JVC HAFX1X Headphone Xtreme-Xplosivs, Black, Red

You have to ask yourself: IS BASS EVERYTHING? (in a headphone, or IEM earphone?)If it IS everything to the listener, then they’ve found Nirvana in the JVC “New” XtremeXplosives In Ear (Headphones), the “New” being some subtle dynamic changes to the driveritself while increasing its size to 10mm from 9mm. If you carefully read the stats thatare included in the kit with the earphones, the Frequency Response has improved to 8khzthrough 23,000khz also. Very, very commendable range for a budget earphone, I must say!Even if bass response and integration isn’t everything, and you’re looking for the **bestsounding budget earphones** you’ve also hit Gold here with this earphone. Why? Because theambiance, sound stage, clarity, construction and dynamic representation of the individualnotes and chords that make up a piece of music are finely and specifically, distinctlytightly integrated, with bass, mids, and highs each given a nice cross-over treatment byJVC in engineering these new ‘phones.I have been openly comparing these new JVC’s with my Ultimate Ears Triple Fi Pros, whichshould just plain outclass, outdrive, and bounce out of the ball park these inexpensive’phones. Does that happen, or did it happen in my experience? Not on your life! Admittedlythe Triple Fi’s are much better at constructive integration and sound cross-over disbursement,ie the notes, from high to low, are displayed to the inner ear in perfect harmony. The highsare tonally correct, not “tinny or piercing”; the mids are not muddiedand too loud or too soft, just right; and the bass is awesome, and quite deep and loud when necessary also.But the JVC’s are not anything but about a 1/4-step behind the $349 Triple Fi’s in any department it turns out, by my direct comparison of the two systems. I used a series of Apple lossless, and 320khz encoded albumsthat I have, first in my Android smartphone, a new Samsung Galaxy Note 5.3″ AMOLED 1280×800 display equippeditem; then I played the same albums using iTunes player, with my No.1 PC (OEM built Intel Core i7 970 6-12 CoreCPU, 24GB DDR3 RAM, twin EVGA GTX 560 Ti SC’s in SLI, and a beautiful Asus Xonar Essence 24-bit, 192khz PCI ST Sound Card-with integrated headphone amp no less…and other tricks and treats I needn’t go into here). Couple that system with a Rolls HA-43 Pro 4-channel Headphone Amp, dedicated to the PC No.1 only with integrated controls, and you have my test bed in a nutshell.With the Samsung Note, I had four audio players to choose from, Google’s Play Music player, Samsung’s native Music Player, and two pay-for apps, PlayerPro Music Player, and WinAmp Pro player. So I nixed WinAmp for the test session (this past weekend) and used Google’s, PlayerPro, and Samsung’s player which is surprisingly good with lossless and 320khz-encoded music files (it has Dolby 5.1 Sound available, NICE!). The best comparo I can give you for the review is two albums that I favor for massive tonality gestures+ rock-my-arse-off heavy, heavy cookin’ bass lines: “Valleys of Neptune” by the finest guitarist to ever pick one up, Jimi Hendrix; Thievery Corporation’s “Mirror Conspiracy” which has arguably some of the finest bass and pump-handle bammin’, slammin’ groovy electronic jazz ever cut on vinyl, or CD for that matter!This headphone, the JVC Xplosives, just blew my mind with its constant, pulsing, never-stopping bass rendering, both by Billy Cox and Noel Redding’s hand in the Hendrix album, while Thievery Corp’s “Mirror Conspiracy” served up some delicious, tight, Ka-BAM-BAM! lyrical and sumptuous bass lines, just penetrating all and every other note struck by the artists in the groups. Incredible! The JVC’s are brutal and direct with their bass pumps, the new 10mm neodynium-laced drivers at that, as bass in these phones is simply overwhelming, but in a good way, not a way that it possesses the songs, no, none of that. The JVC bass doesn’t lack for volume, drive, thumps, deepness and tonally correct high-bass notes (some of the hardest for rendering in any earphone/headphone). The heavy bass compliments the songs 100%, never blowing out the sound and energy of any given line or lyric, it’s just HEAVY, and LOUD, in the best way possible. Much heavier than the Triple Fi Pro’s in all respects: volume, impedance, thrust, and certainly punch! These things are ROCK CITY!The Triple Fi’s by comparison, are just about as loud as the JVC, but not quite…punchy and tight yes, but overwhelming and directive like the JVC’s are? Not on your life! The Triple Fi’s are cleaner in defining the various registers or a lyrical line in a song, they hang-in there when you think they are going to explode and just render amazing mids and highs, and overall are just more refined and special than the brass funk of the JVC’s. Both phones are excellent however, hard to choose which is the best, but have to go with the Triple Fi’s for overall sound clarity and non-violent rendering of all classes of sound in all the music I played for them to excel with…JVC’s are just a hair behind, with a bit of muddiness in the high bass lines, and “overflow” into the mid-range registers on some very loud songs in both albums.They are both winners in their own ways, but the fact that the JVC’s are on the same page as the Ultimate Ears Triple Fi Pro’s is totally off-the-planet scale-wise!! Holy Cow Batman!!! They really push out bass unlike any cheap, or inexpensive set of phones are meant to do, you think? I guess so because they pull it off with aplomb and solid, finely and tightly punched-out bass notes that simply permeate your head, TOTALLY!Next? We switch over to the fantastic PC NO.1 with its Asus sound card/amp/and Rolls HA-43 Pro amp to totally blow the suds out of both sets of headphones/earphones, just make them speechless and trembling because of the POWER driven through them by the Rolls amp. It’s a good combo for both sets of phones however, don’t let this overwhelm your thinking at this point, because a good headphone amp does nothing more than amplify and clarify the driven sound of any headphone/earphone getup, and I mean ANY! And make it much, much louder with that clarity intact for anything you put through the system, ANYTHING!First, I have to admit prejudice to the Ultimate Ears units because I’ve been listening with this particular set for almost 6 months, and I broke them in carefully, steadily, and surely with 24/7 playback (put albums on never-ending refresh, and let them rip!) for something like 3.5 weeks, ie while I was working or not using the PC No.1 it was breaking in the Triple Fi’s for all that time…I figure about 450 hours of actual musical interlude with the phones, non-stop. They say 500 hours is ideal for break-in of any headphone or earphone, and I tend to think similarly, with variations on that theme, by specifically altering the type of music you push through the phones, programming them carefully and methodically to break-in the phones to the types of music YOU listen to, yah? Right!Anyway, on the headphone amp and PC setup these two sets of earphones just knocked my level-headed socks off their perch, and sent them into space somewhere, I think!! I really don’t know, they are both so competent in all respects, the Triple Fi’s handling any and all types of sounds and music emanating from those two radical and precedent setting albums, arguably. With Hendrix playing guitar, you *know* you’re in for some action like you’ve never heard a guitar attempt to do, much less actually do, and the JVC’s carry his heavy and intricate, radical and tortuous guitar ripping and grinding, shredding if you will, into another dimension. You never lose sight of the bass line, but Jimi just dominates the songs and their performance so strong-handedly that you’d expect the phones to not respond quick enough, fast enough to catch it all intact…but the JVC’s do just fine and Hendrix comes through in all 99-shades of purple, red, black, and blues musical lines that he liked to play for the people. Gosh I miss him!Verdict? The JVC’s and the Triple-Fi’s tie on the amp setup, how about that? I can’t give the nod to either as they are equally competent and the staging or ambiance attached to each song remains intact, is correctly translated by the phones into pure aural pleasures for the listener, no more and no less. It is almost perfect, and I can’t imagine two more distinctly different, yet so similar in results, headphones in action on my beast of a PC sound system, all optically-cabled I might add. This is good news! My $25 JVC headphones are the equal of the Triple Fi’s ($349) in almost every respect, just losing out ever so slightly on clarity and sound stage for the various eclectics and dynamics of the music.Now there are some ways the Triple Fi’s blow the little JVC’s out of the water, and mainly it is the pure and professional construction of the physical aspects of the set, the wiring, the over-the-ear placement of the lead wiring vs. the “hang down to your guts” wire arrangement of the JVC’s. Additionally the Triple-Fi’s have a 2 year warranty vs. the JVC’s 1-year coverage. The wiring on the Triple Fi’s are replacement oriented, ie you can detach the wiring from the headphones and literally replace them as new with the help of Logitech (UE’s new owners) of course! They are also easier to place in the ear canal subjectively, physically they are simply easier to ‘get right’ as rain in the ear, no discomfort even after many, many hours of use. And finally, the total package from Ultimate Ears is mind blowing in itself: attenuator modem for airplanes and busses and trains; extension cord; L-shaped connectors that are solid gold plated, 24Kt style. There are other things too, which should be mentioned in this review that I personally favor and use, for my own pleasure and comfort it seems. YMMV…For the phones I never use the stock silicon ear pads, I toss them in the trash because I’ll never use them, and I mean NOT EVER. I long ago discovered foam tips, and chose the TX-500’s Comfort Ear Pads for both of these particular headphones, and man, what a difference it makes to use foam tips! One is totally isolated from the outside environment with foam tips, no sound whatsoever gets into the ear canal if you get a perfect seal goin’ on, so like, DO NOT DRIVE A CAR with these in place, you’ll most likely crash if you do!In addition to the foam ear pads, which have earwax protection built into their interior spaces by the way, ie little tiny screens are fused into the pad material, which is “high response Recovery Foam” in nature, for a forever-good prophylaxis from anything getting into the phones, God forbid! I use the factory containers for traveling with any earphones, ie the Ultimate Ears stainless steel getup is my favorite of course, but the JVC’s small plastic (hard) “black box” is adequate for the length and breadth of the earphones and their cable, that crazy-strong but flexible bright red contact wiring. The UE cabling is form fitting around the ear, ie it has “memory effect” so that it’s always in the same spot when it comes time to place them in the ears for a session, a far superior method of wiring up an earphone.That’s the essence of my review for these fantastic budget-minded earphones, although I heavily favor the over-the-ear setup of the UE’s, the JVC’s are aok fine for hang-down earphones, un-over-the-ear type wiring. The weight is on the JVC’s side, they are much lighter than the UE’s, what with triple mini-drivers and speaker ports in the UE earphones vs a single helical driver system in the JVC’s. But this phone all by itself deserves the award for Wavey Davey’s “Best Earphones Less than $30!”, as I cannot emphasize how good these are sound-wise for the price-point they are in…it is just unbelievable! If JVC had made them over-the-ear phones, they’d sell out to the walls each and every shipment, I am certain of this…it’s just that important to any level of user, critic, consumer, musician, or anybody else for that matter. Once you’ve had the system OTE, you don’t go back. Same for foam pads, you never, ever want to use silicon after you try foams.As above, the JVC’s get the “Best Earphones Less Than $30” Award from Wavey Davey, and any consumer who is capable of getting a “true seal” on their phones in the ear would have to agree, certainmounte? I think so!!They are weak in the cable department, not having attachable cables that can be replaced, but then again you don’t see this in the price point area they are in, so big deal about that. But overall? They are winners pure and pure again! Sound is unreal and strong, strong on the bass side, with a nice crossover-network effect, albeit not a complete 3D cross-over like in the UE Triple Fi’s. What a value, too! My Lord, it is a winner right there bar none!Finally, thank you for reading my extensive, but thorough delving into the essence of the JVC phones, as they deserved a complete review, which they now have, so there you go! It’s always a pleasure to write reviews here at Amazon.com Reviews, so thanks again for the read, it’s appreciated.Wavey Davey – 7-21-2012

The JVC HAFX1X Headphone Xtreme-Xplosivs are decent quality headphones that don’t hurt your wallet or your ears…yeah. As soon as I unwrapped the human-proof packaging, I instantly played Radiohead’s “Reckoner” which is a perfect song to listen to because of it’s duality of different sounds playing on each side of the ear, panning left and right, immersing the listener to true stereo sounds, giving you a complete eargasm of juicy vibrations. These headphones work great for songs that have multitrack recordings with hard L/R panning. The Beatles did that a lot almost in every song, “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”. Every genera blasts through with clarity, from System of a Down’s heavy guitar shreds or Hip-hops bassy beats. Atmosphere sounds amazing, “One of a Kind”, or Eminem’s “Rabbit Run” will make your head-bob with a big smirk on your face as you sing along. Well there’s enough evidence here to safely assume this guy is a stoner, or just a lover of good music who gets quite the boner.ENOUGH ABOUT MY LAME MUSICAL TASTE, ONTO THE PRODUCT WITH GREAT HASTE:Keep in mind that I’m listening to them while writing this review.Includes:-Stupid Plastic Packaging! (Scissors not included…)-Instruction Manual (In four languages!)-One Year Warranty (Only In English, Printed In China)-Plastic Carrying Case-Two Extra Silicon Earbud Pieces (Large and Small)-And that’s it!-Oh Yeah, The Awesome Headphones! (Medium Earbuds Already Attached)So I found it interesting I could keep turning up the volume and they wouldn’t distort that much, crisp and clean sound throughout. The shape/design of them are odd but doesn’t affect anything, they’re light and fit snug. And for all those who wear saying the bass is overwhelming or powerful…well it’s kinda true. I love bass a lot, but these aren’t that bassy. Damn you! But no worries, everything is balanced to where you don’t need any enhancing effects. I bought these for iPod use mainly, walking to work with them, bike rides or jogging. I don’t jog. They stay in your ears very well unlike those s***ty pair that come with Apples products, worthless and painful! When you buy an iPod, just throw those headphones away or better yet, burn them so seagulls or sea creatures don’t get tangled up in them making animal-lovers cry. It includes a neat plastic case that pops open easily which holds the manual, warranty, and extra earbud pieces. Don’t try to pry it open with a knife like I did…yeah total moron. I’ve been buying headphones left and right every month now because apparently I haven’t been taking good enough care of them, since every single one died on me! Because one side of the earbuds would go out and they’d be useless, after buying them at Staples one week prior. I could eventually get some audio out of them when I bent the cable a certain way near the gold Jack, but that’s ridiculous and you should just buy a new pair. I used to own an $80 dollar pair of nice Sony earbuds and they lasted a long time then eventually did that thing I said a few sentences ago. Must be a curse. Do not buy those cheapo $9.99 pairs or even the $19.99 ones! Doesn’t matter what the brand is, for some reason that price just means — I WILL FALL APART ON YOU FOR NO REASON! So I hope these last, and I think they will because the red cord feels tough enough…I don’t know what I’m talking about so just be careful with them. They won’t split because of that little black thingy in the middle that has “JVC” and “HA-FX1X” printed on each side. ANYWAY! If you’re looking for basic headphones that don’t cover your ears, get these. They’re cheep here on Amazon and they don’t feel like they’re in your ears at all. As if the music is floating along with you.FINAL THOUGHT’s:I hope you enjoyed my biased review and I’m sure there are better headphones out there of course, it’s just these aren’t flimsy specious skullcandy’s. The reviews on here convinced me to get them and I couldn’t be happier…no wait I could be happier but it’s irrelevant to headphones. The next headphones I’ll be getting are those really nice Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Studio Monitor Headphones, for stay at home editing and whatna. They’ll be perfect for mixing audio or just laying in bed toking and getting lost in the music. Same goes with these JVC earbuds, they’re great just for relaxing and listening to your favorite album and be in a complete trance for hours.———————–*Update* 11/24/16My God this review was cheesy. I apologize…. Anyway, so after four years of use one of the ear buds went out. I loved these things and I’m not sure what I did that made left or right bud stop working but don’t let this deter you from getting these amazing affordable earbuds that fit snug in your ears. Way better than the rocks Apple gives you which I’m relying on now till I either order these ones or get beats audio or something. I don’t regret this purchase at all.

I BOUGHT this product because of the many, many 5 star reviews. I USE this product because it offers great sound with several, smaller added benefits.Pros:1) great fit – the earphones come with three different size covers. The smallest size fits perfectly in my ears and greatly isolates outside noises.2) includes a travel case – the package includes a simple plastic case that has enough space to hold my earphones and a small USB drive. I simple wrap the earphones in a circle around my fist, pop it in the case, and can forget about them possibly being damaged in my bag. I consider this a great attention to detail and customer satisfaction, since even customer service reputed brands (ie Apple) don’t consider this added perk with their earphones (not to say alternatives don’t exist…)3) great sound – The sound of the headphones are rich and vibrant. My last pair of headphones were over-the-ear sound isolation headphones by SkullCandy. They cost $150, looked very nice, and had really really (two really’s) great sound. These headphones cost $30, look great, take up very little space, and sound really (one really) great. Since I’m not an audiophile, I can’t really comment too much on the sound quality. That being said, my jazz radio stations sound amazing (I can pick up background noise from the clubs the music was recorded in), my rap music has unbelievably deep bass, and my alternative/modern rock music hits sweet mid to treble ranges on the guitars and tympanic percussion (snares, cymbals, etc). If you’re not an audio quality expert, these will greatly exceed your quality expectations.4) cord NEVER tangles – The cord, despite being incredibly long (about 4 feet), never tangles in my bag. The material of the cord is a very smooth plastic polymer that greatly prevents the cord from becoming tangled. As an added bonus, it feels strong and sturdy – which is always good for an item that gets a lot of use.5) looks great – this is sort of irrelevant to the quality of the product and furthermore, very subject to personal preference; but I can’t help liking the appearance of these. The cord is a vibrant, rich red color. The buds are a simple, clean black color. It has attitude, without being gaudy and overbearing. Take it at face-value, this isn’t really that important to headphones in the long run…Cons:1) unintentional sound – whether its the material of the cord, or the fact that in-ear headphones are generally airtight, whenever the cord is rubbed against (on your shirt, desk, etc.) you can hear the conducted rubbing in your earphones. It’s not terribly loud, just noticeable enough that I intentionally try to limit movement of the cord.2) long cord – I already listed this as a pro, but in some situations its also a con. Whenever I’m riding my bike around the city, the long cord very easily gets in the way. I end up having to wrap it around my phone so that it stays closer to my body, and away from my handlebars.My overall impression of this product is, “I can’t believe it costs so little.” For the relatively high-quality of sound it puts out, the price is unbeatable.

Although music is a passion of mine, and I’m listening to it practically non-stop all day, I’ve never been an audiophile. I was that guy that bought the cheap $2-5 headphones that broke in a couple weeks, then bought a new pair to hold me over till that pair broke. The sound was usually tinny as it got louder, and indistinct when it was quieter. But hey, music is music, right? Wrong.The first time I listened to these headphones I was literally in awe. The bass was so thick and yet you could still pick up the other instruments in the mix. I eargasm’d multiple times listening to my first song (Lunatic of God’s Creation by Deicide, I will remember you forever) and it didn’t even sound like the same song. In fact, after playing it once or twice, I took my old cheap headphones and used them as a comparison. Sounded like two totally different songs. Absolutely incredible. They stayed crisp even when turned up loudly, and they amplified sound really well. They had to be twice as loud as my old ones. Since I just got them yesterday, I can’t speak much for the durability. However, if judging by the mere feel and appearance, these look quite sturdy. The earpieces do look a bit strange at first, but if you put the correctly labeled earpieces into the correct ears, they fit very nicely. It comes with two different pairs of replacements, each pair a different size. I did change sizes of the earpieces, because while both worked, one fit better. Assuming they last a while, these are definitely what I’m sticking with. I can’t even imagine listening with my crappy cheap headphones anymore. And while I say cheap, I mean in comparison to these. These are VERY reasonably priced, and they were recommended to me by a friend of mine, who IS an audiophile. He said that he uses these more than a $200 pair he has.There are really no serious cons for this product. Except the packaging. Holy lord, that packaging was one of the most challenging things I’ve encountered in my life. It took me about 15 minutes, a knife, and scissors to get into it. I felt like they didn’t even want me to open it. More than once I felt like I was gonna end up cutting through one of the cables just because of the sheer force and effort that was required to finally get them out. There is no slider to keep the cables from getting tangled, so that’s a minor complaint. The wire also occasionally makes noises if you bump up against it. I only noticed it when the iPod was turned down low though. As soon as you reach a decent volume, the thumping isn’t heard.Overall I’m extremely happy with this purchase and it really did change the way I heard music. It’s the audio equivalent of going to an eye doctor for the first time and putting on glasses that make you realize how messed up your everyday vision was. If you’re accustomed to cheap headphones, go get these now. IfWarning: I’m sure every other review has stated this, but these headphones are very bass-heavy. If you don’t want a lot of bass, don’t get these. However, I don’t feel like the bass “eats up” everything else. I think these only enhance the sound, since every other instrument is able to be heard clearly.

Usually I have to buy earphones that have a hook to wrap around your ear, holding the bud in place. My inner ear has always been way too small and sensitive for regular earbuds, even with the smallest nub. I decided to buy these just in case they were different. Sure enough, the design worked out well for my finicky ears! Because of the way the earbuds are slanted inward, the nub fits comfortably within the ear canal while the rest of the earbud is supported by the outside cartilage (I don’t know ear terms, obviously). Basically, the design is unlike any other bud I have tried. It isn’t directly inserted entirely into the ear canal. About 75% of the buds themselves are on the outside, so there’s nothing big and bulky to cram inside. Of course, after about an hour of wearing these I do feel a slight ache, but that’s normal when you have a foreign object inserted into such a minimal space. It may just be because my ears are so small that it hurts.As a note, I did have to use the smallest rubber nubs. For those of you with small-ish ears like mine, it’s probably recommended to go with the smallest ones. They are not too bulky and allow for just enough friction to keep the bud in. I have not tried working out in these, so I don’t know how well they will stay in when exercising or moving. I have been using them at my desk for the most part. They stay in very well, unlike other buds, and that is mostly contributed to the cool slant design and small speakers. They aren’t the coolest looking buds, especially since most of it is visible hanging on the outside, but who cares when they’re comfortable?The cord itself is a really cool, bright red color and do not tangle. The plastic on them feels cheap but thick enough to protect the wire. The cord is definitely one of the thickest I’ve seen for earbuds, which in my opinion is a good thing.The only issue I’ve had – and a lot of other people have had – is the white noise when the buds are plugged into a device. When a song isn’t playing or when what you’re listening to is very quiet, you can definitely hear a distinct hum. It’s not enough for me to say they are defective. I can easily hear music over it when I turn it up. You get used to hearing the white noise after awhile. The music quality makes up for this strange static issue. Bass isn’t muddy, every note is very clear. Volume is much better than my other pair of earphones. They are the best buds I’ve heard from clarity-wise. Very impressive. I just hope they keep their quality for a while. My old pair of earphones (some cheap Sony exercise ones mentioned before) always start to short out after about a year. I’m hoping these last longer since the materials seem like better quality and the fact that they are almost double what I used to pay for earphones.Overall, solid product. I will have to update if or when they break or if I notice them shorting out.