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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.6 update for Headphones! Read the Latency R&D Article to learn more.

JBL Synchros E50BT Wireless Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Review updated Oct 31, 2016 at 11:30 am
Latest change: Test bench update Nov 21, 2019 at 11:23 am
JBL Synchros E50BT Wireless Picture
6.3
Mixed Usage
7.0
Neutral Sound
6.2
Commute/Travel
6.8
Sports/Fitness
5.9
Office
5.0
Wireless Gaming
6.6
Wired Gaming
6.1
Phone Call

The JBL E50BT are stylish, wireless headphones with a decent sound and a sturdy, durable build. They have a well-crafted design but oddly shaped ear cups that don't fit properly around the ears. Unfortunately, this creates a poor seal that lets noise seep into your audio and also leaks quite a bit.

Our Verdict

6.3 Mixed Usage

The JBL E50BT are versatile headphones for everyday casual use. They have an above-average and decently balanced sound. They're also robustly built and seem durable. Unfortunately, the awkward fit of the ear cups poorly isolate listeners from ambient noise and they also leak a lot.

Pros
  • Above-average audio reproduction.
  • Sturdy and durable build.
  • Great wireless range.
Cons
  • Poor noise isolation.
  • Leaky at moderate-to-high volumes.
  • Awkward ear cup fit can be uncomfortable.
  • Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
7.0 Neutral Sound

Above-average for neutral listening. These headphones have a good bass, a decent midrange and a moderately spacious soundstage for a closed-back model. They sound punchy and have a satisfactory amount of detail with instruments and vocals. However, they lack a little warmth and are a bit uneven for pure neutral listening.

6.2 Commute/Travel

Subpar for commuting. The odd fit of the ear cups lets a lot of ambient noise seep into your audio which won't be ideal for loud, noisy environments.

6.8 Sports/Fitness

Decent for sports use. The JBL Synchros E50BT have a great control scheme, a moderately stable fit, and a good wireless range that covers a large area, especially outdoors in direct line of sight. Unfortunately, they're a bit too bulky, to comfortably exercise with.

5.9 Office

Mediocre for office use. If you can get a good seal, these headphones won't leak too much. However, they poorly isolate you from ambient noise and won't be the best headphones to use in a lively or noisy office.

6.6 Wired Gaming
  • 6.3 Mixed Usage
  • 7.0 Neutral Sound
  • 6.2 Commute/Travel
  • 6.8 Sports/Fitness
  • 5.9 Office
  • 5.0 Wireless Gaming
  • 6.6 Wired Gaming
  • 6.1 Phone Call
  1. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  2. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  3. Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  4. Updated Sep 28, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
  5. Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  6. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  7. Updated Oct 31, 2016: Review published.
  8. Updated Oct 29, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
  9. Updated Sep 12, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type Over-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Yes
Transducer Dynamic

The JBL Synchros E50BT have a good design that gives them a more premium appeal than their price point would suggest. They have circular and flat ear cups that do not protrude outwards once on your head. The headband and frame are wide and look sturdy. They come in a variety of color schemes to suit your tastes. They won't be the ideal looking headphones for everyone, and the hinge mechanism looks a little awkward.

5.5
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.64 lbs
Clamping Force
0.92 lbs

The JBl E50 have oddly sized ear cups that don't quite encompass the ears. Therefore the fit is somewhere between an over ear and an on-ear design, which unfortunately means they won't be the most comfortable for listeners with larger ears. They're not too tight but the rigid padding and the awkward fit exerts pressure on the tip of your ears, which gets uncomfortable during long listening sessions.

6.2
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use Decent
Feedback Mediocre
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Microphone Control No
Channel Mixing
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control No
Talk-Through
N/A
Additional Buttons No

These headphones offer good button placement and functionality. They provide call/music, track skipping, and volume controls, which can all be found on the left ear cup including the power/Bluetooth sync button. The controls do not feel cramped and are well laid out. However, the buttons are flat with no tactile indicators.

7.1
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 3.9 °C
6.5
Design
Portability
L 5"
W 3.4"
H 3.6"
Volume 62.4 in³
Transmitter Required N/A

The JBL Synchros E50BT are not the most portable. They fold into a compact format and the ear cups also lay flat. Although due to the wide headband this doesn't save much space. They're a little on the larger side for over-ear headphones and will be cumbersome to carry on your person without a bag.

0
Design
Case
Type No case
L N/A
W N/A
H N/A
Volume N/A
7.0
Design
Build Quality

The JBL E50BT have a pretty sturdy build quality. The ear cups look robust and dense enough to handle a few drops without getting damaged. The headband and frame are also relatively thick and flexible and should be able to withstand moderate-to-high physical stress. However, the hinge mechanism only connects on one side of the earcups, which gives them a greater range of motion but also slightly weakens the build.

6.5
Design
Stability

The JBL E50 are moderately stable. They're sufficiently tight on the head and won't move much during casual listening sessions. However, similarly to the Audio Technica ATH-M50x, they're not sports headphones. They're bulky and will quickly fall when used while running or jogging. On the upside, the wireless design makes them less likely to be yanked off your head due to the audio cable being hooked on something.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • JBL E50BT  headphones
  • Audio cable
  • USB Cable
  • Manual

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
0.52 dB
Treble Amount
-0.16 dB
5.5
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
1.17 dB

The frequency response consistency of the E50BT is sub-par. We measured more than 6dB of variance in bass across our 5 human subjects. The bass delivery is also sensitive to whether the user wears glasses. The treble delivery is also inconsistent and sensitive to positioning, but more consistent than the bass response.

Sound
Raw Frequency Response
8.4
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.24 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
Low-Bass
2.46 dB
Mid-Bass
2.51 dB
High-Bass
1.61 dB
6.9
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
4.2 dB
Low-Mid
-5.76 dB
Mid-Mid
-1.39 dB
High-Mid
2.58 dB
7.9
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.55 dB
Low-Treble
0.68 dB
Mid-Treble
-0.3 dB
High-Treble
-4.17 dB
6.4
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
2.38 dB
Dips
2.09 dB
7.6
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.26
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.82
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.67
Weighted Phase Mismatch
7.5
5.6
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
2.5 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
4.22 dB
PRTF Distance
6.05 dB
Openness
5.5
Acoustic Space Excitation
4.4
7.5
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.177
WHD @ 100
0.256
Isolation
4.3
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-10.64 dB
Noise Cancelling No
Bass
0.25 dB
Mid
-6.74 dB
Treble
-25.91 dB

Poor isolation. Due to the passive isolation and poor fit, these headphones fail to achieve any isolation in the Bass Range. The amount of isolation achieved in the Mid and Treble Ranges are also sub-par.

6.5
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
42.51 dB

Poor Leakage. The large drivers and poor seal of these headphones cause them to leak a lot. The majority of the leakage is between 800Hz and 5Khz, with a sharp peak in loudness at 1.5KHz.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
In-line
No
Boom
No
Detachable Boom
N/A
Mic Yes
6.3
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
LFE
210.51 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.05 dB
HFE
2,523.3 Hz
Weighted THD
3.654
Gain
38.79 dB
6.3
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise
Speech + Subway Noise
SpNR
16.01 dB
Active Features
7.3
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
20.5 hrs
Additional Charges
0
Total Battery Life
20.5 hrs
Charge Time
2.8 hrs
Power Saving Feature
No
Audio While Charging
No
Passive Playback
Yes
Charging Port 1/16" TRRS

The JBL E50BT have an average battery life. They last around 20 hours which makes them decent headphones to use on a long flight or a road trip. Unfortunately, there is no auto-off timer so if you leave them on they will run out of battery. You also can't use them while they're charging as the power and audio cables share the same port.

0
Active Features
App Support
App Name N/A
iOS N/A
Android N/A
macOS N/A
Windows N/A
Equalizer
N/A
ANC Control
N/A
Mic Control N/A
Room effects
N/A
Playback Control
N/A
Button Mapping N/A
Surround Sound N/A

No compatible app.

Connectivity
7.2
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
4.0
Multi-Device Pairing
No
NFC Pairing
No
Line of Sight Range
186 ft
Default Latency
190 ms
aptX Latency
N/A
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A
0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.5
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable Yes
Length 4.11 ft
Connection 1/8" TRRS
Wired Latency
0 ms
Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
Audio Only
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
N/A
USB Input
N/A
Line In
N/A
Line Out
N/A
Optical Input
N/A
RCA Input
N/A
Dock Charging
N/A
Power Supply
N/A