Javo eBuds Review

[Kevin Remhof]

<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/remhof-feb04-jbuds-0.jpg" /><br /><br /><b>Product Category:</b> Audio<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> <a href="http://www.javoedge.com">Javo Edge</a><br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> <a href="http://www.javoedge.com/simtrix/productMtce/productDetail.do?state=init&productId=120&productRef=PEBU-61112-05&category=HEADPHONES">Javo Edge</a><br /><b>Price:</b> $22.50 USD<br /><b>Specifications:</b> 3.5 mm headphone jack; Cord Length: 47 inches (max.)<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><li>Compact;<br /><li>Lightweight;<br /><li>Great sound.<b>Cons:</b><li>Wire is a bit thin;<br /><li>Retractor can be heavy when held above a desk or table;<br /><li>Slight distortion at high volumes.<b>Summary:</b><br />Javo Edge has come up with a great way to reduce space in your gear bag. Packing these bud-style headphones will keep you organized and ready to listen to some tunes.<br /><br />Read on for the full review!<!><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Overview</b></span><br />Javo Edge has taken a concept that we've seen in sync cables and applied it to headphones. Nice idea. When retracted, they are compact and pack away neatly. When unraveled, they are a set of great sounding bud-style headphones.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/remhof-feb04-jbuds-1.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 1: Retail packaging of the Javo eBuds.</i><br /><br />The eBuds come packed in an attractive plastic hanging retail package. I could easily picture these on the shelves of my local computer and electronics stores. Even retracted, you can easily see what you are getting.<br /><br /><span><b>Why Choose Javo eBuds?</b></span><br />The best part about the eBuds is the compact size when retracted. They fit easily in the palm of your hand without becoming a tangled mess. You can toss them in your backpack, briefcase, or gear bag and not worry about fishing them out later. The retraction mechanism is strong and feels solid. The eBuds expand and retract with a minimal amount of effort. But, they won't retract unless you want them to.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/remhof-feb04-jbuds-2.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 2: The retracted eBuds.</i><br /><br />Once retracted to the length you want, you're ready to go. The eBuds have a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack. Simply plug them in like any other set of headphones. There is a small piece of plastic tubing on the bud-end of the eBuds. I found that it helped to push this piece of plastic gently towards the buds before retracting. This made it easier to retract them. The wire for these headphones is on the thin side. But given the compact size of the headphones retracted, I can see why it's thin.<br /><br /><span><b>Field Trial</b></span><br />OK, time to try out the eBuds. I have a set of $15 standard Sony headphones that I use at work. I did a head-to-head comparison of these headphones to the eBuds. The eBuds are very comfortable, fit my ears well, and stayed in place while I worked at my desk. The cord (fully expanded) is standard headphone cord length, about three feet. The retracting mechanism tugs at the buds if I sit too far back from my computer. I wish the retractor had a clip on the back so I could clip it on a shirt or something else. It would make them even more comfortable.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/remhof-feb04-jbuds-3.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 3: The eBuds hooked up to my iPAQ.</i><br /><br />The eBuds have very good sound quality. Both bass and treble sound strong. At low to moderate volume, the eBuds sound excellent. As I turned them louder, the sound quality degraded a bit, but not any worse than my regular headphones. Overall, I think the eBuds sound better than my standard headphones. They are clear and have very little distortion. The bass sounded much better than through my regular headphones.<br /><br /><span><b>Conclusions</b></span><br />Javo eBuds are a good set of bud-style headphones that retract to a minimal size. They don't tangle and fit easily in any bag.

[William]

Retractor can be heavy when held above a desk or table;
How does that work? 8O Its weight is depending on the object below it?

[Kevin Remhof]

Retractor can be heavy when held above a desk or table;
How does that work? 8O Its weight is depending on the object below it?

No, it's heavy because your ears are holding it in the air. This happens if I lean back from my desk. Make sense?

[divajess]

Is there anything out there like this with the not-so-standard 2.5mm jack? I hate that big clunky adapter...

[ctmagnus]

Aughh! Another set of headphones I must have!

[welmoed]

If these have a 3.5mm plug, why does the web site show it plugged straight into an iPaq? :?

Is the adaptor included?

--Welmoed

[Pat Logsdon]

The adapter comes with the 19xx series, which has a 2.5mm jack. :wink:

[slothdog]

Sorry, I'm a music nut. Gotta chip ing. ;) If sound quality and portability is important, I'd highly recommend looking at either the Sennheiser PX-100 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000089GN3/ivorytower-20) (open) or PX-200 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000089GN4/ivorytower-20) (closed) headphones. They both fold up nice and compact and fit into a case roughly the size of a sunglasses case. They both sound amazing, better than some >$100 headphones I've tried.

[ctmagnus]

Sorry, I'm a music nut. Gotta chip ing. ;) If sound quality and portability is important, I'd highly recommend looking at either the Sennheiser PX-100 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000089GN3/ivorytower-20) (open) or PX-200 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000089GN4/ivorytower-20) (closed) headphones. They both fold up nice and compact and fit into a case roughly the size of a sunglasses case. They both sound amazing, better than some >$100 headphones I've tried.

But the PX-200s aren't very bass-y in my experience. ;) Koss's The Plug is a much better sounding set of phones imo. I'd love to give these a try but I wouldn't expect too much from them sound quality-wise; I :ppclove: the retractable cord, however.

[TheWolfen]

I've been waiting a long time to see ear buds that have a retractable cord. Unfortunately, I'll have to keep waiting. The max power rating on these is only 3mW. That might be ok for a pda, but a good mp3 player (like the Rio Karma I have) will blow them too easily. They'd go even sooner with an iPod.

Hopefully more companies will jump on the idea and we'll see something a little more capable in the near future.

[doc]

Wolf, I have a pair of Philips (SBC HE510) retractable ear buds very similar to this and they're rated at 50mW. I bought them from Frys last week for $17.99. The retractable part has a small belt clip on the back also.

There's a picture of them in this (http://www.gemini-usa.com/pdf/2002MPMcat.pdf) catalog.

[GoldKey]

Too bad you just can't buy the retractor mechanism and put in your own headphones. Pairing the retractor with a set of Koss Plugs would be great. Maybe I will try taking apart the USB cable I have with the same mechanism to see if the cable can be switched.

[soda97]

what's the difference compare with ziplinq that selling on tigerdirect?

[GoldKey]

what's the difference compare with ziplinq that selling on tigerdirect?

Not sure what you are talking about, how about a link?

[Glisson]

I'd love to see a set like this with that has the over the ear clip that holds the small bud in your ear. I never find this style comfortable. I use the sony's I use everyday. I find them to be the most comfortable and lightweight. I use Aiwa folding noise canceling headset on flights however.

Glisson




Sony - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1051826204520&skuId=5335657&type=product

Aiwa - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?CategoryID=cat08353&id=1051826206782&skuId=5343112&type=product&ref=05&loc=01

[soda97]

no one heard of ziplinq?
just go to tigerdirect and do a search
whole bunch of retractable stuff

they even have a clip one too
but a lil pricey
not sure i can suppose to do this but...
http://images.tigerdirect.com/SKUimages/small/pcaudio1.jpg[/img]