The Best Earphones for iPod and other MP3 players

We strive to be the best at what we do. We know the difference between a dual driver earphone and a single driver earphone, the difference between the sound signatures of a Shure earphone, an Ultimate Ears earphone and a Westone earphone. We can tell you what “microphonics” is.

So you can trust us when we rank the best earphones here. All of the in-ear earphones (also known as ear canal headphones) you find on Earphone Solutions are special and of the highest quality, but the ones you see rated here are, well, extra-special. Of course this is a very personal matter, however we have found along these 7 years that, the great majority of our customers that had the chance to try more than one model, are in agreement with our findings. Our staff, contributors and friends simply listen to all the earphones and then we vote the best earphones for the iPod and other portables. We listen to all kinds of music in different situations and with different sources. We do not get hung on technical specifications. We simply listen to them. We also take in account comfort, fit, ease of use, build quality, manufacturer's warranty, manufacturer's customer support, cost and of course, sound quality, in order to rank the best earphones.So, after much testing, jogging, listening at home, on the airplane, at the subway station, we decided to list here the best in-ear earphones available today in the market.

The best earphones are listed here in order of our preference. The Shure SE530-PTH, most recent arrival Shure SE420 and the UM2 are our overall best ear canal headphones, combining the best fit, comfort and sound, along with the best fitting cables. The difference here between the UM2 and the SE530 (SE420 has the same sound signature but on a dual driver configuration -- less expensive, slightly less detail) will be personal taste. The SE530 outputs slightly more detail in the mid range and highs. The UM2 has slightly stronger bass. The SE530 is slightly brighter while the UM2 is slightly more balanced (flatter). The Shure SCL5 comes in second place now as the best option for professional musicians with very strong highs and lows. We tested them with a RIO player, iPod 30GB, iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle and a Sony CD player. Enjoy the "The Best Earphones" below!