I tested these $5 wired earbuds and they sounded better than expected – but I still wouldn’t recommend them
It was just a typical Wednesday. I connected to my work laptop, I threw on my headphones and I was typed on the new flashy technology that I had tested. Everything was fine. It was until I received a message from our Becky audio editor, asking me if I would like to try $ 5 headphones … and a thrill sank my spine.
OK, I’m exaggerating (for a dramatic effect), but if I told you that I was delighted to try the wired headphones of less than $ 5 / $ 5 ZJXD, I would lie to you. You see, I was lucky to try some of the best wired headphones, as well as some of the best wireless headphones and the best headphones.
Testing a pair of almost cheap wired buds then raised a lot of questions for me. Will they ring Super-Tinny? Will audio seem super deformed? Will they even function properly? Do you want to find out? Well, here’s what I did with these very cheap ears.
Functional audio, but considerably restricted
Ok, so do you want to know what’s crazy? For less than £ 7 (around $ 9.40), we have not only obtained a pair of ZJXD buds – we had two. For reference, these were identical, apart from the fact that a pair came in black and the other in white.
So, after connecting the USB-C connector to my Samsung Galaxy S24 Fe, I think it’s just to say that I barely awaited an average sound. And was it good? Absolutely not. But was it the worst I heard? Again, absolutely not!
Enrich Black eye By Allie X, some serious limitations were obvious. These buds produce a fairly swollen audio, with the lines blurring between mid -range sounds and at low frequency, resulting in a muddy presentation. Meanwhile, more acute percussion in Mirch By Ruze has become quite little to high volumes, which led to a fairly hard listening experience.
But – and there is a big but – hey, I’m talking about the headphones here (!), You always get a clear sound when you listen to an average or lower volume. The voices, although they are not beautifully separated, are not deformed or too built -in. And the bass, although muddy, is actually quite impactful, offering a solid punch for dance and hip-hop tracks, let’s say.
And also, if you spend about $ 5 /5 £ 5 for some wired buds, I expect you that you are not looking for – and you are certainly not expecting – excellent sound quality. This model is functional and does not make your music sound as if it were played underwater or out of the integrated speaker of your phone. It is about as much as you could ask at this price!
The index is in construction
Some of the biggest sacrifices you make with these uncombtably cheap buds are in the construction department. These essentially reproduce the appearance and sensation of the Apple USB-C Earpods, bearing a loose intra-ear design, an online controller and a minimalist aesthetic.
However, they do not have the same high quality finish as you expect from Apple’s ears. Instead, these wired buds bear their low price on their sleeves, with a Plasticky and cheap exterior. The attached controller is also quite rigid and the chin cursor is not very effective in keeping the two wires together.
Yes, the main thing is that I do not see these particularly durable buds, and they don’t seem exactly too hot either. More a personal thing is that I am not huge on the design of these, but if you do not like the feeling of an intra-ear seal-something you get with models like the Skullcady Set USB-C-then it may suit you.
One more thing: the microphone on these buds is, without a doubt, the worst that I have ever used. When I take a vocal note, it seemed that I gave a speech during diving in the deep sea without a helmet. So if you ever plan to make a phone call, avoid them, believe me.
There you then have it. These buds may seem better than expected for their price, but you undoubtedly make great sacrifices elsewhere. In my opinion, you would better spend a little more to unlock a high quality – not only in terms of design, but also in terms of sound. What do you want to know instead? Well, it’s your lucky day – I listed some alternatives below, that I personally examined.
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