Are Cheap Headphones Actually Reliable? Here's What Users Say

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When we are looking to purchase headphones to listen to music, audiobooks, podcasts, and more, the amount of choice can be quite daunting. Sometimes, it can simply come down to price. While there may be a lot of top-rated headphones for less than $100, there is still a wide selection that are less than $20 or even $10. For that cheap of a price, though, are you actually getting headphones that are reliable?

Surprisingly, cheap headphones hold their own. While it can vary depending on the brand you buy, the sound quality can be actually quite good, though not quite the same as more expensive ones. You might also might be concerned if cheap headphones will have a longer lifespan than more expensive ones, but as it turns out, there is not an easy way to really quantify that as it depends a lot on how you treat your headphones.

It is often said that you get what you pay for in terms of quality. However, often the reviews you find on cheap headphones are quite positive, mentioning good price-per-quality ratio and surprising reliability. When it comes to cheap headphones, users are quick to point out both the benefits and drawbacks of their purchase.

If you're using your headphones to listen to audiobooks, you likely won't notice any difference between cheap and expensive models, according to users on Reddit. After all, you're typically just listening to someone speak, so there aren't a lot of layered sounds and different pitches for the headphones to balance out. If your main goal with headphones is mainly to listen to audiobooks, cheaper may be the way to go.

Taking a look at the $10 Kurdene wireless earphones on Amazon, users seem to be overwhelmingly pleased with the product. It has a very high review score with over 62,000 reviews at the time of writing. Users praise the product for its quality, having a great sounding bass, being durable and long-lasting, and of course the great price point.

One reviewer who claimed to have had these headphones working still great after two years of use mentioned accidentally leaving one earbud in a pocket and then washing and drying those shorts only to have the earbud still working fine afterwards. Others have said that the "quality of the product is great", and that the "tremble and even higher ranges are evenly balanced right out of the box". If you are looking for cheap headphones, these seem to work quite well, though don't forget to also look for great sales to save even more money, such as Amazon offering headphones for 50% off.

Users do, however, also talk about the drawbacks of cheap headphones and when it is worth it to buy a more expensive pair of headphones for audiophiles. Users on Reddit point out that, while cheap headphones may be fine for audiobooks, you may not get the full experience while listening to music. However, some commenters say that not everyone can easily tell the difference in sound between cheap versus expensive headphones, so it may be mostly up to the individual's own preference.

Even though the $10 Kurdene headphones on Amazon have overall great reviews, there are some complaints that shed light on issues one might have with cheaper headphones. Some issues revolve around the technology itself being unreliable with connection problems, the audio shutting off when it should be playing, and the charging being problematic. Interesting enough, there aren't a bunch of complaints about sound quality.

If you are somebody who cares a great deal about their music listening experience, and feel that you can tell the difference in subtle changes in sound, then spending the money on more expensive headphones is likely the right move for you. If you don't pay that much attention, though, and simply want to listen to music or audiobooks on your own, cheaper products may be the way to go. After all, if you don't like them then you only spent less than $20, not $100.