Koss KSC75

The Porta Pro has been sold essentially unchanged since 1984, and there's a reason it's still a cult favorite: some of the most natural, feel-good bass you can buy under $50, in an open-back design that weighs about 60 grams. Owners who've been through a dozen pairs describe the sound as warm and forgiving — rich low end, smooth mids, and a relaxed top end that never fatigues, though everything above the presence region is noticeably soft compared to modern neutral headphones. Because it's open, it leaks in both directions: everyone on the bus hears your music, and you hear the bus. The retro headband with its 'comfortZone' sliders is featherweight and genuinely comfortable for hours, though the temple pads pinch some heads and the folding mechanism famously grabs hair. Build is springy steel and thin plastic that looks fragile but survives decades, and Koss backs it with a limited lifetime warranty that owners actually use. The 60-ohm, 101 dB drivers run fine from a phone dongle — no amp needed. The cable is fixed and dual-entry, which is the main modern annoyance. If you want a cheap open-back for the desk or a nostalgic daily driver with real bass, this is still one of audio's great bargains.

Best for Warm, comfy open-back sound on a budget

The original Chu was the $20 IEM that broke the internet; the Chu II fixes its one fatal flaw by making the cable detachable via standard 0.78mm 2-pin connectors, so a snagged cord no longer kills the whole earphone. You still get tiny zinc-alloy shells that look and feel like they cost several times the price, and a 10mm dynamic driver tuned to Moondrop's house curve — though owners note this one is warmer and bassier than the near-neutral original, with thicker mids and softer treble. At 18 ohms and 119 dB/Vrms it gets loud from literally anything with a jack, no amp or dongle upgrade required. It remains a superb first IEM: safe tuning, grown-up build, real accessories including Moondrop's Spring Tips. The caveats are honest ones for the money — the included cable is thin and tangly, the metal shells can feel cold and slightly heavy in small ears, isolation is average, and owners who compare it head-to-head with the 7Hz Zero:2 tend to prefer the Zero:2's cleaner, more balanced presentation. There's also a DSP variant with USB-C and a mic if you're dongle-averse. For a gift, a gym beater, or a first step out of gas-station earbuds, it's still one of the easiest $20 recommendations in audio.

Best for A first IEM or giftable $20 upgrade

Seventeen dollars gets you Apple's wired earbuds with a small DAC built into the USB-C plug, which is quietly the whole story: they bypass your phone's jack-less design and play at full volume from any USB-C phone, iPad, or laptop — an amp is beside the point, and Apple doesn't even publish an impedance figure. The open, unsealed fit is love-it-or-hate-it: no silicone tips to fuss with and you can hear traffic, but there's zero isolation and bass is thin unless they happen to fit your ears just right. The inline remote and mic are genuinely good — many people keep a pair purely for calls because they beat most Bluetooth mics. Longevity is fine but not endless; the cable survives pockets better than the old 3.5mm version, and at this price they're effectively disposable.

Best for cheap reliable calls and commutes