Saturday 28 October 2017

JBL E45BT on-ear headphones review

JBL E45BT on-ear headphones review: Comfort, sound delivered at affordable price

When it comes to dependable audio products, JBL ranks right up there with the best. The new E45BT Wireless On-Ear Headphones joins the company's affordable E-Series lineup of wireless headphones that include the E25BT in-ear headphones and the E55BT over-ear. 

The E45BT are priced at Rs. 6,499 in India and promise to deliver impressive sound quality and comfort at an affordable price point, among other things.

As far as Bluetooth headphones go, the E45BT are value headphones and are pretty decent at sound delivery as well. 

You won't find a lot of reasons to complain about here unless you're looking for accurate sound signatures in which case JBL has you covered with the pricier Everest Series. Not only does the E45BT impress in sound, but they are pretty comfortable too. We break it down for you.

Design: Subtle and compact


As far as design is concerned the E45BT sports distinct E-Series markers that make it easily recognisable. You'll notice the JBL logo on each ear cup with a patterned rim around. On the inside of the cups you'll find L and R marked on the grilles for left and right, respectively. The JBL logo can be seen on the top of the headband as well. The band is wrapped with a fabric that is a little rough on the outside and softer on the inside.

The E45BT come in vibrant colour options that include Black, Blue, Red, Teal, and White. We reviewed the headphones in Black which is pretty soft on the eyes and one never really can go wrong with Black. But the Teal and Blue colours are popular options as well for those looking for a bit more spunk.
The headphones have a compact shape which makes them easy to carry around. They won't take a lot of space in your bag and you can even carry it around in your hand with ease since the ear cups can fold up like the E55BT. Personally, I found them to be just the right size for when I'm on the go.

Below the outer panel of the left ear cup you'll find a micro-USB port for charging the headphones. The right ear cup houses the power switch, a multifunction button to control playback and call, a Bluetooth pairing button, and volume buttons that double up as navigation controls by long pressing. The placement of the multifunction and volume buttons close together can make it difficult at times to figure out which is which and you'll find yourself hitting the play/pause button when you actually want to control the volume. I also found that combining the volume buttons and track navigation can be annoying at times when you try to adjust the volume but accidentally hold the button a little too long which ends up skipping the track.

Comfort: Soft on the ears but not for everyone


On-ear headphones have smaller ear cups that tend to put more pressure on the ears, which can make it uncomfortable for the wearer pretty quickly. However, the E45BT headphones manages to avoid that problem to an extent by providing more than sufficient cushioning around the cups that make them easy to keep on for a couple of hours at a stretch. In my time with the headphones, I couldn't complain about any discomfort while travelling on the road. Since the ear cups are small and won't sit comfortably on the ears for many, you might find yourself occasionally adjusting the headphones. They aren't the best when it comes to noise-cancellation, but they do a fairly decent job at it. The E55BT, on the other hand, do a better job at blocking out external noise if that's an important feature you're looking for in a headphones.
Sufficient padding around the cups make them easy to keep on for a couple of hours at a stretch
Each cup extends to about 5 levels to adjust fitting. Since the E45BT have a smaller form, you'll still feel the band on your head even at its maximum extension. The lack of padding around the headband can feel a little uncomfortable after a while. Overall, the headphones are quite comfortable and the only area you're likely to feel some discomfort is on top of the head rather than your ears.

Performance and Sound: Crisp, balanced with a dash of bass


The one aspect you will be satisfied with is E45BT's bass-forward sound signature, which is deep and punchy without sounding too boomy. The bass is good, but not great. As far as wireless headphones go these aren't the most bass-heavy pair you can get out there, but considering the price, I was happy with what the E45BT offered. For a majority of people out there who are satisfied with a little more than adequate bass levels the JBL E45BT will be an ideal choice. It is equipped with 40 mm drivers which is decent considering the size of speakers. In comparison, the larger E55BT headphones feature 50 mm drivers that help deliver more bass.

I tested out a few bass-heavy songs like Muse's "Hysteria" and "Madness", "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons, and "Unfinished Sympathy" and was quite pleased with the output on the E45BT, which produced a pretty satisfying bass signature. "Come Together" by The Beatles and "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac feature iconic basslines which also sounded good. I also checked out Pearl Jam's "Alive", Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", and "Maggot Brain" by Funkadelic for guitar riffs and vocals, and I was happy with the dynamic sound. The guitar riffs were clear and crisp while the vocals and harmonics of "Bohemian Rhapsody," for example, were distinct and natural as well. The highs in these songs were crisp without getting too high.
You will be satisfied with is E45BT's bass-forward sound signature, which is deep and punchy without sounding too boomy
I also watched a few TV shows check how balanced the sound was considering that today we use headphones as much for video streaming on-the-go as we do for music. While watching an episode of "Star Trek: Discovery", I found that the action scenes were not overtly loud and high-end frequencies were pretty clear. In certain sequences a deeper bass would have added to the overall experience, but nonetheless the sound delivered was decent. In one episode of "Riverdale", I found the dialogue and background song playing to be well balanced and crisp.

If I were to compare the E45BT with say Sony's Extra Bass MDR-XB650BT Wireless Headphones, I would lean more towards JBL simply because Sony's headphones has a little too much extra bass for my liking, and that also makes the sound a lot less accurate than the E45BT. Of course, those looking for thumping bass response can consider the MDR-XB650BT since it's priced roughly the same at around Rs 6,800.

The E45BT allows you to connect two devices simultaneously, which means you can connect the headphones to say a tablet and a phone and can switch between them with ease. The switching takes about couple of seconds, which is seamless enough. If you're watching a movie on your tablet and receive a phone call, the headphones will switch to the phone while your movie is paused.

Battery: Enough to take you through the week and beyond


Apart from the sound, the E45BT headphones deliver on battery as well. The company promises roughly 16 hours of battery life, and the headphones mostly live up to that promise. The headphones lasted about 10 days when wearing them for about 1-2 hours every day on above average volume. While most headphones promise up to 20 hours, the E45BT delivering a good 16 hours is impressive considering its form factor.
Of course, the battery life will also vary depending on the volume level. The headphones take about 2 hours to charge from zero to full, and you can keep an eye on the battery level via the connected device.

Conclusion: Impressive sound at a value price


The JBL E45BT are a solid pair of wireless on-ear headphones that produce a satisfying sound signature with a pretty nice bass that should please the average audio buff. The headphones are comfortable with a good amount of padding that shouldn't cause discomfort while wearing them for a couple of hours at a stretch. However, some extra padding around the headband would have been welcomed as well.

Sure the headphones aren't perfect, but at this price point you aren't going to find perfect. At Rs 6,499, JBL's E45BT is value choice for anyone in the market looking for a compact and comfortable pair of headphones with a good sound quality at an affordable price. There aren't a lot of wireless on-ear headphones in the market that can compete at this price point. But if the E45BT's size and sound isn't convincing enough then you can consider the E55BT, which is available for around Rs 6,999, which offers bigger ear cups, deeper bass and a longer battery life.
Considering the E55BT is available at sub-Rs 7,000, the E45BT could have been offered at a slightly lower price point. Nonetheless, they are a solid pair of headphones and a worthy entry in the company's affordable E-Series lineup, and definitely worth considering for your next pair of headphones.

E45BT on-ear headphones8/10


Good stuff

Clear, crisp sound with good bass

Comfortable

Value for money


Bad stuff

Headphone controls not ideal

Mediocre microphones

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Check these headphones also

JBL-E45BT

JBL -E55BT

Sony -MDR-ZX110A

Sony -Extra Bass MDR-XB650BT

Boat -Rockerz 400 On-Ear Bluetooth Headphones

Mivi -SAXO Wireless Bluetooth Headphones 
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