Want a set of earphones built specifically for your iPhone 7? You got it. The JBL Reflect Aware is a premium set of lightning port earphones that will make you ditch your earphones with a 3.5mm audio jack. These earphones engineered for sports enthusiasts and iPhone users will sure don’t disappoint, but it’s price point at S$289 might pose a significant deterrent for consumers.
Design
By Zayne Seah
The JBL Reflect Aware has a classic sporty look, with a jet black silicone tip and a set of earwings that just seem quintessential to all workout earphones nowadays.
The wire is also reflective, as the name suggests, which helps keeps runners and cyclists safe at night should they decide to go on the road for a run/ride.
By Zayne Seah
You will find a remote control on the wires as well, which has all the controls you need to control volume and music playback. That certainly comes in handy when you have no desire to lug out your iPhone in the middle of your jog to skip that Justin Bieber track.
By Zayne Seah
Although the Reflect Aware doesn’t feel like it gives you a very solid fit, it never falls off during my workouts, no matter how intense my sprints or explosive weightlifting movements are. Hence, I’m quite confident that these guys are a pretty good choice as audio devices for your workout.
These lightning port earphones only connect to iPhones, so that exclusivity was annoying since it isolates Android users, and using these lightning port earphones also means that it will be impossible to charge your iPhone and listen to music at the same time.
Audio Quality
By Zayne Seah
Fantastic, really. If Big Bang used these earphones, they would go Fantastic Baby. The earphones actively cancel out white noise, which allows you to focus solely on your audio track at hand. The bass is the first thing that stands out. Playing
The bass is the first thing that stands out. Playing Hysteria by Muse was a haunting experience, and if you love EDM music, these punchy and heavy bass will give you the immersive head-shaking experience you’ve always wanted.
Vocals which normally traverse the higher sound frequencies had remarkable audio fidelity as well. The reproduction of Adele’s Set Fire to the Rain was simply chilling. Acoustic instruments involving guitar strumming and piano playing was also impressive. Hence, the mids and highs clearly prove themselves worthy of even audiophilic ears.
You can also choose to download an app with the JBL Reflect Aware. The app makes it possible to change your headphone’s EQ. You can use the presets that are your usual jazz, vocal and bass or you can choose to create your own equalizer if you are a serial audiophile.
Verdict
By Zayne Seah
The JBL Reflect Aware does Lightning-Port earphones well and gives it a good name, pushing the limits and audio boundaries that some equally premium 3.5mm earphones can’t seem to reproduce. They are without a doubt very costly, but I would say that the sound quality of these earphones are nearly unrivaled in the marketplace for wired earphones. Nonetheless, whether it’s worth the money or not is a question that still lies in the gray area and only you can decide that for yourself. If you are an audiophile that craves true noise-cancelling devices and you are a workout enthusiast who loves hitting the road at the wee hours of the morning, then get one by all means, if your wallet allows for it, grab it now.
About the Aut
hor
A Dentist-To-Be Dabbling in Tech Journalism:
Zayne is a writer who reports for VR-Zone, Stuff Singapore and The New Paper on all things tech-related. Follow this geek on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram!
