JBL is quickly raising its stake in the headphone marketplace, putting out quality products such as the JBL Everest Elite 700 series among others. While their over-ear headphones offer immersive listening experiences, they do carry high price tags, but JBL offers multiple pairs of in-ear headphones, notably including the E25BT series.
The JBL E25BTs are wireless, in-ear headphones designed for convenience, portability and accessibility. While the offering of those features often compromises overall quality, we are happy to report that this line of headphones excels in delivering great sound, features and design for a very competitive price point.
Sound
The E25BTs offer great sound despite the $60 tag, a rare feat among headphones in that price range. Highs, mids and lows, notably a subtle yet rhythmic bass, come in crystal clear through the speakers. The bass falls short a bit from the standard set by the Apple in-ear headphones, but while those headphones prioritize bass over every other element, the E25BTs equalize all of the sound layers for a more complete listening experience. The noise-cancelling feature works splendidly as well, taking the listener deep into the sounds of their choice. While the sound of in-ear headphones will never quite match over-ear headphones, the E25BTs come very close to maximizing the potential of the current in-ear headphone technology.
Features
The E25BTs come packed with numerous features, chiefly their wireless playback. The Bluetooth connectivity works very well, with the headphones quickly pairing with devices and holding connections with minimal interruptions. The headphones carry an eight-hour battery life, perfect for extended listening sessions, and the “warning” sound indicating a low battery plays thirty minutes to an hour before the battery actually dies, a welcome feature for those away from their charger and looking to squeeze a few more songs in.
The headphones are included with a small but handy carrying case, three differently sized pairs of earbuds, a clip to keep the wire in place and a three-button universal remote for easy device pairing, volume adjustment, turning the headphones on and off and more. The functionality of the headphones is very accessible, a key feature for the still relatively young market of completely wireless headphones.
Design
The design of the E25BTs emphasizes portability. Their wireless component frees up wire tangle from wired headphones, as these only come with a central wire that connects to the remote in the middle of the set. This design creates a loop of sorts, freeing any wires away from the more active parts of your body. They can be worn with either the wire and remote in front or behind one’s neck, a very adaptive feature depending upon your use at any given time.
The one drawback to their design stems from a structural noise that occurs when one of the headphones twists the wire too much, which can be easily fixed with a quick adjustment but does result in a rumbling sound. This problem occurs in other headphone pairs we’ve tried, but thankfully its easy fix does not weigh down the overall design of the E25BTs too much.
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a set of relatively inexpensive, wireless headphones, the JBL E25BTs should be right up your alley. These headphones walk a fine line of offering accessibility and delivering quality sound, rarely missing a step.