Pros:

• Comfortable fit, do a good job sealing out most noise


• Good bass response


• Excellent sound quality for the price

Cons:

• You'll need to work at getting these ear buds in the right position before you get the best sound response


• Doesn't block out all noise

Using the JBuds: I tested these ear buds out while riding the subway, giving me a good opportunity to see exactly how much noise the noise cancellation features of the ear buds really takes out. The silicone cones on the tips of the buds are soft and comfortably seal the ear canal from a good deal of noise, although I never felt completely isolated from the outside. Some people might find the lack of complete silence objectionable, but I like being able to keep track of noises come from my surroundings (like an approaching car, or announcements from conductors), so it worked fine for me. The seal also meant I could turn down my iPod to about a quarter volume, so I probably did my ears some favors just by testing the JBuds out. Wearing the buds for 40 minutes (the length of my commute) was a lot more comfortable than the same length of time with the stock iPod ear buds.

Listening to a mix of rock, classical and acoustic blues, I found that I could still hear the orchestral pieces well (although I had to turn up the volume a bit) during the loudest part of the train ride. The music had excellent clarity and I started hearing parts of the song I hadn't noticed before, an experience I always enjoy. I also noticed a lot more definition in both bass lines and kick drums; the sort of thing I normally get only from my high-end Sony headphones. You do have to make sure that the earplugs are set as far into your ear canal as they can go, however, or the nice bass response the ear buds put out tends to overwhelm the music, making acoustic instruments sound especially muddy. It took me a few tries to get this placement right; if you don't like wearing earplugs, these ear buds are not for you.

Overall, if you're looking to pick up a new pair of ear buds on the cheap, you can't go wrong with the JLab JBuds at $20. They sound pretty good, they'll give you a lot more sonic information than your stock ear buds and they fit a lot more comfortably, too.

Company Website: http://www.jlabaudio.com/