Review: JVC HR-FX55 Earbuds

by Seth Hover • 01/24/2007 at 05:21 PM

I?m going to assume you own an iPod of some sort. I?m also going to assume you own a pair of those god-awful earbuds that Apple insists on including with the iPod. Sure, they look cool and all, but they sound terrible. Really. Trust me, if you think they don?t, you need to see an ear? doctor? guy. My lack of intelligence regarding aural medicine aside, I?ve found an inexpensive and stylish upgrade to those worthless white trinkets in the JVC HR-FX55.

Design
The HR-FX55s come in two color schemes: a classy black/grey and a hideous blue/white combo (think G3s in your ears). I opted for the blacks. As you can see, they?re a little different from the iPod earbuds; rather than sitting in the opening of your ear and irritating the heck out of you, they fit into your ear canal. There are three different rubber ?heads? included to give you a relatively good fit?as long as your earholes aren?t the size of dimes, you?re covered. The soft rubber also makes for a comfortable and barely noticeable fit. The cord is a ?J? style- rather than two equal-length cords coming from each earbud, the left side is about 4 inches and the right side is about 10 inches. Basically, only the right earbud has a noticeable cable that sits under your chin (owners of the PSP know what I mean). I thought this would be annoying, but I barely notice the difference after using it for a little while.

Sound
Simply put, these blew me away. You really can?t get better earbuds for $30USD. Out of the box, the highs were clear (if a little harsh, but that diminishes after a bit of use), the mids were thick and pleasant (but not mushy) and the bass? Astounding! Hip hop fans won?t be let down?these buds really kick. Bass and drums sound so good that you?ll wonder if you could even hear them on the iPod buds. They?re definitely good all-around earbuds that shine in the low end. Acoustic, pop-rock, rap, electronica and more are all delivered surprisingly well. The isolation is great, too. I normally use the smallest of the earbud pads for regular listening, but it?s easy to block out the rest of the world by moving up one size- I couldn?t even hear someone snapping their fingers in front of my face with the medium ones in.


Conclusion
You really owe it to yourself to check these out?with such a low price and sound far beyond my expectations, there?s nobody I wouldn?t recommend these to, either as a step up from the Great Whites or as a cheap backup/travel pair.
Pros: Great fit, great sound, very light, and a good all-around cord length make these a steal.
Cons: Figuring out how to put them in my ears was a hassle, but hardly an issue now. I?m also not partial to the bent minijack?that?s one thing I prefer about the iPod headphones.

Rating: 5/5