Best True Wireless Earbuds for Music Lovers: JBL Vibe Beam Review

Top quality audio after a few adjustments. This review is about the audio features of the JBL Vibe Beam earbuds.I’m an audio engineer so audio quality is very important to me. As such, I use wired connections as much as possible to maintain the integrity of the audio signal. However, many newer consumer-level products no longer have audio jacks, so I finally decided to invest in some wireless earbuds as a backup to the other earphones and headphones that I use. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money as I didn’t foresee myself using this product very much, and since this is my first foray into wireless audio earphones, if they were just ok or they broke after a while, then I wouldn’t feel too bad about the little money that I spent. Also, I wanted to focus on finding wireless earbuds with excellent audio quality first as I already have an excellent high-end bluetooth earpiece for cell phone use, and I wouldn’t be using this product as a bluetooth headset for my phone.After doing much research, I chose the JBL Vibe Beam’s as they were at my price point, I’m familiar with JBL products, and I could reasonably expect that they were likely deliver the high audio quality that I’ve come to expect from JBL products. In my research, I read reviews that complained about the harshness of the high end with high frequency instruments like cymbals or the lack of bass, so I was a bit concerned.When I received and started listening to my JBL Vibe Beams I understood what people were talking about. However, to correct the issues, first, one must have a great fit of the earbuds in their ears. I’m fortunate, in that with the medium tips that were already installed on the Vibe Beams, they made a snug fit in my ears right out of the box. If you find that these earbuds do not fit well in your ears it might be worthwhile to invest in a separate set of variable sized earbud tips, or try tips from one of your other well-fitting earbuds, if you have them. Once the earbuds were seated properly in my ear, that took care of the poor bass issue. (I have not worn them long-term so I can’t speak to them falling out of my ear, as others have mentioned, but they seem to stay in pretty well.)For the misaligned frequency response issue, fortunately, the JBL Headphone app that you can install on your cell phone includes a ten-band graphic equalizer that you can use to make adjustments to the frequency response of your earbuds. After listening to several of the reference tracks I use to check new audio equipment or my mixes against, I found that the only adjustments needed were carving out some of the upper midrange and making a very slight boost in the bottom end of the lower frequency spectrum. I’ve included a screenshot of my EQ curve which I based on the Bass preset in the JBL app. You can’t tell as there is no dB scale on the side, but I needed to cut or boost by only 1-2 dB. I find that my new EQ curve gives a more balanced frequency response than what came out of the box, and matches up well against the reference speaker system and headphones that I use for my audio mixing and mastering work. I invite you to use my EQ curve as a starting point and adjust as sounds best to you.I also read reviews complaining about the apparent lack of volume of the Vibe Beams. I connected the JBL’s to several different sources (phone, computer, TV, MP3 player, etc.) and I found that the overall maximum volume (with limiter off) is relatively lower than wired speaker versions. However, the input to the JBL’s is relative to the maximum output of the source itself. I found that the loudest level I could get came from my iPhone and the lowest level output came from my MP3 player (which probably doesn’t offer much output anyway being a tiny portable unit). As a comparison, I did a side-by-side test of the JBL’s with my wife’s AirPods (2nd gen). What I found was that the JBL’s offered an almost identical audio output level as the AirPods with any of the sources I used so that confirmed that the output level of the JBL’s has more to do with the source (and the source material as some songs are mastered at a lower volume than other songs) than with the earbuds themselves. During my test, I put the JBL’s at their maximum volume output (one tap at a time on the left bud to raise the volume). Also, I noticed during my testing that the AirPods had a pleasing midrange sound perfect for listening to podcasts or watching video, but the JBL’s excelled at full-range sound on the bottom and top ends of the frequency spectrum which made them sound much better over all and well-suited for music or listening to explosive action scenes in movies.And speaking of movies, the JBL app has a switchable audio/video mode. The video mode reduces the latency of the delivery of audio against picture, so there isn’t a noticeable lip-sync issue with dialogue in a scene. However, there is a slight degradation in the audio quality of ‘video’ mode versus ‘audio’ mode, but you will have to make the determination if the change in audio quality is acceptable to you.As a side note, I included a picture of the inner side of the earbuds. The ‘L’ and ‘R’ designations on the earbuds are tiny as you can see, plus they are the same color as the earbuds themselves, so they are very hard to see. I wish JBL had made the L/R letters bigger or at least made them a different color so they would be easier to see.The pairing process was fairly easy with all my bluetooth-capable devices and the range was good, only dropping out after walking approximately 60-70 feet from the source. There was one momentary dropout during my listening but that could be due to my wife using her AirPods the same time as I was using the JBL’s.I can’t speak to the other features of the JBL Vibe Beams as I don’t intend to use them, but as far as audio quality goes, with just a few minor tweaks, these bluetooth earbuds can go from sounding like a $50 pair of earbuds to a $500 pair of reference earphones.

Top quality audio after a few adjustments. This review is about the audio features of the JBL Vibe Beam earbuds.I’m an audio engineer so audio quality is very important to me. As such, I use wired connections as much as possible to maintain the integrity of the audio signal. However, many newer consumer-level products no longer have audio jacks, so I finally decided to invest in some wireless earbuds as a backup to the other earphones and headphones that I use. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money as I didn’t foresee myself using this product very much, and since this is my first foray into wireless audio earphones, if they were just ok or they broke after a while, then I wouldn’t feel too bad about the little money that I spent. Also, I wanted to focus on finding wireless earbuds with excellent audio quality first as I already have an excellent high-end bluetooth earpiece for cell phone use, and I wouldn’t be using this product as a bluetooth headset for my phone.After doing much research, I chose the JBL Vibe Beam’s as they were at my price point, I’m familiar with JBL products, and I could reasonably expect that they were likely deliver the high audio quality that I’ve come to expect from JBL products. In my research, I read reviews that complained about the harshness of the high end with high frequency instruments like cymbals or the lack of bass, so I was a bit concerned.When I received and started listening to my JBL Vibe Beams I understood what people were talking about. However, to correct the issues, first, one must have a great fit of the earbuds in their ears. I’m fortunate, in that with the medium tips that were already installed on the Vibe Beams, they made a snug fit in my ears right out of the box. If you find that these earbuds do not fit well in your ears it might be worthwhile to invest in a separate set of variable sized earbud tips, or try tips from one of your other well-fitting earbuds, if you have them. Once the earbuds were seated properly in my ear, that took care of the poor bass issue. (I have not worn them long-term so I can’t speak to them falling out of my ear, as others have mentioned, but they seem to stay in pretty well.)For the misaligned frequency response issue, fortunately, the JBL Headphone app that you can install on your cell phone includes a ten-band graphic equalizer that you can use to make adjustments to the frequency response of your earbuds. After listening to several of the reference tracks I use to check new audio equipment or my mixes against, I found that the only adjustments needed were carving out some of the upper midrange and making a very slight boost in the bottom end of the lower frequency spectrum. I’ve included a screenshot of my EQ curve which I based on the Bass preset in the JBL app. You can’t tell as there is no dB scale on the side, but I needed to cut or boost by only 1-2 dB. I find that my new EQ curve gives a more balanced frequency response than what came out of the box, and matches up well against the reference speaker system and headphones that I use for my audio mixing and mastering work. I invite you to use my EQ curve as a starting point and adjust as sounds best to you.I also read reviews complaining about the apparent lack of volume of the Vibe Beams. I connected the JBL’s to several different sources (phone, computer, TV, MP3 player, etc.) and I found that the overall maximum volume (with limiter off) is relatively lower than wired speaker versions. However, the input to the JBL’s is relative to the maximum output of the source itself. I found that the loudest level I could get came from my iPhone and the lowest level output came from my MP3 player (which probably doesn’t offer much output anyway being a tiny portable unit). As a comparison, I did a side-by-side test of the JBL’s with my wife’s AirPods (2nd gen). What I found was that the JBL’s offered an almost identical audio output level as the AirPods with any of the sources I used so that confirmed that the output level of the JBL’s has more to do with the source (and the source material as some songs are mastered at a lower volume than other songs) than with the earbuds themselves. During my test, I put the JBL’s at their maximum volume output (one tap at a time on the left bud to raise the volume). Also, I noticed during my testing that the AirPods had a pleasing midrange sound perfect for listening to podcasts or watching video, but the JBL’s excelled at full-range sound on the bottom and top ends of the frequency spectrum which made them sound much better over all and well-suited for music or listening to explosive action scenes in movies.And speaking of movies, the JBL app has a switchable audio/video mode. The video mode reduces the latency of the delivery of audio against picture, so there isn’t a noticeable lip-sync issue with dialogue in a scene. However, there is a slight degradation in the audio quality of ‘video’ mode versus ‘audio’ mode, but you will have to make the determination if the change in audio quality is acceptable to you.As a side note, I included a picture of the inner side of the earbuds. The ‘L’ and ‘R’ designations on the earbuds are tiny as you can see, plus they are the same color as the earbuds themselves, so they are very hard to see. I wish JBL had made the L/R letters bigger or at least made them a different color so they would be easier to see.The pairing process was fairly easy with all my bluetooth-capable devices and the range was good, only dropping out after walking approximately 60-70 feet from the source. There was one momentary dropout during my listening but that could be due to my wife using her AirPods the same time as I was using the JBL’s.I can’t speak to the other features of the JBL Vibe Beams as I don’t intend to use them, but as far as audio quality goes, with just a few minor tweaks, these bluetooth earbuds can go from sounding like a $50 pair of earbuds to a $500 pair of reference earphones.

My cranial audio input ports are pleased. Me: Ooo. Look at this deal…Also me: That’s really cheap. They’re probably trashMe: But they’re JBLs… They can’t be that bad.Also me: But they’re really cheap…Me: But they’re JBLs….All kidding aside, I was extremely surprised with these ear buds. I have an old pair of JBL Endurance Peak ONES and I’ve used them so much, they have started falling apart. I was apprehensive about these Vibes because they are so affordable, but my gosh. They sound just as good as my older JBL EPs, without the weight.They’re very easy to set up. Very comfortable. I like the matte black finish on the ones I got. One thing that also caused some apprehension when the prospect of the JBL app on my phone… I don’t particularly like installing programs I don’t NEED (and you really don’t need it for the buds to function) but this app comes with an equalizer – that works. You’ll have to play around with it to get it just right for your tastes, but it works.For the price, you can not go wrong with these ear buds.Update: It’s been almost a month with these buds, and I’m still thrilled. I use them while doing yard work, specifically weed whacking and pressure washing, and they block enough of the sound while providing excellent volume. I live in Florida, so I get really sweaty working. These things haven’t had any issue with moisture, even mist from pressure washing.My only complaint, and it’s not really the bud’s fault, is they slip out of my ears if I’m moving around a lot, but it does take a while. I’ve always needed bigger tips, so I can’t fault the buds.

My cranial audio input ports are pleased. Me: Ooo. Look at this deal…Also me: That’s really cheap. They’re probably trashMe: But they’re JBLs… They can’t be that bad.Also me: But they’re really cheap…Me: But they’re JBLs….All kidding aside, I was extremely surprised with these ear buds. I have an old pair of JBL Endurance Peak ONES and I’ve used them so much, they have started falling apart. I was apprehensive about these Vibes because they are so affordable, but my gosh. They sound just as good as my older JBL EPs, without the weight.They’re very easy to set up. Very comfortable. I like the matte black finish on the ones I got. One thing that also caused some apprehension when the prospect of the JBL app on my phone… I don’t particularly like installing programs I don’t NEED (and you really don’t need it for the buds to function) but this app comes with an equalizer – that works. You’ll have to play around with it to get it just right for your tastes, but it works.For the price, you can not go wrong with these ear buds.Update: It’s been almost a month with these buds, and I’m still thrilled. I use them while doing yard work, specifically weed whacking and pressure washing, and they block enough of the sound while providing excellent volume. I live in Florida, so I get really sweaty working. These things haven’t had any issue with moisture, even mist from pressure washing.My only complaint, and it’s not really the bud’s fault, is they slip out of my ears if I’m moving around a lot, but it does take a while. I’ve always needed bigger tips, so I can’t fault the buds.

Surprisingly good. For the price I wasn’t expecting much, but the fit, sound quality, battery life make this a great value for your dollar.I got these so I wouldn’t have to worry about my absurdly expensive apple iPods at work.Been wearing these at home instead of the iPods, I like them that much. They’re actually really good.I have a little JBL speaker I got from a 2013 white elephant gift, which has outlasted my Bose products, so I do like the company.

Surprisingly good. For the price I wasn’t expecting much, but the fit, sound quality, battery life make this a great value for your dollar.I got these so I wouldn’t have to worry about my absurdly expensive apple iPods at work.Been wearing these at home instead of the iPods, I like them that much. They’re actually really good.I have a little JBL speaker I got from a 2013 white elephant gift, which has outlasted my Bose products, so I do like the company.

These headphones are just ok…. I recently purchased these headphones and I wanted to try it out for a while before leaving an honest review. 1. The headphones are quite loud, not as loud as other brands, but loud enough. 2. The headphones do tend to fall out at times when you’re moving, eating, and/or talking/singing, which isn’t great if you’ll be moving a lot with your headphones. They do provide multiple sizes for the ear plugs which is a plus. 3. Because the headphones need to be adjusted often, it does trigger the control functions of the headphones, i.e. pausing the music, changing the volume, etc. I’ll be honest, this part is probably the most annoying. I may have to change the settings in my phone. 4. Battery life lasts a while, and charging is pretty fast. 5. Mic quality is just okay; standard for most wireless headphones. Overall, these are okay. You definitely get what you pay for. I have other JBL speakers which are great, but this particular model is just okay.

These headphones are just ok…. I recently purchased these headphones and I wanted to try it out for a while before leaving an honest review. 1. The headphones are quite loud, not as loud as other brands, but loud enough. 2. The headphones do tend to fall out at times when you’re moving, eating, and/or talking/singing, which isn’t great if you’ll be moving a lot with your headphones. They do provide multiple sizes for the ear plugs which is a plus. 3. Because the headphones need to be adjusted often, it does trigger the control functions of the headphones, i.e. pausing the music, changing the volume, etc. I’ll be honest, this part is probably the most annoying. I may have to change the settings in my phone. 4. Battery life lasts a while, and charging is pretty fast. 5. Mic quality is just okay; standard for most wireless headphones. Overall, these are okay. You definitely get what you pay for. I have other JBL speakers which are great, but this particular model is just okay.

For its price, it’s amazing. Fits my ears well, gotta insert it properly so it won’t just fall off. The noise cancelling feature works okay, you can still hear background noise but no earbuds are perfect. Although I think it did work coz my friend had to call me several times coz I hardly heard her.

For its price, it’s amazing. Fits my ears well, gotta insert it properly so it won’t just fall off. The noise cancelling feature works okay, you can still hear background noise but no earbuds are perfect. Although I think it did work coz my friend had to call me several times coz I hardly heard her.