What with the increased mobility in present-day lifestyle, headphones have gained a heretofore unheard of popularity. From the commuters in public transport to jetsetters in airport lounges to passengers aboard flights, consumers aren’t short on choices. While it is understandable why top flight cans are priced the way they are, with the current crop of budget-fi or entry-level offerings from new headphone manufacturers, it is arguably more and more difficult for the mid-range ($200.00 – sub $1000) to justify their pricing.

Many of today’s so-called budget-fi in-ear monitors (IEM) punch above their price points. Upon receiving the Fidue A31s, my critical nature got the better of me. Ever since the Monoprice, I have always had reservations about what people say about the price-to-performance ratio. Anything that has to do with taste or preference is always subjective. It is even more so in this hobby or interest.

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