We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-25 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want serious sound quality and long-session comfort for music, mixing or gaming, choose Superlux HD681; if you need a big batch of cheap, simple earbuds to hand out to a class, a group or an event, choose Kanayu 100.
These two products get lumped together because both are wired and both sit in the budget end of the market, but that's where the similarity ends. One is a semi-open over-ear studio monitor aimed at people who care about what they're hearing. The other is a 100-pack of basic in-ear buds designed to be given away. Comparing them is really about matching the tool to the job.
• Superlux HD681 — biggest strength: 50 mm neodymium drivers with a 10 Hz–30 kHz frequency range and a wide soundstage, which is genuinely unusual at the budget end of the wired headphone market.
• Superlux HD681 — biggest trade-off: It's a single pair of semi-open over-ears with a 2.5 m cable and no microphone, so it's built for listening and monitoring, not for calls or sharing.
• Kanayu 100 — biggest strength: You get 100 individually bagged pairs with 3.5 mm jacks, silicone tips and a 90 cm PVC cable, which makes them ideal for classroom sets and giveaways.
• Kanayu 100 — biggest trade-off: Sound and build are strictly basic — a 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range, no microphone, and a cable that's fine for everyday use but nothing more.
• Who each pick is for: Superlux HD681 for musicians, gamers and home-studio creators who want one good pair; Kanayu 100 for teachers, event organisers and anyone who needs many pairs at once.
The HD681 is a semi-open, over-ear wired headphone built around 50 mm dynamic drivers. That frequency range — 10 Hz at the bottom and 30 kHz at the top — is the headline spec. In practice it tells you the driver is designed to reach deeper into the low end and further into the highs than a basic pair will. The 32 Ω impedance and 98 dB sensitivity mean it's easy to drive from a phone, laptop or budget audio interface without needing a dedicated amp, though a proper source will get more out of it.
Who should buy it: anyone who wants one pair of wired over-ears for mixing, tracking, gaming or just listening to dynamic music — classical and large ensembles are called out specifically in the product's own framing. Who should skip it: people who need a microphone for calls, want noise cancellation (there is none), or need to outfit twenty people at once. In my opinion, this is the pick for the person who'll use the same pair every day and cares how it sounds.
Kanayu 100: Who It's For
Kanayu 100 is not really a headphone in the singular sense — it's a bulk pack of 100 wired in-ear buds, individually bagged, in a colorful assortment. The specs are deliberately plain: a 20 Hz–20,000 Hz frequency range, 3.5 mm jacks, soft silicone tips, and a 90 cm PVC cable. The description notes the sound is "clear" and "not jarring," which is exactly the right register for this kind of product. Nobody is mixing an album on these.
The real value is logistics. Individually bagged means hygiene and distribution are sorted the moment you open the box — you can hand one pair to each student, guest or attendee without repackaging anything. The 90 cm cable is short enough not to tangle into a mess but long enough for a laptop or a seat-back screen. The listing names schools, libraries, hotels, museums, gyms and birthday parties as use cases, and that list is honest about what this is: a disposable-adjacent, share-the-wealth product. The soft silicone tips and rounded in-ear shape are aimed at comfort for short-to-medium sessions, and the design blocks outside noise to a degree.
Who should buy it: teachers building a class set, event organisers needing party favours or rewards, hotels and gyms kitting out shared devices. Who should skip it: anyone who wants one pair of headphones to actually enjoy music on, needs a microphone, or expects studio-grade sound. Note the manual also mentions winding risk, so adult supervision is advised with younger children.
• Best sound quality and soundstage → Superlux HD681. The 50 mm drivers and 10 Hz–30 kHz range are in a different class from the Kanayu's 20 Hz–20,000 Hz.
• Best for long listening or working sessions → Superlux HD681. Self-adjusting headband, soft leather earpads and a lightweight build are made for hours, not minutes.
• Best for buying in bulk → Kanayu 100. One hundred individually bagged pairs versus a single pair.
• Best for classrooms, libraries and events → Kanayu 100. Short 90 cm cable, silicone tips, no fuss, easy to hand out.
• Best for gaming and home studio work → Superlux HD681. The 32 Ω impedance and semi-open design suit monitoring, mixing and tracking.
• Best for sharing with a group of kids → Kanayu 100. Cheap enough to lose, though the winding-risk note means supervision matters.
• Best for portability → Kanayu 100. In-ear buds with a 90 cm cable slip into a pocket; a 2.5 m over-ear cable does not.
• Best for noise isolation → Kanayu 100, by a narrow margin, since the HD681 is semi-open and leaks sound by design.
In my opinion, if you're a single person buying for yourself, the Superlux HD681 is the better purchase — a 50 mm driver, a 10 Hz–30 kHz range and a genuinely comfortable over-ear design give you something you'll actually keep using. The Kanayu 100 only makes sense if your problem is quantity, not quality: a class set, a giveaway, a shared-device programme. Buy the HD681 to listen; buy the Kanayu 100 to distribute. Before deciding, check the current price on Amazon — the page's button will show you what each one costs today, and that number should settle it fast.
How to make cheap headphones sound better
Start with the source and the fit. On the Kanayu 100, the soft silicone tips and rounded in-ear shape mean a proper seal matters — a good seal improves what you hear more than anything else. On the Superlux HD681, the semi-open design rewards a decent source and a quiet room; the 32 Ω impedance means it doesn't need an amp, but better electronics will show through.
How to get cheap headphones
Decide whether you're buying for one person or many. For one, a single wired over-ear pair like the HD681 gives you the most sound per pair. For many, the Kanayu 100 is the practical route — 100 individually bagged pairs with 3.5 mm jacks, ready to distribute.
What budget headphones
In this comparison, "budget" covers two different things: the HD681 is budget in the sense of affordable studio-style monitoring with a 10 Hz–30 kHz range, while the Kanayu 100 is budget in the sense of a bulk classroom pack with a basic 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range. Pick based on whether you want quality or quantity.
How long do cheap headphones last
It depends on use and care. The Kanayu 100 uses a PVC cable that the listing describes as "not easy to break," but a 90 cm cable still rewards gentle handling, and the manual flags winding risk. The Superlux HD681 has a screw-on gold-plated plug and a single-sided 2.5 m cable, which tends to survive desk use better than a short thin cable.
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