JLab Fit 2.0 review

JLab Fit 2.0

 EDITOR RATING: EXCELLENT (4.0)

$30.00US STREET PRICE

• PROS

  Strong audio performance with robust bass and crisp highs. An abundance of accessories, including two cable extensions of differing lengths. Sweat- and water-resistant design. Secure fit.

• CONS

  Sculpted, boosted bass sound not for everyone.

• BOTTOM LINE

  The affordable JLab Fit 2.0 earphones provide a secure fit, a powerful sound signature, and a moisture-resistant design.

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BY TIM GIDEON

JLab seems to make its manufacturing dollars go further than much of the competition. At $29.99, the JLab Fit 2.0earphones have no business sounding as powerful as they do. And when you combine their solid audio performance with a wide array of fit accessories and a sweat- and water-resistant design, the price is even more surprising. You can easily get better-sounding audio for a bit more money, but these workout-focused earphones deliver a value that's hard to top at $30.

Design

Available in black, black/blue, or black/green models, the Fit 2.0 come with more accessories than your typical earphones, regardless of price. The exterior is sweat- and splash-resistant, making them a solid candidate for exercise. The earpieces fit in the ear canal, with the cable looping up and over your ear—this portion of the cable is semi-rigid and moldable for a very secure fit.

At mid-torso, the hardwired portion of the cable terminates in a female 3.5mm connection, and you'll need one of the two cable extensions in order to connect to your sound source. One of the cables is 40 inches, and the other is 20 inches.

Just above the mid-torso connection point, there's an inline remote control and mic located along the right ear's cable. The remote is of the universal, single-button variety, controlling playback, call management, and track navigation, depending on how many times you tap it. Volume can only be adjusted on your sound source.

Also included: a whopping seven pairs of eartips in various shapes and sizes, as well as a shirt clip to eliminate cable thump. The only thing missing would be a small carrying pouch to house the wide array of eartips and cables, but for $30, we're not going to be too picky.

Performance

On tracks with powerful sub- bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the Fit 2.0 deliver a substantial low-end thump that doesn't distort at top, unwise listening levels. At moderate levels, the lows are still rich and powerful—ideal for those looking for a bass-forward sound.

Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with less deep bass in the mix, gives us an idea of the Fit 2.0's overall sound signature. Unlike JLab's even more affordable offering, the JBuds2, the Fit 2.0 have a crisp, but not insanely sculpted high frequency response. Thus, Callahan's baritone vocals sound rich, but also clear in the high-mids and highs, with plenty of treble edge and detail. The drums on this track get a solid boost in the lows, adding some palpable thump into the mix, but nothing so powerful as to upset the general sense of balance between the lows and highs, which is fairly even, if boosted, on both ends.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop gets plenty of high-mid presence, bringing out the sharp edge of its attack, and the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with substantial depth. This isn't the sound of over-the-top bass earphones, but there's enough there to please bass fiends and scare away purists looking for a more balanced, flat response. The highs aren't so sculpted and boosted that the vocals are overly sibilant, as is the case with the JBuds2, but there is plenty of high-mid and high frequency presence to match the added punch in the lows.

If you need secure-fitting in-canal earphones that delivers solid bass response, the Fit 2.0 do so for about as little money as possible. There are cheaper pairs out there, but they tend to sound less balanced and offer fewer fit accessories. If it's just solid-sounding earphones you're after, we also like the Skullcandy Method, the SOL Republic Relays Sport, and the Urbanears Active Reimers. For $30, though, the JLab Fit 2.0 are a no-nonsense, secure-fitting option with powerful audio.