The 6 Best Earphones With A Mic - Spring 2021 Reviews

The best earphones with a mic that we've tested are the Sony WI-1000XM2 Wireless. These wireless neckband in-ears have an in-line mic that makes your voice sound clear and well-articulated and does an okay job of isolating it from background noise. They also have an ANC feature that helps filter out the low rumble of bus or plane engines, so you can hear what's being said on a call if you're commuting.

These in-ears feel well-built, with a flexible silicone headband that sits well on your neck and flat, sturdy-feeling audio cables. They're decently comfortable and have a neutral out-of-the-box sound profile that should suit a wide variety of audio content, though their companion app does have a graphic EQ to adjust that if that isn't to your liking. They support both NFC and multi-device pairing, too, so you can stream music from your phone while remaining connected to your computer. They also have a standby mode to help conserve the charge when not in use.

Unfortunately, while they can supply more than eight and a half hours of runtime on a single charge, that isn't as impressive as the 10-hour plus battery life of their predecessor, the older Sony WI-1000X Wireless. Still, if you're looking for well-built neckband earphones with decent overall mic performance and very good noise isolation capability, these are a good option.

The best wired earbuds with a mic that we've tested are the Beats urBeats3 Earphones. These wired in-ears have an in-line microphone with great recording quality, which makes your voice sound clear, present, natural, and full-bodied. They also feature a somewhat sturdy rubberized design, easily stored in a bag or a pocket. If you have a newer Apple device with no traditional AUX port, they come in a variant with a Lightning port connector, which is handy.

They provide a well-balanced sound profile with a touch of extra bass, which should add a bit of extra thump and kick to your favorite EDM and hip-hop tracks without overwhelming lead instruments or vocals in other genres. They do a good job of staying in your ears during workout sessions, even more so when you fit a set of stability fins to the buds themselves. Their noise isolation performance is very good, so you should have little trouble focusing on phone conversations or your music, even when you're on a bus or walking down a busy street.

While their control scheme offers call management and playback control on iOS devices, you can't use volume controls on Android devices, and activating your phone's voice assistant yields inconsistent, frustrating results. They also deeply enter your ear canal, which may not suit all listeners. That said, they're a solid choice if you have an Apple device and want a pair of wired in-ears with decent microphone performance.

The best earphones with a mic for gaming that we've tested are the Turtle Beach Battle Buds. These unusually designed wired earphones combine the portable form factor of in-ears with a detachable compact boom microphone that does a decent job of making your voice sound full-bodied, natural, and reasonably free of ambient noise.

They have a stable fit in your ear and are very breathable, so they're not a bad choice for taking calls while you're out running. They do a passable job of blocking out background noise from the mid and treble range, so you shouldn't have too much trouble hearing your teammates or people on the other end of a call, though they don't filter out much in the way of low-end ambient noise like the rumble of a bus engine. They have a very bass-heavy sound profile that should emphasize the thump and punch of in-game sound effects and EDM and hip-hop tracks but is likely to overwhelm vocals and lead instruments in other genres.

Unfortunately, these in-ears aren't especially premium-feeling, with low-grade plastic and rubber construction as well as hard ear tips that can cause some discomfort during longer listening sessions. Otherwise, if you're looking for a pair of wired earphones that offer decent overall mic performance, these are a good option.

The best budget earphones with a mic that we've tested are the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79. These budget-friendly in-ears have an integrated mic that makes your voice sound natural and clear, if a little thin, though it can struggle to isolate speech from background noise. They feel well-built, as the buds are made of dense plastic and are rated IPX7 for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this.

They have a bass-heavy but not overly boomy sound profile, which should add extra thump and rumble to EDM and hip-hop tracks without totally overwhelming more delicate vocals or instrumentals. They do an okay job of filtering out background chatter and high-pitched ambient noise like the hum of an AC unit, though they can struggle somewhat when it comes to blocking out the low-end rumble of bus and plane engines. Thankfully, they leak very little audio, so you can listen to your music at high volumes without worrying about annoying people nearby.

Unfortunately, they don't have any power-saving features like an auto-off timer or a standby mode, and their sub-six-hour continuous battery life is short, so you might need to put them back in their case frequently. They also lack any sound customization features, like an in-app graphic EQ or onboard EQ presets. Still, if you're on a budget but still want reasonably versatile truly wireless in-ears, these are a good option.