Panasonic’s Wired Earbuds Sound Better Than Apple’s EarPods
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your account’s‘Saved for Later’section.
Comment
It’s not surprising that more people are choosing wired earbuds overwireless ones. They work without your needing to fiddle around in your Bluetooth settings, and they don’t have to be charged. They also tend to be much cheaper. I like that I don’t have to worry about an earbud falling out and getting lost. For all those reasons, I’ve been using wiredin-ear monitorsfor most of my music listening these days. But as great as they sound, IEMs are bulky and often don’t have microphones, so you can’t use them for making phone calls or sending voice notes.
As a certified yapper who does a lot of both, I decided to try out Panasonic’s $25 ErgoFit in-ear wired earbuds, which have a built-in microphone with a volume control. They’re almost as cheap as Apple’s wiredEarPodsand sound even better.I’m loving them so far.
New! You can now save this product for later.
The sound quality is great, especially for the price
For $25 earbuds, the ErgoFits sound shockingly clear and balanced. The highs are crisp, while the mids shine through without the lows drowning them out. I listened to my usual headphone-testing playlist and not a single track produced heavy distortion, even at high volume. On tracks like Alice in Chains’ “Them Bones,” Layne Staley’s vocals soared over each guitar riff without either getting washed out. Meanwhile, bass-heavy songs such as Key Glock’s “Dough” packed plenty of oomph without being overwhelming.
I did notice that when the earbuds didn’t produce a perfect seal, they sounded a bit tinny, but that quickly went away once I secured them back into place. Even without a proper seal, the ErgoFits sounded better than Apple’s EarPods, which don’t have swappable tips and don’t fit as comfortably in the ear.
I’ve been just as impressed with the quality of the ErgoFit’s microphone. In calls and in response to voice notes, several folks noted my voice sounded clearer than usual. And while there aren’t controls on the earbuds themselves to manage playback and volume, there are buttons along the right-earphone cable for each. They’re just as easy to get the hang of but don’t support gestures as fancier wireless earbuds like theAirPods Prodo.
They work with all your gadgets
Many wired earbuds use a 3.5-mm headphone connector, which requires a USB-C adapter if you plan to use the buds with modern devices since many lack a headphone jack. The ErgoFits have a 3.5-mm option, but I tested the ones with just a USB-C connector. It’s less bulky than using a converter and ensures their compatibility with everything from an iPhone or Android device to an iPad or laptop.
That does mean, however, that you’ll need aconverterif youdowant to use these earbuds with a 3.5-mm headphone jack. If you mostly plan on using them with your phone or tablet, that probably won’t be an issue, but it may be worth grabbing a cheap one if you’re on the fence about going all in on USB-C.
New! You can now save this product for later.
You get less functionality than you would with much costlier wireless earbuds
Unlike wireless earbuds, the ErgoFits don’t have any on-device chips for things like noise cancellation, transparency mode, or voice-assistant triggers. They do a decent job of keeping external noises at bay, but you won’t feel truly immersed the way you would with the best wireless earbuds. I got used to that pretty quickly, but I did find myself missing the ability to say “Hey, Siri” and add something to my to-do list or call a friend without having to touch my phone.
They’re affordable, good-sounding earbuds with a few compromises
While you won’t get noise cancellation or voice-assistant support with the ErgoFits, it’s hard to beat their sound quality at such a low price. Every song I tested them with sounded as good as it did on pricier wireless earbuds (though not as good as the best ones), and they’re great for phone calls thanks to their high-quality microphone. And because they’re so cheap, I don’t have to worry about losing them the same way I do with wireless earbuds.
Other headphones we recommend
More From The Strategist
- The Back-to-School Hall of Fame
- The Best Things Strategist Editors Have Bought This Year (So Far)
- Everything You Need to Outfit Your College Dorm
- The Strategist Summer 100
The Strategistis designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read abouthere. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
