{"id":176030,"date":"2023-12-03T06:07:15","date_gmt":"2023-12-03T06:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techweekmag.com\/?p=176030"},"modified":"2025-05-07T08:02:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T08:02:20","slug":"jbl-soundgear-sense-review-comfortable-hybrid-headphones-with-opensound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/headphones\/jbl-soundgear-sense-review-comfortable-hybrid-headphones-with-opensound\/","title":{"rendered":"JBL Soundgear Sense: Comfortable hybrid headphones with OpenSound"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0JBL Soundgear Sense\u00a0are wireless headphones that outline what the manufacturer calls OpenSound technology.\u00a0In short, they are headphones that allow us to listen to what is happening around us while delivering high-quality sound.\u00a0These 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.\u00a0A good analogy would be to say that it is the equivalent of wearing a mini speaker near your ear at all times.\u00a0In addition, they have a design that attaches to the ear using an adjustable hook;\u00a0We can even connect a neckband to them if we plan to do physical activity.<\/p>\n

Before going into details, it is important to note that these headphones do not have active noise cancellation or anything like that.\u00a0On 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.\u00a0If this is the case for you, you might be interested in something like the\u00a0JBL Live 770\u00a0, JBL on-ear headphones with ANC and up to 65 hours of battery life.<\/p>\n

Design<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It’s also worth mentioning that they receive\u00a0an IP54 rating\u00a0, which means they are resistant to splashes of water and have some protection against dust.<\/p>\n

Something that isn’t instantly obvious about the JBL Soundgear Sense is that they include\u00a0some controls.\u00a0They are touch-type\u00a0and allow us to adjust the volume, activate the mobile’s intelligent assistant, skip, play and pause audio, and answer\/reject calls.\u00a0Its behavior can be adjusted from the app, it should be noted.<\/p>\n

Sound<\/h3>\n

The JBL Soundgear Sense headphones\u00a0feature 16.2mm drivers\u00a0and a bass enhancement algorithm.\u00a0They 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.<\/p>\n

In this sense,\u00a0air conduction works differently than in-ear headphones and bone conduction\u00a0.\u00a0It’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. .\u00a0However, 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.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When it comes to the sound itself,\u00a0the bass is certainly present and relatively powerful\u00a0, but due to the design of the headphones they cannot build up the necessary pressure to be warm and reach their full potential.\u00a0On the other hand, the open construction and the resulting wide soundstage create a natural-looking sound with sufficiently detailed and clean mids.\u00a0Vocals in particular sound quite authentic\u00a0as long as they are not suppressed in the codec’s signal range.\u00a0Unfortunately, the treble is not very present without an equalizer, but at least something can be done about it.<\/p>\n

The sound is therefore unsuitable for bass lovers and audiophiles, but it should be noted that this is not the goal of these headphones.\u00a0Their true purpose is to provide a balance between listening to music and remaining aware of your surroundings\u00a0, and in that they are a resounding success.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Application<\/h3>\n

Naturally, these headphones are made the most of with the JBL Headphones app, where\u00a0we will find a detailed sound equalizer along with 5 presets\u00a0.\u00a0As 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.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To put the icing on the cake,\u00a0these headphones are multi-device\u00a0, so each one can be paired with a different device.<\/p>\n

Battery<\/h3>\n

Finally, the JBL Soundgear Sense offer an autonomy that leaves us with mixed feelings.\u00a0On the one hand, 24 hours of use can be achieved with the charging case, but on the other hand,\u00a0the duration of each earphone is only 6 hours\u00a0, 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.<\/p>\n

As a consolation, recharging is quite fast.\u00a0With just 15 minutes of refueling, the JBL Soundgear Sense recovers enough energy to provide 4 hours of music.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

PROS:<\/p>\n