1. Purchase Need: For a while now I have been wanting a pair of ear-buds with both quality construction and sound. I don’t think I could call myself a true audiophile but when I hear a good sound system or put on a pair of high end headphones I am amazed at how much more I enjoy the listening experience. I use ear-phones extensively while doing a variety of activities ranging from studying, watching a movie on my laptop to heavy manual labor. I also enjoy a very wide range of music depending on my mood and what I’m doing. For example I might listen to some hard rock while lifting weights and then switch to light instrumental rock or classical music while I am studying. Considering these needs I started my search for the product that met my needs with sufficient benefits.
2. Information Search Process: I started my search on my favorite shopping website Amazon.com. To some the selection may have been overwhelming but that is one of the things I love about this site. I actually enjoy doing a good amount of research before buying a mid to higher priced product. Started by typing in “earbuds” and pressing search. I limited my search to my price range (under $60) and started reading product descriptions and user reviews. It didn’t take long for one pair to stand out as a seemingly great value that would meet my needs. The pair I found are called “JBuds J3M Micro Atomic Earphones with microphone”. This particular version of the JBuds J3 has a microphone so they can be used as a hands free headset for my phone. I realized this would be an added safety benefit for when I’m driving. The earphones also had a stylishly impressive design, noise isolation and supposedly great sound quality that would rival the sound of much more expensive earbuds. There were around 130 reviews for this product and I read quite a few before I made my decision. The average rating for the product was 3.5 stars out of 5 and I made sure to spread my reading time out throughout the 1 through 5 star range. Praises included the great price (list price 89.95, sale price 29.95), amazing sound quality for the price, and durability. Criticisms included unimpressive sound quality and defective sets.
3. Description of additional search: I searched on google for the product and found the Jlabs website where I learned more about the actual sound producing hardware and also learned about something called a “burn in” period that the manufacturer recommends for optimal sound quality. A burn in excercises new audio equipment to optimize the sound quality. Details can be found here. I also noticed on the site that the earbuds were 25% cheaper through amazon and I decided to go ahead and order them.
4. Online purchase/sales process: On July 13th I placed my order. The process was very quick because Amazon securely saves my information so by typing my login and clicking a few times my order is placed. I used a credit card and didn’t really think twice about security because I have used Amazon so many times before. I am an Amazon “prime” member which means I usually get free shipping on everything and that was the case with this product. It was scheduled to arrive on the 15th and sure enough, I didn’t have to wait past the 15th to receive my delivery. The following was copied and pasted from Amazon.com.
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5. Postpurchase sale/evaluation: At first I was not impressed with the sound at all and I was disappointed in myself because I am usually satisfied with my purchase after I do the right amount of research. I thought that maybe the “burn in” process really could make that much of a difference so I played the recommended burn in music for hours at a time when I was sleeping etc. along with listening to music on them because I was too impatient to wait for the burn in process to end before using them again. I did notice a moderate change in the sound but I still wasn’t satisfied. I did some more internet research and found that the right size rubber in ear attachment would make a big difference. I tried the four sizes and found the right one that properly sealed the air and sound in my ear and the difference was dramatic. I am enjoying them right now as I’m typing this.
6. Recommendations: I recommend taking the time to do your research on both the product and the online vendor when making a purchase online. I also think it’s a good idea to use a big well known site such as Amazon. You will also find that it is easy to navigate and has suggestions/recommendations that will be surprisingly relevant to your purchasing needs but be careful to not visit the site too often if you are on a tight budget!
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