Review: 
JBL Quantum TWS Earbuds – Experience Immersive Sound

JBL Quantum TWS Earbuds appear to be at the pinnacle of the evolutionary process as far as audio technology goes. Personally speaking, I don’t know if it’s possible to have a more immersive audio experience. I mean… where do you go from this? Surely there must be a limit to how advanced the process of getting sound into the ear can get?

Unboxing

For me, unboxing something that is destined to become an integral part of my life is an almost ceremonial experience. The JBL Quantum TWS earbuds are housed in a sleek, matt black charging case emblazoned with glossy JBL branding. Inside the case, you will find the earbuds which stay nestled in their rightful place with built-in magnets. The JBL logo adorns the back of the earpieces which are also touch-sensitive, enabling you to carry out certain commands with your fingers. You will also find a USB dongle which we’ll come to in a while and a USB Type-C to Type-A charging cable. Each earbud is silicone tipped and there are different sizes in the box for you to choose from.

My initial thoughts

It’s all too easy to dismiss the JBL Quantum TWS earbuds as yet another set of earbuds in an already saturated marketplace. However, when you scrutinise these earbuds more closely, you’ll realise that these earbuds are really quite special. 

Features

The JBL Quantum TWS earbuds are enabled with Bluetooth 5.2 so will connect with all of your Bluetooth compatible devices. There are no less than six microphones integrated into them which intelligently process the Automatic Noise Cancellation (ANC) setting which works very effectively. I won’t get all technical and explain how ANC works, it just does! There is also an Ambient Aware setting which allows some real-world sounds through so you can be more conscious of what’s going on around you whether it’s a crying baby or a car horn/ siren. The third setting is called TalkThru. When selected, this feature pauses the music to give you temporary relief in order to divert your attention to something else. All of these functions can be operated by tapping on the earpieces or from the telephone app. The JBL app itself deserves a mention. It’s a no-frills piece of user-friendly design. You can view statistics and customise the features of the earbuds in finer detail including the equalizer settings. The charging case is also home to a USB-C wireless Dongle with which you can connect to supported devices without any hassle, in an instant. The dongle’s 2.4GHz connectivity practically eliminates latency which some have observed with Bluetooth. This cool feature enhances the user experience and makes the JBL definitely worth considering.

Additionally, the use of JBL Quantum SURROUND technology creates a true-to-life, immersive involvement that guarantees a more engaging gameplay experience.

Fine-Tuning at your fingertips

The beauty of the JBL Quantum TWS earbuds is found in how seamlessly it integrates into your life with so much technology packed into such a small, lightweight product. The capacitive touch-sensitive earpieces might deter some technophobes but they needn’t worry. They are simple to set up, customise and operate. In simple terms, a single tap on the right bud pauses and plays the sound, and the left earbud is used to cycle through Active Noise Cancelling, Ambient Aware, or TalkThru. Although the ANC is a great feature, it’s worth remembering that leaving it on will deplete the battery charge more quickly. While we are talking about the battery, JBL state that the charging time from empty is 2 hours. You can also do a fast charge for fifteen minutes, giving you three hours of music playback. The charging case can hold around 16 hours of charge in addition to the eight hours in the earbuds. However, real-world times will depend on how you use the earbuds.

Tapping the earpieces will become second nature once you’ve used these for a while. There are options for single, double, and triple tap gestures as well as a long-tap function. All of these functions are fairly intuitive to set up and the enclosed user manual along with the phone app will guide you through the steps to fine-tune your earbuds to your desired settings.

Sounds good to me…

Let’s face the elephant in the room now. With a plethora of wireless earbuds on the market, why choose the JBL Quantum TWSs? I feel that, on balance, the range of features on offer at this price point makes these the earbuds to definitely consider. Yes, you’ll find cheaper earbuds and yes, you’ll find ludicrously more expensive ones as well. However, in my opinion, the geniuses at JBL have put a lot of thought into the design of these earbuds and seem to have really considered the end-user experience during development. This is in contrast to other brands where I feel the user experience seems to be more of an afterthought. 

With different sized silicon ear tips in the box, you’re sure to find the most comfortable fit for you, You may just find yourself connected to these earbuds more often than not! Although some sceptics might think of this as a step towards machines taking over the world, the real beauty of any type of technology is found in how seamlessly it integrates into your existing life. You can use these earbuds while you work or rest. You can remain conscious of your surroundings and answer phone calls while playing your favourite game, or listening to music or an audiobook. You can have one-to-one conversations with others around you (if it really takes your fancy!) On the other hand, if you wish, you can just totally tune out of the world and immerse yourself in a world of fantasy.

To find out more information on the JBL Quantum Wireless earbuds go to JBL or you can check out on Amazon