2024 BEST Sound Quality Earbuds! 👑 (After 700 Reviews...)

In my roundup of the best wireless earbuds, I mentioned that the B&W Pi8 has the best sound quality, but I did not go into which other earbuds I think sound great. So, in this list, I will reveal my top 5 picks for earbuds that I think sound awesome out of the box. Some of them are dual drivers, while others are not, but all of them brought much enjoyment to my listening experience.

Just to be clear, sound quality is very subjective, so I’m not saying that the following earbuds are going to sound awesome for everybody, rather, this is based on my personal tastes.

JLAB Epic Lab

The JLab Epic Lab Edition has a dual driver setup combining a Balanced Armature and dynamic driver in each earbud. So when I heard these for the first time, it immediately sounded like the B&Ws Pi7 S2 in many ways. It’s smooth and detailed with deep, resonant bass and gravity. The separation between bass and mids was super distinct, so there was no cross-bleeding of the bass into the mids. There is also a lot of presence and detail in string and wind instruments so that I could even feel the texture of the tracks. I would consider the JLab Epic Lab the ‘budget’ Pi8 because it costs much less but has near comparable performance in terms of sound.

👉 Have a listen to JLab Sound Sample.

Creative Aurvana Ace 2

I like the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 for their quick attack and responsiveness. They use xMEMs driver modules which uses electric pulses to move its silicon membranes, generating one of the world’s fastest transient response. This means they can start and stop the sound at precise timings. They’ve got a pretty flat curve and are much less v-shaped than other earbuds, making them very versatile for various genres of music.

They also reveal transient details in the background that I’ve barely noticed from other earbuds, possibly due to the xMEMS rapid responsiveness. And they sound smooth and effortless, with tight attacks and punchy bass drops. As for soundstaging? It is on point and spacious, with tracks and instruments are placed exactly where I know they should be.

In other words, they are very precise, which is why they make great reference earbuds.

👉 Have a listen to Creative Sound Sample.

Technics AZ80

What the Technics AZ80 is really good at is sounding crisp and vibrant in the vocal range, while avoiding the mistake of exaggerating the upper mids and treble. I also like how versatile it is, because whatever genre I throw at it, whether it’s synthwave, lofi, or classical, jazz, they sound so enjoyable. Best of all, it requires little to no tuning for me. But if you do want to tune its sound to the way you want, it is also very responsive to EQ-ing through the Technics app.

👉 Have a listen to the Technics Sound Sample.

Jabra Elite 10

What I like about the sound of the Jabra Elite 10 is its smoothness and clarity. There’s no sibilance or bloat, just pure clarity, detail, and generous bass output. Overall, I would describe its sound as ‘relaxing’. It is one of the reasons the Jabras used to be my daily drivers - I can listen to them all day and not get fatigued.

With spatial audio support for any source device, it is a big fat plus. Sadly, Gen 2’s not launched in my country, so my most recent experience is with the Gen 1 Elite 10, and they are by far one of the best sounding earbuds I have had the pleasure of using.

👉 Have a listen to the Jabra Sound Sample.

B&W Pi8

Finally, we’ve got the B&W Pi8 which has super clean separation, smooth bass and vocals. They resolve so much background detail in the soundstage that you can hear more of the recording, especially transient details like reverbs. It’s why even audio that’s more intense or messy can sound clean and relaxed when filtered through the Pi8. It’s got a single 12mm carbon driver in each earbud, which is amazing, because it actually sounds similar to its predecessor the Pi7 S2, which features Dual Drivers.

Out of all the buds on this list, the Pi8s have, in my opinion, the best sound quality.

👉 Have a listen to the B&W Sound Sample.

Honorable Mentions

Honorable mentions go to the Denon PERL Pro, Sennheiser MTW4, Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and the Sony WF-1000XM5. Each of these has unique strengths.

I think the Denons sound fantastic with great dynamic range oozing with deep gravity and clarity, but it must be tuned first to your hearing through Denon’s app, otherwise it’ll sound rather flat and dead.

It’s a similar case with the MTW4 but to a lesser degree, because they do sound quite smooth and clear with great bass clarity out of the box. It just needs a little spike in the upper mids and highs which can be done through the Smart Control app.

As for the Galaxy Buds3 Pro, the thing I like most about their sound is their big emphasis on crispness, clarity, and instrumental detail. For example, you can really feel the vibrato and texture in string instruments. Vocals also sound very forward and intimate, and it’s got a very open soundstage.

However, there’s one drawback, which is the lack of app support or firmware updates on iOS devices, which is why they’re not so easy to recommend for everybody. But they do sound good, and deserve a mention.

The WF-1000XM5 is also worth a mention because out of the box it sounds very enjoyable. It’s resolving, has fantastic dynamic range, punchy bass and great clarity in the mids and highs. It’s also hi-res certified with sound quality enhancements like DSEE Extreme adding extra smoothness to the sound.

But their fit can be a challenge for some users, and fit does heavily influence sound quality. For example, the foam tips may not suit everyone, and the glossy surface can make it tricky to keep them plugged in properly. This might have an impact on bass response for some users. (For me, they fit well and sound great, but this might not be the case for everyone) Nonetheless, it’s worth a mention.

So those are the earbuds that I think have the best sound quality. This list is not exhaustive, so if there are others which you think should have been listed, let me know in the comments.

And here are links to their latest prices on Amazon:

B&W Pi8 - https://amzn.to/3U8n9lT
Creative Aurvana Ace 2 - https://amzn.to/4aV204E
Denon PERL Pro - https://amzn.to/3Gyb8ia
JLab Epic Lab - https://amzn.to/3IbnzS7
Jabra Elite 10 - https://amzn.to/3EHIp9J
Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro - https://amzn.to/4fvUNLn
Sony WF-1000XM5 - https://amzn.to/3JGI1uN
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 - https://amzn.to/3ItesMI
Technics AZ80 - https://amzn.to/3JCNQcK

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