Buyers guide: Must-have earphones for under £60

The Gadget Show  Tuesday 21 February 2012

Not investing in a top quality pair of earphones is one of the cardinal gadget sins. A good pair of earphones can enhance any music collection. Look around and you’ll discover some great earphones for prices that won’t break the bank. Read on our pick of the must-have earphones for under £60.

From £15 to £55 – we’ve picked out a handful of earphones that offer excellent sound quality at prices to suit all budgets. Each worthy of replacing the default earphones that came packaged with your smartphone or MP3 players. Check ‘em out:

SoundMagic E10

For around £34 (cheaper if you look around) these dashing SoundMagic E10 earphones prove that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to enjoy excellent sound quality. They excel in delivering sound with plenty of detail, also combining powerful bass to deliver sound on par with more pricier earphones. The in-ear design keeps all of the sound in your ears – guaranteeing that you won’t disturb anyone on the bus. For the price, they are exceptionally well-made.

Sennheiser CX 300 II

Sennheiser makes some great luxury earphones, but they do some exceptionally good cheaper sets, too. For around £25 the Sennheiser CX 300 II remains one of the most popular. If high levels of bass is your thing, these are the way to go.

JVC HAFX1X Xtreme Xplosives

Like the Sennheiser CX 300 II, the JVC HAFX1X Xtreme Xplosives also deliver exceptionally strong bass for such a cheap pair of earphones. £15, to be exact. The clue is on the name – extreme bass is the order of the day. There’s something to be said for the styling on the eartips, but look past that and you’ll discover a pair of headphones that deal with high bass levels as effortlessly as earphones costing up to four times as much.

RHA MA-350

As budget earphones go, the RHA MA-350s are some of the best. For around £30 you get a solid pair of earphones made from solid aluminium, with soft silicone tips, 3.5mm gold plated connections and spare ear tips. They are comfortable to wear, deliver strong bass, as well as a good all-round sound and terrific noise isolation.

Klipsch Image S4

Klipsch is well-known on the earphone and headphone circuit for delivering accurate sound with lots of detail. At £55 they are the priciest of our picks, but for the price you get a trendy pair of earphones that perform well whatever genre of music your ears fancy. The narrow design of the Klipsch Image S4 also makes it feel comfortable in the ears, too.