A company that has been a main stable with our site has been that of Sol Republic. Watching them start from a pair of over the ears such as the Tracks a couple of years ago to being featured in the Olympics courtesy of Michael Phelps , they have stretched their Tracks branding beyond what most could have foreseen in such a small amount of time.
While they have shown a lot of love to that headphones market there is still a lot that prefer in-ear or what some call “earbuds”. SOL REPUBLIC always had the Amps and Amps HD but have recently been looking for something more affordable. The Jax come in at a cool $39.99 price tag. Which is more than half the price of the HDs and $20 less than the standard Amps model. With this lower pricing does it lower the quality of Sol Republic or still keep everything intact? Let’s take a look.
Style
The Jax have earpieces with the SOL sign drawn on, which is a slight departure from the etching of the Amps line but with the price difference you have to expect that. With the Jax you get a thin tangle-free flat cable for each earpiece linking up with a volume/mic control in the middle.
They are pretty light and have little to no weight to them. The tangle free wiring works as I have balled them up and threw them in my pocket and taken them back out without any severe consequences. Good also is there is a nice grip attached to the earpiece for removal of the Jax without putting strain on the wires. They do have cheap feel to them slightly and wish the earpieces were just built a bit stronger. There are four different silicone tips depending on your ears. The “Ear Tips for Life” program also covers the Jax. Essentially this means that if you lose your ear tips they will replace them for you at no charge. They were running this campaign with their Amps line so cool to see them continue this on their other in-ear devices.
Sound
If you have dealt with SOL REPUBLIC before then you know one of their biggest features they tend to push is bass. My music of choice with this review was ASAP Rocky’s “Long. Live. ASAP” album . Tracks like “Wild for the Night” & “F**kin’ Problems” are perfect examples to test the lows out on the Jax. Even at max levels of volume (which I wouldn’t recommend) there isn’t any sign of distortion. The pumping bass depending on your appetite for it, maybe too much for your ears.
Experience
They hold up in my daily commute in New York City whether on the public buses or underground in the subway. As long as they stay in my ear (which I tend to have a problem with these) l was able to drown out my surroundings around me and be immersed in the music listening experience.
For the price of $39.99 they aren’t a bad pair of headphones. If you look around you can find them as cheap as $29 which isn’t a bad price to pay for some earbuds from a reputable brand. Also the “Ear Tips for Life” is a great add-on to the value of the Jax. If you’re looking for great bass levels booming in your ear canal pick up a pair otherwise if you’re looking for bit more balance you may want to look elsewhere.
The SOL REPUBLIC Jax is available on their website and various other electronic retailers.
