same people behind the personal audio redefining E-Prototype earlier, the Flares JET 3 come crashing in for considerably less cash, yet don’t be fooled into thinking Flare Audio has cut-back on any of its, erm, audio flare. In fact, constructed from Grade 5 titanium and featuring 10mm drivers and a gold-plated jack for good measure, this beautifully constructed, lightweight excellent example of the master in-ear maker’s art sooth out sound that’s deeply detailed, deliciously deficient in distortion and which packs the punch of a veritable prize-fighter.
A real all-rounder, audio quality is utterly accomplished, so whether you’re torturing yourself with Country or delving into the dopamine-tinging calm of Classical, the JET 3 takes every musical genre in its sonic stride.
Armed with an in-line microphone for calls and music control, and coming complete with a carry pouch and three sizes of silicon tips to find that perfect fit, with the Flares JET 3, Flare Audio have excelled yet again.
Buy now £49.99, Amazon
Astell&Kern HC3 DAC Amplifier Cable
Best for: Ultimate audio when missing a 3.5mm input
These days many smartphones and tablets don’t come with a standard 3.5mm jack input. There are many reasons for this, but mostly it’s greed on the part of the manufacturer and its insatiable desire to sell you its own accessories. However, you don’t need to indulge the outright avarice of such smartphone sellers if you instead invest in a 3.5mm to USB-C or iPhone adapter that is also an awesome audio-ante-upping DAC!
What’s a DAC? A Digital Audio Converter takes digital audio and converts it into analogue sound waves, thus improving the quality by a considerable degree. So, not only do you get around the absent 3.5mm input problem, you also get vastly improved audio into the bargain.
This particular example of that, the AK HC3 from digital music master Astell&Kern, demonstrates the power of the DAC with unerring skill, extending the soundstage of music making it deeper, wider and cleaner all over, eking out every detail and heightening the listening experience whether you’re bashing out Elgar or Ed Sheeran.
What’s more, with a sleek full-metal body design, it’s a thing of minimalist beauty too, while the almost-unnoticeable weight of the thing means you’ll barely feel a thing when using it.
Compatible with iPhones as well as all the other phone flavours, the AK HC3 even works with microphone-toting wired in-ears, adding to its flexibility even further.
In a nutshell then, don’t have a 3.5mm input? Get the Astell&Kern HK HC3. Do have a 3.5mm input but want to enjoy enhanced audio quality? Get the Astell&Kern HK HC3.
Buy now £199.00, Amazon
Belkin SoundForm Wired Earbuds
Best for: a USB-C connector
It seems 2024 is the year of the USB-C. Now an industry standard, Apple, Samsung and Google all design their devices with the ubiquitous connector. So, if you're in the market for wired earphones that easily work with your state-of-the-art phone, Belkin's SoundForm buds should be on your wishlist.
They boast captivating sound, a built-in microphone, a tangle-free cord and natural noise cancelling thanks to the squishy ear tips, which come in small, medium or large. If you're planning on using them to work out - or you simply live in the UK and you'll likely be caught in the rain - they're sweat and splash-resistant, too.
Buy now £21.99, Amazon
