Best headphone solutions review

Best headphones for 2019, Top Earbuds and Headphones

The Flex2 High-Performance Sports Earphones is advertised as a “sports earphone” and is engineered to be sweat proof and water resistant, so you can wear then during your toughest workouts. The earpieces are washable and offer protection from dripping water when the device is rotated 15 degrees in any direction from vertical for at least 10 minutes. The earpieces are rated at IPX4, which offers protection from a splash of water in any direction for at least 5 minutes.

We like this single button design and it worked well. We often found other brands that use multiple buttons confusing and had to refer back to the user guide on several occasions to be reminded how to do something. We should point out that the Soul Electronics web site makes mention that the one button control also adjusts the volume but we could not get it to do that. Instead, we had to use the volume control on our iPhone and MacBook Pro but we don’t see that as an issue.

The transition from listening to music to answering an incoming call was seamless. With a single press of the button, the music was paused and we were connected to the call. At the end of the call, the music continued where it left off.

The Soul Flex2 is a great buy, offering a secure fit, markedly better sound than other sport earphones we’ve heard and a smart overall design that stays put for any type of workout. If you want to be able to put them on and take them off constantly, the loops may slow you down. Otherwise, you can’t do better than the full audio and comfortable fit of the Soul Flex.

First things first: as you’ll have already noticed (and, most likely, already commented on), these Sennheiser IE800S in-Ear Headphones are in the top-end of the market, and not only in price. The unavoidable initial response to this information goes like so: “how can a pair of earphones possibly justify a price tag like that?” and that’s assuming you’re polite and not given to foul language.

As you’d expect, Sennheiser is at pains to point out the numerous innovations incorporated into the IE 800s. And to be fair, these unassuming earphones are, relatively speaking, packed with high-end technology. The extra-wideband (XWB) transducers, for instance, are (at just 7mm) the smallest currently available and promise distortion-free sound even at uncomfortable-going-on-dangerous volume levels.

Harmonic distortion levels are so low as to be (apparently) non-existent. Ceramic housings and dampened two-chamber absorbers also let you know that these small, unassuming-looking earbuds mean business. As if the price-tag didn’t shout that already. While there isn’t much space to express the idea of premium materials, or painstaking construction or finish, the Sennheisers’ single-piece ceramic enclosures feel solid, and the relatively hefty cable resists tangling and transmitting noise.

Once in place (the IE 800s are supplied with five different-size ear adaptors and are simplicity itself to fit comfortably and securely), the scope of the Sennheisers’ abilities is apparent from the get-go. Where authority and control are concerned, the IE 800s are simply unquestionable. Low-frequency stuff is delivered with speed, definition and superb tonal variation, and as you move up the frequency range the Sennheisers just get on with the job of serving up top-notch fidelity.

To all intents and purposes, these Sennheisers require hardware that takes full advantage of such raw power. The Sennheiser IE800S are superbly made brilliantly accomplished in-ear headphones. If you can justify the cost, and if your source player can justify it too, we think you’d be hard-pressed to find better. At any price.

For those constantly on the move, there isn’t a more accommodating type of headphone than those of the in-ear variety. Their discrete form factor lends to unparalleled portability and better yet, they are increasingly being stocked with impressive sound performance. What’s not to love? If you are willing to jump ship and leave those smartphone throw-aways behind, you might notice that the Shure SE215-CL don’t really look like other earbuds. That’s because these aren’t earbuds, but earphones, to be precise.

What’s the difference? Aside from being a real step-up in performance, in-ear headphones like the SE215 take on several meaningful design adjustments in order to fit extra hardware inside the earpiece. An earbud is typically shaped to be wedged into the outer part of the ear canal, just far enough inside to achieve minimal noise isolation, but not deep enough to provide rich sound performance. On the other hand, most earphones, including the SE215, achieve excellent noise isolation because they slip inside the ear further.

Each of the earphones is tethered to a cord with a few more unique tweaks to the standard earbud formula. First of all, the cables are detachable. This isn’t exactly a trait that’s all too common among earphone in the market, but it’s one that could make repairs down the road easier. Perhaps the biggest shocker in the design of the Shure SE215-CL is that the cables orient upward and cradle around the ear. It makes perfect sense, too. With earphones, this hefty, gravity would have its way with the SE215 at every step.

I wish there were more features to touch on, specifically, in-line controls. Unfortunately, those are missing here, which means that you can’t control your music player without having it in hand. Included with the purchase are a slick zip-up case and several replaceable earpieces in case the default size doesn’t gel with your ear canal. The smallest ones worked best for me.

In its price range, the Shure SE215-CL is an attractive value when you consider what’s being offered up. Clutch noise isolation, stellar performance and comfort at an entry-level price. If you can open your mind up to a different approach to the in-ear headphone, you’re in for a treat.

Monster Clarity HD100 is one of the better-known headphone companies in the world, building headphones that are as stylish as they are great-sounding. That’s been true for a while now, and the company is showing no signs of slowing, despite the growing competition from the likes of Beats. One of Monster’s more recent releases are the Monster Clarity HD on-ear headphones and just because Monster is a trusted brand when buying headphones, that doesn’t mean everything it makes automatically turns to gold. So should you buy the Monster Clarity HD’s? We put them to the test to find out.

Monster has long been known for its stylish take on headphones, and that’s a tradition that continues in the Clarity HDs. The Monster Clarity HD100 headphones come in three different colours, red, black, and grey and all three of them look great. We reviewed the black pair, and we have to say, they’re very sleek. The only non-black components are a metal hinge and branding on the side of the earcup, which ultimately gives them quite a stylish look. The headphones are largely built from a high-grade plastic rather than metal, and we would have liked to see a little more metal. In the end, however, that didn’t really bother us much as the plastic is high enough quality to where the headphones are solidly built, and they’re nice and light too, which is important for a pair of on-ear headphones like this. We also would have liked to see a higher quality leather on the cushions because you’ll want to be careful to ensure the leather doesn’t rip.

When you first open up the headphones and put them on, you’ll notice that there aren’t really any controls to be seen. That’s because they actually have touch controls. Swipe up on the side to turn the volume up, down to turn it down, and tap once to play/pause your music. There are a few more controls to get used to, and our only complaint about the system could be that it takes a few days to get used to but once you do, you’ll love it. Not only does it prevent the headphones from needing ugly buttons on the side, but it plays to the fact that we are all used to touch screens now, so we shouldn’t have much trouble grasping the idea of a touch-sensitive surface.

The street-styled Monster Clarity HD100 headphones have a lot to offer and at a decent price. There are a few things that work against them, like the lack of carrying case, the weirdly placed power button, and the overuse of plastic but the pros outweigh the cons. If you’re looking for a pair of street-sounding headphones to listen to music on your daily commute or otherwise, these are a great option that we highly recommend.