Making affordable wireless earbuds is not easy. You have to stick to a tight budget, keep costs low, and meet customers’ high expectations for great sound without wires.
People want good features, great sound quality, convenience, cool tech, stylish design, and easy app support. As time goes on, these demands are getting stronger.
It’s no surprise that cheap earbuds often don’t perform well because of these high standards and limited resources. Some brands do manage to create good affordable options, like the Sony WF-C510, but many others struggle.
For example, the LG Xboom Buds, which are around £90 on Amazon, don’t impress with their average sound and basic design. While sound quality is the most important aspect, the Xboom Buds didn’t excite us.
In 2020, Earfun wowed us with their Earfun Air buds that were both powerful and affordable. However, their newer model, the Earfun Air Pro 3, priced at £50 on Amazon, doesn’t sound good enough, so we wouldn’t recommend them.
Then there’s the JLab Go Pop+, which are very cheap at £25 / $30 / AU$50. However, they only got a three-star review, so we suggest spending a little more on the Sony C510 instead.
So, what’s the issue, and what can manufacturers do to improve? Simply saying “make your earbuds sound better” isn’t enough.
One problem is that customers today expect many features, whether earbuds cost £50 or £250. This means simpler options often get overlooked.
To sell your product, you need to offer more than just a vague promise of “great sound.” Buyers look for real benefits, like noise cancellation, long battery life, or good Bluetooth support.
This can make manufacturers try to add too many features, which can take away from the main goal of making the earbuds sound really good.
For us, the sound needs to fit our needs, and this has been a problem for many of the brands mentioned. They don’t all sound the same, but we often notice the same issues, like weak dynamics and poor rhythm.
This is especially true for very cheap earbuds like the JLab Go Pop+. While they don’t sound terrible, their lack of musical quality, like flat dynamics and bad rhythm, really hurts their overall performance.
As we mentioned in our review: “If you want your music to have punch or depth, you’ll be disappointed.”
We don’t expect super-cheap earbuds to have a lot of detail – that’s not realistic. What we want is to feel the music and enjoy it while listening.
You won’t get the perfect sound that audiophiles want, but we expect a good understanding of music that makes pop songs fun and slow ballads emotional. What is The Best Audio Recording Device
Take the Sony WF-C510 as an example; they set the standard for affordable earbuds. They’re not incredibly clear or detailed, but they provide everything we want at this price. Our review says it well: “At this price, the key is to be fun and engaging, and the Sony WF-C510 delivers on that.”
Think of the goal like trying to create an Impressionist painting – it’s less about tiny details and more about capturing the essence of the music with broad strokes.
Sometimes, you have to work within your budget, which means making choices or compromises to get a sound that fits your level. If that means giving up some features for better sound, then so be it – whether brands are willing to do that is another story.
Aiming for high-end detail and clarity may not be realistic, but making a product that can handle the basics of what makes music enjoyable – energy, dynamics, rhythm, and emotional connection – is a more achievable goal. Affordable Wireless Earbuds: Great Value, Big Compromise What Cable should I use for Speakers?