JLab - JBuddies Folding Wired On-Ear Headphones - Blue/Gray

My 6 year old likes to listen to music on her iPad now. One of the things we were looking for in headphones was the ability to let her enjoy her music without accidentally damaging her hearing by turning the volume up too loud. We compared the JLABs to another kid-friendly headset. What I liked most about the JLABs is that the quality of sound they produced was excellent while not going too loud. Most kid headphones we’ve tested have almost no bass and sound almost “tinny”. The JLABs brought a healthy spectrum of sound that was noticeably different to the point that my 6-year old said the JLABs were now her favorite since the music sounded “gooder”. Another thing the JLABs have going for them is they fold up, like a pair of Beats headphones, so they’re easier to carry around in her backpack without taking up too much space. JLABs also uses an app, which we admittedly didn’t use, so I can’t speak to what features that might entail. If you’re in the market for some kid-friendly speakers at a decent price that also produce decent sound, then pick up a pair of JLABs.

I got these for my 8yr old daughter for use with her iPad Mini 2 and Nintendo 2DS systems. When they arrived, I was REALLY impressed by the packaging and the quality of appearance for something that was designed for children in mind. Unfortunately, this is where any positive impressions end... When I gave them to her as a surprise, she literally started crying of appreciation because of how nice they looked and of course, because I got them from Best Buy - she knows that's where all the "good stuff" comes from. LOL. Inside the packaging are these neat (if not a little cheap) holographic stickers. Pretty easy to put on the sides of the headphones. Other than that, there's little else inside, albeit the normal warranty papers and fold-out horizontal manual. These headphones are pretty self-explanatory. Upon trying them for the first time, we realized they were defective, out-of-the-box and in reality, the quality of the packaging was lying to us. These are some of the cheapest build quality headphones I've ever seen. We ordered her a pair of generic cat-ear headphones online for her birthday (around $15) and even those are much higher quality than this brand-name item. As for the defect - the right earpiece has a short in it. The volume dial is built into the earpiece. When rotating the dial, the audio in the right earpiece would crackle and go completely out, leaving sound coming from only the left one. You have to "knock" the right earpiece and turn the volume dial VERY slowly to get the audio to come back. When it does, it will randomly go back out again. Barring the defective earpiece, when I was able to get both to produce sound (for a short amount of time), the audio quality of these headphones is flat-out atrocious. Even at max volume, me nor my wife could barely hear it. Yeah, I get it - these are designed for kids, with a max volume level to prevent them from hurting their ears. But what good are headphones when, even at max volume, you have to "press" them to your ear to hear anything. Audio that has voices (YouTube videos, Twitch, etc)...forget it. Not gonna happen. Anywho....given all the above, I'm gonna call the manufacturer on Tuesday (as they are only open M-F and with the Memorial Day weekend, they won't be open again until Tuesday) and see if they can replace these. I'm posting the review now because I received them to try for review purposes. But, because I need to get my review in within a few days and I cannot reach the manufacturer now, nor wait to post the review after I receive a replacement (because, you know, shipping times) or resolution, I'm sticking with this one-star review. Given all of the above and based upon our initial impression when both are working, we would not recommend these to anyone.

I got this for my little nephew 8 years old. Quality is very good and has a volume control which a nice feature for kids that sound won't harm kids' ears. He liked it!!

1. The volume limiting feature works well. I don't have to worry about him hurting his ear drums any more. 2. They are comfortable to wear for extended period of time. 3. He likes the fact that you can put different stickers on them and design as per your choice :) 4. There is dial on the right headset to adjust volume levels. Overall, good head phones for kids.

I highly recommend these headphones for small children for various features. 1) The volume has a regulation limit that is not going to blow out eardrum or be very uncomfortable for small children to listen to. 2) The size is perfect for small children but will not recommend for children 9 or over. Two of my boys tried the headphones, one is 10 year and the other is 6 years old. The 10-year-old mentioned that they are a little tight for him. 3) The jack connection is not straight it somewhat an L-shaped. For kids usage, I prefer it this way because of the advantage of the L-shaped jack is that it is less likely that it may snap or bend and damage the device aux when it is in a pocket or while using it. 4) The kids loved the feature of changing the design on the sides of the headphones. 5) They are comfortable enough to be used for hours. 6) They are good quality because of its strong plastic and they should last a long time with normal kid use. In summary, I think these are the perfect set of headphones for small children. Excellent design, durable, safe features, and comfortable to use.

My first thought is that there are equal or lesser brands, which offer the exact same product features without being audacious. This is my only reason for the four star rating. Nonetheless, if you want a very well built and durable set of headphones for a child's ears, these are the ones! I was very impressed with the quality of the regulator. The sound on high was quiet yet pristine. The ear buds are small, soft, and allow for maximum comfort for a child. The sticker feature is like others and we more often than not put our own unique stickers on the sides. Collectively, good product that claims to offer a safe and enjoyable listening option for your little one.

Bought these for my niece and the sound quality was ok. She said they were comfortable. But she managed to break them within a week.

The Jbuddies headphone's big selling point is that it limits the sound volume below 85dB to ensure a safe listening experience for young children between the ages of 2-8 years. There is a volume regulator on the exterior of the right ear cup to control the maximum volume for the headphone. Despite being constructed entirely of plastic, the adjustable headband is very flexible. These are considered on-ear headphones since the earcups rest entirely on the ear. I was concerned at first that the on-ear headphone would be uncomfortable for my eight year old daughter, but the cushions were soft and she was able to wear them for over an hour without reporting any discomfort. The ear cups measure 2” in diameter. However, I would have preferred that Jlab designed the headphones with over-the-ear earcups to maximize comfort for children's ears. My eight year old daughter really had fun with the headphones. She enjoyed sticking the monkey stickers and the Jlab logo stickers that came with the headphones onto the exteriors of the ear cups. As a parent I liked the fact that even at the maximum volume, I'm re-assured that the headphones really don't get that loud. I also liked that the headphones can be folded compactly to facilitate storage and transport. In general children tend to be rough on things. I'm not sure how long these headphones will last. The weak link in any wired headphones is, well, the wires. When the wires go bad, you will either lose audio to one or both sides of the headphones. This is true for all wired headphones. It would have been nice if Jlab designed the headphones with a detachable 3.5mm audio cord. This way you can simply replace the wire and wouldn't have to toss out a perfectly good set of headphones just because the wire went bad. In terms of audio quality, for this price range, you really cannot expect too much. They are average sounding, consisting mostly of mids, with a tad of bass. It is definitely lacking in clarity and crispness, but heck, these headphones are designed for kids, so they won't know the difference unless they are offsprings of audiophiles. All in all, the Jbuddies headphones will appeal to young children and parents. It is comforting to know that the Jbuddies headphones will help keep the audio to a safe listening level.