Second Look at the JBuds J3 Micro Atomic In-Ear Earphones

 In an earlier review, I mentioned that these high-quality JBuds J3s were too treble-heavy for my tastes, with too much sound in the upper register instead of a balanced sound. Of course, sound is subjective and many will find these $30 J3s worth the money.

 I posted this review on Amazon and my blog and got an email from JLab Audio telling me that they were “surprised” by my criticism, that my critique contradicted focus groups and their “overwhelming conclusions.” The email also implored me to consider removing my review until I made a more "thorough evaluation."

JLab Audio makes similar requests to Amazon reviewers who give their product less than sterling praise. Clearly, JLab cares about their customer feedback and wants evaluations to be both thorough and they also make it clear that the earbuds should go through a breaking-in process, playing the buds through the earphone jack for 24 hours straight.

I want to be fair so I deleted my Amazon review and want to give my evaluation as a “second look,” having allowed my J3s to go through the breaking-in process. I am comparing my $30 J3s to the $14 J2s, listening to them through a C.Crane CCR-2, a Sangean WR-2, and an iPod.

For me, the J2s, while not offering the same brightness and dynamic volume as the more bright sounding J3s, are the better deal. Simply put, I just find too much treble in the J3s at the expense of other sound range resulting in a less than balanced listening experience. On my CCR-2 radio, I turned the treble all the way down to mitigate the J3’s upper end effect. On the Sangean WR-2, the high-end was also too much for me. Same story with the iPod. 

Now I expect many will be happy with the J3s' bright sound in the upper register. It’s just too much for me. JLab makes a good product. I bought their original JBuds and still use them as my travel buds and I love them as they’re very comfortable. The J2s offer better fidelity than the originals. I use them for my bedside radio. The J3s for me offer too much treble but definitely bring a brightness that many will enjoy.  

Update: 

JBuds contacted me and offered me to exchange my J3s for two pairs of J2s, an offer I took. Kudos to JBuds for accommodating my preference for the J2s. 

Comments

[Iblink]

Agree with you the J3s sound is richer and fuller, but the treble might be overwhelming for sensitive ears. Bought them, couldn't return hence bought Sennheisers.

[Best Earbuds]

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