JBL Everest Elite 150NC
Listen to your tunes — and the world
$199.95 From JBL by Harman, jbl.com Features Bluetooth 4.1, 12mm driver, 10Hz — 22KHz, 400mAh battery Where do you begin with Bluetooth buds that pack as many features as these? Do you start with the design, all gunmetal gray, chunky but comfortable with the relevant functions accessible and prominent? Maybe the features, from customizable EQ to adaptive noise canceling? No: you start with the audio.
It is, frankly, an excellent soundstage, deserving of its ‘pro audio’ designation. The 12mm drivers in these deep–set, magnet–backed buds can reach as low down as 10Hz, and you can feel that range with every single note. It’s not quite the experience as ANC–toting cans you’d find at a similar price, but the form factor is more practical than heavy headphones and tweaking the EQ in–app is a breeze.
The three–level adaptive noise canceling scores the 150NCs a stack of extra marks. It’s dead quiet until you choose to let sound in, and when you do, it avoids the robotic sound that plagues other ANC–equipped options, seeming to filter through those frequencies that matter. ANC does hit the battery, though Harman claims that using it only shaves two hours off the usual 14–hour run time.
The chunky neckband, then, packs in a whole lot of lithium–ion, but it’s not heavy, and the echo–dodging mics tucked in the top of each of the ends make for good call quality, but a touch less bulk would have been super. They might be at risk of hurting your wallet, but treated right they should be tough enough to sustain your investment for a long time.
the bottom line. The 150NCs deliver great audio and strong noise canceling in a small form factor.