FAAEAL Snow-Lotus 1.0 HiFi Earphone 64 Ohm DIY Clear Detailed Balanced Sound Quality Music Earphones DJ Earphones (Snow-Lotus 1.0, Black)

Pros - 1. Amazing sound for $10. The highs and mids are clear and detailed. I haven't found the highs to be sharp, which is good because I'm sensitive to sharp highs. The bass isn't nonexistent, but there isn't much of it. What is there though is tight and essential to enjoy the music. Overall I'd say the sound is pretty balanced and airy. They don't sound like they're from a tin can like some of the other earbuds that are this price. The sound gives some old school nostalgia to me as well due to them not being the jam in your ear type of earbuds that I have been wearing for the past decade. 2. Build quality is pretty good. I like how they have some weight to them. The plastic on the earbud feels pretty sturdy. The wire cable is tightly twisted and is hard to tangle. Time will tell how long they last, but I think that they will last for a long time since I only use them at my computer desk. As an extra bonus, they won't attract earwax due to them not going into your ear canal. 3. Being able to hear your surroundings is great. I got tired of not being able to hear what was going on around me with the headphones and earbuds that I usually wear. I live and work in mostly quiet environments, and being able to hear if someone calls my name or a text goes off is great for me personally. Obviously this might be a negative if you don't want outside noise getting in. 4. These are comfortable. These types of earbuds are always going to be more comfy and easy on the ears than other earbuds that you have to jam in your ear. They also sit in my ear perfectly. If you put the foam on the end of them, they are even more comfy. Cons - 1. You need an external headphone amp if you want to experience everything these have to offer. I tried these with my iPhone and they don't sound as full and detailed, and you have to turn the volume up higher. This is due to them being rated at 64 ohms. 2. These might disappoint you if you have your expectations too high. They are $10, and you can only get so much for your money. However, what is here is enough for me to enjoy on the daily. That's high praise of these $10 headphones since I own two pairs of Koss KPH30i's and one pair of Sony MDR-7506 studio headphones that I also use with my headphone amp. Sure the music doesn't sound as great as those, but it's good enough for me, and they are very comfortable. Overall, if you love value for money audio gear and you have an amp that you use to drive your headphones, this is a no-brainier. You will laugh out loud when you use these for the first time, because you won't believe that you bought these for the price of a meal from Subway.

If you have an ear for sound quality in earbuds, you will love these. Context: I bought these after going through 2 pairs of VE Monk Plus earbuds and loving those, but wanted to give something else a shot. Pros: -Amazing sound quality for such a cheap earbud. They have a slightly v shaped sound that doesn't fatigue you or sacrifice sound quality. -Very clearly defined midrange and highs, no sibilance. These earbuds have much clearer mids and highs than any other IEMs I have tried, so much that I'm willing to shuck wireless just so I can use these. I've tried and sold several pairs of fairly expensive wireless and wired earbuds in favor of these. -Airy Soundstage. You can clearly pick out every drum, cymbal, and instrument when listening with these compared to the muddy mess you will commonly get with many other earbuds, especially budget ones. There just isn't a comparison for anything close in its price range, besides the Monk Plus. -Good upper bass pronunciation. Cons: -The earbuds make a slight crackling noise when the cables connected to the earbuds themselves are moved vertically. Not sure if this is just my pair, but it's not a deal breaker for me. I can imagine it would get pretty annoying if you were running with the wires bouncing around though. -Subbass is lacking. As with the Monk Pluses, with this pair of earbuds, you sacrifice some of that rumbling sub-bass for exceptional mid and high quality, something that I'm definitely willing to do. If you wear the earbuds with the eartips on, it will attenuate the bass, but don't expect any boomy, rumbling subbass. Direct comparison to the monk plus: These have more bass and treble and are definitely more v shaped. They have a more open soundstage and it seems like the instruments are even more separated, which is an improvement. The clarity is extremely similar, the mids might be slightly less defined but only barely so, if at all (could just be my imagination/the songs I listened to for the test). They are very comparable to the Monk Plus, and sound extremely similar. Overall, these sound better than every IEM I have tried and are an absolute diamond in the rough, a steal for the money. Try these if you haven't already.

Pros: + CHEAP (~$10) + sound quality is decent Cons: - twisted cable looks kinda bad and can get minor tangles still - weird static at times, rectified by unplugging and replugging - loose cable area at earpiece entrances causes annoying sound if your head turns far enough You are paying for somewhat low build quality earphones with decent sound.

(Pictured left to right: FAAEAL iris Ancestor, iris 2.0, snow lotus 1.0, rosemary, apple earpod) I've been looking at these FAAEAL earbuds for a while but wasn't sure which one to get so I took one for the team and got 4 models to do a mega comparison, and included wired apple earpods. - Iris ancestor includes the buds and two pair of black foam covers. - Iris 2.0 includes the buds, two pair of black foam covers, a small clip to clip the cable to your shirt and a nice drawstring carry bag. - Snow Lotus 1.0 includes the buds, two pair of black and two pair of white covers, the clip, and bag. - Rosemary includes buds, four pair black and four pair white covers plus 3 pair of "donut" shaped black covers with a hole to let more treble through, the clip, and the bag. - Oddly all have a right angle 3.5mm connector except the snow lotus 1.0 with a straight connector. The iris ancestor has a soft rubber cable, the rest have iem style twisted pair cables. For the purpose of comparing their sound I used foam covers on all buds including the apple pods. I find bare plastic less comfortable so I always run foams anyway. Your choice of bare, foams, or "donut" foams will affect the sound, mainly how they seal in the ear and how much treble is let through. A paper hole punch or plain scissors could be used to create donuts if your pair doesn't include them. - Iris Ancestor - Most "V" shaped sound, at a comfortable volume they are easy to listen to, and the reduced mid-range makes them sound less "busy". This reduced mid-range allows you to hear the most treble "detail". - Iris 2.0 - I would describe as mostly flat but with slightly reduced treble. Treble is present but is not allowed to stand out like the Iris Ancestor, however this trade allows the mid vocals to be more present. - Snow Lotus 1.0 - Mid-forward or bass and treble reduced, however you prefer to look at it. I found this pair to have the least treble AND the least bass. When I first put on a mid-forward phone I find myself turning up the volume to get the treble where I want but then the mids are shouting and I walk it back down. With this pair you hear different echoes and background sounds than you normally hear up in the treble area. - Rosemary - Probably the most flat but with a light bump somewhere in the upper-mid/lower-treble area. With this pair everything feels represented. That bump makes certain vocal echoes stand out more than usual, without sounding too nasally, however it may get fatiguing at high volumes. - Apple Earpods - Sounds engineered to be inoffensive, like a big company did lots of R&D. Sounds like slightly lower bass was prioritized, has a certain thump without being warm in the upper bass. Treble is clear but does not risk being too bright and fatiguing, clear but does not sparkle. Honestly all were enjoyable to listen to. The only potential problem scenario that comes to mind would be high energy, bassy music on the mid-focused snow lotus 1.0, it might sound a little flat because it's not playing to it's strengths. For the price of these I think it's hard to be disappointed, and I would recommend choosing based on your preferred sound "shape".

I spent months trying to create an "open back" iem - designing and 3D printing different methods so I can hear my music and my surroundings at the same time. Finally fed up, I did some research and realized all I needed were earbuds. After further research, I stumbled across this product and thought "eh, it's only 10 USD. I'll give it a shot". So I bought a pair. I instantly loved them! If they sit in your ear properly, it's unbelievable. You can hear everything alongside your music. You can also "conveniently" ignore your friends :P As expected for sound, it lacks the deep bass (but that requires a proper seal). Otherwise the sound is spectacular for the price and convenience. But keep in mind these are out-and-about earbuds, not sit down and dissect music earbuds. They're durable too. They've gone through the wash a few times and still work just fine. However, I did end up buying a second pair because I honestly don't think I can go a day without them. I strongly recommend these earbuds. Out of my 10+ iems amassing >1k USD, these are my go-to pair. They have shattered all of my expectations.

This sounds equivalent to multiple other budget headphones I've purchased. Its nothing special. Its not terrible, it does the job. The reason I gave it a three is because the one I got has difficulty connecting, you have to wiggle it in the socket to get it to work. Also I was recommended this one as being especially top notch but the sound quality wasn't any better than the Gumy earbuds I usually get. It came in a fancy pouch but didn't live up to its presentation. Maybe I just got a bad one but I'd rather go back to the Gumy ones as they have never caused me connection issues.

These blew me away with how good they sound for what they are! Very detailed, fairly balanced- honestly could mix audio easily out of these if you wanted, in my opinion. Going to be my go-to recommendation for people looking for earbuds/IEMs, though mind that the 64 ohm is not ideal (but doable!) for phone headphone jacks without an external amp. Seriously good for the price, or really just nice in general! In this sort of price category, I've heard people bring up Monk earbuds and KZ ZSN's, or the apple EarPods naturally. In my opinion these are preferable to any of the above; those some may prefer the KZ's if you care more about the bright and wide sort of vibe more than the literal detail clarity. I will say that personally this style of flat earbuds that just sit in rather than plug is more comfortable for me.

My overall rating is based on use of a DAP with separate DAC and Amp. In my opinion these sound like a musical dumpster fire when used with a regular ipod or phone. However, if you own an amplifier or a DAP better than an ipod, you might like these. They have a flat EQ and everything is fairly balanced. I use the included cutout cushions and they are very comfortable. The braided cable helps prevent tangling. I would definitely use these over a similarly priced IEM based on the comfort alone, but the flat response helps. I have a LOT of headphones and IEMs, both wired and wireless, but I'm far from an audiophile. I really just like having lots of options. I found these while browsing and noticed they had a better rating than I thought it would have. So I decided to try them out for $10. I approve thus far.