I recently checked out a $40 pair of wired earbuds that are perfect for beginning audiophiles: they sound incredible for the price
I grew up in a time when wired earbuds were the only way to listen to music as Bluetooth technology took a few years to catch on. Much of my childhood and teenage years were spent untangling the strings that had tied themselves together in my pocket. Back then, it was frustrating, but today? I long for you. I want wired earbuds and my Discman and burned CDs, is that too much to ask?
There’s something almost adorable about wired earbuds these days, and it’s no surprise that they’re making a big comeback in 2026. They are still in fashion, and I often see people using them on my commute or other forms of public transportation. As a reviewer, I get to test my fair share of wireless earbuds and headphones but they can’t deliver lossless sound (it’s almost impossible for wireless technology to do so). I’ve spent the last few weeks using the Sennheiser CX 80U wired earbuds, and boy are they great.
There’s a lot to like about the CX 80U. They sport an all-black design that is invisible. They feature a USB-C plug-and-play interface so they’re compatible with many, many devices. And the sound quality, above all, is simply outstanding, with a clear and moving treble and a refined mid-bass and upper range. If you’re a listener of children or someone who likes the simplicity of wired audio, then the CX 80U is for you.
You will really appreciate your favorite artists
If you love music or love mixed sound, or are taking your first steps into the world of audiophile audio, you need wired earbuds, like the Sennheiser CX 80U. You see, wireless earbuds struggle and can’t deliver true lossless audio because the Bluetooth technology they rely on doesn’t have enough bandwidth to transfer the large amount of data needed without first compressing it.
The CX 80U has an amazing sound, especially for a price under $40. The treble is booming and sweet on tracks like ‘You First (Re: Remi Wolf)’ by Paramore, and with earbuds, the hot hats and snare on the percussion never sound shrill or ugly, while maintaining the character of the song. Songs like ‘White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter’ by Lana Del Rey, which features multiple transitions between low and high pitch, sound high and clear, and the lyrics don’t bleed into each other.
Mid-bass performance is solid as the bass is loud and punchy but doesn’t pop or go overboard on tracks like Tame Impala’s ’41 Mosquitoes Flying in Formation’. Overall, the CX 80U is nothing short of outstanding when it comes to its general audio performance – although the sub-bass is a little lacking, but these are $40 earbuds at the end of the day. Check out my full Sennheiser CX 80U review for a detailed breakdown.
You are free for hours and hours
Regardless of how much a product costs, whether that’s under $50 or over $5,000, I don’t think it’s worth spending money on if you’re not comfortable — and that’s especially true for earbuds. Sennheiser CX 80U? They are so comfortable that you would think they cost at least a good $200. These earbuds are very light, for starters, each bud weighs just 0.5oz. That means your ears are not weighed down, so you can wear them for hours.
But just because they’re lightweight doesn’t mean they’ll fall out of your ears. In the box, you get three sets of ears, and one of these sets features a long design, so these buds pierce your ears and stay in place. These are the headphones I used for most of my testing, and they provided a good level of passive noise cancellation. I couldn’t hear the click-clackity sounds of my Keychron Q6 HE 8K magnetic keyboard or the sound of my co-workers talking.
Another advantage of using these long earcups is that the sound is focused in the ear, so you can enjoy the wide soundstage of the CX 80U. That’s all you need to appreciate your favorite artists (and a hi-res music streaming service), as I said earlier.
These are the buds you want
Many people’s earliest memories of wired earbuds are Apple’s EarPods. They’re still popular, and can be picked up on Amazon for $19/£19. Most of the time when I see people using wired earbuds on the bus or train, they are using EarPods. And why not use them? They are cheap after all. But I’m here to tell you that they’re not the best way to spend your hard-earned money.
Instead, spend more on the Sennheiser CX 80U, and grab them for $39 / £34. It features a built-in DAC, is very comfortable, and has noise-canceling earcups that do a good job of blocking out external noises instead of earbuds that include any noise cancellation (ANC).
While reviewing the earbuds, the only fault I found was that the sub-bass was a little lacking. If, after a week of testing, that’s the only real fault I can find with a pair of earbuds – or any product, really – then surely they must be good. The “CX” in the Sennheiser CX 80U stands for “Categorically (e)Xcellent.”
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