Wired earbud recommendations

[80-watt Hamster]

I'm looking for a new set of wired buds. My requirements aren't extreme; I don't need or want audiophile-level gear. I am, however, just picky enough relative to the general population to not be happy with the first pair on the rack at Best Buy. What's getting replaced is a Creative Aurvana Trio whose left unit has come apart a second time. This will be for general use (both speech and music) from a several-year-old phone.

General requirements:
Less than USD70, preferably under $50
WIRED. This is not negotiable
From an "old guard" manufacturer. Not interested in the Chinese brands, no-name fly-by-nights or flashes-in-the-pan

Inline mic is nice, but not strictly necessary.

 

[Arrakis9]

I know you said no Chinese stuff but it's hard to get something decent quality at the price point your trying to hit.

Myself and plenty of others have hailed these to be the holy grail of the $50 segment. Honestly one of my favorite pair of buds, they fit inside the ear perfectly and you honestly forget your wearing them. As for the sound quality... Let's just say they put $100 iem's I have to shame.

Worth a look, they've been around for a while far from a fly by night set. Good luck with your hunt!

Amazon.com

 

[Dr. Dro]

You shouldn't writeoff Chi-Fi, especially at this budget level. IEMs like KZ ZSX or ZS10 Pro are far superior to anything Western at that price level, to the point that they've been pushed and priced out of market. The Shure SE215 is twice as much, the extra flimsy SE112 is still $10 over that budget and it just doesn't hold up.

I'd personally spend the ~80 on a Moondrop Aria 2 set.

 

[Toothless]

I've gone with Skullcandy for wired buds for a long time. Worked great for years.

 

[MrBanana]

Take a look at the JBL Endurance Run 2, they are really cheap and they sound good. Here is a review: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s/jbl-endurance-run-2-wired-iem-review.58635/

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