i have been a skullcandy stan since like 2010, they have always been a solid budget choice and last a long time. my very favorite pair of theirs has been the Push Active. the fit, quality and price hit for me and i have used them for several years. however, the last couple pairs i had have stopped pairing, only showing up as “Tile” in the BT menu.
i replaced them with some Smokin Buds due to my tightened budget, and they worked alright for a month or so, but now there is no media audio. they still produce audio because when i put one in i get the “connected” message.
i just want a comfortable pair of earbuds for work that are sweat resistant, noise blocking, preferably with the over-ear hooks. i dont need outstanding audio quality, i primarily listen to audiobooks and podcasts while working. my budget is 50 bucks give or take.
i havent had the need to look outside of skullcandy til now, and looking at options online is very overwhelming for me. any reliable brands would even be a great starting point for me.
cheers!
If budget is constantly an issue, maybe try some wired iems that will last longer than wireless. I can easily recommend the tangzu wan’er 2 (3.5mm, not 4.4mm) as you get a quality mass produced cable, great eartips that hold up against sweat, and they are tuned better for vocals which translates well in audiobooks and podcasts. I’m not an all out audiophile but I dabble. That would cost about $25usd + shipping and then you can get a jcally type c dac for cheap. If you’re on an iphone, you can just get a lightning to 3.5mm dongle instead of the jcally or other dac. You can obviously still go wireless if you’d like.