Can earbuds be tested? I'd like to send in some JBLs that could soon be out of production (or are and won't be available long)

[mike7877]

...and if there's new or continuing demand for them maybe they'll keep them in production!

These JBL earbuds use what I can only describe as the most amazing earbud sized drivers I've ever come across - by a VERY large margin. Uncoloured, and to sound perfect the only EQ they need is a 6dB low shelf at around 80Hz and +1.5 to +3dB starting around 9kHz to 18kHz.

When I send them 24Hz so loud that if the frequency was 60Hz your ears would be in PAIN, the amount of 2nd harmonic distortion (48Hz, the earth-shaking deep bass tone) is almost imperceptible. Also if I send through 30Hz at the same level with music on top, there's no perceptible amplitude modulation and no more frequency modulation than physics requires.

It'd be amazing if they could be tested, but if the gear isn't set up for it...

 

[staticV3]

It'd be amazing if they could be tested, but if the gear isn't set up for it...

Amir's measurement rig simulates the human ear including pinna and concha, so traditional earbuds can absolutely be inserted and measured.

The big questions are: are the resulting measurements repeatable, and if so, how would we interpret them?
Distortion, impedance, sensitivity are easy, but frequency response? There's no established target response for preferable or neutral frequency response with earbuds.

Important: I'm talking about earbuds in their traditional form here:


The industry has since stated calling these things earbuds:

I heavily disagree with that naming. IMO, those are TWS IEMs.

 

[mike7877]

The industry is stupid. These are earbuds like you described - no seal with the ear, point inwards.

Definitely earbuds' HF response can be changed quite a bit with position, and ears are all similar but different enough sometimes, so I guess the best description that can be given for HF performance would be the general characteristic and linearity throughout the range, using the average of a bunch of measurements. Putting an earbud into a fake ear would be a lot harder to get right compared to one's own ear, too.

I think these earbud drivers are 12.5mm - small as the tiniest dome tweeter. Because of physics I expect there shouldn't be a lot of nonlinearity in the treble until way up in the top end (if at all).
Consider a 1" dome tweeter and double the frequency it starts screwing up... so 14-15kHz

 

[paudio]

I never minded earbud sound but I have large external ears and have never had a bud that wouldn't immediately fall out!

 

[mike7877]

I never minded earbud sound but I have large external ears and have never had a bud that wouldn't immediately fall out!

Dang. Maybe if you double stacked the thin cloth covers that used to come with some of them, that'd make them big enough?
The Panasonic Shockwave earbuds came with covers like that and were really good back in the day (especially for $20). Literally everything else that size, all just sounded like complete and utter garbage compared to them (and in general TBH), that was, until Apple's earbuds. I don't know if they made them good from the start, but by the late '00s, they were hard to beat.
From the way everyone talked about Sony back then you'd think they'd have something competitive, but every time I tried their stuff, the sound wasn't much better than dollar store headphones (even the ones back then!)
Now I forget a lot about stuff that was available back then (mostly because it was all garbage).
MP3s came out and too many sacrificed function for form, so we all got the choice of 96/128kbps MP3 because "you can't hear the difference"
"No, you can't hear the difference!!! Half because you're a non-discerning fool, and half because those headphones are +-10dB from 80 to 12kHz with nothing below 60Hz and nothing above 14!!!"

The Panasonic Shockwave over-the-head headphones (also for $20) were better than anything by anyone else for under $80 (maybe more) until well after they were discontinued. I was really sad to see them stop making them. Over the head went out of fashion, and instead of sticking the drivers in "cool" behind the head designs, I guess they just discontinued the drivers (I tried buying Panasonic behind head stuff in the years that followed after my last set of Shockwaves died and they had turned to garbage)

I recently tried finding some new old stock over the head Shockwaves a few months ago... Sadly, no luck!

 

[paudio]

Dang. Maybe if you double stacked the thin cloth covers that used to come with some of them, that'd make them big enough?

It's possible with some other added piece. Right now I am rocking Logitech G Fits with the large ear molds. They are shallow insertion semi custom. Basically like a custom earbud I guess actually. Better seal probably though.

 

[mike7877]

I've made up my mind - I'm going to send them in.
Does anyone know the process on how to get that started?
Do we just mail whatever to a post office box that Amir checks periodically?

 

[somebodyelse]

Instructions in https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/we-measure-audio-equipment-for-free.1995/