I bought my first pair of J2's about 2 years ago when I was looking for an upgrade over the stock iPod earbuds. I was very pleased with the sound quality and comfort of the J2's -- so much so that I purchased 2-3 additional pairs as gifts for friends and family members and routinely recommended them both on internet forums and in "real life" exchanges. My first pair lasted several months, until a newly acquired puppy chewed through the cord.



In need of replacement earbuds, I didn't think twice about purchasing more J2's (which, fortunately, had come down in price since the time of my initial purchase). I ordered two pairs -- one for home/laptop use and one for gym/iPod use.



Within a matter of several weeks, I noticed that my gym earbuds apparently had some kind of short/connection problem in the plug, as I would get sound out of only one ear. Upon returning home, I connected a pair of cheap Sony's to my iPod and they didn't suffer from this problem. Though frustrated by the disruption to my workout and the fact that I was out a pair of recently purchased earbuds, I chalked it up to bad luck and didn't think much else about it.



That is until a few days later, when I laid down in bed to watch Netflix prior to falling asleep and noticed that the other pair of J2's were having this exact same problem. To say I was frustrated would be a tremendous understatement. Two almost brand new pairs of earbuds no longer functional, and no way to watch the end of my movie with my wife asleep next to me. What good is a product if it is completely unreliable?



I'm not sure if my experiences are the product of a manufacturing defect or just poor quality control, but there's no doubt that something is amiss at JLabs. I was a once loyal customer of and vocal advocate for JLabs products but can't in good conscience continue to purchase, much less recommend, their products.