Ok, this is kinda random, but I need some earbuds.

I want some in-ear ear buds that are small because my ears are small. Also, noise canceling would be a good feature. I'm not an audiophile, but quality is pretty important to me. Also, my budget is under $40. They need to be fairly waterproof too.Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

I actually prefer the little 2 dollar pairs of earbuds you can find at stores like Big Lots. The quality isn't half bad, they're pretty small with no extravagant design that's supposed to be more comfortable, like Apple's are supposed to be. However, that's just my personal experience. Also, I needed earbuds all the time for some classes in my high school, and found out that the library sold some EXCELLENT pairs for just a dollar that work as well as any 20 dollar pair, so if you're in school you may want to look in to that.

 

That's interesting, but do they isolate noise well?

 

JVC Marshmallows are the best under $40 earbuds that I've ever used. They're very comfortable and they sound nice. They also use memory foam instead of rubber for the earpads, which I liked a lot. I think they cost me about $20 when I got them a couple years ago.

I went through a couple of Skullcandy Ink'd buds. I wouldn't recommend them. They were decent sounding for the price, but they fell apart very easily. The cord wears out way too easily and the paint job on the buds scrapes off leaving them with exposed wiring and a cheap, beat-up appearance. A lot of people swear by Skullcandy, but I wouldn't recommend them at all. They were $10-$15 I think.

Currently I'm using some Sennheiser CX-270's. They cost me $60, so they're a bit above your price range, but if you can find some for under $40 they'd be my top choice over the JVCs. Awesome quality, very durable, and well worth the cash. If not, the JVCs are an acceptable substitute.

 

I totally agree that Skullcandy earbuds suck for the price you pay. My sister got me some nice looking $30 "Smokin' Buds" for Christmas. They didn't last three months when I accidentally put a little too much force on one of the cords, causing the right bud to stop working.

I later bought a cheap, $10 Sony earbud pair from Target, and those things have lasted me FAR longer than the Skullcandies have and have probably gone through more abuse, while still providing ample sound-cancellation and also serving w. In my experience, it seems the cheaper sets are actually the better buys for the long term.

 

Thanks for steering me away from Skullcandy, my friend thinks that they are amazing.