With IP68 rating, excellent sound quality, impressive touch controls, and a great feature set, the JBL Reflect Aero headphones are an excellent value. Oh, and they are extremely affordable.
Overview of the JBL Reflect Aero
Despite appearing similar to ordinary sports headphones, the JBL Reflect Aero has more to offer than meets the eye. Its circular frame has wing tips to help keep it securely in place even when exercising.
One obvious feature that makes these wireless earbuds stand out is their waterproofing. They have an IP68 rating, which means they aren’t just water-resistant. They’ll keep on blasting the tunes for 30 minutes down 1.5 meters in salt or fresh water (although Bluetooth signals do not travel well in water, so keep that in mind).
There’s more, too. In addition to active noise cancellation, touch controls, in-ear detection, and a 12-hour battery life (24 hours total with charging case), JBL packs in other premium features as well. This is already a lot, even if you don’t consider the great sound quality and the fact that you can actually customize their touch gestures for volume control, for that sub-£150 price.
With IP68 rating, excellent sound quality, impressive touch controls, and a great feature set, these headphones are an excellent value. Oh, and they are extremely affordable.
Available prices and specifications for JBL Reflect Aero
This true wireless earbud will cost you / £119, which is particularly affordable for what it offers. 0.5 oz (13 grams) per earbud, Bluetooth 5.2 interface, earbud battery life is 8 hours, case’s battery life is 24 hours. Noise cancellation: Active Noise Cancellation.
Despite the fact that the price tag isn’t in the budget range, these earphones still fall into the midrange range, so they’re more affordable than Sony’s WF-1000XM4, Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, or even Beats Fit Pro. It’s fair to say that all three models offer better sound and ANC. But, none of them are submersible, and none of them have 10 bands of equalizer, so your sound can be tailored.
Compared to other headphones, the JBL Reflect Aero have the best value out of the bunch. They’re a great choice for swimmers and active users alike, while also being a great option for budget-conscious consumers who want more premium features.
Pros of the JBL Reflect Aero
Sound quality is excellent
Waterproofing and IP68 are both effective
Controls and audio prompts are both helpful and easy to use
Improved ear detection
Cons of the JBL Reflect Aero
There are no major issues with ANC
Call quality isn’t great
The bass could be better
Overview of the JBL Reflect Aero
Despite appearing similar to ordinary sports headphones, the JBL Reflect Aero has more to offer than meets the eye. Its circular frame has wing tips to help keep it securely in place even when exercising.
One obvious feature that makes these wireless earbuds stand out is their waterproofing. They have an IP68 rating, which means they aren’t just water-resistant. They’ll keep on blasting the tunes for 30 minutes down 1.5 meters in salt or fresh water (although Bluetooth signals do not travel well in water, so keep that in mind).
There’s more, too. In addition to active noise cancellation, touch controls, in-ear detection, and a 12-hour battery life (24 hours total with charging case), JBL packs in other premium features as well. This is already a lot, even if you don’t consider the great sound quality and the fact that you can actually customize their touch gestures for volume control, for that sub-£150 price.
With IP68 rating, excellent sound quality, impressive touch controls, and a great feature set, these headphones are an excellent value. Oh, and they are extremely affordable
Available prices and specifications for JBL Reflect Aero
This true wireless earbud will cost you / £119, which is particularly affordable for what it offers. 0.5 oz (13 grams) per earbud, Bluetooth 5.2 interface, earbud battery life is 8 hours, case’s battery life is 24 hours. Noise cancellation: Active Noise Cancellation.
Despite the fact that the price tag isn’t in the budget range, these earphones still fall into the midrange range, so they’re more affordable than Sony’s WF-1000XM4, Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, or even Beats Fit Pro. It’s fair to say that all three models offer better sound and ANC. But, none of them are submersible, and none of them have 10 bands of equalizer, so your sound can be tailored.
Compared to other headphones, the JBL Reflect Aero have the best value out of the bunch. They’re a great choice for swimmers and active users alike, while also being a great option for budget-conscious consumers who want more premium features.
It’s all about design with JBL Reflect Aero
Generally speaking, the JBL Reflect Aero earphones don’t differ much from other sports earphones when it comes to design. The JBL Reflect Aero have that nice honeycomb pattern on the side that faces your ears, so they’re very similar to Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay E8 Sport earphones except they’re just a little bigger.
The JBL Reflect Aero’s best feature is its touch controls, which are responsive and customizable, along with helpful sound prompts, which we have to praise. In fact, AirPods Pro were not available until months after they hit the market with the second generation, where you could program two of those touch gestures to control volume.
It is possible for these earphones to be a little too big for users with small ears (or ear canal openings) due to the fact that they come with silicone tips in three sizes and three wing tip pairs. Those ear tips could probably be a little smaller, even at their smallest size.
JBL Reflect Aeros come with app support, which is the JBL Headphones app. Certainly you don’t have to download the app in order to use the earphones, but it is well worth it. Its 10-band EQ lets you customize their sound significantly, so you can not only expand their functionality but also personalize their sound.
Aerodynamic performance of JBL Reflect Aero
With JBL’s Ambient Aware feature (transparency mode), you can hear enough of your surroundings to have a conversation with another person while the music is still playing at approximately half volume.
If you want to switch between your phone and your laptop at the same time, you can pair both devices at the same time. For instance, if you’re getting a phone call while watching a movie on your laptop. Additionally, the in-ear detection is very good at detecting when an earbud has been taken off or put back on when it’s very reactive. Furthermore, the microphone sounds great when you’re on the phone – so you know you’re being heard clearly. The high end sounds crystal clear and detailed.
While the device can connect to two devices at once, you can only listen to one input at a time. Additionally, you have to play or pause one source, wait a few seconds, then play the other one, which can be annoying when you’re in a hurry. Lastly, the mic’s frequency range is limited, so there’s less low-end, and it’s not 100% noise-repellent.
These headphones will sound terrible if you don’t fit them properly in your ears with those silicone ear tips. There isn’t going to be much depth to the overall sound, with the mid-range sounding recessed, the bass being very restrained, and the high end lacking detail as well. Before watching videos or playing music, make sure your ear tips completely plug into your ears.
It’s important to point out these shortcomings so that you understand that JBL Reflect Aeros aren’t on the high-end audiophile level, however, despite a few quirks, JBL Reflect Aero earbuds make great workout companions, especially if you’re working out in water. It is possible to fully submerge these devices for up to 30 minutes without any deterioration in the device performance thanks to their IP68 rating. The devices survive submersion in water and still play music, which has been user-confirmed. You can swim laps while wearing these as long as you have your phone nearby, and you don’t do deep dives.
If you’re thinking of buying JBL Reflect Aero headphones…
You need feature-filled buds to work out with. With all the best features you need to keep you focused, the JBL Reflect Aero earbuds deliver them with wing tips to keep them secured and in-ear detection and sensitive touch controls.
It’s difficult to find waterproof earbuds that can withstand complete immersion, but the JBL Reflect Aero can. It has a rating of IP68, which is higher than most other earbuds.
They perform almost as well as ones that cost £250, but cost a lot less. If you want good sound quality at a reasonable price, this is definitely a smart choice.
JBL Reflect Aero may not be best for you if…
There are plenty of other earbuds out there with better active noise cancellation than the JBL Reflect Aero. The low end is a bit inconsistent with these earbuds, so you can never be sure how that bass sounds from one track to the next.
Think about this as well
Using an FM radio transmitter as a workaround for water’s Bluetooth-blocking properties, Zygo Solo bone conduction headphones work around Bluetooth’s limitations.
In Conclusion
Compared to other headphones, the JBL Reflect Aero have the best value out of the bunch. They’re a great choice for swimmers and active users alike, while also being a great option for budget-conscious consumers who want more premium features.