The number of noise-canceling headphones and earphones continues to grow. But not all (and not always) try to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. Sometimes, however, we want to stay attentive to the world around us, without giving up hearing it in your ears soundtrack of our lives. The new JBL Soundgear Sensewhich we discovered a IFA 2023 and that we have tried in recent weeks to write this review, I respond to this need very well. The earphones will arrive in Italy in mid-October: but it’s the type of product that, especially if you play sports with your ears full of music, is worth the wait.
The JBL audio remains of impressive quality, ma la OpenSound technology of the American brand allows us to continue listening to the road while we run or to the announcements of subway stops. And the design with flexible arches to anchor to the ears makes them perfect for training. They are not for everyone: but those who are always on the move can’t find anything better – especially at the very attractive price of 149 euro. We help you understand if the JBL Soundgear Sense are for you in this review.
Our review of JBL Soundgear Sense
Many earbuds in recent years have tried to offer two sound modes: active sound cancellation (ANC) and transparency mode. Two technologies that respond to different needs: on the one hand the desire to immerse yourself in music without distractions, on the other the desire to remain attentive to the world around us.
But not all headphones (and not all people who wear them) need both. For example, a pair of high-end wired over-the-air headphones don’t need a good transparency mode: they’re for musicians and audiophiles to hear nothing but the track they’re listening to. Similarly, a pair of earphones for those who run or cycle outdoors must allow them to hear road noises, to stay alert – even if without sacrificing audio quality.
The JBL Soundgear Sense fall into this second category, thanks to the sound transmission technology through the air, which does not close the ear canal and lets you hear the world around you. We found them really great for running, but we think that some users might also like them outside of the sports sector – although it is a clear vocation of these earphones. Starting from the design.
Case and earphone design
JBL has decided to equip the Soundgear Sense with a charging case like any other pair of true wireless earphones. But to make room for the ear loops, the dimensions necessarily increase. The result is a charging case with a height just above average, but decidedly wider than less “sporty” products than this one.
Approximately 2.5 cm high and just over 5 cm deep, However, it has a significant width of approximately 9.5 cm according to our measurements. It fits in a pocket, even a small one. But there probably won’t be anything else. This isn’t a huge issue for sports use: you can fit it comfortably in your gym bag or lightweight backpack for walking and running. The same goes for those who want to use it on their home-work commute. But you won’t put it in your pocket every time you leave the house, without thinking too much, as happens with smaller earphones.
A sporty but discreet look
JBL’s earphones have a minimalist look that struck us right away. The black ear loop is just the right amount of flexibleallowing it to adapt to your ear and slip behind the auricle without too much effort, while remaining stable once positioned. The attachment on the headset moves to be able to position them at the right angleadapting to every type of ear.
You can also connect the neckband to the ear loops, for greater stability while running. But we didn’t really need it, finding all the stability we were looking for even without it. However, we appreciate having one more option already included in the package.
The headset itself looks like a parallelepiped with two rounded sides, while the other four are almost flat. On the side that will remain attached to your ear, you will find a circular speaker with the writing L for the left and R for the right, while in the opposite direction the JBL logo (in black on black) and an LED light. They weigh only 5.3 grams the one and they have the IP54 certification to resist sweat and splashes of water.
Despite being more visible on your ears than headband-less earphones, it seems to us that JBL Soundgear Sense balance functionality and design well. Compared to many other products for athletes, they are very discreet – especially in the black color that we are testing (there are also in white).
JBL Soundgear Sense review: a strong and secure grip
Underestimating the convenience of earphones would be a serious mistake. Not only does a firm but not annoying grip allow you to listen to music for longer without tiring your ears, but it also improves the audio performance.
We found JBL’s Soundgear Sense very easy to put on during testing for this review, even while wearing glasses. The movement of widening the arches to facilitate the operation, and then adjusting the earphones so that they fit with our auricles, becomes natural almost immediately.
Once worn, they remain close to the ear in any situation. We ran and trained listening to music from Soundgear Sense, sweating from the heat and our poor physical shape upon returning from the summer breaks in our training. But the adhesion remains perfect.
Not having an eartip inside the ear canal makes the use of earphones more comfortable during workouts. The bows remain well anchored to the ears. And even with prolonged use they never bothered us, both when running and during commuting trips.
Audio quality: all the details for music lovers
The new OpenSound technology left us rather skeptical at first. Audio needs the right spaces to shine. Over-ear headphones surround your ears in a sound box, in-ear headphones use your ear canal to vibrate the bass and play the treble. We doubted that the JBL Soundgear Sense would manage to amaze us in this review. We were wrong.
Inside each of these earphones we find a 16.2mm driverswhich thanks to the JBL’s proprietary algorithms make the bass sound really good, especially in the Bass and Jazz modes (which actually adapts to many genres). In fact, we can distinctly hear the vibration of the sub-bass at the beginning of Loyalty by Kendrick Lamar with Rihanna, just as we hear the thump of the explosions when using to watch streaming series.
But it’s not just about the bass: the sound profile seems rich and well studied.
From the thundering electric guitars of Metallica and System of a Down, to the complex tracks of Prince and Florence + The Machine, we find a great wealth of details which make it possible to focus on the individual elements but also appreciate the orchestration. Tracks with a dominant rhythmic component, such as Amy Winehouse’s Valerie, manage to involve without covering the singer’s great vocality. In short: OpenSound technology has fully convinced us.
This is not to say that it is preferable to a pair of high-end in-ear headphones: audiophiles who only listen to music from the sofa will prefer other products. But those who play sports, especially outdoors, usually have to give up much more in terms of audio quality to have the comfort and resistance of the Soundgear Sound. Which instead, they sound really good.
Daily use and during sports
Soundgear Sense earphones were created for sport. The design with the headbands and JBL’s OpenSound technology seem designed to sit comfortably on our ears and motivate us with good music during workouts, without isolating us too much.
We found them definitely more comfortable than in-ear headphones during sport. First of all, because while running down the street we could hear the cars approaching, the dogs barking, even the breathless “hello”s of the other runners we passed. But without distracting too much from the music, which remains in the foreground – but leaves room to understand what is happening around us. Something that is also very useful in the gym, where you can hear if someone is talking to you: at that point just touch the right earphone once to stop playback and speak without taking your Soundgear Sense out of your ears.
We also used them on the subway and walking around the city. Although they are larger than earbuds we would normally choose for these situations, we liked the pability to stay alert while listening to music and podcasts. But if public transport is particularly full, you will miss the ANC.
We also tried them at the fair in Berlin (JBL gave us the Soundgear Sense for this review at IFA 2023) and with all the patrons talking, it was impossible to hear the audiobook we were listening to. Likewise, they are not the right earphones for plane travel.
Too much noise or too silence
In very quiet situations, however, you will have the opposite problem. Some of the music also reaches the outside, although the OpenSound technology reduces this. If you are in the office…