The Best In-Ear Headphone

Earbuds came into style with the rise of the iPhone and no smartphone or MP3 player worth anything ships without a pair. Unfortunately, most aren't worth even taking out of the box.

When shopping for an upgrade, keep this in mind: Earbuds come in two distinct types—those with ear speakers that sit on or hover over the ear canal and allow you to hear ambient noise, and true in-ear buds with speakers that fit inside the ear canal and eliminate up to 90 percent of ambient noise. Most free earbuds sit outside the canal, In-canal earbuds help preserve your hearing since you can listen to music at lower levels and still enjoy the subtleties.

What to look for

• Multiple eartip sizes and shapes; the more choices you have, the more likely they will fit your ears correctly
• Long cords. In-line controls and mics, preferably ones that work with a wide range of smartphones and not just iOS devices
• Natural-sounding, rounded audio that handles the high and middle ranges well.

Prices valid as of May 15, 2013.

✔Editor's Choice: NOCS NS800-001 In-Ear Earphones

It might not seem like a pair of tiny earbuds are capable of producing rich, natural audio, and maybe most can't. The NS800 achieve this by utilizing balanced-armature technology to deliver music that's more faithful to what the recording artist intended. Treble, bass, and midrange performance are all top-notch and the buds make a wide range of genres sound great. Just don't pass judgment on them until you've broken them in for a few days. With three different eartip choices, most people will find them very comfortable.

Style: In Ear
Controls: In-line three button, mic; compatible with iPhone
Noise cancelling: Passive isolation
Eartips: six pair, two each of three sizes, standard round silicon
Wired: Non-detachable cord
Loudness: 106.6 dB

Price: $199 on nocs.shopify.com, $189 on Amazon

Entry level: The House of Marley EM-JE000-LI Smile Jamaica

You don't have to spend a lot of money to upgrade your earbuds thanks to these Smile Jamaicas from House of Marley. The sub $30 price is enough to make anyone happy, but there are other reasons to grin. You'll get powerful bass that doesn't overwhelm too much and overall well-rounded audio. The fabric-covered cord sports a one-button remote and mic that works with both iOS and Android. The buds come with three silicon eartips to fit most ears.

Style: In Ear
Controls: Optional in-line one button, mic; compatible with all phones. Optional in-line three button, mic; compatible with iPhone
Noise cancelling: Passive isolation
Eartips: Three sizes, standard round silicon
Wired: Non-detachable cord, three options: no control, one button control, three button control
Loudness: 98dB

Price: $30 on thehouseofmarley.com and Amazon

Mid-range: Beyerdynamic MMX 101 iE In Ear Headphone

The MMX 101s offer a nice balance between high end audio quality and affordability. These earbuds deliver rounded bass and clear treble plus powerful volume, all in a light and compact package. Though the midrange doesn't sparkle as much as more high-end buds, the overall quality is pleasing for the price. On the cord you'll find a one-button control for answering calls and pausing music on iOS and Android devices.

The package also includes a headphone/mic splitter so that you can use the MMX 101s for video chats on your computer as well.

Style: In Ear
Controls: In-line one button, mic; compatible with iPhone, Blackberry and HTC, adapter accessories add compatibility with Nokia, Sony, Ericsson, Samsung, Motorola, LG.
Noise cancelling: Passive isolation
Eartips: Three sizes, standard round silicon
Wired: Non-detachable cord
Loudness: 102 dB

Price: $125 at beyerdynamic.com, $70 at Amazon

High-end: Altec Lansing A1 Custom Single Driver

Even though most earbuds come with eartips in multiple sizes, it can be hard to find a pair that fits and stays in if your ear canal is odd in some way. Too big, too small, whatever it is, there are some people that have to deal with one or the other bud dropping out constantly. The solution for some is to just wear over or on-ear headphones and move on, but if you prefer in-ears, there is hope.

Altec Lansing's A1 earbuds are custom made to fit your ear canal. It means finding a company-approved audiologist to take a mold of your ears (a service included in the price) and waiting a couple of weeks for the headphones to arrive. Once they do, you'll never have to worry about the buds falling out again while you enjoy the high-end audio quality.

Style: In Ear
Controls: None
Noise cancelling: Passive Isolation
Eartips: Custom silicon
Wired: Non-detachable cord
Loudness: Not provided

Price: $500 on alteclansing.com

Need more help deciding which pair of headphones is right for you? Check out our story on how to buy headphones.