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Every now and then I come across a product that just captivates me. That last time this happened was the Camelbak water bottle, and you can read my review on the link. I don't do reviews often, but when I really feel good about something--and it changes my way of thinking--I have to spread the word.

I have been an audio and music geek my whole life. I played trumpet and piano in middle and high school, even minoring in Music Composition in college. I graduated with a degree in Audio Production and have always made sound an integral part of my life. Why does all this matter? Because I finally found a set of headphones that in my opinion are comparable to the professional quality I've heard in studios!

I've NEVER EVER EVER been a fan of ear buds. I have gone through a lot of headphones in my life so far (mostly thanks to the cat chewing the cords to shreds), but none of them have ever been ear buds. My theory was that going straight to the ear canal was not natural, since the outer part of the ear is as much a part of the listening experience as the ear drum itself. The way sound reflects off your outer ear and gathers inside was a natural design that could never be replicated in any technology. In the past, I've purchased headphones over $300 that do their best at replicating--truly professional audio engineer quality--and always thought ear buds could not give that natural sound since it skipped the outer ear.

I've changed my mind. The JBL Reference 220 ear buds are nothing short of phenomenal. My nickname for JBL has always been "Just Big & Loud" and these definitely fit the bill.

So many people have ear buds now thanks to iPods, and I felt like I've been missing out having the big bulky headphones all the time. Even when running, I wore the sporty Nike ones that set behind the ear.

They fit nicely inside the ear, they isolate any sounds around me, and the audio quality is superb, EVEN THE BASS (which has notoriously been bad for ear buds).

The specs on these JBLs say 20Hz – 20kHz for frequency response, which means it covers the low end of the bass. Normally I see ear buds that stop at 60Hz, but these go deeper and are much more powerful. And you don't lose the highs with these. The mid-range is nice as well. I can definitely hear the difference between MP3 quality and ripped-from-CD WAV quality.

As a bonus, these buds come with a case and all different sizes of buds (for different ear sizes), and has over the ear clips and even a behind-the-head attachment.

I suggest doing a Google search for "JBL Reference 220" and do your own shopping there instead of buying them at a local store. After I bought them, I realized I paid twice as much in store as they were online, but now that I have them, I can't give them up.

P.O.B.

Product Review: JBL 220 ear buds

PatrickOBrien

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