6 Best Lightning Headphones and Earbuds to Buy
While Apple AirPods, without a doubt, give you an awesome listening experience, there are some things that wired earbuds and headphones do just better. Firstly, the call quality on wired earphones with an in-line mic cannot be replicated by AirPods, no matter how good they have become. Secondly, if you are an audiophile who listens to high-fidelity music, using wired earphones will always give you better results. And finally, we cannot stress how freeing it is to not care about the battery in your earphones. If any of these reasons speak to you and you want to use wired earphones with your iPhone, here are the five best lightning headphones and earbuds you should buy in 2023.
Best lightning headphones and earbuds to buy in 2023
The lightning earbuds and headphones we will cover in this article will be mainly in-ear and over-the-ear styles. If you prefer open ear wireless earbuds, you can click on the linked article to check them out.
- 1. Apple earPods with lightning connector
- 2. PALOVUE lightning earphones
- 3. Symphonized lightning wired earphones
- 4. Sennheiser AMBEO smart headset
- 5. Thore over-ear headphones with lightning connector
- 6. Audeze iSINE10 lightning semi-open ear headphones
1. Apple earPods with lightning connector
We have tested dozens of wired and wireless earphones, and let us tell you, none of them even come in the vicinity of the quality of voice that Apple lighting earPods deliver on call. You can usually get these earphones for under $20, which is quite affordable for getting an excellent hands-free calling experience. If your work requires you to be on the phone all the time, this is the lighting earphone you want to buy.
When it comes to audio quality, Apple earPods fall in the middle of the pack. They are neither too good nor too trash. You can use them for listening to audiobooks, podcasts, and casual music streaming sessions. However, if you are serious about your music, you should stay away from it.
Pros
- Excellent call quality
- Budget friendly
- Lightweight and comfortable
Cons
- Avergae sound quality for music
2. PALOVUE lightning earphones
While the Apple earPods are great, some users prefer to use earphones that form a proper seal in the ear and keep the ambient noise out. For them, we recommend the PALOVUE lightning earphones. These are also budget earbuds so you are not spending too much money. The earbuds pack a built-in DAC & 9.2 dynamic drivers tuned to deliver an elevated listening experience. In our listening test, we found the earphones to be more than adequate and far better than the official lighting earPods.
Other features of the earphones that we like include its lightweight aluminum construction which makes it comfortable to wear for long durations, magnetic earbuds that stick together when not in use so they are easy to carry around your neck, and inline controls and mic.
Pros
- Good call and music quality
- Budget friendly
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Magnetic tips
Cons
- None as such
3. Symphonized lightning wired earphones
The Symphonized lightning wired earphones are another good pair of lighting earphones that do not cost you an arm and a leg. The earphones feature a premium wooden earbud housing design, which naturally enhances the acoustic quality and delivers an amazing music-listening experience. These earphones are Apple MFI (made for iPhone) certified, which means they will work your iPhone right out of the box.
You get several different sizes of rubber ear tips in the box, so you can get the perfect fit in your ear, no matter the size. Other features of the earphone include in-line music playback controls, stereo sound, and more.
Pros
- Good audio quality
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Wooden earbuds housing for better acoustic
Cons
- Bass is not as good as advertised
4. Sennheiser AMBEO smart headset
If you want a lightning earphone with active noise cancellation, the Sennheiser AMBEO smart headset is for you. Not only do these earphones deliver excellent sound quality, but they also offer premium features like ANC and transparency mode at relatively affordable prices. With a touch of a button, you can activate its NoiseGard Active Noise Cancellation, which blocks outside noise and lets you enjoy your music in peace. On the other hand, if you are wearing these lightning headphones while jogging, you can use its transparent hearing mode to listen to everything happening around you.
A unique feature of these headphones is that they record binaural audio thanks to two omnidirectional microphones located in the earpieces. That means you can record much more natural surrounding audio and play them back. The best part is that they also work if you are recording video on your iPhone, giving you a much better representation. Overall, Sennheiser AMBEO smart headset is one of the best lightning headphones you can buy for your iPhone in 2023.
Pros
- Excellent audio quality with an open soundstage
- Binural audio recording
- Active noise cancellation
Cons
- Transperancy mode is not that good
5. Thore over-ear headphones with lightning connector
If you prefer over-ear headphones over in-ear earphones, you should check out the Thore over-ear headphones with a lightning connector. The headphones feature premium padded ear cushions that are comfortable to wear for long durations and provide excellent passive noise cancellation. The headphone’s extra-large 50mm drivers paired with neodymium magnets deliver incredible sound considering its relatively affordable price.
What we love about these headphones other than the sound quality, is that they use a detachable headphone jack to lightning cable. That means you can use a headphone jack to jack or headphone jack to USB-C cable and use these headphones with your other Apple devices, including iPads and MacBooks.
Pros
- Excellent audio quality with good bass
- Premium padded cushions for comfortable wearning
- Affordable pricing
- Detachable cable
Cons
- No carrying case
- No inline controls
6. Audeze iSINE10 lightning semi-open ear headphones
If you are an audiophile who wants the best music listening experience, you can buy the Audeze iSINE10 lightning semi-open ear headphones. We don’t have an audiophile on our team so we have not purchased and tested this device, but according to reviews, it is one of the best lightning headphones for audiophiles. The headphones don’t come cheap. There are several models available, costing nearly a thousand dollars, but the one we are featuring here lies in the middle of the pack.
These lightning headphones promise to deliver every beat with maximum clarity and their users seem to agree with the statement. It features a lightweight, modern industrial, and durable design. These headphones feature innovative planar magnetic drivers that use NASA material to provide lower distortion, better bass response, and a wider soundstage. The included MFI-certified lightning cable comes with an in-line amplifier, a 24-bit digital-to-analog converter that brings the music to life
Again, we have not tested these earphones ourselves, but the buyers and online reviewers swear by their quality. So, if you are an audiophile who wants the best music listening experience, you should get the Audeze iSINE10 lightning earphones.
Pros
- Audio quality that can satisfy audiophiles
- Innovative planar magnetic drivers
- In-line amplifier with a 24-bit digital to analog converter
Cons
- High cost
Buy iSINE10 from Amazon / Buy iSINE20 from Amazon
Best headphones with lightning connector to buy
These are the best headphones with a lightning connector you can buy in 2023. We have included affordable and premium products with open-ear, in-ear, and over-ear designs, so you can choose the headphones that meet your needs and budget. If you also use AirPods with your iPhone, check out our favorite AirPods Pro 2 accessories that you can buy to enhance your experience.
Featured image by simerpreet singh on Unsplash
Comments ()