Review of JLab Audio JBuds J5MS Mobile Headset

Oh hi! I didn’t see you standing there… how are you? I see you are checking out these Earbuds with a microphone. These earbuds are manufactured by JLab Audio and are sold in their line of mobile headsets. The JBuds J5 MS, which is sold only in black, is a single cord and earbud with microphone that fits comfortably in your ear with its 4 interchangeable silicone cushions. I have been testing them for a few days on my Galaxy S5, Galaxy Tablet and Laptop. Take a look…

 

 

Product: J5MS Mobile Headset

Price: MSRP: $29.95

Overall Rating: 4/5

 

Specs/Features:

Benefiting from five years of evolution in design, sound quality, durability, and comfort, the J5MS single earbud-style Mobile Headset is ideal for those who need a single (1) earbud with microphone and answer call / button control for smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices, including Android, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Motorola, Palm, HTC, Windows, Kindle Fire, and BlackBerry.

The J5MS’s titanium micro driver delivers an incredibly smooth and consistent sound quality. The all new 45° angle jack leverages the strength of pure metal with the durability of flexing rubber. The lightweight cable is reinforced with Kevlar for optimum flexibility and strength. Sleek housing ergonomics deliver an ultra comfortable fit with a satin soft feeling inside the ear. The J5MS is so comfortable, you can barely feel you’re wearing a headset.

Includes 4 silicone cushions as well as a clip for securing the cable.

PLEASE NOTE: This product has one (1) earbud and is designed for cellphones, 2-way radios, etc. If you are searching for stereo earbuds (2 earbuds) for your music player, try the JBuds J5 or the J5M with mic.

Backed by JLab’s limited one year warranty and world-class support.   

FEATURES
– Single (one) earbud rugged hands-free wired headset with mic (different from J5M which has two earbuds)
– Push button control for answer calls / music control
– Rugged metal construction with signature 5 durable flex joints and Kevlar reinforced cable
– Primarily designed for use with cell phones, two way radios, and other applications such as driving or biking, where only one bud is preferred to leave the other ear open
– 24 karat gold plated 3.5 mm jack for premium, loss-less connection

SPECIFICATIONS
– Drive unit 2xo8mm
– Frequency Response 20-20khz
– Impedance 16ohm +/- 20%
– Sensitivity (at 1kHz) 92 +/-3dB
– Cord length: 129cm
– Plug Type: Dia. 3.5mm Stereo Gold Plug, 45 degree angle
– Max. Power: 10mW
– Channel Balance: 3dB at 1kHz

 

What’s in the Box?

 

The J5MS Earbuds come in an easy to open black and silver bag, that you tear along the lines at the top (or if you’re feeling frisky, anywhere you really want!) of the bag to open. The design on the front is very urban with what appears to be a city with a figure jumping through it. The back of the package offers a little bit of information about the earbuds, which I will explore further below.

 

 

Inside the package you will find the contents pictured below:

 

The first item is 4 lightweight silicone cushions ranging from small to large to fit just about any ear. They are easy to interchange and require a slight pull on the cushion to remove it from the earbud.

 

 

You will also find a spring style lapel clip the easily attaches to the cord by securing it between a plastic clip that is attached to the lapel clip. The when the cord is stretched out, it is approximately 4 feet long.

 

 

The last two items inside the tare away package are an owner’s manual and warranty information sheet which has the serial number to the particular item you purchased. It also has a convenient QR code which, when scanned will take you to the User Manual section of the JLab website. The second sheet gives you information about JLab’s customizable earbuds you can design on their website.

  

 

The 4 foot cord is Kevlar reinforced and has 3.5 mm jack that is 24 karat gold plated and angled at 45 degrees to “Leverage the strength of pure metal with the durability of Flexing rubber.”

 

This product is a single ear bud used mostly for communicating with others via cell phone and it has a built in microphone with a button that allows you to answer and end phone calls, and will also allow you, as tested on the Galaxy S5 to play music with the push of a button. When plugged in to my tablet and laptop the button is rendered useless…

 

 

The single earbud itself features a titanium micro driver that “delivers an incredibly smooth and consistent sound quality.” And the magnet is an 8mm Japanese Kobalt Magnet which offers good sound from such a small device.

  

 

 

 

Impressions / Review:

 

For testing I used the Galaxy S5 with its stock Music player for music and the phone for talking with others. Headphones, I have always thought were a very subjective product. Everyone has different things they are looking for. Given that these are not traditional headphones and mostly made to be used as a communication device it does make a review a little less subjective.

 

Sound Quality

Now, I tell you, there are a lot of you who understand the specifications of headphones, such as frequency response (the range of bass, mids and treble), impedance (the amount of power it takes to deliver the audio) and Sensitivity (the ability to play loud music through the headphone).

But for most of us, we really want to know if it sounds good when used for music or in this case talking with others, if it is durable and if it will work when we need it. I have been able to test this for several days and have been able to make phone calls and listen to music on it.

I can say that the music sounds great, whether you are listening to Metallica or Bob Dylan, which by the way, happened to be two of the songs that played back to back when I was continuing testing it out while writing this review.

The sound does not become muffled if it is played too loud. There are very little distortions when playing loud music through the single earbud. From the music I played, I was able to hear the words clearly at all sounds levels. For a single ear bud, the bass and treble sound good.

 

Controls

On the back of the package it states that you can use the microphone control button (the one I mentioned earlier to pick up and end calls with) to play/pause music and use it to move forward and backward between tracks.

However on the package it does not tell you how to operate all of these functions with just one button. After some research on their website to find the manual it stated that to play music you press the button once.

To move forward between tracks, you press the button twice. The move a track backward you have to press the button three times. However after some testing, I was unable to get it to move a track backward. The forward function works well and pressing the button twice is recognized by the earbuds. However, I have yet been able to get it to move a track backwards…

 

Call Quality

The voice quality when talking to others is very good as well, I was able to hear and understand the person speaking to me loud and clear. My communication to them was also heard clearly and there were no distortions or background noises associated with the use of this product.

The J5MS works as expected, pressing the button on the microphone will pick up the call and pressing it again will end the call.

 

Cord

The cord is a simple and seems to be durable. It is stated on the website that it is Kevlar reinforced and throughout testing it has help up without any issue.

 

Noise Reduction

The J5MS does not offer active noise reduction, but when placed in your ear comfortably they do block out most noises. One thing to keep in mind is that this is a single earbud so you will have an ear free to hear other noises. But throughout using it to talk to others, the ear with the bud in it has been relatively noise free depending on how loud it is outside.

 

Comfort

The buds fits very well in the ear and come with 4 different size silicone cushions that fit comfortably in the ear. I have not tested then in an activity, but wearing them throughout the day they stay put pretty well and do not shift out of the ear without anything snagging on them.

 

 

Conclusion:

I would recommend this earbud if you are looking for a wired way to communicate with others while using your cell phone. They offer good noise reduction in the ear they are placed in. The J5MS can play audio loudly without much distortion or feedback and are clear when used to talk with others. The microphone works well and seems to pick up what is said from a short distance.

The one drawback is that I have not been able to use the push button to go backwards when playing music. Play, pause and forward work as described. The instructions were not very clear on the package on how to utilize this function and one has to go online to figure it out which can easily be fixed by adding a line or two on the back of the package.

It’s a good deal for the price if you are looking for earbuds with a microphone without really looking to listen to a lot of music.

 

 

Pros:

+ light weight
+ clear
+ durable
+ good sound and voice quality when making and receiving calls

 

Cons:
– not all capabilities functioning properly
– very simple, no frills

 

 

Disclosure: This product was given to us for review by the company for review purposes only, and is not considered by us as payment for the review; I do not, never have, and never will, accept payment from companies to review their products.