Cheap Earbuds Review: JBL E15 In-Ear Headphones

For the past few weeks, I've been using a set of new JBL E15 earbuds.  As a dirt cheap audio enthusiast, I always want the big audio names even if I am on a tight budget.  These earbuds retail for about $40 on the JBL website.  However, I was able to get them for around $20 at my local Ross store.

JBL E15 Earbuds (on Amazon)

JBL E15 Construction

The E15 ear buds come in a variety of colors (mine are bright blue) and have a tangle-free braided cord that leads from the 3.5 mm input to the split where traditional wires lead to each ear.   The overall length is 4 feet. The earphones themselves have molded plastic bodies and silicone tips.  They ship with a spring-closed synthetic leather pouch and small, medium, and large tips.  The construction of these earphones seems good to me.

JBL E15 Specifications

JBL E15 In-ear headphones have 8.6 mm drivers.  They deliver a frequency response of 20hz to 20khz.  They have 16 Ohms of impedance.

JBL E15 Use

I found the medium tips to be perfectly comfortable for extended wear.  I used these earphones on two three hour cross country Delta flights with their in-flight entertainment system and found them comfortable.  I listened to several genres of music including jazz, classical, blues, and rock and found their performance to be just great.  I also watch television and movie programming and enjoyed both with these earphones.  I have also used the E15's with my Samsung Galaxy phone and found them to offer excellent sound quality including good bass.

The only problem I have had with these earbuds is with the pouch.  I momentarily lost my grip on the spring-loaded pouch while getting ready to stow my earphones after a flight and the pouch shot across the airliner cabin to be lost for all eternity.  I literally did not see how far is flew.  The pouch literally disappeared from my hands in the blink of an eye.  I looked for it in adjacent seats but it was gone.  As I had a meeting to attend, I couldn't delay for an extended search.  I suspect it may have jumped into hyperspace.

I can't say that these in-ear headphones offer sound performance that exceeds other earbuds in this general price category.  At some point, earbuds are earbuds.  However, I do like the braided tangle-free cord and overall construction.  These seem good to me.

JBL E15 Overall Recommendation

 

I recommend JBL E15 earbuds as a solid value from a well-known brand.  They offer excellent performance for the price.  You can find them here on Amazon.