2025 Best Sound Quality Earbuds 👑 Budget to Premium!
After more than a 1000 reviews covering hundreds of earbuds, these are the best sounding earbuds so far in 2025. I’m going to nominate them according to price, from best sounding premium earbuds between $200-300, the best sounding mid-range buds between $100-$200, and the best sounding budget earbuds under $100.
I’m hoping that this approach would make it easier to decide based on your personal budget, so buckle up!
Premium Tier - $200-$500
For best sounding earbuds premium earbuds from the $200-$500 range, my first choice is the Technics AZ100. They’ve got top tier transient response courtesy of the magnetic fluid drivers created for accuracy and speed. As a result, even though it’s only got a single 10mm driver, it sounds extremely clean and well separated, with great detail retrieval and no muddiness, so I could hear more texture in the instruments, as well as an open and airy soundstage.
Next we have the B&W Pi8. I consider it a little better-sounding than the AZ100, and only because it's a bit more layered, as in its soundstaging is just as clean, open and airy, but deeper. To me there’s a bit more realism, being able to grasp the positioning of the instruments a little better, aside from having comparable levels of texture, tightness and detail retrieval.
Bass is deep and punchy without bleeding over into the mids, and these are also the loudest earbuds I have ever tried. I’m often at just 30% volume, maybe a little higher if I want more impact, but never beyond 50%. Whereas on others it’s usually at 50-60%. So if you want more volume and exceptional sound quality, go for the Pi8.
Next, the Noble FoKus Rex5. It’s got a whopping 5 drivers in each earbud which is a technical achievement for TWS buds, but just because it’s got X number of drivers doesn’t mean it sounds good. It’s got to be tuned well, and out of the box, these don’t really hit the spot for me, but after tweaking them with my custom EQ, these are easily the best sounding premium earbuds, producing a clean analytical sound that’s smooth and rich in detail.
The bass texture is there, the airiness, the separation and crispness, even the layering that I loved in the Pi8, these ones have it to a larger degree, so there’s more depth. The downside of these Rex5 is, it’s very expensive for TWS, and it’s not rich in features. But if sound quality is your priority and you’ve got cash to spare, check out the Noble FoKus Rex5. Plus, these are designed and built like premium IEMs, and they don’t look or feel cheap, in fact they look very pretty. I’ve even got someone in the comments saying they look like ‘Engagement earbuds’!
Mid-range Tier - $100-$200
For best sound quality in the midrange between $100-200, first we have the JLAB Epic Lab Edition. It’s got a dual driver setup, and really, it sounds like the B&Ws in many ways.
Smooth and detailed with deep, resonant bass and gravity, bass and mids separation was super distinct, so there was no cross-bleeding. It also has a lot of presence and detail in strings and winds so that I could even feel the texture of the tracks. In fact, I would consider this the ‘budget’ Pi8 because it costs much less but has near comparable performance. What I also like is the fact that you can connect them to your PC with a USB-C dongle to enjoy lower compression rates compared to regular Bluetooth.
Next midrange buds which I think sound awesome is the Denon PERL Pro. Out of the box, they don’t sound good. I found them too radio-like, and there’s an overemphasis on the upper mids.
But the reason they’re on this list is because, if you perform AAT, which is this automatic calibration in the app, they can sound close to the much more expensive B&W Pi8. Now, it doesn’t have the Pi8’s depth, but it’s a very clean, exciting sound signature with great track and instrumental separation, bass that sounds full and textured, and highs that are airy. I like them enough to nominate them in the best sounding midrange buds category, but keep in mind that it has to go through AAT tuning to get there.
Budget Tier - Under $100
For the best sounding budget earbuds under $100, the first one is the CMF Buds Pro 2. By default they’re quite bass heavy, and they can sound a bit dark, but they also have clean separation so they’re great for bass lovers who want more thump and impact, but don’t want mids to sound boomy as a result.
They also have clean and airy highs so if we picture their sound quality as a whole, these have a very exciting v-shaped signature that will sound great to a lot of people. What’s really impressive about them is, for the price, it actually sounds like more expensive models in the midrange. That’s why they’re one of the best sounding budget earbuds.
Next best sounding under $100 we have the Creative Aurvana Ace 2. They were actually more expensive before because they’ve got xMEMS drivers, but they’ve had a huge price cut recently that put them nicely in the budget range.
XMEMs are known for super fast transient response which yields better accuracy, separation, clarity and fidelity, but just that alone isn’t enough to make it enjoyable. The tuning’s just as important, and the Ace 2 sounds smooth and tight in the mids, bass is punchy and soundstaging is spacious. It also phases object positioning very well. In other words, premium level sound at budget price, which is why it’s on this list of best sounding earbuds.
Check latest prices:
Technics AZ100 - https://amzn.to/4hcKrQD
B&W Pi8 - https://amzn.to/3U8n9lT
Noble FoKus Rex5 - https://amzn.to/45c9zEi
JLAB Epic Lab Edition - https://amzn.to/4kiKA6l
Denon PERL Pro - https://amzn.to/4l94hOy
CMF Buds Pro 2. - https://amzn.to/4k0x0Es
Creative Aurvana Ace 2 - https://amzn.to/4npSg9A
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