The Daybreaks are great! They’re pretty much exact what I was looking for in an inexpensive IEM.
CrinEar
CrinEar Daybreak In-Ear Headphones
Regular price
$169.99
Sale price
$169.99
Regular price
$169.99
Unit price
per
Reviewer's Choice
CrinEar
CrinEar Daybreak In-Ear Headphones
CrinEar Daybreak In-Ear Headphones
Regular price
$169.99
Sale price
$169.99
Regular price
$169.99
Unit price
per
No Fee 365-Day Returns*
Don’t love it to start? Don't worry, you have 365-days to return with no fees*.
The New Benchmark
Wearing style
More information
Over-ear headphones sit over your ear and surround your ear with a ring of padding. On-ear headphones are padded but rest on top of your ear. In-ear monitors are worn inside your ear canal.
Over-ear headphones sit over your ear and surround your ear with a ring of padding. On-ear headphones are padded but rest on top of your ear. In-ear monitors are worn inside your ear canal.
In-ear
Driver type
More information
Speakers and headphones use a device called a 'driver' to create sound. Different types of drivers have different strengths and weaknesses, but can all produce great sound. Common varieties include dynamic, planar magnetic, and electrostatic.
Speakers and headphones use a device called a 'driver' to create sound. Different types of drivers have different strengths and weaknesses, but can all produce great sound. Common varieties include dynamic, planar magnetic, and electrostatic.
Dynamic
Connectivity
More information
Connectivity refers to the method in which the headphones connect to the audio source. Headphones can be either wired or wireless.
Connectivity refers to the method in which the headphones connect to the audio source. Headphones can be either wired or wireless.
Wired
Portability
More information
DACs and amplifiers can either be carried around or meant for static desktop use
DACs and amplifiers can either be carried around or meant for static desktop use
Portable
Description
Experience music the way world-renowned audio expert Crinacle intended. The CrinEar Daybreak delivers audiophile-grade sound quality at an accessible price - exclusively available from Headphones.com in North America. At $169.99, you're getting performance that typically costs $300+ from other brands, backed by one of the most trusted name in IEM and headphone reviews and confirmed by independent expert testing.
Why Music Lovers Choose the Daybreak
Perfect Balance, Zero Fatigue: Unlike harsh "analytical" headphones or muddy "fun" ones, the Daybreak gives you crystal-clear detail without ear fatigue. Listen for hours while discovering new layers in your favorite songs.
Works with Everything: Your iPhone, Android, laptop, or high-end audio player - the Daybreak sounds incredible straight from any device. The CrinEar Daybreak is efficient at 20Ω of impedance and 105dB/mW sensitivity means no amplifier needed (but you can still use one if you like).
Built for Daily Use: Comfortable for commuting, durable for travel, and impressive enough for serious listening sessions. The included premium cable works with both standard and balanced outputs.
What Makes These Special
Crinacle spent years testing thousands of headphones before creating his first commercial IEM. The result? A 5-driver design that expert reviewers are calling "The New Benchmark" - solving the fundamental problems plaguing most in-ear monitors:
- Dynamic Driver Bass: Deep, controlled low-end with what listener's are describing as exceptional balance between quantity and quality
- Balanced Armature Mids: Crystal-clear vocals and instruments. The midrange is exceptional with natural presence
- Micro-Planar Tweeters: Extended treble detail that never sounds harsh or fatiguing, engineered for long listening sessions
- Advanced Tuning: Based on cutting-edge "New Meta" research for natural, speaker-like sound that works across all genres
Expert Reviews Confirm the Excellence
"A very well balanced sounding IEM that emphasizes clarity, while still providing a solid sense of bass thump. The Daybreak allows you to focus on all the finer nuances in the music without being glaring, or fatiguing over long listening sessions." - Andrew Park (Resolve Reviews), Headphones.com
"Among the first of the so called 'New Meta' IEM releases to have a totally reasonable bass and treble profile while still also having the midrange accuracy that makes this trend so compelling." - Griffin Silver (Listener), Headphones.com
"Daybreak is one of the least compromised IEMs I've heard at any price... easily the most balanced of the lot, while also being the least expensive of any of them." - Griffin Silver (Listener), Headphones.com - Read his full written review here
Perfect for Your Listening Style
Commuters & Travelers: Excellent isolation blocks noise while secure fit stays comfortable all day. The ergonomic design works for extended sessions without fatigue.
Music Enthusiasts: Hear details you've never noticed before while maintaining the musicality that makes listening enjoyable.
Upgraders: Coming from AirPods or basic earbuds? Prepare to have your mind blown.
Compare the Competition
| Feature | CrinEar Daybreak | Moondrop DUSK | DUNU DaVinci | Kiwi Ears KE4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $169.99 | $329 | $299 | $199 |
| Expert Rating | "New Benchmark" | Great | Good | Good |
| Tuning Balance | Exceptional | Leans brighter | Bass-heavy | V-shaped |
| Midrange Quality | Balanced | Recessed | Warm | Very warm |
| Value Rating | Outstanding | Fair | Good | Good |
What You Get
- CrinEar Daybreak IEM with custom 5-driver array (1DD + 2BA + 2 Micro-Planar)
- Premium silver-plated copper cable with shape memory resistance
- Interchangeable 3.5mm and 4.4mm connectors for universal compatibility
- S/M/L silicone tips + medium foam tips for perfect fit
- Premium leatherette carrying case with magnetic closure
- 1-year manufacturer warranty
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Drivers | 1 Dynamic + 2 Balanced Armature + 2 Micro-Planar |
| Impedance | 20Ω (works with any device) |
| Sensitivity | 105dB/mW (efficient, battery-friendly) |
| Frequency Range | 2Hz - 40kHz (extended range) |
| Connector | Interchangeable 3.5mm SE / 4.4mm Balanced |
| Expert Verdict | "The New Benchmark at $170" |
Expert Verdict: "The New Benchmark"
This isn't just marketing hype - it's confirmed by independent expert testing. Griffin Silver (Listener) from Headphones.com compared the Daybreak against every major competitor in its price range and above, concluding: "Daybreak is one of the least compromised IEMs I've heard at any price... it's a hard equilibrium to maintain, but I think Daybreak is the first one of these IEMs to really strike a balance that makes it easy to recommend."
Andrew Park (Resolve Reviews) from Headphones.com agrees, noting that while he's tested countless IEMs, the Daybreak's combination of clarity and musicality makes it special: "It's difficult to find something that is outright better than this at any price."
Limited North American Availability
Headphones.com is one the only authorized retailers in North America. Expert reviewers confirm the Daybreak represents exceptional value at $169.99 - delivering performance that typically costs $300+ while solving the compromises that plague more expensive competitors.
Whether you're upgrading from consumer earbuds or adding to an existing collection, expert testing proves the Daybreak offers something rare: world-class sound quality without compromise at an accessible price point.
Ready to experience what expert reviewers are calling "The New Benchmark"?
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an amplifier?
How does this compare to more expensive IEMs?
Will these work for all music genres?
Are these comfortable for long listening?
What makes this better than other "New Meta" IEMs?
Our review
Video review
Reviews
Add to cart
Customer Reviews
Overall rating: 4.5 / 5 from 72 reviews.
They are bulky but sound great. Selecting the correct tip took time / trial & error. First ones I tried produced a flat, tinny sound with no bass. After snapping on smaller tips the sound quality improved significantly. After using bluetooth headphones for five years, being tethered to wires feels strange but I am getting used to them.
Too Bright and the left IEM is way lower than the right
This is my second Crinacle IEM and it just gets better. I don't have much to offer beyond the excellent reviews by the 🎧 team but I second their view Daybreak is the perfect entry to audiophile IEM. Balanced, musical, appropriately detailed and super enjoyable. Put on some Taiko drums and fall in love with the base. I was surprised how well they also work for movies. And they're very very comfortable, at least for my ears. My third purchase from headphones.com and couldn't be happier.
Very comfortable, very good audio quality, very good passive sound isolation.
The video review on your webpage strongly suggests coffee tips with the Daybreak. I agree. I had to order the tips from Amazon, but I wish you had offered the tips. They do make a strong improvement in the quality of music.
These IEMs have met every expectation I had for them. They’re comfortable and sound fantastic.
This is my first experience with an IEM and was glad to have the Crinear Daybreak as my introduction. It is excellent. I was surprised how important the selection of ear tips was. I settled on the memory foam to get a good seal and better base. I would like to try tips that were longer. I would like to experiment with other IEMs now that I have a great starting point. Thanks for your valuable assistance.
I’m enjoying these, the service was good. No complaints, I’d recommend them and buying here.
I love them for every reason except for me personally they're a little off and cause pain after a bit. After reading up on it a ton, it seems like it's likely because they have shorter, more angled tips and I have a more narrow or something ear canal that makes it a poor fit with the stock ear tips. I've got some spinfits on the way which should help, as these are amazing in every other way.
Can not get seal with my ear canals using any of the supplied ear pieces.
Definitely tip roll with these. I pair these with the iFi Gryphon, and the results are amazing. These sound great with most music, very balanced with strong vocals. Hit that xbass with some hip hop or pop, and it's a chef’s kiss.
I found them to be a bit flat. Most likely just my personal preference.
So far, so good. My second pair from your company, quick delivery. Thank You
The shell fits my ear perfectly, and I love the balanced sound and excellent technicality. My only issue is the stock ear tips irritate my canals, but most stock tips on iems do that to my ears, and already ordered some coffee tips
Been using a few days now. Sound excellent. This is my first IEM over 50 ish dollars and I’m so glad I picked them. Everything sounds so clean. The bass is present without stealing the show, and the treble has just a bit of sparkle. Love them. Great purchase.
Amazing! Best earphones I’ve ever listened to.
These sound great, bass mids treble all sound great. But one of the eartips was missing, the medium short wide, which is the one I preferred. Noticed some crackling also, but not sure the culprit yet, I was using a mojo2 that I just bought used that could be the problem. Will update to 5 star if crackling disappears and I get eartips replacement
Super comfortable, lots of earbud sizes to pick from, great full sound. Sounds great with Jazz and Rock. Use both balance and unbalanced. Very happy with my purchase. Super fast shipment. A++++.
Great experience. Website was great. Order was received fast. The in ears are really cool. Came in apple-like packaging. I’ve used them on stage once and for a few hours of practice and I really like them.
The CrinEar Daybreaks are an outstanding IEM. I was uncertain how they were going to perform but now that I have Crinacle's first attempt at his own design and production run I am certainly pleased with his outcome. In addition, I'm glad I purchased them from headphones.com. They have done nothing but an outstanding job servicing my order. I will certainly consider them for my next audio purchase. I highly recommend you spend some time with headphones.com when consider your next audio purchase.
Great review and ordering experience at Headphones.com. These IEMs fit well and came with multiple types of tips. Once you have a snug fit the isolation is terrific, very good deep base response and great sound stage. Extremely detailed.
Packaging: Well thought out in function and form, it's nice that companies follow Apple's attention to packaging. Product Quality: The product is well made and comes with a very good quality cable. The ends fit quite snugly to the earphones. The provided foam and silicone caps more than accommodate various sizes of ear physique. Small complain that I did not see a left and right mark on the earphones. Maybe they are interchangeable? Sound quality: Sound quality is good as long as you experiment and get a good fit with the different silicone caps. I mostly here EDM and Deep House and want to hear more jazz. All in all a very solid buy.
Very pleased with transaction.
better than my 400.00 IEM. hell, it's got more details than my Focal Clear. at first I felt the sound wasn't impressive and little to no bass but then I swapped out tip (XL fit me best, didn't realize...) and bam! incredible base and intimate vocals hit me. imaging and tonality and the details I didn't hear before - it's stellar. can't recommend this IEM enough. for about 170 bucks, it's a steal.
:)
Love the iems and they are my second purchase after the etymotic er2se's. I like hearing a bit of bass so I personally preferred the stock eartips. It did get a bit uncomfortable and (what I'd describe as) piercing at higher volumes but that's also when I heard the thumps of the bass so I stuck to this eartip configuration. When I did try the 'coffee eartips' the piercing sound went away but I feel it also removed the bass considerably and it was more neutral sounding. Overall, I love the iems, and love the detail and clarity!
Really enjoying the Daybreak. Well worth the price! They've become my everyday IEM's.
Not a fan
First-time IEM-purchaser here and am really happy. I tend to lean towards open-back cans and still will, BUT, if I’m craving tight bass or traveling, these are definitely my pick. Comparatively, I am impressed with how not “cold” these sounded and the soundstage also sounds pretty decent. I’m happy and am glad these are my introduction into IEMs.
As everyone and their dog has said, these sound great by any measure, and are absurdly good for the price. I particularly like how the bass is solid without being murky, and is balanced by crisp, clear highs. The right-angle nature of the connection end works well in some cases — notably when plugging directly into my laptop — and not so well in others. It would be nice if the right-angle part were a removable option. (Also, I’d like a pony.)
I've been buying headphones for a couple of years now as well as dacs, amps, and streamers. This is my first iem, based my decision on uploads by you tube influencers and reviewers. I am pleased by the value for cost. They sound accurate to my ears and feel reasonable to my budget.
They are comfortable and sound really good. The sound is open with a little bit of sweetness. Looking forward to the next version at an even higher sound quality. They definitely hit above their weight. Very satisfied with them. Wendell
Great IEMs. Balanced sound so far, and about to try out some coffee tips and see what it does for the vocals. Great comfort. I have struggled for years trying to find something that is comfortable without going custom. These fit the bill. I know these aren’t the clarity of my Focal Clear’s, but when I don’t want to travel with my DAC and big headphones, these are perfect. I also use them when traveling with my OP-1 Field synth that doesn’t put out a ton of output power.
These are the best wired IEMs I've heard so far. The package now includes shortwide tips which are the type listener used in his review. The only thing I will add to that review is that if you are sensitive to nozzle size, these are still on the large side. I think just under 6mm so for me these are just barely acceptable with the shortwide tips for 1-2 hours but YMMV. I would be curious to compare these to the Truthear Pure, though I suspect they would probably be less comfortable due to the wider nozzle, so I would probably stick with these.
Way beyond my expectations
I really like the clarity these have and still get a small bass boost. Mids are still there and the highs don’t get to wild. I’ve definitely enjoyed them!
I'm still evaluating really, but so far, I'm digging these IEMs. The packaging was topnotch. The buds themselves are beautifully made. And fit very well. Easy to snug in; easy to get out. The braided cable has a nice, soft feel to it and is very pliable. Consequently, ALMOST NO microphonics through it. And the selection of ear tips is awesome. I've never seen "shortwide" ear tips, but turns out, I prefer them. VERY comfortable. I have listened for almost 2 hours at a stretch without any discomfort. And the sound is aces as well. I'm using them with my iBasso DX300 (amp11). Sound is very well balanced. I've listened to all sorts of music -- rock, jazz, classical, movie score (Hans Zimmer in particular). It all sounds really good. Cheers. Rick
First, my baseline is a Zero Red with a Dragonfly black streaming fro an iPhone. Both Apple Music and Spotify. The CrinEar is a dramatic upgrade in sound quality! Great job! I noticed almost immediately that the Dragonfly adds nothing and actually gets in the way. The downside (for me) are the accessories. The cable, with the 90 degree turn at the connection is just cumbersome. I would prefer a straight connection to my iPhone. Can you recommend a different cable? And of course the tips are just not very good. Swapped them out for SpinFit immediately. :-) All I have. What are you hearing about these? Great job on your end. As usual!
My first IMs and love them. I have a few earbuds from Sony\Samsung\Bowers & Wilkins and these Daybreak blow them away.