I have the Skullcandy Push Active buds. I don’t know what others think of the brand, if they’re considered good or trash, but I have no complaints about them. They’re comfortable, don’t fall out, the battery has never died on me and the sound quality is good for my porpoises. They’re also exactly in your price range and don’t require an app.
I’m loving my Jaybird Vista (and lately Vista 2). They’re the only buds I’ve found that fit my loose ears very well. (Different size plugs are included.) Have a look and see if you like them. They’re a bit above the requested price range though.
I like my JBL Vibe pair very much. I hated the Airpods I was gifted and they died after like a year, useless. I tried an inexpensive Amazon type of brand and I did not like them, they shut off in one ear at the merest brush of a fingertip. The Vibe have worked great and I like the design of the buds themselves.
JLab Go Sport meets all requirements except ANC. Sound quality is good enough for that price point, I use these for exercise and haven’t had an issue with sweat, and the earhooks are comfortable.
My only issue with these is the case is quite bulky, though I tend to leave it at home/in my bag/etc unless I know I’ll need to take them off for an extended period.
I really like SoundCore earbuds. I have a pair of Life A2 NCs that I primarily use to listen to podcasts and make work calls. I usually leave the sound on normal, but when I’m vacuuming or doing something loud, I’ll switch them to noise canceling and I’m always really impressed how well it works.
In my experience SoundCore microphones are pretty inconsistent across their models, but I’ve found the A2’s mics produce really high quality sound, good enough for clear work calls. Other SoundCore mics have been unacceptably bad.
oneplus nord buds 2 supposedly have ANC but i haven’t noticed any difference, with or without it, plus they were uncomfortable for me, but i prefer buds without those gummy things by 12h of battery life you mean earbuds only or with charging case? because it’ll be hard for the buds themselves
I heard Taotronics earbuds are supposed to be super good esp for audio quality at a decently affordable price as well in comparison to other affordable ear buds for that price.
I’m using the Sony Linkbuds S at the moment. Very good ANC, comparable to the Airpods Pro Gen 1 I used before but it has much better fit. The airpods I’d have to adjust every few minutes so they don’t fall out but the Linkbuds are tiny and might be even lighter so they have been rock solid.
Audio quality is also very good (as good as one can expect from this form factor). I haven’t done any A - B listening with the Airpods Pro, as mine died, but it definitely doesn’t feel like a downgrade. Base to me feels punchy and the highs don’t hurt my ears, as with many other earphones.
You get a wide range of features like a custom EQ and customising controls (to some extent) through the app. It even tries to help you choose your own EQ with a clever A-B listening setup. You can safely delete the app once you set up everything. There are some other features like 360 audio or link with streaming services, not sure how these work, they seem very proprietary. Alternatively there might be an open source app for android that they are compatible with but I haven’t really looked into it.
It can connect to two devices at the same time but I recommend you leave this setting off as it has been a bit buggy occasionally with audio only coming out of one ear. A factory reset seems to have fixed everything for the last few months now but I haven’t turned this feature back on.
Sadly prices seem to have gone up since I bought mine for around $120 a year ago. Definitely keep an eye out for a deal.
Overall I can highly recommend these earbuds. I’d choose them over Sony’s top of the line WF 1000XM4 because the fit is just so good, they are much less expensive, and (according to reviews) audio quality is somewhat comparable.
I’ll get shit on for this but my Raycons lasted me a super long time, I had the mesh screens fall out pretty early on but didn’t notice any change. They were only like $80 or something using a YouTubers code. I actually lost one of the earbuds somehow and I’m probably going to buy a new pair.
I use them all the time for running, and sweat like I have a glandular problem. I would have to sometimes bump them in a little bit, but they would never actually fall out. It just changed the way I heard music in one ear.
I’ve heard that before, but it honestly seems like an urban legend. I’m sure there are lemons for sure, but I can’t really find anything that proves they are rebrands (or point you towards the original).
For what I get, yea it’s pretty cheap. I’ve gotten probably 500 hours plus of playtime with them, and the only issues have been the little mesh screen falling out, and then not shutting down all the to me after I lost one. For $80 CAD there aren’t many other good options, plus I was able to support someone who’s content I consume all the time. Better option than Marshmallow earbuds or monster at that price point.
I bought some bone conducting ones a year ago that have a band around the back. It’s cool because they are on solid for running and at work I can still have a conversation as they don’t cover your ears. Shokz is the brand I believe. About 80$usd for the one I got. If you want ANS though they don’t have that
Harder to lose than all the earbuds I now have only one of.
I’m on the lookout for Shokz but how is your experience with the headband and a higher collar? I usually have a collared shirt in the winter to keep me warm.
I’ve used Aftershokz before, they’re great. They are the opposite of noise cancelling (which OP wanted) though, ideal for when you need to hear things.
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