NEW VIDEO: Our earbuds go up against AirPods

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Everyone loves Apple’s AirPods. (Well, almost everyone. Some people think their non-recyclability is a big problem.) They’re cool and small and cordless and smart. When they came out, it was more proof that Apple can do things that others can’t. Not only that they can charge a lot of money.

Yeah, about that “lot of money”…

I have a pair of AirPods myself. I like them but I rarely use them. I’m worried they’ll fall out of my ears and I’ll be out a couple hundred dollars. I know there are silicone covers and all but they are just so dang expensive.

That’s why I love our Bluetooth earbuds. They look and act like Apple’s products but at a tiny fraction of the price, I’m not as afraid I’ll lose them. Plus, they come in black. I know, Apple loves to have the little white earbuds. They’ve been doing that so long it’s sort of “their thing.” But I’ve never liked the white buds. They get dirty and especially with AirPods, they just shout “steal me.” Black makes so much more sense.

But how do they hold up?

That’s the subject of our latest video. Solid Signal sent me a set of these earbuds and I did a side-by-side comparison. It only takes about 30 seconds to realize who the winner is:

It’s pretty obvious which one you should choose.

But, but, the sound quality… (and other rants you’re likely to hear)

You are going to hear audiophiles tell you that for such a low price, the audio quality has to be worse. They’ll probably tell you about the makeup of the tiny magnets or whatever. OK, that’s fine. I suppose they may be right on that. But I will tell you that to my old ears I don’t notice enough of a difference to account for spending about 6 times as much.  I put one of each in each ear. Ours were a little louder and a little less bass-oriented. But I had absolutely no complaint. Your mileage may vary but for this price it’s probably worth checking out.

One last snipe at the Airpods

Obviously the AirPods paired perfectly and easily with my iPhone. Then again, so did our earbuds. But, I also have an Android phone. It’s a little older, and the AirPods have never paired properly with them. Our earbuds paired with the phone absolutely no problem. I can’t guarantee our earbuds will pair with every phone, but they sure paired with mine, and they paired with every other Bluetooth device I had, too. More than you can say for the AirPods.

If you’re looking for a great value in earbuds that you won’t be afraid to use, check these out at Solid Signal.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.