JBL Free X

THE PRICE IS RIGHT FOR THESE BIG-NAME BUDS, SO WHAT’S THE CATCH?

JBL’S TAKEN A unique approach when it comes to getting its Free X buds to stay in your ears - rather than opting for the curved rubber prongs many others use, it’s included two sizes of coverings that enclose almost the entire bud. The first set is thin and generally just improves how grippy they are, but the second set has thicker parts of rubber that make them bigger in size and thus more ear-filling. That did work OK in terms of fit, but wasn’t quite as stable as the standard approach - and will probably vary depending on your specific ear shape.

Audio quality was likewise a bit mixed. While they do provide a nice full sound, with a tight and controlled lower-mid focus that produces strong bass output - although they don’t reach as deeply as the TicPods - the overall soundscape can be a little compressed and muddy in the midrange, and at higher volumes some sharper-sounding tracks can cause sibilance and be frankly painful to listen to.

The carry case they come with is also frankly huge at about double the weight and size of many others, but it only adds the usual ~20 hours charge - that’s about five recharges, based on the four hours the buds can hold.

In short, while JBL does have some great pairs of headphones, this ain’t one of ‘em. Despite the affordable price, these should be avoided.