These earbuds come with three different sized silicone end pieces. The medium ones are pre-fitted onto the earbuds. That size worked very well for me, but if they are two big/small for you, it's pretty easy to switch them out with a different set.

Obviously the most important aspect of any speaker purchase is the sound output. If the sound isn't adequate then the product isn't worth buying. Since the JBuds only cost $20, I was somewhat leery of the quality of sound these things would produce. For the most part I'm very happy with the sound. They are certainly better sounding than the iPod earbuds. The main downside to the JBuds' audio is how much bass they pump out. The bass levels are so high, I have to find an equalizer setting that favors treble to even things out. Even with this extreme bass, I would certainly rather listen to these than the iPod earbuds.

One of the other big features for headphones these days is noise cancelation. These earbuds claim to block out ambient sound, which is true as long as you have music playing. These headphones don't conduct active noise cancellation, so if they are silent or the volume is turned low, they won't block out anything above a whisper. But while music is playing (at normal levels) they do a pretty good job of blocking out noises.

My final major reason for upgrading was for comfort. All of the earbuds I have owned before this have not been true in-ear earbuds. Instead they rested in the ear, making it hard to get them positioned correctly, and sometimes painful to keep in place. On the other hand, the JBuds have silicone tips which are inserted deep into your ears (this is what causes the ambient noise reduction). The silicone is pliable, so it conforms to the shape of your ear, making them extremely comfortable. As described in the set up, if the pre-installed tips don't work for you, try another size; you should be able to find something that works well.

Another benefit of the in-ear design is that the decible output is higher at the same device volume levels than other earbuds. That is, the iPod earbuds produce about half the volume (in my non-scientific tests) at the same slider levels. This increased efficiency allows for the headphones to get louder overall, and they require less power to do so. In fact, you might gain battery life by being able to turn down the volume a bit (I haven't analytically tested this).

To accurately judge how well the JBuds performed, I used them in a variety of different environments. The three most common to personal music listeners are: outdoors, in quiet places such an office, and the very loud scene of an airplane. Using these headphones outdoors is very acceptable. If you are in high traffic area, they will block out a lot of the road noise, which is nice, but dangerous if you are crossing in busy areas.

In a very loud area (which I simulated with a handful of loud devices running in a small room), the headphones faired pretty well. I could hear the ambient noise when the volume wasn't at the top 85% of the iPod's output range. However, since these headphones have the power to get a lot louder than ear-resting earbuds, so I was still able to hear the music quite well.

Probably the worst place to use these is in a office, waiting room, or library. These headphones have a nasty habit of broadcasting a lot of their sound when you turn up the volume. This will almost certainly annoy those around you, so you better keep your device turned down if you don't want to get under someone's skin.

Possibly the biggest downside to these earbuds is the lack of a carrying case. Many earbuds these days come with a winding case (or something similar) to keep the cord neatly packed away. If you don't have something along these lines, you will probably want to purchase one (especially if you keep the earbuds in your laptop case) which will add slightly to the overall cost.

No mechanical problems were encountered with these earbuds.

The JBuds are billed as "Hi-Fi Noise Canceling." While they do sound pretty good, and they do block out some sounds while playing tunes, they don't really do an exceptional job at either. Nevertheless, you can't really expect to get any better earbuds for this price. I prefer the JBuds over both the iPod earbuds and some older Koss earbuds that I own.

Pros	Cons
Sounds very good for the price Pumps out a lot of volume without using a ton of power (possibly extending battery life) Very comfortable in my ears Includes multiple in-ear silicone tips Blocks out more sound that earbuds which just rest on your ears	A bit heavy on the bass Doesn't actively block out ambient noise (especially while music isn't playing) Doesn't come with a method of storage Broadcasts a lot of sound to your surroundings
7.5/10 stars