True wireless headphones are now commonplace, but they’re still not always great for all situations. While they’re pretty good for everyday listening, they’re usually not secure enough to stay in your ears with a lot of movement, like when you go running or to the gym. JBL wants to change that — and to that end, the company has released the JBL Endurance Peak true wireless headphones.
The JBL Endurance Peak headphones are clearly built for sports, but do they compromise on other things, like sound quality? We put them to the test to find out.
Design
The first thing to notice about the JBL Endurance Peak headphones is their design, and they’re a little unlike most other true wireless headphones — thanks largely to the ear hooks, which are aimed at ensuring that the headphones stay nicely in your ears even during movement.
The headphones are available in a few different colors, including black, blue, and red. We’re reviewing the red pair, and they look pretty good. They also come with a matching case.
The headphones look pretty much the same as each other, but the right earbud has a lot more going on under the hood. Using the right earbud, you can control music playback, fast forward and rewind, and control calls, and while it does mean you’ll have to memorize some touch controls, it’s still nice to have those controls in easy reach.
The ear hook on the headphones connects to the body through a magnet, but that serves more of a purpose than just keeping the headphones compact — the magnet also turns the headphones on and off automatically when detached, which is a nice touch.
The build-quality of the headphones seems to be pretty good. The headphones are built largely from plastic, but it seems like a strong plastic and we never felt like the headphones would break. Of course, they also have a charging case, so when they’re not in use the headphones should still survive pretty easily. Speaking of the charging case, it’s a little bigger than some headphones, but not huge. Our biggest issue with it is that it has a MicroUSB port, instead of a USB-C port. It’s 2019, and it’s time for companies like JBL to adopt the newer standard.
Apart from the headphones and charging case, in the box you’ll get a MicroUSB cable and two extra pairs of ear tips, bringing the total to three pairs.
Comfort
One of the main reasons to buy these headphones over other true wireless headphones is the fact that they’re supposed to be more comfortable that other true wireless headphones, and remain nicely in your ears. Thankfully, they actually do that pretty well.
Like any in-ear headphones, the JBL Endurance Flash headphones aren’t quite as comfortable as on-ear or over-ear headphones, but they’re still pretty comfortable. We found that the headphones were pretty good at staying in your ears too, which is great news for those that plan on using their headphones for sports use.
Sound
Ultimately, the most important thing to consider is how the headphones sound — and like any other JBL headphones, they sound pretty good.
For starters, the bass response on the headphones is relatively thick and powerful, which is great news for those that like bass and might appreciate that extra oomph at the gym.
The mid range is pretty well-tuned too. The low mids are relatively warm, and while the high mids do seem to have a slight boost to them, it’s not over the top, and certainly manageable.
The high end on the headphones is decent, but not amazing. It’s definitely there — cymbals sizzle, while other percussion can easily be heard, but a little more high-end extension would certainly have been nice.
Performance
The JBL Endurance Peak headphones connect to your listening device through Bluetooth 4.2, and we found that they were generally good at keeping a connection.
The battery life on the headphones is fine, but not spectacular. You’ll get four hours of use on a single charge, which is on the low end, but not terrible. The battery case will give the headphones an additional 24 hours, or five charges, which is pretty good.
Conclusions
While not perfect, the JBL Endurance Peak true wireless headphones are a great choice for those that like the idea of true wireless headphones they can use for sports. The headphones are pretty well-designed, plus they’re relatively comfortable and sound great.
But is there a better option? Well, for the price, yes. If you have $120 to spend and want a pair of great true wireless headphones, then these are the headphones to get. If you can spend a little extra, then we do recommend going for the JLab Audio Epic Air Elite headphones.
Given their high-quality, we’re awarding the JBL Endurance Peak headphones the Headphone Review Silver Medal.