TDK EB-300

Sporting a basic in-ear headphone design, the TDK EB-300s are a dirt-cheap alternative to your default MP3 player headphones. While their sound quality is far from stellar, considering the cost it is perfectly acceptable. They should suit users looking for an upgrade at an affordable price.

The sound produced by these headphones is fairly uninspiring, but will be a step up for many people. It is noticeably bass heavy, with strongly blown out low-range notes that lingered far too long. However, at the same time, bass didn't extend too deeply, which gave quite a hollow sound all up. There was also noticeable distortion in dense passages of audio that detracted from the listening experience.

That said, there was reasonable detail in the mid range. A lot of our more complex tracks were well reproduced with background sounds not lost in the mix. The mid range was quite dull at times but it wasn't too strongly emphasised or particularly gritty.

Our favourite part of the EB-300's sound was the highs, which were relatively rich and quite sweet. Piano-based tunes impressed on these headphones, assuming they weren't too bass heavy.

We found the soundstage to be decent. It is difficult for small in-ear headphones like these to create much immersion, but this model did a pretty decent job. The overall sound comes across somewhat muted, which will be too much for more discerning listeners.

The EB-300s are some of the smallest headphones we've seen. They have absolutely tiny tips, meaning they are quite easy to insert and are relatively comfortable to wear. That said, users should try before they buy if possible, as canal-style headphones can be awkward and uncomfortable if you aren't used to them.

They create a reasonable seal with the ear despite being so small. While they have no active noise cancelling, they do a pretty good job of blocking out external sound. When we had music playing we couldn't hear anything, be it people talking to us or general office buzz. Sound leakage is also not a problem.