Review of JBuds Hi-Fi Noise Reducing Ear Buds for IPod -- Not Bad, for the Money

Everyone who buys an mp3 player faces a decision: How to listen to it. More specifically, what headphones to use. Headphones run the gamut from the crummy ear buds that typically come with mp3 players to high end things which will put you in acoustic heaven for the mere price of a few hundred bucks. These headphones are definitely on the former end, but are not bad considering some of the alternatives.

For some reason, I seem to have a tendency to regularly acquire new sets of bad earbud headphones. Each one promises to be better than its failed predecessors, and each promises to provide a decent way to listen to music without dragging my nice over-the-ear headphones along. Although my JBuds Hi-Fi Noise Reducing Ear Buds came close to achieving this end, the ultimately fell short.

The first thing a potential buyer might notice about the JBuds is their design, which, while not unique, is much more comfortable than standard ear buds. Rather than simply being made of plastic, they have a flexible rubber piece that connects to the transducer, and fits comfortable in your ear, achieving a reasonably good seal, which, when it works, does a lot to block out extraneous sound. Although this design is a good idea, the JBuds don't completely pull it off. Only one size of earpiece is provided, so if it doesn't fit, too bad. Most likely, it will fit fairly well, but not perfectly. Another advantage of this design is that it means that the ear buds won't be inclined to come out of your ears while you run.

As for the sound, although the JBuds are okay, they leave a bit to be desired. The bass sounds a but squished, and the sound generally does not have the definition a more expensive pair of ear buds would offer.

Buy the JBuds if you are short on cash and aren't particularly worried about audio quality, but spend a bit more money otherwise. For forty bucks, the Sony Fontopia ear buds do everything these do several times as well. My friend's Fontopia ear buds fit much better, block out more sound, and produce sound with much more bass and much more definition

The JBuds Hi-Fi noise reducing ear buds are designed to go with the iPod, and are thus available in black and white. They are, I must say, a step up from the ear buds that come with the iPod.