To put it simply, the JBL Live Flex earphones have an Airpods design and offer in-ear earphones without ear tips that are comfortable to wear.
Casually, it’s complex to talk to you regarding this kind of product, because the appreciation of the sound is subjective. I like to modulate my experience between listening to music, podcasts, audiobooks or meetings at work. You will have your own criteria and of course, the experience below reflects only my own experience.
So in a very personal way, I have a somewhat special relationship with in-ear headphones. I appreciate the sound insulation, and their good performance in my ears. I like to have clear sound and well reproduced voices when listening to podcasts. I much prefer deep and well-rendered voices for Audiobooks, the quality of a work meeting on Teams and I especially like when I can juggle all of this without problems.
It is a bit of this flexibility that these JBL Live Flex “Airpods” tend to achieve, which do not have silicone plugs. They are therefore hard plastic headphones that are placed in the inner ear. The whole question of whether one prefers this or the traditional rubber stoppers is of course very subjective. While I like the “physical” sound isolation that the earplugs offer, it’s clear that it never fits very well in my right ear. For what ? Good question, my ears do not have a specific shape. Still, the right has always struggled to keep an earpiece with a cap, which pops out too easily, even when I’m seated. So for this test, I decided to test the headphones in a maximum configuration of a typical work day for me.
So I started my test day with an audiobook on the train, continued my listening during a brisk walk in the street, then started with music in the office before using the Live Flex during my Teams meetings at home. instead of my usual helmet. For the return trip, listening to a podcast on foot on a noisy street, with brisk walking, and on the train ended my intensive test day. I repeated this for a short week, if the JBL Live Flex might somehow replace my usual headphones in a complete way. The answer is obviously no, it’s too much to ask of this type of product, but we can say that I would have pushed them to their limits for a very convincing result. Displayed at the price of 179.99€, we are entitled to expect much more than for the already very good Tune Flex.
The JBL Live Flex uses JBL’s finest speakers, at an impressive 12 millimeters in size. It even offers noise cancellation (ACN) and the ability to manage sound spatialization, via profiles dedicated to movies, music or video games. You can use them for eight hours per charge and fully recharge them four times in the magnetic case. As much to say to you that the autonomy is excellent and that they will be able to accompany you effectively in your displacements without worrying regarding their load.
The sound is rather thin because the headphones are not stuck in the ear canal with silicone tips. So it has an impact on the bass depth. JBL is used to a heavy emphasis on bass, and if you find it too prominent in general, the Live Flex may be more to your liking. Personally, I went through the JBL application to personalize it a bit, but without reaching the desired degree to take advantage of the warmth of Nicolas Planchais’ voice on the Cthulhu Myth audiobook.
On the other hand, the noise isolation induced by the ANC is surprisingly effective given the absence of the silicone plugs. It’s not perfect, far from it, to enjoy the sound without being disturbed by the noise of traffic or works, but it is enough to deactivate the function to realize its effect. Noise reduction is indicated as adaptive, so it is more or less effective depending on your environment.
In addition, the JBL mobile application allows you to customize the rendering of the headphones via Personi-Fi, a small series of sound tests to be carried out. The headphones will then broadcast sound waves of different tones into each ear, asking you to indicate when you no longer perceive them.
With six microphones for clean, noise-free audio, call quality is also very good, as is battery capacity. It’s nice to just have to turn off my phone’s Bluetooth so the headphones automatically connect to my PC to support my Teams meetings. Fun fact: During a meeting, some of my colleagues asked me if I had changed my microphone, because they sounded better on their end. Pairing is also instantaneous with the devices around, and the simple fact of removing an earpiece activates Mono mode, very practical for chatting with your colleagues physically while participating in an online meeting.
JBL Live Flex
And bref
The JBL Live Flex headphones are really comfortable to wear, and do their job well in different configurations. Their autonomy, comfort and flexibility make them very good companions throughout the day, whether for work or for relaxation.
