Michal Ždanský At JBL, we have focused mainly on portable speakers so far, among its portfolio, which includes a lot of professional and personal audio equipment, but you will also find a large number of Bluetooth headphones. Synchro E40BT they belong to the cheaper models that JBL offers - for a relatively friendly price in the category of around 2 CZK, you get high-quality headphones with great sound.
JBL chose a matte plastic material for these headphones, only the folding part of the earcups is made of metal. After all, the material has its signature on the weight, which is below the 200 gram limit, and you will practically not even feel the weight of the headphones on your head.
U Synchro E40BT the manufacturer clearly placed great emphasis on user comfort, the headphones are adjustable in three ways. The length of the head bridge is adjustable via a sliding mechanism and provides virtually any range one could need. The earcups themselves swivel to adjust the angle, and finally there's a swivel earcup mechanism that allows them to be turned up to 90 degrees to the side. It is this mechanism that is key to comfortable wearing, and you won't find it at all in many competing headphones
The head bridge has a fairly narrow arch with little clearance, thanks to which the headphones are firmly attached to the head and, in addition to better stability on the head, they also help to better dampen ambient noise. I was a little worried that it would make my ears hurt after a long time. However, the above-mentioned rotating mechanism in combination with very pleasant padding did not leave any consequences on the ears even after almost two hours of wearing. In fact, after ten minutes I didn't even know I had headphones on. However, the shape of your ears can also play a big role in this case; what may be comfortable for one may be uncomfortable for another.
If you connect the headphones wirelessly (a 2,5mm jack input is also available), the music on the device can be controlled with the buttons on the left earcup. Volume control is a matter of course, the play/stop button is also used for skipping or rewinding songs when multiple presses/holds are combined. Since the headphones also have a built-in microphone, they can be used as hands-free, and the play/stop button can even switch between multiple calls in addition to accepting and rejecting calls.
The last button of the four is used for the ShareMe function. This JBL-specific feature allows you to share the audio being played with another user, provided they have ShareMe-compatible headphones. Two people thus have the possibility to listen via Bluetooth audio from one source without the need for a splitter and a wired connection via cable. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to test this function.
The remaining on/off and pairing button is on the side of the left earcup, which turned out to be a less than happy placement. I sometimes accidentally turned off the headphones while using the headphones on my head. In addition, the handset does not always automatically reconnect to the phone after switching it on.
Charging the Synchros E40BT is handled by a 2,5 mm jack audio input, i.e. similarly to the iPod Shuffle. One socket thus serves both for charging and for wired music transfer. The size of 2,5 mm is not quite usual, fortunately JBL also supplies two cables to the headphones. One rechargeable with a USB end and the other with a 3,5 mm jack, which you can use to connect the headphones to any source.
Sound and headphones in practice
The good isolation of the JBL headphones will show when you take them out for a ride on public transport. Traditionally noisy places such as buses or the subway with headphones on, she almost got lost in the flood of tones when listening to music, and only made herself known more when listening to podcasts. However, even then the spoken word was clearly audible through the headphones with the bus engine humming somewhere in the distance from my ears. Isolation is truly excellent within the headphone class.
The sound itself is slightly tuned to the middle frequencies, while the bass and treble are pleasantly balanced. Personally, I would have liked a little more bass, but that's more of a personal preference, the headphones definitely have enough. Stronger mids can be solved with an equalizer, the equalizer in the iOS music player called "Rock" proved to be the best. However, when using the equalizer, I encountered one minor drawback of the headphones.
The volume of the Synchros E40BT does not have much margin, and with the equalizer active, I had to have the system volume at maximum to reach the optimal level. The moment a quieter song enters the playlist, you can no longer increase the volume. However, not everyone listens to music loudly, so they may not feel a sufficient reserve at all. However, if you are a loud music lover, you should test the volume level before buying. Volume can also vary from device to device, for example the iPad has a significantly higher audio output level than the iPhone.
Finally, I have to mention the excellent reception via Bluetooth, where otherwise good headphones often fail. The signal is not interrupted even at a distance of fifteen meters and to my surprise it even went through four walls at ten meters. Most portable speakers also have a problem with such conditions. You can walk freely around the apartment with the headphones without having to decide where to place the music source, because the signal will not be interrupted just like that. When listening via Bluetooth, the headphones last a long 15-16 hours on a single charge.
are high-quality mid-range headphones. Although they have an inconspicuous to neutral design that doesn't play with anything, on the other hand, excellent workmanship, excellent and above all good sound with a small beauty flaw in the form of a small volume reserve. It is also worth mentioning the excellent Bluetooth reception, where practically nothing stops the signal at a shorter distance and the range of over 15 meters is ideal for home listening throughout the apartment.
If you don't like the blue color that our test sample had, there's another four available in red, white, black and blue-purple. Especially the white version is really successful. If you are looking for comfortable Bluetooth headphones around the price of 2 CZK, JBL Synchros E40BT they are definitely a good choice.
[one_half last="no"]
advantages:
[Checklist]
- Great sound
- Excellent Bluetooth range
- Insulation and wearing comfort
[/checklist][/one_half]
[one_half last="yes"]
Disadvantages:
[bad list]
- Lower volume
- Power button location
- The plastic sometimes squeaks
[/badlist][/one_half]
We thank the store for lending the product Always.cz.
What is the latency of the headphones when playing games and watching movies?
What is the microphone sensitivity and how well can the other party hear?
I have an E50-BT and I have to agree with the incredible range of the BT connection :)
Can you please share your experience if the headphones show any delay when watching movies or playing games (shifting sound and image)?
I have them too short for that, but I haven't noticed anything major yet... (but I haven't looked into it in any major way yet either)
so I tried it at MBA and the latency was around 400-500ms (estimate)… you can see it with video… I have it via cable anyway for games so I'm fine… I only listen to music via BT.