The Metal enclosure and metal plug have made these one of the longest lasting pairs of in ears I have owned. The j3's sound and build quality have made them one of my daily use headphones for basic use. The j'3s replaced a pair of j4's and have since surpassed the life span of the "rugged" earbuds, the sound has good highs and lows but can be a little empty in the middle. The multiple tips are able to fit most ears the mediums are the ones that I use however they don't seal out as some other earbuds they do block out enough that you can easily use them while walking or riding a bus however they are not very suitable for airplane use as they need to be turned up almost all the way in order to block out the jet noise. The in ears can become very fatiguing after extended use at higher volumes and do become uncomfortable after an hour or two even at normal listening volume. However at $6 I have not found a pair of better in ears personally. The new jlab epic premiums have a better sound stage and can be more comfortable but are far more expensive and are truly not worth the extra money over the j3's.
