JVC HAFX5W Gumy Plus Inner-Ear Earbuds (White)

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out of 5, based on 2 reviews

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Ever since my dog ate my $350 Ultimate Ears Super.fi5 Pros 5 years ago and I wept, then swearing to never pay more than $100 for in-ear headphones and buying a set of Klipsch S4s that got sucked up in the vacuum cleaner, then swearing to never pay more than 30 bucks for in-ear headphones and going through 2 sets of MEElectronics that both burned out in the right ear, I swore off in-ear headphones.For the past year I have just worn Audio Technica ATH-M50s cans everywhere, and whereas they produce attractive sound, they are also huge and terrible for running or mowing the lawn (I can only assume they are terrible for running because there is no way I will be running unless chased by something that likes to stop and maul running things, in which case wearing headphones wouldn’t be a smart choice).I decided to once again lower my standards, as is part of the ongoing process of being an adult, and made a deal with myself to try in-ear headphones again, but swore to never pay more than $10. I found 2 pairs that met this criterion and also had decent reviews – the JVC HAFX5B Gumy and the Panasonic RPHJE120A. Both products had such attractive names attached that I ordered a set of each.The short of it: The JVC HAFX5B Gumies are better.The medium of it: The JVC HAFX5B Gumies produce deeper and richer bass and the high end is cleaner and more present. I don’t experience any distortion using them with my iPhone at max volume listening to Infected Mushroom, and at a more sane volume I can hear every string pluck, fingernail tap, and golpe de mano en la guitarra with Rodrigo y Gabriela (blame Google translate if you speak actual spanish and that last part doesn’t make sense.) The Panasonics are still extremely nice headphones for being under ten bucks, but they worked some kind of black magic into the JVC HAFX5B Gumy, which is reflected in both their performance and the extremely nice name their marketing department gave them.Are the JVCs as nice as the Ultimate Ears Super.fi5 Pros? No, but the JVCs are not in stuck in the intestines of a dog right now.Are the JVCs as nice as the Klipsch S4s? This is hard to answer because my major gripe with the S4s was the soft silicone eartips, which would lose their seal in my ears after a few minutes, and, at the recommendation of another reviewer, I purchased memory foam eartips for the JVCs and have never listened to them without. I also put the memory foam tips on the Panasonics, and they were still inferior.Are the JVCs as nice as the MEElectronics headphones? The JVCs are superior to the MEElectronics to an unreasonable degree. Remember that the JVCs are filled with black magic turned up to turkish döner box level. The MEElectonics headphones are apparently filled with toothpaste in the right ear.Are the JVCs as nice as Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones? The answer is NO, but you will look less conspicuous choosing the JVCs for the morning stand-up meeting at your mid-level office job and you will seem more devout during Sunday school because you won’t be wearing large over-the-ear studio monitor headphones.Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose Gumy.EDIT 8/25/15 – Turns out my Klipsch S4 earphones did NOT get sucked into the vacuum cleaner as I had previously been informed. My wife saw them sitting on the kitchen counter earlier in the year, thought they were “extras just laying around”, took them and started using them, discovered they were phenomenal, and “conveniently” didn’t realize that they were the “lost headphones” I repeatedly asked her to keep an eye out for that were white and said “Klipsch” on them. She came clean this past weekend when I generously offered her my spare pair of Panasonic RPHJE120As prior to a workout. Surprised at the sudden reappearance of my prodigal earphones I asked for her to give them back to me. We had an honest-to-god fight about her giving them back, which she eventually did (“throwing” moreso then “giving”). So now I can tell you that I replaced the silicone tips with memory foam tips on the S4s and they blow the Gumies out of the water. Yes, the Klipsch S4s are vastly superior to the bargain headphones for which this review is written… BUUUUUUTTTT… JVC HAFX5B Gumy Plus Inner Ear Headphones are still a phenomenal cheapo simulacrum and I will continue to sport them during times of political upheaval and in epicenters of urban decay to dissuade brigands from unscrupulous acts of petty banditry. The S4s will be relegated to the nice times – the milk and honey times – the times my wife does not have them.

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While overall the perform like they are meant to, there are some caveats to consider. I got them to replace those wretchedly uncomfortable Apple earphones, that constantly fell out and created long term pain from wearing them for much too long. It wasn’t until months after I stopped wearing them did my ears feel “healed”. So while these are much more comfortable they still do bother my ears a bit. That’s probably because they go so far into your ear, which assures they don’t fall out but still, it’s a bit uncomfortable because of it. Also with any headphone that cancel out noise, I don’t like to take these out in a walk because I can’t hear my surroundings which I find to be a safety hazard.