House of Marley Smile Jamaica: Wired Earphones with Microphone, Noise Isolating Design, and Sustainable Materials, Brass

[***UPDATE after six months of using both the JBLs and the Marleys (I returned the others): SOUND: The Marleys have consistently better sound than the JBLs across music genres -- crisper highs, deeper bass, and a fuller spectrum overall...in fact their excellent sound quality rivals some much pricier earbuds I've had and doesn't disappoint in any way. BUILD: The JBLs' design is better suited for use while exercising, being outdoors, etc. They're water-resistant and can endure a lot of jostling before they dislodge, and the magnets are a handy feature for storing, so there is definitely a role for them. That said, the build quality of the Marley pair punches well above its price point and with the woven cables, wood-capped buds, etc. has even a bit of a subtle luxe feel to it. SUM: If I were to choose just one of these, it would be the Marleys. I'd pay $75-100 for these and still feel that it was a good value. (Don't get any ideas, Marley folks...)***] I compared four low-cost (under $20) wired in-ear earbud sets: JBL Endurance Run 2 House of Marley Smile Jamaica Skullcandy Jib Lodos Omnitone I listened to pieces from four contrasting genres that I enjoy, represented by: Heart "Magic Man" (rock) EBTG "Wrong" (techno) Coltrane & Hartman "My one and only love" (jazz) Ginastera "Estancia Suite: Danza Final - Malambo" (classical orchestral) On each of these pieces, I rated each earbud (1-10) separately for clarity of treble, depth of bass, richness of middle, and overall "fullness" of the sound spectrum. The aggregate results for sound quality were as follows: 1. 7.9 Marley 2. 7.6 JBL 3. 7.4 Ludos 4. 6.7 Skull Some individual observations about sound: None of them had much trouble with treble (not surprisingly). Marley & Ludos were the clearest, producing a crystalline "sparkle" across all genres, especially Rock & Jazz, but none of the earbuds disappointed on treble. The biggest differentiator was bass: Marley & JBL produced noticeably deeper bass than the other two, especially the Skullcandy. Although they were not especially good on Classical (scoring better only than Skullcandy), the Marleys were fantastic for Jazz; JBLs were very strong as well. Marleys were best for both Tech and Rock -- although the sound they produced there didn't surprise me as much as it did on Jazz -- with JBLs being second for both. Build quality for both the Marleys and JBLs is both very good -- I'd even call the Marleys "fun," given a few thoughtful and tasteful elements they added -- with the JBLs gaining an edge due to water resistance, fuller mounting construction that allows earlobe to carry most of the weight (= more comfortable) and magnetized buds that will help minimize clutter, risk of getting caught on something; my only build suggestion would be a 90 (not 45) degree plug to minimize exposure to getting hit. Ludos construction was decent, just not quite to the level of the other two. Skullcandy build quality is certainly adequate for a $10 pair of earphones. I am keeping both the Marleys and the JBLs: Marleys for use in home/office, JBLs for exercise/outdoors/travel.

These are great wired earbuds and I purchased them on sale. They provide reliable service and great sound. The value was outstanding!

I got these after reading the review from who compared them with 3 other brands. I got them for the gym because I go with my son and I prefer to be able to keep one ear out when needed. I don't like wireless or bluetooth directly next to my head, so I always go for wired. With all of that said, I'm giving these a 4 star because they do fall out pretty easily. I'm always putting them back in place. The sound is good. They are comfortable. I like the look and style of them too. I've only had them going on 5 days now so I'm unable to speak on longevity at this time. I had to get an adapter to use with my phone since it doesn't come with a headphone jack (the phone doesn't). They work great with the adapter and I haven't had any disruption from it. Overall, I'll use them pretty often. I keep them in my belt bag (formerly known as fanny pack) in a separate pocket just for them and the adapter. They don't tangle up like most pairs do. Might be a tad bit of twisting, but nothing serious. As an example/comparison, my son's beats buds stay in place without needing to be pushed back in. These aren't awful tho. I've had worse when it comes to this issue. It's just my only issue. They are great for when I'm lying in bed watching things and want to move onto my side. Plus, since they aren't over the ear, they don't interfere with my glasses. Worth the purchase. All in all, I'm happy with them!

I've made the switch back to wired headphones. Because LOUD! These headphones are fabulous! Really great clear sounds. I can hear instruments played in song that I haven't heard before. Like Ringo on the bongos on You're Gonna Loose That Girl. 🔥

I am very pleasantly surprised about hiw good this little thing is. The sound quality, yeah, it's not B&O, AKG, or Sennheiser, but it is highly competent, well balanced across most of the music spectrum, and provides an enjoyable listening experience. There is the clear emphasis on the bass, but this is Marley, what do you expect? Still, it can present solo piano, opera, or Rammstein quite consistently with a lot of honesty. The included different plug sized allow for a decent fit for pretty much anyone's ears. What I do not like is how the cable feeds noise into the music or the telephone conversation anytime it rubs on your clothes or other objects around you. This is the consequence of the braided glove in which the cable itself runs brushing againt any material it touches. I am used to it niw, but it can be quite annoying.

I had high hopes for this product and wanted to love it based on its product images, the brand name, its sustainability promises, and its history/reputation. I didn't expect much audio quality out of these for the price but I'm surprised by how much it struggles when the volume is turned up, it just starts giving out and sounding coarse. I don't know if that's for all of the earphones, or maybe just the pair I received. Another important thing is that they lied. They said in the product description that I would receive two pairs of earbud sizes, but there was no second pair in the box, only the earbuds. It also said that I would receive a carry pouch, but that was not in there, I double-checked every part of the box and packaging. I think I may have gotten some old version of these earbuds because the box itself didn't look like the one in the image and looked like a worse box (the box was also damaged on arrival). I mainly bought these buds because I thought they looked beautiful, and for the materials they used, these looked like a steal for the price. But the wood has a weird discolor to it and isn't an even-toned brown like in the images, making it very odd-looking and uneven. The braided cable is not the same color as in the pictures, which other buyers seemed to have the same issue with. I got the brass version which looked like it had a cable that was mainly black with yellow highlights, which I thought looked great. However, what I got has a mainly yellow cord, which is not exactly my favorite look. The product feels good in the hand and sounds alright, but the lying product images and its struggling with some songs that work perfectly fine on my cheap old wired sony buds make me pretty disappointed. I even contacted customer support to see if they had some sort of resolve or at least an answer for some of these questions, but no response in days. I had high hopes!

Had these before I use them on my work computer,wish these where wireless,I have the little birds wireless they are ok, but like these better

Fine sound quality, but lots of static when moving around, and little unpleasant shocks to the ear during every listening session. Good build quality, beautiful wood color and metal collar. But the shocks. The shocking is very irksome. Will use them until they die.