Can a budget earphone actually deliver the output you need for less? SOKYO Labs put the TechLife Buds Classic 2 through a full listening test to find out.
Overview
The TechLife Buds Classic 2 is a wired, half in-ear earphone from TechLife (a realme sub-brand) aimed squarely at the budget segment. It retails at 399 pesos, though it is frequently found discounted to around 169 pesos on online exclusive listings, putting it in direct competition with the cheapest wired options on the market.
Specifications
Driver 10mm large audio driver
Connector 3.5mm headphone plug
Cable length 1.2m
Cable design Tangle-free, with cable tie included
Microphone Built-in mic with in-line controls
Water resistance | IPx4
Fit Half in-ear design
Build Lightweight
Original price 399 pesos
Discounted price 169 pesos
Sound Quality
Overall audio quality lands at 8/10. Bass response is a clear strength, with enough weight to carry music genres that rely on low end without sounding hollow. Treble sits in the middle of the pack: present, but not the sharpest or most detailed at this price point.
Playing Dolby Atmos content brought the score down slightly to 7/10, with a noticeably musty quality when using the smaller rubber ear tip included in the box. Switching tip sizes is worth doing before judging the earphone's ceiling, since the smaller tip appears to be the bottleneck here rather than the driver itself.
FLAC playback held up well at 8/10, suggesting the 10mm driver has more headroom for lossless sources than it does for spatial audio formats.
8D audio looping, a common torture test for imaging and channel separation, scored lower at 6/10. This is consistent with a budget driver: the effect can be heard, but the sense of movement around the head is not as convincing as it would be on higher-tier earphones.
Microphone and Call Quality
The built-in mic scores 8/10, handling voice clearly for calls and voice notes. There is no active noise cancelling, so background noise will bleed through in louder environments, but for a wired budget earphone at this price, mic performance punches above its weight.
Build and Comfort
Cable length at 1.2m is fine for daily use, phone calls, and general listening without feeling restrictive. The tangle-free cable design and included cable tie are small touches that help this earphone survive daily commutes and bag storage better than a plain rubber cable would.
Verdict
Category Score
Overall sound quality 8/10
Dolby Atmos 7/10
FLAC playback 8/10
8D audio 6/10
Microphone 8/10
At 399 pesos, and especially at the 169 peso discounted price, the TechLife Buds Classic 2 delivers more than its price tag suggests. Bass is genuinely good, FLAC playback is solid, and the mic is reliable enough for calls. Where it falls short is in more demanding formats like Dolby Atmos and 8D audio, where budget driver limitations start to show, and the smaller ear tip that comes in the box is worth swapping out early. For anyone looking for a functional, tangle-free daily driver without spending much, this is an easy recommendation. For critical listening or spatial audio, it is a reminder that you get what you pay for.
Reviewed by SOKYO Labs.
