May 20, 2009 1:50 PM PDT
Best earbuds for less than $100
Even earphones that came out more than five years ago can still be great.
OK, so maybe 100 bucks or less isn't cheap in the scheme of things, but when you take into consideration that some of the most highly rated, excellent-sounding in-ear headphones can cost more than $400 (or, if they're custom molded, close to a grand), a $75 pair suddenly doesn't seem so pricey. Plus, can you really put a price on great sound quality? Chances are, you're not getting it from the cheapo stock earbuds that most manufacturers include with their MP3 players.
Taking that into account, we've rounded up a selection of great earbuds that cost less than $100. If you're looking for something even cheaper, check out our roundup of headphones for less than $50.
For more than five years, Jasmine France has covered a variety of tech products for CNET--from scanners to keyboards to GPS devices--but she's happiest where she is now: sitting atop a pile of MP3 players, "testing" every music service known to man, and jamming a variety of earbuds in every shape and color into her absurdly small ears. E-mail Jasmine. 
For less than $50 the CX 300s aren't bad either!
The CX500s can be bought for less than $50 if you search out there.