Ifrogz Luxe Microbuds with microphone.

• Disclaimer: I recently bought and tested 5 different pairs of headphones which were under the price range of NZ$20 at time of purchase. In all I have reviewed Moki 45 degree Comfort Buds, Xiaomi (“Mi”) Basic in-ear headphones, ifrogz Luxe microbuds (with microphone), Philips “Vibes” in-ear headphones and finally Skullcandy Jib headphones. Note that these were tested with music only; if a set of headphones had a microphone I did not test the quality of the mic.
• Packed in a nice cardboard box with a plastic insert. The box makes the product look a bit more expensive-looking than it actually is.
• Doesn’t come with a manual or other materials (most of these cheaper headphones don’t).
• Comes with the headphones and medium sized bud tips as default, as well as 2 pairs of alternatively sized earbud tips (small and large).
• Uses a thin-style cable which may end up being prone to tangling.
• Uses a straight 3.5mm plug/jack (not L-shaped).
• The headphones are made of plastic, but unlike other cheap headphones have a matte-finish to the paint (rather than the usual glossy). One minor problem with the paint is that it almost completely obscures the letter “L” on the left hand bud (I couldn’t see an “R” on the right-hand bud), so it’s not practical to identify which bud is which from the letters. Instead, just remember that the right bud cable is the one with the microphone, and you’ll always know which one to stick in which ear.
• Noise cancelling – Quite good. For what appear to be very small ear buds they do a decent job of muffling ambient sound.
• Verdict – Sound quality is good overall with decent bass. I will say however that the highs and mids are muddied somewhat, so vocals in songs don’t seem to be as clear as they should be. These would probably make quite decent cheap gaming headphones, especially seeing as they have a microphone.