I tested 5 of the best-selling wired headphones so you don’t have to

Main points

• Wired headphones are making a comeback due to their affordability, durability, and superior sound quality compared to wireless headphones.
• The Sony MDR-EX15AP earbuds offer great sound quality and a comfortable fit, making them more than just emergency replacements.
• The Apple EarPods offer good sound quality and are a good option for people who already own them but might not be worth buying them separately.

Retro tech is back more than ever, which means wired headphones are important again in the wireless age. Not only are they stylish, they’re also more affordable, more durable than wireless headphones, and allow you to hear higher-quality audio.

Wired headphones have stood the test of time, proving that they are still worth using. As a devoted member of the wired headphone team, I wanted to put five of the best-selling wired headphones on Amazon to the test to see which ones held up and which ones didn’t fare as well.

Amazon’s Best-Selling Wired Headphones Ranking

Sony MDR-EX15AP

I believe most people will buy this pair in situations where they need earplugs quickly, like when your old earbuds accidentally break before a long commute, or you forgot them at home and need something cheap. The thing about these earbuds is that they are surprisingly awesome. The sound profile is just right – not too bassy, ​​not too tinny, everything sounds the way it should. They come with three sizes of silicone ear tips, and the small size fits my ears perfectly. You can choose the headset with or without a mic, and the mic is great for making calls on the go.

My biggest qualm with these earbuds is that I wish the onboard buttons on the microphone worked better, and I wish there were more features. It’s only used as a pause and play button, and that sometimes works. It would be perfect if it was more versatile and had volume and playback options.

The thing about these earbuds is that they are surprisingly awesome.

The Sony MDR-EX15AP earbuds are more than just emergency replacement earbuds. These earbuds are what I consider the gold standard of affordable wired earbuds, and should be respected as such.

apple earphones

EarPods are an iconic relic of the iPod era, and they’re still a solid pair of earbuds, but they come with a few caveats. Obviously, the fact that they don’t actually go into your ears isn’t ideal, as there’s almost no isolation, but they still sound good.

If you dig out those EarPods that have been sitting in a drawer for years, they’re definitely a good alternative to cheap wired earbuds.

They’re not overly bassy or high-pitched, and if you’re in a relatively quiet environment, the lack of isolation isn’t an issue. It’s another story entirely to use these devices on the sidewalk on a busy street – many times I couldn’t hear the audio at all. The microphone on the EarPods is great for making calls, and the buttons on the mic are great for volume control and playback.

In my opinion, the EarPods aren’t really worth buying on their own, but they’re worth using if you already own them, which a lot of people do. If you dig out those EarPods that have been sitting in a drawer for years, they’re definitely a good alternative to cheap wired earbuds. But I don’t think I have a reason to spend $19 on them when there are better, cheaper options out there. But if you’re looking for a 2000s EarPods aesthetic, this is the one for you.

Sony MDR-ZX110

For me, the Sony MDR-ZX110 headphones are library headphones. There’s really no greater use for them for long-term use, just check them out to the library for an hour and get some work done on one of the computers. They’re on-ear, not over-the-ear, so they put some pressure on your ears, which can be particularly uncomfortable if you wear glasses like me.

I wouldn’t recommend these headphones to most people due to comfort issues.

I owned a pair of these headphones in college, wore them on my daily commute, and often found that my ears hurt after prolonged use. But they work in a pinch, and you can use them longer if you don’t wear glasses.

I wouldn’t recommend these headphones to most people due to comfort issues. They sound great, but you can get better headphones for not much money. For those who want to spend as little as possible on headphones that they need occasionally, these may be enough, especially for those who don’t like the feel of in-ear headphones.

Skull Candy Triangle Arm

I would have loved these earbuds more than I did, but the build quality leaves a lot to be desired. Of course, I didn’t expect $10 to cost so much, but compared to the Sony headphones, which are only $10 more expensive, they feel like a steal. The earbuds have a plastic shell that squeaks when I put them in my ears and slides out easily, so I hear a clicking and squeaking sound every time I push them back in. They also only have two ear tip sizes, neither of which fit me well.

In terms of sound quality, the Skullcandy has a tendency to lean towards the bass, but these are a bit ridiculous. The bass frequencies were so loud that they drowned out the tracks I was listening to, and often masked the higher frequencies. The bass isn’t very clear either, as it’s quite loud and despite the high frequencies, the sound is quite muddy and muffled. The button controls also don’t work in a very intuitive way.

It feels like there is a middle, up, and down button, but in fact there is only one button. Pressing it once pauses the music as expected, but there are no volume controls since there are no up and down buttons, which is where I typically use these buttons the most on any other earbuds.

Press twice to skip to the next track, or three times to go back. While I’ll eventually get used to this, it feels weird because the buttons feel and look like they have volume controls, but there’s no volume control at all.

Panasonic RP-HT161M

The Panasonic RP-HT161M headphones really fall short of expectations in several areas. The earcups don’t swivel or swivel at all, so they can sit on your head however you want, which is too bad if that means the earcups don’t seal against your ears. Therefore, isolation is not guaranteed with these headphones. The sound profile is also really unfortunate.

It’s billed as having extra bass, and while it does have bass boost (albeit muddy), the treble is also very weak, and overall it sounds like a pair of toy headphones. Combined with poor isolation, the listening experience can become quite unpleasant.

The best thing I find about these headphones is that they are very light, so if you don’t care about the cons, and if you are looking for very light headphones, you may like these. The Panasonic RP-HT161M are so missed for me, half the problems I had with them could have been solved by rotating the earcups at least a little. Like I said about the Sony MDR-ZX110, you can get a better product for not a lot of money.

Ultimately, the top five best-selling wired headphones on Amazon all have something in common: They’re all fairly affordable, but come with some major caveats. But I’m surprised by how much I like the Sony MDR-EX15AP earbuds and even the Apple EarPods, both of which cost about the same price and both perform very well.

To my surprise, I love the Sony MDR-EX15AP earbuds and even the Apple EarPods so much, both of which cost about the same price and both have great features.

You do get what you pay for when you buy cheaper earbuds and headphones, but what really makes a good pair of headphones is good sound quality and a good fit. Once you check these boxes, it’s hard to go wrong.