In Ear Headphones

To shut out the world and enjoy your music, nothing works better than in-ear headphones. In-ear headphones fit like earplugs and can sound just as good as large over ear headphones at similar prices.

Headphones.com sells only the best in-ear headphones delivering excellent sound quality and ambient noise isolation. In ear headphones are also known as in-ear monitors (IEMs), earphones or ear canal headphones. They are essentially miniaturized headphones that fit into the ear canal and create a noise-blocking seal similar to actual earplugs. In-ear headphones are very convenient for travel, excellent for noisy listening environments and can sound as good as the best over-ear options. 

  • SOUND QUALITY: Some in-ear headphones can sound just as good or better than traditional big headphones at the same price. Many also have headset/mic compatibility with your Android or Apple device.  
  • ISOLATION: In-ear headphone brands vary in fit style and isolation factor.  For the most isolation and best sound quality performance, we typically recommend the Shure or the Etymotic models. Both offer a secure, comfortable in-ear fit and come with silicon or foam tip styles that can provide up -30dB to -35dB of ambient noise-blocking (isolation).
  • FIT IS CRITICAL:  Most in-ear headphones come with an array of different sizes/types of eartips. It's critically important to experiment and try out ALL the included tips to find the set that works best for your ears. To get solid bass from any in-ear headphone, you MUST have a securely tight eartip seal within your ear canal. Without the correct seal, the bass response will sound thin or distant.
  • STUDIO MONITORING: In-ear headphones are commonly used by audio professionals and musicians to monitor live sound mixes or for studio recording work. In-ear monitors can minimize feedback from loud stage floor monitors and effectively isolate the artist or recordist from audience sounds or other distracting ambient noises.

      *  BIG TIP:  We DO NOT recommend in-ear headphones for any uses where situational awareness is required such as busy streets, outdoor sport activities or - gasp! - walking on the train tracks while jamming your tunes!

That being said, it may perhaps be somewhat counter-intuitive, but in ear headphones are generally better for your ears and long-term hearing safety than other headphone types. In-ear headphones block out noise so thoroughly that you won't have to turn up the music just to overcome a loud ambient environment. So folks actually wind up listening at lower, safer volume levels using in-ear headphones!

Shop for In Ear Headphones