Customer Reviews

JVC HAFX66R Air Cushion Headphones (Red)

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I purchased these earphones based on recommendations from Sport-Touring.net members. I previously had tried the ER6i and other in-ear phones, however I have small ears and small ear canals. I could never find ones that were comfortable. These differ from some other types in that they are not actually in-ear-canal earphones. Instead, they are molded to fit in the pocket of your ear - similar to how a hearing aid fits - and the tip just seals up around the end of the ear canal rather than IN it. This results in a good level of sound deadening, clean sound and - most importantly for me - comfort. I can actually wear these things all day, whereas regular iPod phones are only good for an hour. In-ears were less. They work inside my various motorcycle helmets, and since they block a lot of sound, they offer protection for riding *and* help me zone-in at work when things are noisy. I'm very happy with these - finally a set of in-ears that fit ME well.

I've had these JVC "Air Cushions" for about 7 months now, and they are just UNBELIEVABLE! I use them with my SanDisk Sansa Clip mp3 player, and they have spoiled me to the point where I no longer want to listen to my home stereo or car stereo (which are of good quality, but now sound bad by comparison).
I have very ecclectic musical tastes, which include everything from 70's rock, to Muzak to classical, and these phones handle all music exsquisitely.
They have a great bass response- allowing the deepest bass of any phones I have tried (better than the Koss "Plug"s) while producing rich and clear mids and treble- which is so essential for classical.
They are not at all tinny (anyone who says that they are, isn't inserting them properly- you must get a good fit to experience proper sound).
And to top it all off...these things are COMFORTABLE and they stay in your ears! (I was long hesitant to buy an mp3 player, because I never liked wearing headphones...but these JVCs have made a convert out of me!).
These phones are among the best on the market, for any price- and easily out-perform ones that cost many times their price. Do yourself a favor and try a pair- if you have a good quality mp3 player, they will truly allow you to experience the music in a new dimension and make you aware of what you've been missing.
They are a SCREAMING bargain for under $20. You literally can not get a better sounding pair of phones for 5 times the price. Get a pair...you will not be sorry.
Oh, and they also come with about 5 different sizes and types of earpieces, so that you can choose the ones that fit best and are most comfortable. After these, you will not want to use any other earphones!

I bought these headphones on the many recommendations from a hi-fi headphone forum. Many people, who buy expensive headphones and appreciate the quality of good headphones, loved these inexpensive earbuds. I needed to replace some Sony's I had, which were falling apart. I have been very pleased with them. As with all earbuds, you need to make sure they're a snug fit to get good bass out of them. Once you do, these earbuds deliver! I don't know why people are saying they're tinny. They are definitely not! A definite improvement over my Sony 71's and 81's. And the design is great. The earbuds rest on a larger piece that fits perfectly in my ear. No more messing around to get the bud to fit in my ear canal just right. I am very particular with my music, and researched these and others extensively, and my research paid off. I highly recommend them to anyone who needs a sub-$100 pair of earbuds.

Ok, this is the first review I've ever written and I thought it was time I should contribute, as I read reviews often before purchasing. I think these headphones are AWESOME for the price. In fact, for a price much more than you will pay. And I have very discriminating taste. My degree is in music and I also went to an audio school for recording engineering - if that lends any more credibility to this review. I have been using over-the-ear headphones because I could never find an in-ear pair that was 1)Comfortable - I have small ear openings and 2)Had a good bass response. I almost bought a pair of BOSE earbuds - but the salesman talked me into these for $70 less. After some experimentation....I cannot BELIEVE the bass response. And....just so you know...one of the earpieces produced an extremely tinny sound at first. Please - try the different earpieces that come with them and experiment until there is a good seal to your ear. I tried all and settled on the "memory-foam" pair. Now, after doing this, I still wasn't satisfied with the bass response, until I sort-of titled them upward to fit my ear - and BAM! - it worked! The sound is exceptional! I also added a bass boost from my EQ on my iPod. (I like BASS). No more over-the-ear headphones causing soreness on my earlobe after a 2-hour ride on my bike! Trust me...experiment with the different ear-pieces and placement in your individual ear and these headphones will not disappoint.

These newly-designed JVC Air-Cushion earphones are very high quality. They deliver excellent sound in all areas, especially bass, are designed to stay in one's ears using an "air-cushion", and come with three pairs of different sized silicone ear-buds and one pair of memory foam ear-buds. The ear-buds fit so well that I find that more noise is isolated with these than with a pair of active noise canceling headphones from Phillips that I recently purchased for $35. The cord length is shorter than most, so it has less chance of being caught or hanging low. It is also thicker than other earphones, and has a vibration-reducing component that prevents most sounds caused by movement from entering the ears, unlike nearly all other canal phones. They can be purchased in four different colors, and I believe that red is the most gorgeous, but blue, black, and white are also available. They also come with a high-quality case that is easy to port around. Overall, these ear-phones are the best that one can get for the price.

I didn't realize what I was getting when I bought a set of these JVC Air Cushion earbuds. I was needing an earbud that would stay in my ear tightly enough that it wouldn't easily fall out. I liked the Sony style earbud that combined an iPod OEM style with an in-ear-canal which stayed in very well due to it's unique shape. I didn't want to spend the money for the higher end Sonys and came across these JVCs that seemed to twist into the ear.

The JVC air Cushions were cheap enough so I gave them a try. I was very pleased right from the beginning and became solidified on them when later on I experienced deep, accurate bass response that greatly impressed me. I've since not been able to find any other earbud that matches the quality of sound these humble JVCs produce. I've tried Creative Labs Zen Aurvana and Shure SE210 and neither of those high dollar headphones sound as good or produce as good a bass as these JVCs.

I was stunned that my cheap earbuds were better sounding than those highly recommended ones. I will say, though, the Aurvanas were more comfortable. They were so comfortable that i was wishing they produced as good a sound as the JVCs because I really wanted to keep them. But they just didn't. They especially lacked the low end responce.

If you want the best earbud out there for under $50...and maybe $100...you can't get better than the JVC HA-FX66 Air Cushion earbuds.

The secret to getting the best possible sound and noise isolation from in-ear-monitors (IEM) or canalphones such as JVC's HA-FX66 headphones, is wearing the right-size tips for the user's ears, and inserting the tips into the ear canals so that a seal is created.

It is typically the case that entry-level IEM (such as the HA-FX66s) have dynamic transducers, while better quality (and more expensive) IEM use balanced armature transducers. Dynamic transducers move more air than balanced armature transducers, and therefore tend to produce more bass. This is certainly the case with the HA-FX66s. I like them for listening to rock and for using when working out. At present (2/17/2010), Amazon is selling Altec Lansing BackBeat Pro IEM for the same price they are selling the HA-FX66s for (pennies under $20). The BackBeat Pros (which have a list price just under $100) use balanced armature transducers, have weaker bass than the HA-FX66s, but considerably more clarity and presence and a superior soundstage. I find them best for listening to Classical music.

There is a company called Comply that makes foam IEM tips that fit the HA-FX66s (Comply T-400 Foam Tips, sold at Amazon as well as Radio Shack). They come in different sizes and some users may find that they are more comfortable and give a better seal in the ear canal and thus better sound than the tips that come with the HA-FX66s.

The HA-FX66s are marketed as being comfortable due to the "air-filled soft body" of each monitor, and I find them to be the most comfortable micro-headphones I've used. And because they do not stick out of my ears at all, they are perfect for wearing in bed, because if I fall asleep with them on, there is no discomfort when I turn my head in such a way that my ear rubs against the pillow.

Having said all that, if I were going to buy only one pair of IEM, given a choice between the JVC HA-FX66s and the Altec Lansing BackBeat Pros when both are selling for just under $20, I would choose the BackBeat Pros (they are really a steal for $20). I had to use tips other than those that come with them to get a good seal in my ear canals, but the fidelity is outstanding for the price, and to me is worth the sacrifice of bass. I'm glad I have both IEM and if someone who wants to spend no more than $20 on IEM is willing to sacrifice some fidelity, especially in mids and highs, for beefier bass, they should, IMO, go with the JVCs. (I've had no problem getting a good seal in my ears with the largest size tips the JVCs come with.)

The JVCs come with a carrying case, but it's tiny, it looks and feels cheap, and I wouldn't use it for anything but as a place to store the extra tips. The bodies of the JVC IEM are aluminum rather than plastic and seem quite sturdy, and the slider on the Y-shaped cord is a nice extra touch.

I don't understand the two negative reviews here. These headphones have plenty of bass (in fact they are even described as bassy in the head-fi.org forums), do not sound tinny at all, and overall sound excellent given the price. I've been using them for a week with a cowon iaudio 7 and am really liking them so far. They fit deep in the ear which feels weird at first, like being underwater, but once you get used to them are quite comfortable and they never fall out. They block outside noise pretty well at a decent volume. They also look good (I have the all black ones), much better than the cheap looking marshmallows.

Note: I use the rubber tips, the foam tips didn't fit well and the sound was not as good.

My only complaint is the tiny plastic case is a joke, but who needs a case for cheap in-ear phones.

I've had my pair of JVC Air Cushion earbuds (in shiny RED!) for over a year now. My sense of time is a bit wonky, so for all I know it could be as long as two years since I found this pair at a local CompUSA. When I got my iPod, the first thing I did was toss out the Apple Earbuds. They sucked. The sound was tinny, the comfort was horrible, and I didn't want white earbuds with my black 5th Gen iPod. Finding the right pair of earbuds took me months and several trials. I tried Sony earbuds, the JVC Marshmellow earbuds, and even some high end ones a friend of mine lent me. The process was frustrating because either they made the music sound robust and were uncomfortable to wear after one hour, or they were positively comfy and blocked the outside noise yet the sound was compromised. On a whim I purchased the JVC Air Cushion earbuds because I loved the design. They don't go IN your ear, but rest cozily in the pocket of your ear. I treasure my hearing, so having this option was golden. My first test was using them for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November. Sitting at my laptop, I listened to my Writing Playlist motivate me on, as I pounded out thousands of words at a local cafe. I spent four hours there and the earbuds were STILL comfortable! I barely realized I was wearing them as I'd get up and purchase yet another dark chocolate mocha (aka AMBROSIA)and return to my writing machine.

For the price, for the comfort, and for the durability (I've had no issue with the rubber inserts as some have reported having), I had finally found my "Holy Grail".

The earbuds fit very snugly in your ears. If the wire gets yanked out of your ear too quickly, rather than the earbud coming out, the force yanking on the wire may cause the earbud to break apart. This happened to me within a few months of using the earphones. However, they are so inexpensive and they sound so great, I am buying another pair to replace the broken ones. This time I will be much more careful.