Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions

Looking for reasonably priced IEMs with a microphone

more_vert
Howdy y'all - I need a good set of portable and robust IEMs/earbuds for commuting. I drive a convertible and live in a place that allows me to take full advantage of it 3/4 of the year. When I'm not in my car, I'm taking light rail/metro - which is a relatively loud environment as well. This being said, I still need to be able to use my navigation and would enjoy being able to listen to audiobooks/the radio at highway speeds.
I'm not necessarily looking for the hi-fi audio but instead these factors:
  • Cost less than $50
  • Good seal around the ear canal (or possibly noise-cancelling)
  • Strong build for everyday use
  • Not too visible - sometimes I slip the other earbud in while driving highway/interstate and I'd rather not get a ticket.
  • Ideally a storage container that helps prevent kinks and shorts.
  • Possibly wireless? Not as important by a longshot.
What makes and models do you recommend?
100% upvoted
1
4
remove_red_eye
68

search
close
GunsOfBrixton
911
Jun 30, 2018
That's a heck of a use case to figure out! Only thing I can think of is something like the MEE M6 Pro in clear. I use mine for yard work & outdoors. They have pretty good noise isolation, pretty good sound, and they aren't anywhere near as obtrusive as you might think from looking at them alone in a picture. In fact, my biggest annoyance with them is that people walk up and start talking to me because they don't notice I have them on (even my blue ones). The over ear fit takes figuring out and getting used to, but once you do they are very stable, which I would think would be useful driving at speed.
Dr.McCoy
345
Jul 2, 2018
GunsOfBrixtonWow! That's a really good recommendation though. I hadn't seen these. Definitely gonna put them on the list.
joeltwilcox
17
Jun 30, 2018
Not quite in your price range at $79.99, but if you’re willing to go a trifle higher than $50 I like the ADVANCED Model 3 since they’re Bluetooth and wired convertible and thus are great multipurpose IEMs. They are probably the best IEMs I’ve owned for comfort and price. I’m discontinuing mine because I’m too much an audiophile and don’t get the sound I want from the Model 3. ADVANCED also has a nice iPhone DAC that is on sale this week.
Dr.McCoy
345
Jul 2, 2018
joeltwilcoxDang those look great. Definitely putting those on the list!
Related Posts
Trending Posts in Audiophile