Basic Anatomy

Before taking apart all three pairs, I thought I should do a little research to make sure I know what's inside .

Here's what every basic pair should have:

If you didn't notice, that is a picture of an earphone not an earbud, but almost all the parts are the same except the transparent plastic cone (not-needed) and the front case (modified). The most important item in the picture are the wires. The wires are probably the most problematic part of any pair of earbuds, earphones, or headphones, because they're usually the first part to break. There's either a complete lack of sound when music is playing or a shortage of sound just from one earbud.  The second most important part is the magnet, because the circuit board is on the other side of it. The circuit board determines the sound quality, which is definitely one of my main focuses.

Gathering

Hey, it's been a while! Alright, so not too long ago I decided to get a few different types of earbuds to do some experimenting with, well, more like dissecting. I have gotten new pairs of earbuds: one that was custom-made with a cellphone, another from a nearby dollar store, and a third pair made and issued by MGM Grand Hotel. Of course, all three brands were initially made from factories somewhere, but what is it about their manufacturing that's makes the sound quality so different for each pair? Hopefully, taking each pair apart will give me just a little more insight on what I need to know.