JBL Endurance Run 2 Wired – Waterproof Wired Sports activities in-Ear Headphones, Pure Bass Sound, Fingers-Free Calls, By no means Harm. By no means Fall Out. (Black)

Ranked 2 out of 4 <$20 wired earbuds tested I compared four low-cost (under $20) wired in-ear earbud sets:JBL Endurance Run 2House of Marley Smile JamaicaSkullcandy JibLodos OmnitoneI listened to pieces from four contrasting genres that I enjoy, represented by:Heart "Magic Man" (rock)EBTG "Wrong" (techno)Coltrane & Hartman "My one and only love" (jazz)Ginastera "Estancia Suite: Danza Final - Malambo" (classical orchestral)On each of these pieces, I rated each earbud (1-10) separately for clarity of treble, depth of bass, richness of middle, and overall "fullness" of the sound spectrum. The aggregate results for sound quality were as follows:1. 7.9 Marley2. 7.6 JBL3. 7.4 Ludos4. 6.7 SkullSome individual observations about sound:None of them had much trouble with treble (not surprisingly). Marley & Ludos were the clearest, producing a crystalline "sparkle" across all genres, especially Rock & Jazz, but none of the earbuds disappointed on treble.The biggest differentiator was bass: Marley & JBL produced noticeably deeper bass than the other two, especially the Skullcandy.Although they were not especially good on Classical (scoring better only than Skullcandy), the Marleys were fantastic for Jazz; JBLs were very strong as well. Marleys were best for both Tech and Rock -- although the sound they produced there didn't surprise me as much as it did on Jazz -- with JBLs being second for both.Build quality for both the Marleys and JBLs is both very good -- I'd even call the Marleys "fun," given a few thoughtful and tasteful elements they added -- with the JBLs gaining an edge due to water resistance, fuller mounting construction that allows earlobe to carry most of the weight (= more comfortable) and magnetized buds that will help minimize clutter, risk of getting caught on something; my only build suggestion would be a 90 (not 45) degree plug to minimize exposure to getting hit. Ludos construction was decent, just not quite to the level of the other two. Skullcandy build quality is certainly adequate for a $10 pair of earphones.I am keeping both the Marleys and the JBLs: Marleys for use in home/office, JBLs for exercise/outdoors/travel.

Secure fit and good bass, but annoying microphonics
HISTORYWhen I had to replace my long-time earbuds, I bought the DUNU Titan S after an analysis-paralysis level of research. The DUNU seemed well-built, but they were too tall and narrow for my outer ear canal and their unnatural music reproduction quickly fatigued my ears. Although I was able to return it for a full refund, I see that most sellers won’t grant a full refund – especially for higher-priced buds. This is why I restarted my search at the lower end of the price spectrum in case I couldn’t return future purchases. I purchased the KZ ZSN Pro. While it was wonderfully free of microphonics (see below), it was very similar to the DUNU in both fit and sound reproduction. Since it appeared that my ears are not a fit for Asian-designed ear buds – ironic, since I’m Asian – I next looked at domestic designs. After narrowing my search to JBL Endurance RUN (ER, henceforth) and Apple EarPods (EP, henceforth), I bought both for a comparison.WHICH DO I PREFER?–Fit: ERThe fit of EP is a mystery to me – there are no tips to tailor the fit and its surface is slippery. Is my outer ear canal so different than those of the millions of EP users? For me, gravity keeps EP in my ears when I’m upright, but gravity pulls them out when I’m lying down. It doesn’t fit in any useful sense. It just sits inside my ear. ER, on the other hand, comes with three sizes of grippy silicone tips and makes and keeps a solid contact with my ear canal. Chewing can sometimes loosen ER’s fit – if I’m being picky. I could buy hooks to give EP a better fit if I liked EP otherwise, but I don’t. Fit is not just about comfort. Fit affects how the sound produced by the earbud drivers is delivered to our ear drums.–Sound: EREP lacks bass. That is mostly due to the driver and partially due to the fit. In higher-end IEM (in-ear monitors), tips are used to tailor the fit and, more importantly, to tailor bass. The ER’s tips do change bass quality, with the smallest providing the leanest. ER’s bass is not as deep or as accurate as my over-the-ear Sennheiser, but it is surprising and satisfying.–Microphonics: EPVibrations that reach our ear drums are converted by our brains into sound. These vibrations travel through solids, liquids, and gases (air). The more material that the vibration passes through, the more the vibration dissipates. This is how kids learned to tell whether a train was approaching by putting their ears on the train track. When an earbud cable rubs against our shirt or body part, the vibration that travels over the cable to the earbuds is known as microphonics. Wireless earbuds and over-the-ear headphones (insulation in their heavy cables restricts this vibration) have no to little microphonics. If an earbud cable has sufficient microphonics-cancelling material, however, it might be too bulky and the earbud might be prone to being pulled out of your ear with the weight and/or stiffness of the cable. (The KZ ZSN Pro compensates for its stiffness/bulk by having a preformed loop to secure it over your ears.) With budget earbuds like EP and ER, it’s a matter of how much microphonics. In this comparison, EP is 50% quieter than ER. I found that wrapping ER’s cable once around my ear reduces microphonics dramatically, however. This works because most of the vibration is intercepted by the flesh of my outer ear and scalp before it can reach the earbud. While wrapping the cable was a nice science experiment, I don’t rely on it because this arrangement eventually loosens the fit of the buds during the listening session. Finally, because of microphonics, I won’t be doing any physical activity while wearing ER – despite JBL’s marketing claim.After the trial period, I kept the EP but now only use it with my phone because callers can hear me better through EP’s microphone.

I only just received these, so I cannot comment on the durability. But for such an inexpensive pair of headphones, I am surprised at how good they are.- Better sound quality than I expected, low frequencies come through just fine- Good passive sound isolation, block out a decent amount of background noise- Long cord- Comfortable wearing for long periods. They are not *quite* comfortable enough to lie on my side on my pillow with them in, but almost.- I don’t know why I would ever use this feature, but they have 2 orientations you can wear them in: one regular, and one where you swap ears and rotate the cord forward by about 90 degrees. Perhaps they fit more ear shapes because of this?Overall they seem like much better quality than I would have expected for the price, and I am very pleased with my purchase. I am considering getting a second pair just in case they are no longer available when they inevitably wear out.

El perfil de sonido es agradable, la parte técnica va acorde al precio es decir tirando a mala así que no se compran por eso definitivamente (mejor que el 90% de inalámbricos eso sí), pero para hacer ejercicio o relajarse son muy buenos si no te importa traer el cable. Cabe resaltar que son muuuy cómodos también, mi oreja es promedio tirando a chica y sin problemas.

Perfect sounding nice and sharp good bass