The approved JLab earbuds should be replaced after 90 hours of Optimum Bio Sound Therapy (OBST) use (for any customers still using the Laser earbuds, these need to be replaced after 60 hours of OBST use).
While the earbuds will often continue to play sound normally beyond this point, they are no longer capable of delivering the full OBST signal as intended and should not be used for OBST therapy.
Why Does This Happen?
Over the course of 90 hours of OBST use, the internal components within the JLab earbuds gradually degrade to a point where they can no longer reliably deliver the full OBST signal as intended.
Importantly, this degradation does not affect the audible sound. You will often continue to hear the rain sounds clearly and the earbuds may appear to be functioning normally.
However, while the audio component remains intact, the underlying OBST frequency modulation carried on the sound will no longer be delivered effectively.
In simple terms:
- The rain sounds will still play normally.
- The earbuds may appear to be working.
- However, the therapeutic OBST signal is no longer being delivered as intended.
For this reason, earbuds that have reached their recommended maximum usage hours should no longer be used for OBST therapy, even if they continue to play sound.
What Should I Do Once My Earbuds Reach Their Maximum Hours?
Once your JLab earbuds have reached 90 hours of OBST use, they should be retired from therapy use and replaced with a new pair.
The good news is that they can still be used as normal earbuds for:
- listening to music
- podcasts
- audiobooks
- phone calls
- general everyday audio use
Many users choose to clean them and pass them on to children, grandchildren, friends or family members for general audio use.
Looking Ahead
When we launched OBST, we made a conscious decision to utilise proven off-the-shelf earbuds rather than spend years designing and manufacturing custom hardware before making the therapy available.
This allowed us to get OBST into the hands of people who needed it sooner while continuing to develop the next generation of the platform.
As our user base grows and the business scales internationally, we intend to design, develop and manufacture purpose-built earbuds specifically engineered for OBST delivery.
Our objectives include:
- improving therapeutic delivery consistency
- enhancing comfort and durability
- reducing replacement frequency
- providing a better overall user experience
The current earbuds have helped us prove demand and validate the platform. The next generation of custom hardware will allow us to further optimise performance and reliability as we scale globally.
Until then, replacing earbuds at the recommended intervals helps ensure users continue receiving the full therapeutic benefit of OBST as intended.