This review dedicated to inexpensive wireless headphones with headset function. Despite the budget of the device, it is possible to use an alternative connection option - an audio cable. The headset boasts a long battery life (up to 20 hours) and the original, but little-demanded Share Me function, which will allow you to share music with similar JBL headphones.

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Appearance

At first glance, the rather bulky headphones pleasantly surprise with their light weight. In the process of use, the feeling of discomfort from wearing the headset never arose. For the review, I got a white model, you can also choose other colors: black, blue and red (see photo).

JBL Synchros E50BT is perceived by me as a youth version, despite the rather strict lines in the design of the headset. At a distance, the cups are perceived as metal, in fact, they are plastic with a textured surface, just like the rest of the supporting parts of the case. The only exception is the metal guides of the headphones. The headband and ear pads on the cups are covered with leatherette. Each main element of the case bears the "immodest" size of the JBL logo. Before buying, I advise you to put on a headset, for someone the headphones may squeeze.

Control

Control is carried out by a button with a Bluetooth icon and navigation keys located on the left cup. The buttons are mechanical with a small stroke and have a pleasant backlighting. The power key lights up alternately in three colors, depending on the status of the headset.

Functionality

In addition to supporting wireless Bluetooth technology and wired connectivity, the headset supports the proprietary ShareMe function, with which you can stream your music from the headphones to a similar Bluetooth headset, a list of devices that support this function can be found on the JBL official website. As I already wrote at the very beginning, this functionality will be of little demand, but you can imagine situations in which sharing using ShareMe will come in handy: watching movies together in a quiet environment or traveling together in any public transport.

Specifications:

• membrane diameter: 50 mm;
• frequency range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz;
• sensitivity: 117 dB SPL / V;
• rated input power: 30 mW;
• input impedance: 32 ohms;
• connector: 3.5 mm;
• Bluetooth 3.0: Bluetooth profiles: A2DP v1.3, AVRCP v1.5, HFP v1.6, HSP v1.2;
• battery: 730 mAh (up to 18 hours of music playback, up to 24 hours in headset mode);
• weight: 300 g.

Autonomy

The claimed battery life is 18 hours in music playback mode, and the talk mode increases the autonomy of the headset up to 24 hours. The result is very decent and cannot but please the future owner. It takes 2.5 hours to charge the headset. There is a small nuance that will add a fly in the ointment - this is a non-standard USB-2.5 mm cable for charging instead of the expected microUSB. Note, headset control becomes impossible when JBL Synchros E50BT is wired.

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Outcome

A youthful wireless headset with an interesting design and a significant rise in price with the growth of the currency. Future owners will be able to choose a suitable color scheme. The earbuds have a long time autonomous work, simple operation and acceptable sound quality.

The functionality of the device is expanded by the ability to connect an audio cable. It is also worth noting that the PureKonexx feature has shown its worthlessness, voice transmission is not the headset's strong point. As for sharing sound using ShareMe, every user will find a use for it whenever possible. JBL Synchros E50BT has very few competitors among budget overhead headsets, so the advantages clearly outweigh all the disadvantages.

Probably, many have seen couples in transport who, as a sign of complete mutual understanding, listen to music using one pair of headphones from one player. Someone gets the left earpiece, someone the right. Everything is fine, except for the fact that any energetic grandmother who wedged in free space between lovers, is able to instantly destroy this idyll.

In such a situation, wired headphones are inconvenient not only because others can very easily interfere with enjoying the beautiful, but also physically damage (break) the wire from the headphones, and with special dexterity, "pull" the smartphone out of your pocket to the floor. Wireless ears only partially solve the problem, because the standard implementation of the Bluetooth protocol assumes a device-to-device scheme, which does not allow making a broadcast transmitter out of a smartphone. There is a better way, and JBL offers it to us. It is called JBL Synchros E50BT and E40BT. As many have already guessed from the title picture, these are headphones.

The package includes: the headphones themselves, two cables (the first with 3.5 and 2.5 mm jacks, and the second with a 2.5 mm USB jack) and two pieces of paper (warranty card and instructions for use). The second cable attracts attention with its uniqueness. Apparently, for reasons of saving something valuable (or maybe they just decided not to litter the headphones with unnecessary holes), the engineers combined the Audio-In input with the power jack. Unusual, but works fine.

The headphones themselves look nice. The design is made in hi-tech style, the headband is adjustable in length (32 mm on each side). The structural elements are made of plastic, only the sliding parts of the bow are covered from the outside with silver-colored metal plates (only for the older model). The headband is finished with a leather-like material, the degree of softness of the inner side of the bow is not high in the older model. In this respect, the faux leather pad on the inner side of the younger model's plastic bow looks and feels more pleasant.

Each ear can be rotated 90 degrees. This allows the headphones to be folded down compact enough to be carried in a bag. The actual size of the headphones depends on the model. In the older model, the ear pads cover even a large auricle, while in the younger model they only press it down. Connectors and controls are located on the left earpiece. At its bottom is a 2.5 mm round connector for connecting the charging cable and audio cable. On the side surface, there is a little behind bluetooth button to start the pairing process with your tablet or smartphone. An indicator built into it, with complex combinations of lights, displays various states of the device.

There are many controls, but they are implemented compactly. All buttons are pressed using a large circular plate on the outer surface of the left earcup. For example, to increase the volume, you need to press the plate in the upper part once ("at 12 o'clock"), to decrease - once at the bottom ("at 6 o'clock"). Pressing the "circle" once ("at 9 o'clock") will start playback or pause it. Pressing twice will move forward through the tracks, three times - backward. Also, using this button ("circle") you can receive, drop and hold calls, but this is aerobatics, so you need to read the instructions.

But that's not why we came here. And behind a funny icon resembling a triangle in the palms ("at three o'clock"). This is the relay button. It allows some JBL Synchros headphones to transmit sound to other JBL Synchros headphones. First you need to complete phone call(if there was one) or pause music on the source device. Next, on those JBL Synchros headphones that were the first to be standardly connected via Bluetooth to a tablet / smartphone, press the sync button once. Then on the second (plug-in) headphones you need to double-click the coveted triangle. After about 15 seconds, the connection between the headphones is established and you can start playback again. Now the same music will sound simultaneously in both pairs of ears. As you can see, the sequence of actions is quite simple, and you can try to remember it.

By tradition, I will divide the impressions of using headphones into three groups: physiological, acoustic and software.

The range of headband adjustments and the rotation of the cups of the older model is enough for almost any situation. However, the younger model turned out to be less convenient in this respect. Its arch is harsh and, under certain circumstances, can squeeze the large head and the bottom of the auricle quite hard. Both pairs provide very good isolation from the sounds of the outside world, the older pair - due to the "immersion" of the auricle in the ear pads, and the younger - due to its pressing. Before purchasing, it is advisable to try, if possible, how well the selected JBL Synchros model will fit your head.

Acoustically, both couples are very pleasant. The sound is smooth, without pronounced dips, with a good mids and with a good amount of bass. True, one gets the feeling that, just as speed limiters are installed in powerful sports cars, the bass in JBL Synchros is slightly "tightened". In general, there are enough of them, they are pleasant, dense and elastic, while there is not much difference in their reproduction between the E50BT and the E40BT. It is better not to abuse high volume levels, they spoil the sound.

The relay process could not be started the first time. All buttons were pressed correctly, the indicators blinked in the correct sequences, and, according to them, the connection was established, but there was no sound. There was none on the second try, or on the third. The sound magically appeared on the fourth attempt, after the second receiving pair was separately connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth (and then removed from the list of devices). What it was, individual intolerance to the iPhone 4S, crooked hands or software glitches, remained a mystery.

Overall, JBL has a decent product. JBL Synchros E50BT and E40BT produce good sound and work stably. The ability to relay the signal is their proprietary, useful and still unique feature. In general, if you do not want to be surprised by the desire to listen to music with your girlfriend, the JBL Synchros E50BT and E40BT are your choice.

In the fall, Harman announced the E-series headphone line, consisting of three models for a wide variety of audiences - the wired JBL Synchros E30, as well as the wireless E40BT and E50BT. In parallel, the company managed to receive the 2014 Red Dot Design Award. The devices "hooked" the participants of the award. Well, we have at our disposal the most advanced model of this series - JBL Synchros E50BT. The model is wireless, costing about 5,990 rubles in Russian online stores.

Appearance, design, materials

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The headphones come in a large hard cardboard box. The box itself is white interspersed with orange parts, as well as large photographs of the headset and a description of the main technical parameters. The decoration is of high quality and quite stylish.

Inside the box is a black plastic box, in which the headphones are fixed. I had a silver headset on my test. In addition, white, blue and red options can be found on sale. In general, everyone can find a suitable color.

Another cardboard box is fixed on one side of the box. It contains an audio cable and documentation with operating instructions.

The exterior of the Synchros E50BT is extremely modern and youthful. The assembly and materials are very well chosen. The design uses hard matte plastic and leatherette. There is not much metal in this headset, but it is there.

The headband is made of plastic, and the guides themselves are made of steel sheet. On the inside, the headband is covered with a soft polyurethane casing.

The fixation of the cups is quite clear, it provides adjustment for individual head sizes. Another thing is that the mechanism for adjusting the headphones is too limited. For me, for example, it was right at the maximum level. I also wanted to loosen the fit of the headband, but there was simply no stock. It is clear that children, adolescents and the fair sex will not have such a problem, but men - quite. For this reason, before buying, you should definitely try on a headset and determine whether it suits you or not.

The cups have silver plastic overlays with the JBL logo. On the inside there is a marking where which headphone is. The cups can be moved 90 degrees to the side (there are metal hinges). This is an additional degree of freedom.

In general, I liked the design: bright, high-tech and effective.

In general, the design of the headphones is well thought out, nothing dangles or creaks. Thanks to the use of plastic and a minimum of metal, the weight of the headset is relatively light.

Contents of delivery:

• Headphones Harman JBL Synchros E50BT
• Audio cable
• USB cable for recharging the battery from a computer
• Documentation

Comfortable to wear. Control

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The headband of the headphones is moderately stiff. The ear cushions fit tightly on top of the ears. They are made of soft polyurethane. There is no unpleasant smell, tactile sensations are pleasant. If it were not for the limitation on adjusting the cups, the headset would be extremely comfortable. And so, people with a big head can experience difficulties. Listening to music for a long time will not work.

At the end of the left cup, you can find the Bluetooth enable button. For convenience and clarity, it has a backlight. The indicator is red and white. After turning on for the first time, you just need to find the headset using your mobile device and connect it.

The music playback control is built into the left earcup. Among the buttons are: volume control, play / pause (double-click activates the next track playback) and ShareMe mode. There is no possibility to rewind a specific track. Everything is standard. The movement of the buttons is small, but clear enough.

I will separately say about the battery life. The manufacturer claims 18 hours of music playback and about 24 hours of talk time. This is a pretty good result for a headset of this size. In practice, the results of my tests were almost completely identical to those stated. It takes about three hours to charge.

The only point that seemed controversial to me was the use of a non-standard cable to charge the headphone battery. It uses USB-2.5 mm, but I would like to see a universal microUSB. This one is much easier to find.

Sound quality

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The headphones are equipped with 50 mm speakers with a declared frequency range of 20 Hz-20 kHz. Sensitivity 117 dB, power - 30 mW, input impedance 32 Ohm. The sound margin is quite high here. Bass is reproduced clearly and distinctly.

The sound of the headset is quite decent, moderately bright. In class, it falls short of the best examples. And the cost of these headphones is not the one to criticize for it. Low frequencies are reproduced quite naturally, but the effect of presence is weakly expressed. The volume is great. In general, it is quite a versatile option at an adequate price.

In addition, here it is possible to connect a headset to mobile device or a computer using the supplied audio cable. This means that even if the battery runs out, you can still listen to music. This is a plus.

The sound quality in headset mode is also good, but the microphone is quite far from the sound source, so the audibility is not always good. The problem is especially relevant for very noisy premises or public transport. In a noisy place it is better to talk on the phone, in a quiet place you can use the E50 BT.

There is no active noise cancellation in the headphones. If you put on your "ears" and do not turn on the music, then you partially hear what is happening nearby. During music playback, background noises become subtle. There are, of course, external noises, but this does not have a decisive effect. As for the audibility of the sounds that are reproduced in the headphones, the surrounding people will almost completely not hear them. The exception to this rule is maximum volume.

Outcomes

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Summing up, I can say that JBL Synchros E50BT are extremely interesting youth headphones at an adequate price. There are five color options, bright appearance... Assembly and quality are at the highest level. I was also pleased with the battery life, equal to 18 hours of listening to music. If the battery runs out, the headphones can be used in wired mode.

The sound here is adequate, but falls short of the models of a higher price category. At the same time, the JBL Synchros E50BT have a large volume reserve, reproduce the lows well. Of the chips, there is a function of "sharing" your music stream to other similar devices.

Benefits:

• Striking appearance
• Excellent build
• Long battery life
• It is possible to use wired headphones in the mode
• It is possible to use it in the voice call mode

Disadvantages:

• There is a limitation on adjusting the cups to the headband

On the day of the publication of the test review, Harman JBL Synchros E50BT headphones could be purchased at a price of 5,990 rubles.

Aren't you ready to kill reviewers for talking about "controversial" devices yet? I hope not, because reviewing controversial gadgets is more interesting. Moreover, the indisputable adoration or, on the contrary, the indisputable swearing in you, my dear reader, invariably evokes the feeling of advertising, even when the blogger was not paid for writing a post, but the monitored gadget was not left (here you definitely need to write about snickering bloggers).

I will say right away - they left me the JBL Synchros E50BT and took them to work. Why go to work? Because I don't listen to headphones at home, but I mix music in studio AKG 141. And on the street and on trips I prefer compact earplugs. At work, on the other hand, listening to music in the process of a creative impulse, wearing closed on-ear headphones, is the thing. Therefore, I used to have some cheap Sennheiser on my desk in my office, and now I have JBL Sychros E50BT.

So why are headphones still controversial? Well, first of all, I believe they have a few design flaws. First of all, the 2.5 mm jack for charging and connecting an analog signal is rather a minus. The disadvantage is that the adapter from a 2.5 mm jack to a 3.5 mm jack is far from a standard thing, but an adapter from a 2.5 mm jack to USB (for charging) is a rarity. Thus, in order to fully service the headphones, you have to carry two branded cables with you and try not to lose them. And if the manufacturer had placed a micro-USB connector for charging on the case, and replaced the 2.5-mm jack with a 3.5-mm one, it would be much more convenient and simpler.

The second design flaw is the combination of the Bluetooth pairing activation button and the power button. The functions are two different, but the button is one. Moreover, in both cases, the button must be held for a long time, but with a different duration. As a result, it is not clear which function you are currently activating. Even if a person had an accurate stopwatch in his head, you still need to remember how many seconds to hold for one and how many - for another. Although, I confess, many manufacturers "like" to mix these two functions in one button. And, I repeat, there would be no problem if for one function it (the button) had to be kept pressed, and for the other - briefly pressed. Users are accustomed to the fact that a short press and a hold are two different actions. And to measure the degree of retention is sorry ...

Otherwise, the E50BT has no problems. I really liked the white headphones, which they gave me, I would definitely prefer them to black, dark blue and red, which are also available from JBL. Of course, I do not listen to them very actively, but so far they have not had time to get dirty.

As for the sound, it’s not really my sound (but nowadays even Sony and AKG don’t make “my” sound), but it is still very decent, even over Bluetooth. Deep, crisp, readable. Just, for my taste, went over with low frequencies(not lifted, but slightly sorted out, but nowadays there is such a trend and many people just like it) and compressed the high ones. Although the latter is understandable - it's still Bluetooth, you can't get hold of a speaker here. On the wire, however, the E50BT sounds almost the same, apparently on purpose so that the user does not suffer from the choice.

But in a word, they sound good.

By the way, there are no problems with memory for several devices. You can pair them with at least two devices.