Earplugs have been trending for years. No wonder that the practical ear studs are always on offer. In addition to the Apple AirPods 2, Amazon currently has two strong ear studs for every budget with a significant discount.
Sony WF-1000XM4 Earbuds: Excellent noise cancellation and brilliant sound
The Sony WF-1000XM4 currently costs 169 euros as part of the Sony Brand Week and are therefore 11 percent lower than the suggested retail price. The previous low price is around 155 euros. The current deal is therefore close to the price optimum.
Sony’s in-ear headphones belong to the premium segment and convince in almost every area. The active noise reduction including wind noise reduction is excellent, the sound quality is very balanced. There is also a strong transparency mode, with which you can listen to ambient noise and conversations on request or even fully automatically without taking off the earbuds.
Unlike the competition, Sony uses foam instead of silicone with the real earplugs. The material hugs your ear canal for a snug and comfortable fit, further enhancing noise reduction. The battery lasts about eight hours, the charging case offers an additional 16 hours.
Sony’s XM4 earbuds also have a few drawbacks. So you can only connect the earbuds to one device at a time. Switching back and forth automatically between, for example, a laptop and smartphone does not work. In addition, the microphone cannot quite keep up with the quality of the expensive competition.
Jabra Elite 3: The perfect entry-level earbuds
If you don’t want to spend that much money on earplugs, the Jabra Elite 3 is an excellent and, above all, cheap alternative. The headphones are currently no less than 51 percent cheaper than the RRP and costs only 39 euros on Amazon. Earplugs have never been so cheap.
The Jabra Elite 3 are among the best earbuds in the entry-level segment and immediately catch the eye with their interesting design. Thanks to the IP55 certification, you can even use the ear studs in the rain. The battery lasts no less than seven hours, the charging case offers another 21 hours of power.
The sound of the Jabra Elite 3 is surprisingly good for this price range. The good insulation of the earplugs also contributes to this, so that they sit firmly in the ear. There’s even a listen-through mode like the Sony earbuds, so you can listen in on conversations.
In terms of quality, the Jabra earplugs cannot of course be compared to the premium models from Sony and Co. The noise reduction is passive only and the sound quality is nowhere near as good as Sony’s. But for 40 euros you get a lot of technology that is not obvious in this price range.