JBL Quantum 50 Wired, in-Ear Gaming Headphones with Inline Control

Here I am, back to update my old review after gaining some audio literacy and using the product for a longer period.

The build quality is meh or even bad. There are very light (but noticeable) plastic residues on the inline mic, inline controls, and even the connector, particularly on the molding splits—if that’s what they’re called.

The design is typical for an earbud but not for an IEM. I consider this a semi-IEM—it fits like an earbud but is as big as an IEM. Unfortunately, unlike most IEMs, the cable is non-detachable, which is a major drawback. As I suspected in my initial review, the cable isn’t very durable. I’m now experiencing connection issues where the audio plays only in the right or left channel, requiring weird adjustments to balance both. Not to mention, the inline microphone no longer works—probably because I whispered directly into it (I know, that was stupid of me) and maybe even accidentally spat on it.

The cable noise is also terrible—even the slightest friction creates unbearable noise that travels directly to your head. On top of that, it’s quite short, making it one of the worst cables you can find in any earbud or IEM within this price range.

Moving on to the fit: it feels different now compared to my last review. It fits okay, but I often feel it slipping slightly or not sitting securely. Additionally, sound isolation isn’t great. If you don’t use the largest eartip that fits your ears, you’ll definitely miss some subtle audio cues.

Talking about sound quality -I’m not really an audiophile or anything like that-, but I’ll try to describe what I’m hearing as accurately as possible. When I first used these earbuds, I felt like sounds were coming from inside my head. I later realized that this effect is called soundstage, which this earbud fails to implement properly. However, now I’ve lost even the little sense of soundstage it had—I feel like the sounds are just coming from the left and right sides. Imaging is also fuzzy; sometimes, I can barely tell whether a sound is coming from the left or right, especially when listening to music. (By the way, music is haram in case you didn’t know.) But now I understand why some people become addicted to music—I almost became addicted myself because of these earbuds. Listening with them isn’t like using external loudspeakers or any other audio devices I’ve used before.

Talking about the tuning, it comes down to personal preference, but I like it overall. That said, these were a decent starting point for personal audio, but they’re outdated in 2025.

Nowadays, you’re better off with a budget IEM like the Moondrop CHU 2, Truthear Gate, or another model with a detachable cable. And don’t even bother buying a detachable cable with a built-in microphone or an IEM with one—just get a separate $5 lavalier microphone. It will deliver far better sound quality.