JBL was bought in 1969 by the then named “Jervis
Corporation”. We now know it as Harmon International. In the 70’s JBL expanded
into producing studio monitors and in 1977 they were being used by more
recording studios than all the other brands combined. Over the next 20 years
JBL began to move into the mass market with consumer loudspeakers and the more
exclusive market of concert speakers, cinema speakers and then the automotive
industry.
In modern time JBL now also manufactures wireless speakers,
headphones and audio docks. It just shows that JBL moves well with the times
and is always on point with what the market trend is doing.
Now we have had a brief history lesson can begin with the
review. So as previously mentioned JBL manufacture headphones and todays review
is all about a pair of headphones they make, they are the JBL Synchros S300a.
Specs and in the Box
·
On-ear design
·
Premium 40mm driver
·
JBL PureBass performance
·
Frequency response of 10Hz to 22kHz
·
Max SPL 115dB @ 30mW
·
Power input 30mW
·
3.5mm connection
·
3D rotational fold up design
·
Steel headband and leather ear cushions
·
Currently priced at £129.99 (UK)
In the box
·
S300 headphones
·
Comes with one three button universal remote for
Android, Blackberry or Windows
·
High quality carry case
·
Manuals and quick start guide
Accessories
Like mentioned in the section above you get an included carry
case. The case is very nice, small enough to fit in a bag and will provide
decent protection against light knocks and scrapes. The case is very nice
quality, not 100% sure what material it’s made from but it is very soft to the
touch and smooth. The case is semi-rigid meaning it’s not a hard carry case and
not a soft one, it sits in middle. A best of both worlds you could say. The
case included with the headphones is black and features the JBL logo on one side
and the Synchros logo on the other. Inside the case is lined with a very soft
felt material and includes a section to store the cable whilst in transport. Overall
it’s a nice carry case that will provide ample protection but just be sure that
if you do pack them away for travel don’t place heavy items on top as the case
isn’t a hard shell and will still squash under a heavy load.
Aesthetics
The S300a are quite a masculine headphone, they are quite
rugged looking and this actually suits the headphones very well. They are
available in Black and White, both are equally nice with the white looking the
more modern of the two. The headphones ear cup features a large JBL branded
logo that sits in the middle of a circular steel disk. The ear cups also
feature a lovely mirrored cut out, this gives the appearance of being semi
open-back, however it’s just a design feature that actually looks quite nice
and really adds something to the quite stripped back design.
From the disk the support arms split and form a quite lovely
support for the headphones. This then joins seamlessly to the headband. On the
connection between the two you get the Synchros logo in grey. The headband is
really quite nice and one of my favourite design features of these headphones.
The band is made from stainless steel and includes a numerical system that
allows you to see the headband adjustment; the headband also again features the
JBL logo printed across it. The headphones themselves are covered in a quite
nice matt finish which feels quite nice. The finish unlike some does not
attract the usual dirt and grease usually associated with this type of finish.
I found that when they did get a bit dirty they wiped clean quite easily,
leaving no visible marks. The rugged design of the headphones can also be seen
by the exposed bolts used in the hinge mechanism of the headphone. This could
have easily been covered but I like the fact that it’s exposed. The headphones
look a bit bulky, with the thick support arms and connection between the
support and the headband, but they are actually not that large in size.
Overall they are a quite nice looking headphone if you like
the more rugged industrial look.
Build quality
Like their design their build quality is very substantial as
well. With use of premium materials such as Steel and Leather, they incorporate
materials usually only reserved for higher priced headphones. Yes they do
contain plastic but it’s not cheap or poor quality like some other headphones
at this price point. The plastic featured isn’t rough and cheap feeling, it’s
quite smooth to the touch and feels like a higher quality than what I am used
to seeing on similar priced headphones.
They are a quite robust headphone, which is shown in the
materials used and the quality of the construction. Like mentioned the
construction is very solid and the headphones just feel like they have been put
together very well and would probably survive a few knocks without any major
issues. Even the folding mechanism feels well-built and it has a satisfying
click when being folded up or down. The headband is well made, although quite
thin (I presume to save weight) is very strong and doesn’t feel like it would
break very easily.
The ear cups and headband padding is very nice and very good
quality leather, which I did not expect at this price. I was expecting
synthetic leather but to get real leather is a real treat. The feel is very nice;
it’s very smooth and quite plush. There is quite a substantial amount of
padding on both and is just an overall unexpected nice touch.
The cable is also nice, it’s quite thick and is very well
made. There are no issues at the attachment points and it generally feels good.
The controller is nothing special but it’s again well-made and will last in use.
The buttons have a nice feel to them, which is reassuring as you can be sure
that it won’t break any time soon.
If I was to point out one weakness it would be the folding
mechanism, though very well made its likely to be the first part of the headphone
to break. I think that’s testament to how well the rest of the headphone is
made. However the aforementioned life of the folding mechanism depends on if
you are going to be folding them down a lot. But again folding mechanisms
generally are the weak points of most folding headphones and JBL have made the
best I have ever tested so that again is reassuring.
Comfort
There is a lot of scope for sizing and they should fit even
if you have a small or larger head, this is thanks to the headbands sizing
mechanism. Although not a unique design I find that getting the sizing right is
quite easy.
Now this is where the negative aspect of the headphones
comes in. Although the headphones are very light and the clamping force is just
about right, the ear cushions design is not good. It’s not the padding it’s the
shape. The ear cups are circular and just an awkward size. It’s kind of weird,
the size is a bit bigger than on ear but smaller than over ear (yes I know that
sound odd, but you can see in my video review what I mean). This just renders
the soft padding kind of useless as the ear cup is just wrong (for me). The
design like mentioned is circular whereas I think an oval or over ear design
would have been much better. I even tried to fix this by adjusting the headband
but then the ear cups didn’t sit right and to be honest I got a bit fed up of
trying to find the right position for listening.
So they are not very comfortable at all, the most I can
spend listening to these headphones is about 20 minutes before they become
unbearable to wear anymore. However you may find that they suit you better. I
think JBL could have done a better job and seen that circular design ear cups
(unless over ear) are just not that comfortable and if a headphone is
uncomfortable the likely hood is that you are not going to use them. Comfort
really is important because if headphones are uncomfortable then you can’t
enjoy them for extended use.
In-use and issues
In use they are pretty great (well apart from the comfort). They
are very light and the included carrycase makes them ideal for travel. They
fold down to about the size of my hand, which is about average for a UK male,
so that’s not overly large (again you can see the demo in the review). They fit
around your neck quite nicely and aren’t obtrusive in that respect. The cable
is nice and is just the right length to retain their portability. The
functionality of the remote is a breeze and a welcome addition to the
over-populated iOS controls. The volume up and down buttons actually work on most
Android, Blackberry and Windows devices, which for me is awesome as I now don’t
have to keep taking my phone out to adjust the volume. The middle button takes
care of most of functions, the list of these functions are as follows….
1 press to play/pause or to answer calls
2 presses and you go to your previous track
3 presses and you go to the next track
So overall functionality of these headphones is the best I
have ever used as I am an Android user and all the best headphones seem to just
be for iOS. The fact that JBL included a universal controller is just frankly
awesome and I think more headphone makers should follow suit and do the same.
Now to the issues, like I mentioned comfort is the main
issue, but there are two more.
1.
The way the headphones look when you wear them.
Again you will have to watch the review to see what I mean, but I will try to
explain. When wearing the headphones I found that the ear cups stick out far
too much and there is quite a large gap between your head and the headphones.
This really makes the headphones look quite awkward when on and buts a dampener
on the really nice design.
2.
The microphone and call quality. This is just
not good, during testing I was told that the microphone was a bit distorted and
sounded quite unnatural. Now I wasn’t expecting amazing clarity or a really
realistic sound, but this was quite terrible. To make my point I am currently
reviewing another set of headphones at half the price of these and the mic is
much superior quality. Also the sound through the speakers is again not good,
it was bit distorted and crackly. So I thought I will try it on another phone
and it was the same again. However it’s not inaudible but just not nice and is
all a bit disappointing and to be honest I expected a bit better.
Isolation and noise
leak
Noise isolation on the S300 is quite impressive. Although
very uncomfortable to wear I found that they blocked out quite a lot of background
noise on the bus where I tested them mostly. They did a really good job a
preventing the dull drone of the engine as well as peoples conversations and
outside traffic noise. Only the louder noises made it through. So considering
they aren’t noise cancelling they performed better than expected. Noise leak
again is quite impressive, with them only really leaking audible noise at
around ¾ volume, which when on public transport you can’t really notice. In the
house where it’s quiet obviously the noise leak is more noticeable but nothing
unbearable to people close to you. So here the S300 really do score well. They
are actually I would say joint first with the Audio Technica ATH-M20x that I
tested a few weeks ago.
Sound quality
To talk about sound I first listened to the headphones with
a flat equalizer to really get to know what the headphones sound like without any
tweaks. The first thing that really hit me was the bass, now even on a flat eq
the bass was fairly deep, punchy and had a lot of presence. The bass is very
controlled but not over tight, the bass reproduction doesn’t muddy the rest of
the sound and just really works with the sound rather than trying to take
control. The low end has a lot of detail especially when listening to music
with a good bassline, however the S300 aren’t like your artist inspired
headphones that tend to add bass for the sake of it just to add a bit
of vigour to the sound. The JBL has the same deep bass but it never ruins
anything and I think it’s all down to the JBL Professional Audio Sound which includes
PureBass performance.
This enhancement really goes a long way to improve the lower
frequencies and to always ensure that it never steals the limelight and just
enhances the experience rather than hindering it.
The Mid-range is again well produced with bundles of detail,
control and are also very accurate and on point. The mid-range can easily be
distinguished and just doesn’t sit muted in the background. I know this next
bit may sound like a contradiction but although the mid-range has its moment to
shine in the foreground, but it can come off a touch cold. Yes I know I said it’s
not muted, it’s very clear and present just cold. There is no real warmth or energy
to the mid-range which can leave you feeling a little disheartened. Don’t get
me wrong the mids are great and work well, but for me they just didn’t add to
the overall wow factor of the sound. Maybe an alteration to the equalizer will
bring out the best in them.
Vocal reproduction is very solid and quite nice. I listened
to a few live sets from Foxes and the vocals where amazing. You could really
hear every intake and every exhale of breath and her voice sounded wonderful.
On music that’s been tweaked the vocals again are very strong, but for some
reason I found that they always seem to sound better on live sets. I’m not sure
why but that’s what I experienced. So in terms of vocal reproduction I am
actually very impressed, the only headphones I have heard sound better in terms
of vocal reproduction are the Bowers & Wilkins P3, which frankly are
amazing and the JBL where closer than I would have expected.
Now testing the headphones on my equalizer settings on the
Rocket Player on my Nexus 5 (which see the bass adjusted slightly, the mid-section
increased a bit more and a slight adjustment to the higher end) and things get
better. The bass pretty much stays the same, but it’s the mid-range that sees
the biggest change. The mids now are improved, they still have the same detail
but the signature just warms slightly. It’s still slightly cold but better. So
I tired increasing the mid-section again and found they became too overpowering,
so I set them back and it was better.
Overall I really like the sound of these headphones and they
are very good, I just wish the mid-section had more about it.
Summary
To wrap up the review, I would really like to say that I
liked the sound of these headphones. I know I said the mid-range is cool but as
a whole the sound quality is good. I quite like the styling and the build
quality is top notch, the only things that really let the headphones down are
1.
The comfort
2.
The way they look whilst wearing them
3.
The mic and call quality
but other than that they are really good headphones. If you
can find a position where they are comfortable, don’t mind the slightly awkward
look when wearing them and the quite poor call quality then these are good
headphones. Maybe the above won’t bother you but for me, I could live with the
slightly awkward look and the poor call quality, but the deal breaker for me is
the comfort. They really are that uncomfortable and maybe they will be alright
for you but for me I just couldn’t cope with them, which is a shame because
apart from the few flaws and the major flaw, they are very good.
To watch the unboxing and review click the links below.
To see for videos from me check out the link to my channel.
Thanks for reading guys.
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