JBL Soundgear Sense Review
JBL Soundgear Sense Review
JBL Soundgear Sense Review

JBL Soundgear Sense: Comfortable hybrid headphones with OpenSound

The JBL Soundgear Sense are wireless headphones that outline what the manufacturer calls OpenSound technology. In short, they are headphones that allow us to listen to what is happening around us while delivering high-quality sound. These are characterized by having a hybrid design and using air conduction, which means that they do not go inside the ear as such, they only rest on it, but without going deeper. A good analogy would be to say that it is the equivalent of wearing a mini speaker near your ear at all times. In addition, they have a design that attaches to the ear using an adjustable hook; We can even connect a neckband to them if we plan to do physical activity.

Before going into details, it is important to note that these headphones do not have active noise cancellation or anything like that. On the contrary, they are designed NOT to isolate us from the world while we enjoy them, and we perfectly understand if this completely dissuades you from your bet. If this is the case for you, you might be interested in something like the JBL Live 770 , JBL on-ear headphones with ANC and up to 65 hours of battery life.

Design

At first glance, the Soundgear Sense look like a regular pair of ear-hook headphones , but the interesting thing about it is that we can attach a neckband that provides greater support , which lends itself to sports or running. In any case, they are comfortable to wear and their technology means that they do not go directly into the ear, which is a relief for those who use their headphones for a long time.

It’s also worth mentioning that they receive an IP54 rating , which means they are resistant to splashes of water and have some protection against dust.

Something that isn’t instantly obvious about the JBL Soundgear Sense is that they include some controls. They are touch-type and allow us to adjust the volume, activate the mobile’s intelligent assistant, skip, play and pause audio, and answer/reject calls. Its behavior can be adjusted from the app, it should be noted.

Sound

The JBL Soundgear Sense headphones feature 16.2mm drivers and a bass enhancement algorithm. They also have support for Bluetooth 5.3 with LE audio, but do not support high-resolution codecs, not that the latter matters, as their open design has other priorities in mind.

In this sense, air conduction works differently than in-ear headphones and bone conduction . It’s inferior to the in-ear method in terms of sound quality, but it has a clear advantage over the latter, and that translates into noticeably bigger, richer bass sound, not to mention there’s also more control over how you sound. . However, environmental awareness is generally inferior to bone conduction, but JBL has done its best in this department and we have to give it credit for that.

When it comes to the sound itself, the bass is certainly present and relatively powerful , but due to the design of the headphones they cannot build up the necessary pressure to be warm and reach their full potential. On the other hand, the open construction and the resulting wide soundstage create a natural-looking sound with sufficiently detailed and clean mids. Vocals in particular sound quite authentic as long as they are not suppressed in the codec’s signal range. Unfortunately, the treble is not very present without an equalizer, but at least something can be done about it.

The sound is therefore unsuitable for bass lovers and audiophiles, but it should be noted that this is not the goal of these headphones. Their true purpose is to provide a balance between listening to music and remaining aware of your surroundings , and in that they are a resounding success.

Application

Naturally, these headphones are made the most of with the JBL Headphones app, where we will find a detailed sound equalizer along with 5 presets . As expected, the type of technology of these headphones does not allow us to use all the functions of the app, but we can still switch between smart audio modes (music and video), adjust the sound balance between the two buttons, limit the volume maximum to protect our ears and also activate the find my headphones mode.

To put the icing on the cake, these headphones are multi-device , so each one can be paired with a different device.

Battery

Finally, the JBL Soundgear Sense offer an autonomy that leaves us with mixed feelings. On the one hand, 24 hours of use can be achieved with the charging case, but on the other hand, the duration of each earphone is only 6 hours , and that is in the best of cases, since with the volume at maximum it consumes considerably faster, we’re talking maybe 3 or 4 hours.

As a consolation, recharging is quite fast. With just 15 minutes of refueling, the JBL Soundgear Sense recovers enough energy to provide 4 hours of music.

PROS:

  • Customizable sound
  • Adjustable, secure fit design
  • They are comfortable
  • Very useful companion app
  • Fast charge
  • Multi-device

CONS:

  • Battery life leaves something to be desired

 

JBL Soundgear Sense Specifications:

JBL SOUNDGEAR SENSE
Weight 13.1 grams for earbuds, 69.5 grams for case
Colors Black White,
Drivers 16.2mm
Sensitivity 112 dB
dynamic frequency response 20Hz – 20kHz
Impedance 32 ohms
Number of microphones 4
Connectivity Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth profiles HFP 1.8, A2DP 1.4, AVRCP 1.6.2
Battery life Up to 6 hours per earbud, Up to 24 hours with case
Loading time 2 hours
Accessories JBL Soundgear Sense earbuds, neckband, USB-C charging cable, charging case, warranty/warning, quick start guide.
Official site JBL