Jlab Jbuds J2 Impressions.

[jant71]

I'm extremely happy with my Super.fi 5(modded with S-adapter and Shure clear flex). I like them better than the stock Triple.fi and SE530 and they recently sent the UM2's(even with similar mods) packing too. I have little interest in anything out now on the high end. I am waiting for the next UE universal and possibly the ATH-CK100 when/if the price lowers enough. It would seem I'm in for quite a wait. I'm still having fun playing around with more cheaper back-ups though. I was the guinea for the PL30 which was nice even at the 39.99 I paid from DPmega. Then on to the CX95 which I felt was slightly better SQ-wise than the Soundmagic but worse fit-wise/ergonomically. So, after selling the CX95's on Friday I got the urge to try another cheapie out.

They were 29.95. I took the free shipping so they won't get here till the end of the week. They come in a ton of colors, though it seems they will be released one at a time. Onyx black was in stock. I wanted the black/mint but those might be a while. No point in waiting.

Amazon has some good pics...
Amazon.com: JBuds J2 Premium Hi-FI Noise Isolating Earbuds (Onyx Black): Electronics Three 5-star reviews also but not worth anything(to me) as they might be planted since those colors are not released yet and the other was admitted to be an advanced review sample.

The company link-JBuds J2

I was still convinced enough to try them myself. The first model was quite popular. I've liked all the titanium driver phones I've heard so far. That shape/design is my favorite and will work well for both over-the-ear and straight. They do look nice and the cord does look like it is a thicker more durable type. So, we'll just see if they live up to the hype when they arrive and after some burn-in.

 

[LeonWho]

I heard JBuds suck.

 

[JLab Audio]

Hello jant71,

This is David with JLab Audio. I wanted to personally thank you for trying the new JBuds J2 and let you know as part of the J2 launch we are currently offering a buy 1 get 1 free special. Since you already bought one pair, just forward your Amazon receipt to J2Launch@JLabAudio.com along with a request for Black / Mint Green and we will send you an advanced pair. By the way, all colors will be shipping by November 25.

Our original JBuds earbuds were actually the #1 best-selling earbuds on Amazon.com for most of the last two years. A vast majority of customers found them to be an excellent value, with extremely good sound quality and comfort, especially for only $20.

We listened carefully to our customers feedback when creating the next generation, the JBuds J2. We integrated flexible rubber joints and premium quality cabling, as thick as you will find on $300 Shure’s. We totally upgraded the style and created 12 color combinations, many of which have never been seen before.

We encourage everyone in the Head Fi community to give the new JBuds J2 a try and to take advantage of our buy 1 get 1 free special, good through December 15 by shopping our J2 Launch Store: http://astore.amazon.com/wwwjlabaudioc-20

The J2’s will be going on sale for $25 today or tomorrow. They come with a full one-year warranty.

We love what you guys are doing here and look forward to your feedback!

 

[jant71]

Thanks David! I get home to find I've got two free pair of canalphones. I ordered a Degen radio and the seller sent me a free pair of Degen branded canalphones also. Got me some stocking stuffers!

 

[ClieOS]

They don't look generic design - that much credit must be given.

 

[jant71]

I got them today. I will let them burn in some and give my final thoughts on the sound. Out of the box they lack some clarity but they should clear up. They are not as clear as the PL30, CX95, or Metro.fi 150 out of the box. These are my last three budget phones that I will compare to. Sorry, from memory only but comparing to how close they are my SF5 I can get pretty accurate.

No case is included while the other three all come with one. The PL30 has the most stuff including the cable wrap, case, and the most tips.

The build is good. The cable is thick but supple and light, quite good with microphonics.The plug is squared, not round and is solid and easier to grip. The last 3mm before the gold plated plug is round and thinner for use with any recessed jacks. Some thought was put into the design. Does not have a cord draw though and the cable does want to tangle after the Y. Better build than the PL30 and Metro.fi150. Same build quality as the Sennheiser but has thicker cables after the Y and much better fit than CX95 which is worse over the ear and also needs longer tip straight down.

With stock tips I can only wear them over the ear as the housings are ~12mm in diameter. I need longer tips to wear them normal straight down. Of course fit varies. Stock tips are very close to CX95 tips and the black tips that come with the PL30. Could use some bi-flanges.

So, the fit and build are as good or better than any of the others. SQ is yet to be determined. The signature is quite balanced, detailed, and has good soundstage. Very fun signature. The early impression is that they will challenge for the best SQ of the 4. Seems like a slightly more extended and detailed PL30 with nicer mids and speed more like an armature.

 

[jant71]

I have run them in for about 25 hours now. I have listened to them a quite a bit during the process using my SmartQ T5-II, Sony NF-610 Minidisc, Toshiba U202, Degen DE1123 AM/FM/SW radio MP3 player/recorder, and a Creative Zen V Plus as sources.

I will give my impression of them from 1 to 10 versus the PL30. Assume that the lower numbers reflect that they don't quite run with the big boys.

Bass: goes to the JLabs J2 - 7.5 to 7.

The J2 bass is a bit more detail and extends a wee bit more. A bit faster and hits harder. J2 has less bass but what's there is more impactful.

Mids: goes to the JLabs J2 - 7 to 6.5

The J2 mids are less distant and more in line with the rest of the spectrum and have a bit more substance/thickness.

Treble: goes to the JLabs J2 - 7 to 6

Treble is more extended and detailed.

Soundstage: equal - 7 to each

A caveat: With thicker more isolating tips than the stock the J2 gets more bass and with the added extension can sound a bit larger.

Detail: goes to the JLabs J2 - 8 to 7

The J2 is one of the more detailed dynamic earphones I have heard. The 8 rating means it plays starts to play with the big boys in this area. The thinner tips help to give detail but they still have more than the PL30 with thicker tips.


Some Impressions: I like them better than the Soundmagic. They are more fun, more detailed, and extended. They have a more flat and balanced signature. They have one of the least microphonic cables I've come across. Very supple and even with more isolating tips are fine wearing straight down w/o a clip and walking/even jumping around a bit.

Some issues: They come with very thin tips. The kind that turn inside out when I take them out. So the isolation is less with them and they can be bright when match with bright players and will make warmer players seem less so. I tried various tips and they are quite sensitive with regards to bass and clarity depending on tip used.

They need burn-in to gain clarity. It does improve but they need 24 hours minimum esp. if you want to throw more isolating tips and/or have a clearer player such as The Toshiba which has a lot of clarity and reveals the J2 lack of it till the clear up enough. At this point I can listen to the Toshiba with more isolating tips and even add some bass EQ.

The price has gone down to $25 now which still gets free shipping on Amazon. I got my second pair already. Take advantage of the BOGO offer to get a back up or(like me) a stocking stuffer. At essentially $12.50 a pop they are a nice deal.

 

[PeterDLai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLab Audio /img/forum/go_quote.gif We encourage everyone in the Head Fi community to give the new JBuds J2 a try and to take advantage of our buy 1 get 1 free special, good through December 15 by shopping our J2 Launch Store: http://astore.amazon.com/wwwjlabaudioc-20

I can't seem to figure out how to take advantage of the buy 1 get 1 free special. If I add two of them to my cart, it seems to charge full price for both.

How do I activate that? I'm thinking these might be good gifts.

 

[MusicL0ver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterDLai /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can't seem to figure out how to take advantage of the buy 1 get 1 free special. If I add two of them to my cart, it seems to charge full price for both. How do I activate that? I'm thinking these might be good gifts.

+1

 

[Ub3rMario]

+2 on no BOGO

 

[cAPSLOCK7]

The MOMENT the buy one get one free offer details are cleared up I am ordering some.

Thanks to the reviewer and David @ Jbuds.

 

[hotstuff]

yeah it will be great if the buy one get one deal is cleared as there is no link or any such offer mentioned on amazon.

 

[jant71]

I got my second pair. I had already purchased them so I just sent them my receipt. So, I did not have to use the link which seems to be down. They did send them and they did drop from $30 to $25 like David said. They have been straight so far. Probably just something they need to fix and get the link back up.

One more thing I did not mention that I thought of with the J2. They do not have holes in the back. They are like the CX95 and the sound tube collar in front seems to serve as the vent(you can see it in the Amazon enlarged pic/the line in font of the side logo is what I mean). In limited use outside they did not show any "wind whistle" which is good. Though I did try them with Comply T400 they still only give canalphone isolation. At least to my ears they will never isolate real well if you are looking for that. So please factor that in.

 

[JLab Audio]

I apologize for the late response everyone. I didn't mean to leave you all hanging! As you can imagine, the JBuds J2 launch has made us quite busy.

First off, thank you jant71 for the in depth review. Critiques like yours are what we take into consideration when developing new products.

Second, I fixed the link in my first post. For some reason the "http" was doubled up. In case you need it, here it is again: http://astore.amazon.com/wwwjlabaudioc-20

Of course, we welcome all feedback and thank you all again for your support. We will be checking in again soon!

 

[ExtendeD]

Wow, superior to the PL-30's in almost every way? Yeah, I thought the PL-30's were OK but they never really grew on me. With the buy one get one free promotion, I will probably pick up a couple soon, but is the difference really that significant? If so, I will have to deal with selling my PL-30's...And how about those new Nuforce phones? Ah, so many decisions.