Skullcandy S2FMBZ-BZ Full Metal Jacket Earbuds, (Black)
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Skullcandy S2FMBZ-BZ Full Metal Jacket Earbuds, Black
Features
- Speaker Diameter: 11mm
- Magnet Type: NdFeB
- Frequency range 16-20K Hz, Impedance: 16 ohms
- Max input power 500mw
- Gold plated 3.5mm plug
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 2 x 4 x 1 inches
- Weight: 0 pounds
These are excellent
These ear buds keep all their promises. They stay in tightly, but don’t hurt like the hard ear buds. Because there are multiple sizes from which to choose, one can get a perfect fit and reduce outside noise – and we all know this means the volume doesn’t need to be as loud to hear the excellent quality. It is extrememly easy to switch between music and calls, volume control and mute. I highly recommend!
Short Lived
I kid you not, I received these in the mail at noon and they were trash by 2pm. The left speaker was completely blown and I never turned the volume on my Zune past 19 on the scale of 30. I have owned older FMJ’s without the stupid mic gadget and they worked great, even when the covering was wearing of the wires. I have Titans that I like but they don’t have the bass response that the FMJ does, I have even owned Ink’d buds that weren’t bad. These were very disappointing. I am going to RMA them though Skullcandy since I’m close to the headquarters here in Utah. Maybe I just got a crap pair, but we will see.
Not what’s described and stopped working
I just received the FMJ ear buds today. I bought them from amazon. After I plugged them into my ipod touch I could already tell something was wrong. They were extremely quiet. So I turned up the volume. The left bud’s bass went haywire and now it sounds really bad. The reason I said it’s not what is described is because the package that they came in says that the max input power is 5mW. The amazon description says it has 500mW. I’m guessing that’s why they sound so quiet. I’m trying to return them for what I ordered but we’ll see what happens. I have a bad feeling that I’ve just lost 36 bucks.
Rasterman
Ear bud work OK with my DroidX have powerful bass, heavy duty cable.
selector button not compatible with the droidX but sound quality is great.
Suprised to get what I didnt pay for
This item was 36 bucks w/free shipping and its 70 bones in the store. I thought I would take a chance and hope that I didnt get some chinese knock off. Well… If it is… I cant tell. I believe this is the real thing. I dont know how they are able to do it but there you have it folks. A 70 dollar set of headphones for 36 bucks. Exactly as advertised. Same item as in store. Same packaging. Same mic button. Same comply foam ear bud covers. Same Same Same. If you are thinking of buying FMJs Id get em here and save yerself 30 or more bucks.
The full “scoop” on Skullcandies from a dedicated user!!
After reading a few of the diatribes here on amazon, I felt compelled to write something a little more technical and concise about not only this product, but, for other Skullcandy earbuds as well. First, let me start with my own diatribe about sound quality, and where these earbuds fall in the spectrum of whats available out there.
First off, i am an audiophile of sorts except for one small thing…I HATE spending money for inferior products, based on “brand recognition”!! For example, I still own a pair of 100$ ****(insert 4 letter high end makers name here;-) earbuds that I find inferior to this product- In fact, I wore them for about a week, and put them back in their storage case as a “backup” to my other 3 sets of Skullcandy earbuds/headphone I own currently. Why? For a number of reasons, which I will get into now.
People don’t understand what all the tech jargon on the side of the packaging or on manufacterer’s websites mean, so I’ll try and make it as easy to understand as possible, with the specs you NEED to pay attention to. For example, these 11MM Skullcandies have a 16-21 KHz range, with 104 Db’s of sensitivity at 16 Ohms and a 500 Mw output. The aforementioned “high end” buds have 21-20k hz range, with 100 Dbs of sensitivity at 32 Ohms and 350 Mw output. To put all those numbers into perspective, here’s what you need to know about all that “goobledeegook”:
For the range, you want as broad a spacing between low and highs as possible- 16-21k Hz is VERY good. Db’s of sensitivity is how efficient the driver in the earbuds are at producing good sound quality- anything above 100 db’s is very good! For ohms, without oversimplifying things, the lower the number of the ohms, the “easier” the sound is produced. Again, lower the number, the better. However, you should also realize that its better to match the ohms to the player you are using. And, lastly, the 500 Mw output for Skullcandies is pretty ridiculous, considering the reproduction of music with my Samsung MP3 is pretty darn crisp with the music cranked right up. Also, there is one other spec you should be aware of, and thats THD (Total Harmonic Distortion), which compares the output signal of the amplifier or music player with the input signal and measures the level differences in harmonic frequencies between the two. You want a THD that is consistently low, meaning the reproduction of music is balanced with its imaging. The numbers that I have written here for this product are VERY good, comparing pretty well and around what you see with very high end manufacterers like Scosche and Sennheiser, who are in a somewhat different league sound quality wise in some respects. All that being said, Skullcandies have excellent sound quality for the price, but do have their caveats.
I have had issues with the build quality of all of the earbuds I’ve had from Skullcandy, but, I have to say that half the time it was because of my use of them in somewhat extreme sporting situations, and the other times were just either build quality or just poor storage. However, when I HAVE had issues (e.g. one earbud refusing to function while the other side works fine), their customer service was VERY responsive and actually pretty funny in how they deal with the warranty claim.
They ask whether or not you damaged them from “hard use” or whether they just stopped working. If you DID damage them doing something stupid or outlandish, they ask to hear the story. They then offer you a replacement cost based on how they failed. The turnaround time on replacement has never been more than 2 weeks from start to finish, and I’ve only had 3 sets malfunction in the 5 or so years I’ve been using them. And, for the record, 2 sets were 9mm FMJ’s and the other a set of Titans. The cool thing is that they have actually upgraded the 2 sets of FMJ’s from 9mm to 11mm (bigger driver, better sound) for my troubles.
Bottom line?? For the money, you CANNOT beat the sound quality, comfort and function of the 11mm FMJ’s, and should something go wrong, you can be assured your set of “buds” will be replaced in an expeditious manner.
Cant review what I havent recieved
I would love to give a review for this item, but unfortunately I still havent recieved it.
Skullcandy awesomeness
I love my headphones and it’s so great that they work with my phone too!
Decent Earbuds, Great Support!
I bought a pair refurbished almost a year ago and they served me quite well. However, the fit was slightly loose and the comply tips are easily damaged or ripped. The sound quality was decent with a pronounced low end, but after switching to Audio-Technica ATH-EM7 GM Adjustable Aluminum Clip-On Headphones, I realized how much sound quality I was missing. They do look pretty tho
. Also, beware the cord tangles quite easily.
Earbud Construction/Sound Quality: 8/10
The reason I rated this system 4 stars is because of their outstanding customer service. These earbuds broke 3 months ago (probably because they were refurbished), so I wrote a note to Skullcandy explaining what had happened and mailed it in with my broken ‘buds. 2 weeks later, I was happily surprised to receive a brand new Skullcandy FMJ in the mail. Their customer service is great!
Summary: Buy these earbuds if you want something that looks good and is pretty durable. However, for better sound quality and fit for sound isolation, either go with the Klipsch IMAGE S4 In-Ear Enhanced Bass Noise-Isolating Headphones or any non earbud in general.
great bass
best earbuds on the market for bass, they seem like they are a little fragile but they have held up nicely for me
Good sound, terrible for athletic activities
Sound on the FMJs is better than average, with a decent low end response. The biggest problem (a deal killer for aerobic activities) is that there is a noticeable thump when moving around in these earbuds. I noticed this specifically while running, rowing and lifting. The thump is loud and happens every time the mic portion bangs against your chest). WOuld recommend for casual, still listening, but nothing else.
Not for those that are rough with their headphones
When you first receive the headphones they appear to be high quality and feel solid in your hands. But after about a month’s use of the headphones without putting any stress on the cable, the plastic sleeve that covers the cable separated and the aluminum braiding over the wire quickly wore through, and the left earbud stopped working. Within a week the right one would only work intermittently, but only when the cable was in the EXACT right position. This disappointed me because the S.R.P of these headphones was roughly $80 and I expected much higher quality for a product of this price point.
Pros:
-Nice looking (personal preference)
-Decent sound (probably better, but I didn’t get to break them in fully)
-Skullcandy’s Warranty
-Inline mic/ button
-Full metal
Cons:
-Poor build quality (especially the cord)
-The fact that with almost no stress, the headphones still stopped working
-The price to quality ratio
-The way the headphones are packaged almost ensures a weak spot where the cord joins the audio plug
-Kind of heavy in your ears
-Not very many of the Comply® tips, and only in one size.
-Tips only come in grey/clear (grey tips look kind of stupid with black headphones…)(again, personal preference)
Overall:
The headphones function as intended (for a while), but need more strength around the audio plug, and I’m sure that they sound good when they are broken in properly, but with my pair, I never got that far. I would recommend that if you buy these, that you get friendly with Skullcandy’s warranty reps.
Skullcandy FMJ
Length of the cord is the only thing that bothers me other then that they are great!
Not a well made product
I received this item and I was so excited to finally get them. That lasted about 10 minutes. i plugged these into my iPod 2nd Generation touch and it made the songs skip. If that’s not enough, one earbud was louder than another. Lastly, the microphone didn’t work. I would recommend something else.
Impossible to enjoy, Skull Candy has disappointed me for the first time…
Skullcandy S2FMBZ-BZ Full Metal Jacket Earbuds, (Black)(Less than 24hrs of use so far) Ive always used skull candy Ink’d earbuds and ive recently decided to take a step up and order some of they’re other models since i really liked skull candy’s designs, quality of sound, BASS, and comfort. I ordered these with a bit of skepticism due to previous costumer review entries. Dispite what all was said, i decided i should try them out for myself. Silly me….. These things are impossibleeeee to fit into one’s ears. Nor the foam tips, nor the silicon, its all insanely difficult to insert, extremely uncomfortable, and once they are finally in, the uncomfort is just simply un-bareable! I find myself constantly taking them out, re-ajusting the tips (i prefer silicon) and then battling to put them back in to my ear and have them stay without falling out. I simply cannot deal with it. I have a normal shaped ear, this should not be happening and i am very angry that it is. I am currently concenplating returning these for a full refund and buying a new snazzy pair of ink’d or titans. (since they have the best reviews out of the entire Skull Candy Earbud Family) Now having said that they were the worst pair of Skull Candy’s ive owned, the sound is no better than the ink’d, design is great, CHORD IS SHORT!, In line mic is pretty sweettt, bass is only good at loudest volumes, Clear and easy to love, but impossible to enjoy…
Please think twice before buying these, Skull Candy makes much better products than this! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND SKULL CANDY INK’D EARBUDS! Happy Shopping!
Works on Nexus One
First, I WISH I has bought these on Amazon because it would have saved me a lot.
Anyway, I bought these a few weeks ago to use with my Google/HTC Nexus One telephone. They work well for listening to music and telephone calls. The microphone, the pause, play and the ‘next song’ functions all work on the Nexus One.
The good:
Sound quality – I am somewhat of an audiophile so I am usually disappointed by the sound quality of most earbud headphones. But these are great. At first it seemed a little heavy in the bass (the curse of most headphones, either too much muddled bass or it is completely absent), but the bass sounds are VERY clear and distinct, very high quality. I haven’t use them for all types of music yet, but so far, I’m impressed. Let me say this another way: These have the best sound quality of any earbud headphones I have ever used.
Design of the earbuds – Because of the way they are designed, they are easy to insert into the ear canal and they stay there. The rubber/foam tips are comfortable and well made.
The so-so:
The functionality – The earbuds that came with the Nexus One have good sound quality but they are not the ‘ear canal’ type of earbuds, which are necessary for me on the train. But they have the next song/previous song function which would have been great on the Skull Candy phones, which have no ‘previous song’ function. Actually, the ideal earbuds for me would also have a volume control function as well. For those who don’t know, on the Skull Candy headphones, there is only one button that is used for all functions – pause/play, answering calls and next song. Pressing the button twice (very quickly) advances to the next song. It works, but it could have been better.
The cable length – I’m a little guy (5′5″) and these are barely long enough for me to have on my head and have my phone in a lower pocket on my jacket. I doubt that I could use them with the phone in my pants pocket. The headphones that came with the Nexus One AND my favorite Creative Labs earbuds have cables that are about 8″ longer than these Skull Candy earbuds.
The questionable:
Quality – While the sound quality is great, the cables seem flimsy and fragile. It’s good that there is a lifetime warranty because I’m probably going to use it. Others have complained about problems and I’m guessing that due to the short cable length, the cables get ‘tugged’ more than usual, which can cause problems.
Summary:
I’m truly amazed with the sound quality and the design of the earbud of these headphones. I’m truly unimpressed with the limited functionally of the controls, the flimsy cable and the cable length. That said, due to having very few options of good sound quality ear canal earbuds that switch from music to incoming calls, I would not hesitate to buy them again – but at Amazon.
Update – July 15 2010: Sound quality still good. Cables are annoying. Too short and are not of the best quality (not too flexible).
Hearing more!
Before I bought the skullcandy FMJ, I had the standard apple earphones that come with the iphone as well as the in ear headphones. I preferred the apple in ears purely for the remote, but I was always frustrated with how I’d lose the silicone ear pieces or the buds would fall out as I walked around campus. A year later they began to fall apart so I looked for a new option. Originally I thought I’d have to shell out for a pair of Dr. Dre’s beats, despite their bad reviews, but then I found these.
The Full Metal Jackets are half the price and totally worth it! I put these on and listened to one of my favorite songs, and I heard parts of the song I’d never heard before. While they seem very fragile in construction they’re standing up to my daily three mile walks very well and haven’t fallen out of my ears once!
They also come with a remote like I wanted so I can advance, go back, or pause songs. The only downside is I can’t adjust the volume, but then again that’s what the buttons on the side of my iphone are for…
I’ve seen some bad reviews for these headphones, but if you’re looking for an affordable step up from the apple in ear headphones, get a pair of FMJs.
Great headphones!
I bought these headphones about a month ago and have been very happy with them. I’m using them with my Zune HD. The changeable inserts allow for a snug fit for any user and help to cancel out background noise. I would rate the sound quality as excellent – clear sound with good base. These headphones are far superior to the ones that came with the Zune. I’ve only had them for a month so I can’t really comment on the durability. I would expect any headphones to hold up that long, but also have been taking care of them because of the moderate price. I’m very happy with my purchase and would recommend these headphones to anyone.
Great headphones
These are great. Great sound and the mic sound quality is good. Shipping was fast also. overall great headphones.
Great Headphones!
I have owned a pair of these headphones before and I lost them, so naturally I had to get these again, the only problem is that if you are tall like me (around 6′ 4″) the cord is barely long enough to reach your pocket while you are wearing the headphones. Unlike the previous generation of FMJ’s these do not come with a cord extension, but I still love the product as a whole! These are great!