The choices for full-featured iPhone earphones (earphones with a built-in microphone and play/pause button) are still surprisingly limited. I searched around the Internets for the best reviewed earphones, and here’s a look at the top three under $100.

V-Moda Vibe Duo Earphones

The V-Moda Vibe Duo ($99.00) line of earbuds are some of the best-looking iPhone earphones around, and they also produce a solid if somewhat bass-heavy sound. iLounge gives them a B+ (review), and CNET gives them a 7.3 out of 10 (review) (based on an outdated model without play/pause capabilities).

iLounge found the Vibe Duos to be a real value based on the entire package: style, size, extra features, and dramatic bass ehancements.

The Vibe Duos come with six sets of silicon eartips, three in black, three in clear. The kit also features a leather pouch to store your headphones in.

The earphones come in three different colors: Black, Chrome, and Gunmetal Rouge. The buds are accented by shiny industrial-looking bands of metal. The cord is covered with fabric and features a clip that can be attached to clothing if you want to keep the microphone from moving around as you walk or run. The cord features a cloth covering instead of the usual plastic/rubber.

Lounge found the sound of the microphone to be superior to the Shure brand of extension cords that adds microphone/playback functionality to their earphones. However, the sound didn’t measure up the original iPhone earphone’s microphone.

Because the V-Moda has gone through two revisions recently, buyers should be careful to get the latest version.

Maximo iMetal iP-HS2

The Maximo iMetal iP-HS2 ($69.99) earphones received a B+ from iLounge.com (review) and a 6.5 out of 10 from IGN (review). The Maximo iP-HS2 earphones come with full iPhone functionality of a microphone and play/pause button.

iLounge liked the audio of the iP-HS2, calling it “a little cleaner and more balanced, but flatter,” than the V-Moda Vibe Duo. They suggest using the Vibe Duos for rocking out, and the iP-HS2s for “clinical listening.”

The iP-HS2 uses a more efficient earphone, requiring less volume from the iPhone, and the sound isolation of the earbuds also contribute to volume efficiency by doing a decent job of blocking environmental noise.

iLounge found the microphone of the iP-HS2 as comparable to the Apple earphones and better than the V-Moda Vibe Duo’s. The iP-HS2 microphone does a good job of filtering out environmental noise and isolating the caller’s voice.

Maximo chose wisely in separating the microphone and play/pause button. They placed the play/pause button at the intersection where the left and right cords connect and located the microphone farther up on the cord, closer to the mouth. The problem with the location of Apple’s play/pause button is that sometimes you don’t know which side it’s on, leaving you grasping the wrong cord. iLounge suggests that more companies use Maximo’s approach.

The Maximo iP-HS2 earphones come with three sets of silicone ear tips, a 2-foot extension cord, and a carrying case.

Skullcandy iPhone FMJ

The Skullcandy iPhone FMJ ($79.95) are stylish full-functioning iPhone earphones, with an inline microphone and play/pause button. The headphones received reviews of B+ from iLounge (review) and 6.7 out of 10 from CNET (review).

Both review sites loved the Skullcandy’s microphone call quality. iLounge even found the sound superior to the microphones in the original Apple and V-Moda Vibe earphones.

The music audio quality is bass heavy, according to iLounge, having the side effect of masking some midrange and treble sound. CNET seemed to find the opposite, stating the FMJ’s high-end “was generally very good” and the bass “to be lacking.”

Sound isolation of the FMJ earphones is not quite on par with other similarly priced earphones, but better than Apple’s.

The Skullcandy iPhone FMJ comes with only one size of silicone earbuds, but also has two sets of Comply foam ear tips. Buyers should beware if you have larger ear canals, as the foam tips might not fit. However, the silicone medium-sized tips will fit most “normal” sized ear canals just fine.

The FMJ earphones also come with a carrying case with a zipper and a special mesh inner pocket for storing the extra ear tips.