Wired or wireless, the earbuds are great to use when listening to music or when streaming your favourite Netflix shows. They have become an integral part of our daily lives where you can see them in schools, offices and even gyms. With noise-cancelling, you can now lose yourself in your playlists, eliminating the ambient noise.
Readily available in the market, earbuds come in different styles and types. By any chance you’re looking for one; we’ve summarised a list of the best earbuds for different categories. Also, do check on our guide below on how to pick a good pair of earbuds.
Table of Contents
Editor
Jodee Tan chevron_right
Table of Contents
8 Best Earbuds & Earphones in Malaysia
- Samsung Galaxy Buds2 - Best overall earbuds
- Shure AONIC 215 - Best wired earbuds
- Jabra Elite 7 Active - Best wireless earbuds
- Bose Sleepbuds 2 - Best earbuds for sleeping
- Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 Earbuds (M3 IETW 2) - Best high-end earbuds with good design
- Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic 2 - Best budget earbuds
- Sony WF-1000XM3 - Best earbuds with noise-cancelling
- JBL Endurance Peak 2 - Best waterproof earbuds for workout
Why it’s Our Top Pick
“The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 looks as good as it sounds. The earbuds are lighter than ever yet provide the best comfort fit to keep up with your active lifestyle. You can get the sounds tailored to fit your unique preference and keep you immersed.”
Overview
At just 5g each, the Galaxy Buds2 is ultra-lightweight in a fashion-forward design. Thanks to the plenty of playtimes, you can repeat your top playlists and watch the latest shows for a total of 20 hours with a fully charged case.
Also compatible with other Galaxy devices, switching from watching movies on your tablet to enjoying music on the Watch4 is smooth and seamless.
Performance
Open a new world of audio experience with high-fidelity sound thanks to the ANC and minimal distortion on the Galaxy Buds2. Deep inside each earbud, you can find three microphones and a built-in voice pickup unit that help to deliver crystal-clear calls by filtering unwanted noise.
Moreover, with up to six different equaliser settings to choose from, you are certainly able to find the perfect pitch and vibrant sound for your favourite songs.
Unarguably, wired earbuds deliver better audio quality than wireless ones. Fortunately, we find the Shure AONIC 215 to be the better sound unit among other rivals.
Overview
Featuring a detachable 3.5mm communication cable, the AONIC 215 allows direct connections to your laptops and devices. With integrated physical buttons for remote and mic, picking up phone calls and controlling volume are seamless and easily accessible. The Shure earbuds are of durable build quality to survive daily wear and tear, ensuring a lifetime of use.
Performance
Keep yourself in the most immersive listening experience with Shure’s Sound Isolating technology. The AONIC 215 can block up to 37dB noise, allowing you to be free from background distractions. You can also enjoy clear sounds with deep bass on your MacBook and Android phone with the Shure as it’s compatible on both platforms.
Great for workouts and catch-ups, the Jabra Elite 7 Active is one of the best wireless earbuds that you should aim for. These earbuds offer amazing clarity in an ultra-compact design with ultimate grip to stay comfortable in play.
Overview
No matter how tough your workout is, the only thing that moves is you. The Elite 7 Active stay firmly in place over long periods of active use thanks to the ShakeGrip technology. With a special Liquid Silicone Rubber compound, the buds form a tight but comfortable seal for better noise isolation. Not to mention, a speedy 5-minute fast charge can keep the earbuds to continue playing your playlist for an hour.
Performance
Small in size, big on tech; these earbuds are primed for the future. Using the Jabra Sound+ app, you can block the distracting ambient noise in an instant, with five adjustable levels of cancellation. Its Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) also kicks in immediately just by a simple tap of the button. Inside the buds, you can find four carefully placed microphones that deliver high clarity calls.
Having sleeping difficulties is the worst nightmare. To whoever has this problem or wants to improve their sleeping quality, get yourself the Bose Sleepbuds 2.
Overview:
Clinically proven, the tiny Sleepbuds 2 helps you to fall asleep faster by playing relaxing sounds in the Bose Sleep app. The earbuds are dedicated to playing content exclusively from the app so they don’t stream music and podcasts like other headphones. Its comfortable ear tips also block noise and soothe sounds to keep you asleep all night.
Performance:
With more than 50 sounds including Bose-engineered noise-masking sounds and relaxation content, the Sleepbuds 2 is your best sleeping companion. You get full control of the earbuds via the app, including being able to set a personal alarm.
A minor hiccup is that you’ll see below-average battery life which can only survive up to 13 hours.
If you’re an audiophile who prefers something premium in every aspect from performance to design, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 Earbuds are designed just for your taste.
Overview:
Improved with a new ergonomic design, you can enjoy a movie marathon filled with unbeatable sound and comfort thanks to the Sennheiser earbuds. The earbuds provide comfortable all-day listening with a maximum playtime of 28 hours, surpassing the majority of its rivals. Featuring a customisable touchpad, you can also control your volume, calls and voice assistants seamlessly.
Performance:
Switch off your surroundings and concentrate on the right thing with the Momentum True Wireless 2. With the new Active Noise Cancellation, you can also experience premium music sensation even in a crowded, noisy environment. Its 7mm dynamic drivers supports deep bass, natural mids and clear treble, perfect for a wide variety of music genre from classical to contemporary.
Listening to your favourite playlist is straightforward using the Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earbuds Basic 2. Best of all, it’s budget-friendly even for students.
Overview
Just pick it up and get ready to use and listen freely. The Mi True Wireless Earbuds support a high-speed connection where it’s ready to use as soon as you remove it from the charging case. You can also seamlessly switch between single-ear mode or double-ear mode to suit your preferences.
Easy to operate, the buds use a single physical button, and from there you can control music, make calls and activate voice assistant without confusion.
Performance:
The Xiaomi Earbuds have medium and low frequencies with support for DSP noise cancellation technology. It can also filter ambient noise so that you can enjoy the crystal-clear sound quality.
For battery life, a full charge on the sound unit can last for approximately 4 hours on continuous usage and around 12 hours together with its charging case.
If all you want is music and nothing else, consider the Sony WF-1000XM3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones. It has industry-leading noise cancelling technology, allowing you to lose yourself completely in your music world.
Overview:
Featuring a 6mm tiny yet powerful driver unit, the Sony WF-1000XM3 delivers rich, clear and expansive sound. It comes with dual noise sensor technology – one feed-forward and one feed-back – to catch more of the surrounding noise. These earbuds are also ergonomically designed with tri-hold structures, plus a high-friction rubber surface for a perfectly-secured and comfortable fit.
Performance:
The music just continues to play up to 24 hours on a full charge. With a 10-minute quick charge, you can quickly juice up the earbuds to last another 90 minutes of playtime. Powering with the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1e and Digital Noise Cancelling, you get exceptional sound quality with minimal distortion and ambient noise.
Worth mentioning too is that you can use the Sony | Headphones Connect app for adaptive sound control which lets you adjust the ambient sound to suit the situation.
The waterproof JBL Endurance Peak 2 earbuds are best suited for people who love to jog and work out. With sweat resistance attributed to the waterproof technology, you need not worry anymore even when you are in a heavy sweat.
Overview
Designed to fuel your workout, the JBL Endurance Peak 2 earbuds deliver the JBL Pure Bass sounds while ensuring comfort to keep you going strong. Its Powerhook design is not only good for ergonomics but also offers intuitive touch controls for picking up calls and accessing voice assistants. Thanks to the IPX7 sweatproof/waterproof design, you can now exercise longer and harder.
Performance
The JBL Endurance Peak 2 lasts up to 30 hours of combined battery life on playback. It has a frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz and a sensitivity of 95dB SPL. With Bluetooth 5.0, you can expect a stable connection even when you’re in motion. Since the earbuds work independently, you can accept calls, adjust the volume and use the voice assistant on either side.
How do you choose good earbuds?
Most likely, you can’t try out earbuds before purchase. And this is why you should seriously consider the below factors to avoid buying a pair that doesn’t suit you.
#1. Specifications
Design, price and even brand are not good measures for the quality of earbuds. You’ll have to dig and study their specs to ensure their performance. To help choose the right device to listen to a music genre, you should check out the frequency response.
- For listening to music with lots of bass, earbuds with low bass frequency are preferred.
Another essential spec is sensitivity. Generally speaking, it determines how loud the earbuds can go.
- Mid-range level of sensitivity is what you should aim for safe music listening. You won’t want to go above the limit with the risk of damaging your hearing.
- Bigger drivers are also important as well as they boost bass, mids and trebles for a better listening experience.
#2. Features and Specialization
Before anything else, you must be clear of your needs. Earbuds are designed in all shapes and features to fit different requirements and occasions.
Earbuds are categorised into two main technologies, namely sound isolation and noise cancellation. Sound isolating earbuds simply block the surrounding noises, making them perfect for listening to music while staying alert to the background such as in traffic or public places.
For the latter, it’s more powerful as it can block all the ambient noise, keeping you to stay focused on your tasks. It’s also perfect for meetings as you can listen clearly to the speakers while ignoring all the noises from the background.
Other features to consider include water/sweat resistance and wired/ Bluetooth connections.
#3. Design
Yes, the design of an earbud has no impact on its performance. However, a good earbud design ensures great comfort and minimises any kinds of strains that can hurt your ears. An earbud with good shapes which fits nicely in your ears is important, as well as a comfortable pair of ear tips.
If you’re wearing it during a workout, jog or even running sessions, you should pick one with a secure fit so that the earbuds fit securely even when you’re in motion.
Related articles
- Best Earphones for Gaming in Malaysia 2021: Top Brand Reviews
- Best Wireless Headphones in Malaysia 2024 - Brand Reviews
- Best Power Bank in Malaysia 2024 - Top Brands
- Best MP3 Music Players in Malaysia 2024 - Bluetooth, USB
- The Long Awaited Nothing Ear (stick) is Finally Here
- Technics Introduces Two New Earbuds - Stylish Looks With Technics' Signature Sounds
- Best Budget Wireless Earbuds Malaysia 2024 (Below RM300)