Not cheap, but not the most expensive. But sound “for all the money.” Testing a new product from JBL.
One of the recent tech trends is TWS headphones. No, this is not a brand or a model, but an abbreviation – True Wireless Stereo. That is, “completely wireless”, without any collars and other hanging wires. Once there is demand, there will be supply: TWS is getting bigger. So JBL (that is, American HARMAN) did not ignore fashion trends and released TUNE 120TWS. We could not remain indifferent to such a premiere and took the novelty for the test.
You can also read: JBL Endurance Peak Headphone Review: Sports To Music
JBL TUNE 120 True Wireless Headphones Review: Design and equipment
JBL TUNE 120TWS is made of two types of plastic and looks gorgeous. True, they are not the most compact, and it is not immediately clear how they will stay in the ears. By the way, we will talk about this separately later.
You can also read: Review: JBL Live 300 TWS Headphone
There are mechanical buttons on each of the two headphones. On the right, during playback, a single press stops and starts the track (in the same way you answer a call and end a conversation), a double press is used to call the voice assistant. The left button is responsible for switching tracks: press once – forward, twice – back. To turn the headphones on or off, you need to press any button and hold it in this state.
As usual, the earbuds come with a charging case. It is small in size and has a residual charge indicator: three LEDs on the front panel. It’s always clear when to charge. The case itself is charged via the micro-USB connector, which is carefully covered with a rubber panel.
The cover has a magnet and the headphone jacks themselves. To insert the “ears” into the case, it is enough to bring them closer to the nests (and not to be confused, of course) – inside. They practically fly in.
JBL TUNE 120 True Wireless Headphones Review: Preparation for use
The first thing to do after unpacking the box is No, don’t connect them to your smartphone. There are two more pairs (larger and smaller) in the kit. The trick is that the body itself looks, of course, impressive but does not fit into the auricle. The headphones just stick out of the ears, being held mainly by the inserts. And if you don’t bother to do the fitting, you risk just losing one or both on the street. It is especially worth keeping an eye on them during active activities. We ran to the bus – watch out not to fall out. It is generally better for sports to choose a different model unless it is, of course, chess.
You can also read: JBL Link Portable Review: Comfort In The Details
Now about the connection. In principle, everything is simple, especially since the headphones come with a guide to “quick start”. The main thing to understand here is that although the right and left parts are practically indistinguishable, their functionality differs. For example, to connect via Bluetooth, you need to remove the right earpiece from the case. Then, as usual, find JBL TUNE 120TWS in the list of available devices and connect.
JBL TUNE 120 True Wireless Headphones Review: Headphone impressions
As a headset, the headphones are good indoors – at least our interlocutors did not complain. It’s more difficult on the street – in windy weather or on the sidewalk along a noisy highway, you have to speak louder, but this helps only partially. The situation is further complicated because, being in “gags”, you do not always understand how loudly you are speaking. More precisely, it would be best if you had a certain habit to learn to understand it.
But the JBL TUNE 120TWS headphones are great. At least, you begin to understand what you paid about $54.95 for. They sound great regardless of music or song genre – except that the classics motivate you to switch to full-fledged “ears”. But the headphones transmit pop, rock, rap quite naturally, and if in many cheaper analogs the bass is absent as such, they are also here and well expressed. This model will not seem quiet – it was not necessary to turn it on at maximum volume, even in the subway.
The manufacturer promises 4 hours of battery life on a single charge – our JBL TUNE 120TWS lasted 10 minutes less. The case allows you to charge the devices three times fully – that is, in total, you can count on 16 hours of operation.
JBL TUNE 120 True Wireless Headphones Review: Conclusions
If you’re used to earplugs, the JBL TUNE 120TWS is a great choice – they sound more expensive than they cost. But those who have never worn this type of headphone should try it on first. Especially if you lead a reasonably active lifestyle: say, ride a bike. The in-ear attachment system is the only comment we have about the new JBL product. By the way, the brand also has excellent sports TWS – they hold up much better.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Nice design | Insecure fit in the ear |
| excellent performance | |
| high-quality sound | |
| relatively low price |
