I’ve yet to find a pair of Bluetooth earbuds that nails comfort, audio, and price like this one

Baseus Inspire XP1 earbuds

ZDNET’s key takeaways

The Baseus Inspire XP1 earbuds are on sale on Amazon for $104.
These earbuds’ seal allows them to fit like a glove, so they seal better than most, maximizing audio quality.
The app is pretty minimal.

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I cannot tell you how many earbuds I’ve used that don’t fit well. Even though I know the trick of getting earbuds to seal properly (grab the top of your ear, pull up, insert earbud, twist, and let go), it seems like the majority of earbuds still never feel like they fully fit.

And yes, even with the right tips.

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It matters because if you don’t get a good seal, you won’t get the best sound (especially on the low end). The difference between getting a good seal or not can be pretty dramatic; once you get them seated properly, they sound so much better.

I’ve reviewed a lot of Baseus earbuds and have found them to be consistently good and, in some cases, surprisingly great. When I received the Inspire XP1 earbuds, I assumed they’d sound as good as most Baseus earbuds and that would be the end of it.

Only, it wasn’t. Let me explain.

My experience

When I pulled the XP1 earbuds from their case, I immediately noticed something different. These earbuds have a rather odd shape to them — which I didn’t really think about — until I put them in. I didn’t have to work so hard to get them to seal properly.

That strange shape gave the earbuds an extra seal: at the tip and then the base. You see, the base of the earbuds makes up for when the tips don’t seal properly. With that one-two combination, the XP1 earbuds get the best seal I’ve ever experienced, and it really shows in the sound.

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Usually, when I get a pair of earbuds to seal properly, they can be a bit taxing on my ears. After thirty minutes or so, I’ll have to remove them, give my ears a break, and then insert them again and start all over.

With the XP1 earbuds, however, that’s not a concern. You get a complete seal without feeling as if the earbuds are tight. These babies are comfortable. Okay, let’s get to the sound. After all, that’s what you’re here for, right?

The Baseus Inpsire XP1 earbuds. — The Baseus earbud case is small enough to fit in your pocket, but the sound is much bigger than that.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

To start, the XP1 packaging clearly states, “Sound by Bose.” I’m not the biggest fan of Bose audio (there used to be a saying in the audio industry, “No highs, no lows, it’s gotta be Bose”), but I have experienced some high-end Bose speakers that were absolutely delightful.

Here, however, I can’t argue with the audio quality, as I was even able to hear elements in tracks I hadn’t heard before. In some cases, it was subtle, but in the case of “Oh, The Long Night” by Purity Ring, I was hearing a lot of nuance that I’d not heard to date. That song is already heartbreakingly beautiful, but when you hear all of the subtleties that you might have missed with other earbuds, it’s breathtaking.

You have to understand that when I listen to music, I’m all in. I pay attention because I don’t want to miss a note. I’m not a casual listener, so having a pair of earbuds that can deliver on those subtleties is important, and the Baseus Inspire XP1 earbuds do not disappoint.

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Thanks to that generous seal, the lows are wonderful. You get a rich sound that you might not expect in a pair of earbuds that cost less than $105. The highs are also quite nice and not in the least bit taxing. They are crisp without being too sibilant or splashy. As far as the mids are concerned, they are just right.

The more I listen to the XP1 earbuds, the harder it is to find a fault in them. No, they are not high end, audiophile earbuds that sell for nearly a grand. Instead these are well-tuned, brilliantly designed, cost effective earbuds that will have you feeling like you’d spent three times as much.

ZDNET’s buying advice

This one is a no-brainer. If you’re tired of using earbuds that don’t seal well, just spend the coin for the Baseus Inspire XP1 earbuds. Unless you prefer insanely thumpy bass, these earbuds will not only please your sense of hearing, but will also stay comfortable after hours of use.