JBL has launched a number of headphones over the past few months, most notable of which fall in the JBL E-Series, an affordable yet great-sounding lineup of in-ear, on-ear, and over-ear headphones. There are two in-ear headphones in the lineup — the JBL E15 and JBL E25BT.
But if you’re in the market for a new pair of in-ear headphones, which one should you go for? We put the two headphones head-to-head to find out. Before diving into the similarities and differences between the two, check out our full reviews below.
Design
The first thing you’ll notice about these two pairs of headphones is their design, and they’re very similar in many ways — though they do bear some serious differences. For starters, the in-ear units on the two headphones are almost exactly the same, and the headphones come in the same colors — black, blue, red, green, and white. All the colors look nice, but we generally like the sleek look of the black ones the most. The units themselves are pretty small, which is nice when it comes to comfort — and look in general.
Of course, as mentioned, there are some serious differences here. Namely, the fact that the JBL E15 headphones are wired, while the JBL E25BT headphones are Bluetooth — so there’s a long braided nylon cable running to your sound device on the E15’s. The cable’s that do appear on the JBL E25BT headphones are also braided nylon, which is great for both look and build quality.
Both of the headphones feature in-line controls, but the Bluetooth-connected JBL E25BT’s offer a standard three-button remote with a central multi-use button and two volume-control buttons. The E15’s, however, stick with a single-button play/pause remote.
In general, both headphones look great — and while the JBL E25BT headphones may be a little more functional than the JBL E15’s, the E15’s still have a lot to offer in the design department.
Comfort
Because of their similar in-ear design, the JBL E15 and JBL E25BT headphones are pretty much identical when it comes to comfort.
In-ear headphones often fall into a trap of being uncomfortable, however JBL seems to have avoided that trap. Sure, they will get slightly uncomfortable after hours of listening, but a lot less so than plenty of other in-ear headphone offerings.
The headphones aren’t advertised as specifically sports-focused headphones, so if you’re looking for headphones you can run with, then perhaps these aren’t right for you. Still, both come with a total of three different ear-tip sizes, so you’ll be able to experiment a little and find the headphones that work best for you.
In general, the JBL E15 and JBL E25BT headphones offer almost identical comfort-level.
Sound
Of course, perhaps the most important thing to consider when choosing between two pairs of headphones is the sound, and you’ll have your work cut out for you when deciding between these two headphones. Thankfully, there are a few differences to keep in mind and to help you decide.
Let’s start with the bass, which is actually pretty deep and powerful on both headphones. We found that in general the bass was a little heavier on the JBL E15 headphones, however the low-end was more rounded and more natural sounding on the JBL E25BT’s.
That natural sound continued on into the high-end. In general, the JBL E25BT headphones had a slightly clearer and better sounding high-end, which really helps in the sound quality of a pair of headphones. The high-end on the JBL E15 headphones wasn’t bad, by any means, but the E25BT’s were simply better.
In general, both headphones sound great, but we recommend the E25BT’s. The bass is still very nice and heavy, and the headphones are a little clearer and more natural sounding.
Conclusions
The JBL E25BT headphones may be slightly more expensive, but they’re worth the money. The E15’s are good headphones, to be sure, but the E25BT’s offer Bluetooth connectivity and a slightly more natural sound with a little more high end. We think that’s worth the extra $20 you’ll pay for them.
You can get both the JBL E15 and JBL E25BT headphones using the links below.
