JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless  Headphones Review

These headphones have a fairly balanced sound out of the box that doesn't stray from our target curve much through their entire frequency response. There's a little extra bass, so kick drums and basslines feel thumpy and immersive, while voices and lead instruments are clear and accurate. If you want a different sound, you can customize these headphones using the parametric EQ and presets in their companion app.

The frequency response consistency is amazing. If you take the time to get the right fit, seal, and positioning on your head, you'll experience consistent audio delivery each time. We don't expect users to encounter as much deviation in the bass range as shown in the graph. We had trouble fitting the buds onto our testing rig's ears, even with the different silicone tips, but this isn't an issue that we'd expect you to encounter in real life.

The bass compliance is remarkable. The low and mid-bass are slightly boosted, so kick drums have just a little extra thump and punch, but the well-balanced high bass means that basslines never get overly boomy or muddy.

The mid-range compliance is superb. The range is pretty flat, so vocals and instrumentation in songs like Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles are clear and well-balanced in the mix. A slight bump adds a little extra presence to vocals in busy mixes, but it doesn't make them sound harsh or honky.

The headphones have outstanding compliance with our target curve in the treble range. The low- and mid-treble are generally flat, with a dip and a couple of small peaks that can make some higher-pitched instruments like cymbals sound unnaturally dull or present. In general, you won't notice these.

The JBL Vibe Beam have a good peaks and dips performance, indicating they don't deviate much from their balanced sound profile. The bass and mid-ranges are generally well-balanced, so instruments sound accurate. The treble range is more inconsistent. Sibilants can sound just a touch dull or piercing depending on their pitch.

These earbuds have adequate stereo matching between their left and right drivers. The upper-mids and treble perform well, but differences in amplitude between the left and right drivers can make low-frequency-based sounds like bass guitars or kick drums feel pulled to one side.

The group delay performance is good. You can expect clear and punchy bass from these cans.

By design, these headphones bypass your outer ear, so they don't interact with your pinna.

These headphones have amazing harmonic distortion performance. You can listen at dangerous levels and still hear clear, pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings we used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid with these settings.

The JBL Vibe Beam are simple in-ears with a similar look and feel to the JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless. They have an oval shape and a stem design that extends a little down your ear. You can find them in several different color variants, too.

They're fairly comfortable. The lightweight design sits easily in your ears without causing a lot of fatigue. However, the oval shape isn't ideal for all ear shapes, and even with the different-sized tips, it can be difficult to get a comfortable seal. Plus, they can fall out of your ears over time or move around in your ears when you use the controls. You'll want to take your time to get the right fit for a comfortable listening experience. If you're looking for in-ears with a more comfortable fit, try the Anker Soundcore P25i or the JBL Vibe Buds True Wireless.

The controls are pretty simple and easy to use. There's audible feedback as you adjust all the settings, too. In the JBL Headphones app, you can choose between one of three different presets to remap onto either the right or the left earbud:

Ambient Sound Control:

• Tap once: Activates AmbientAware, which lets in some ambient noise around you to stay aware of your surroundings.
• Tap twice: Activates TalkThru, a feature that lets in additional ambient noise so you can have a conversation with people around you.
• Tap and hold: Activates Voice Assistant.

Volume Control:

• Tap once: Increases the volume.
• Tap twice: Lowers the volume.
• Tap and hold: Activates Voice Assistant.

Playback Control:

• Tap once: Plays and pauses audio.
• Tap twice: Skips to the next track.
• Tap three times: Skips to the previous track.
• Tap and hold: Activates Voice Assistant.

Regardless of which of the three controls you set, when you get a phone call, you can double-tap to answer or hang up and tap and hold to reject a call or mute and unmute the microphone during the call.

That said, the issues with the buds' fit is relevant when adjusting the controls. Putting them into your ears can accidentally activate different commands. Tapping the controls can also move the buds in your ears, so you'll have to readjust them, which is annoying.

These buds are very portable. Their small and lightweight in-ear design is great for listening while out and about. They easily fit into your pockets, and you can even use the carrying case to protect them while on the go.

The case is good. Its small design is ideal for listening to music on the go since it can slide into your bag or your pockets. The middle lights also turn on to let you know its battery and charging status, which is a nice touch.

The JBL Vibe Beam have a good build quality. The buds and the charging case are made of matte plastic. These materials are on par with similarly-priced headphones, and while they don't feel the most premium, they're still pretty solid and sturdy. Plus, the buds are rated IP54 for dust and water resistance, and the case is rated IPX2, which is handy if you plan to use the headphones outside or at the gym.

The JBL Vibe Beam are fairly stable in your ears. When properly fitted using the included ear tips, they don't fall off during more casual listening sessions. That said, they slip out of your ears over time, which is annoying, and they aren't suitable for more intense runs, as they fall off when you shake your head intensely.

• JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless earbuds
• Manuals
• 3x tip sizes
• Charging case
• USB-C to USB-A charging cable

The JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless earbuds don't have an active noise cancelling (ANC) system. They do a passable job of blocking out some noises in the mid-to-treble ranges, though, like chatter from people sitting nearby or the hum of an AC unit. However, you still hear more bass-heavy background noise, like the rumble of passing traffic. You can also use their Ambient Aware feature to let in some background noise while you listen to audio or the TalkThru mode to let in a little more sound when you want to hold a conversation with someone.

These buds have a disappointing noise isolation performance in common scenarios. While their passive isolating fit does a passable job of blocking out street noise, like the rush of oncoming cars, they fare worse in environments like airplane cabins and noisy offices, where they struggle to block out bass-range noises in particular.

These headphones have a fantastic leakage performance. Since they don't leak much sound, you can listen to your favorite tunes without bothering those around you.

The integrated mic has a very good recording quality. The person on the other end of the line understands you, as your voice is clearly reproduced. However, your voice also lacks a bit of depth. If you want to control how much of your voice you hear while on the phone, you can always use the Voice Aware tool in the companion app.

The mic's noise handling performance is okay. It struggles to separate your voice from the ambient noise around you. Your voice is mostly clear, but background noise remains audible, which can be distracting. Louder noises, like a passing subway, can drown out your voice entirely.

The JBL Vibe Beam have a good battery performance. JBL advertises that they last for eight hours off a single charge, consistent with our findings. Their portable charging case offers two additional charges to help you power up on the go. They take little time to charge, too, which is handy for busy days out and about. Plus, the auto-off timer helps conserve energy by automatically shutting off the headphones when they aren't in use. You can turn this feature on in the companion app.

The JBL Headphones app gives you access to many tools and customization features. Here, you can turn on the Ambient Aware feature, which lets in some ambient noise while you listen to music to keep you aware of your surroundings, or Talk Thru, which lets in all the noise around you without removing your headphones. The Voice Aware feature is handy for taking calls, as it lets you control how much of your voice you hear while you talk. The parametric EQ and presets let you adjust their sound to your liking. Plus, you can map their controls, turn voice prompts on and off, and turn on the power-saving mode. A video of the app is available here.

You can't use these headphones over a wired connection. They only have a USB-A to USB-C charging cable for the carrying case.

These headphones have decent Bluetooth connectivity. Their app lets you choose between two modes: Audio Mode, for higher sound quality, and Video Mode, for lower audio latency. Our results represent their latency with Video Mode, which is somewhat high. However, Audio Mode has much higher latency, causing your audio and visuals to be very noticeably out of sync. Some devices compensate for latency differently, though.

You can connect the headphones to your PC over Bluetooth for full microphone and audio compatibility. They can't connect to PCs in any other way, though.

These headphones come with a carrying case that supports three extra charges. The USB-C port lets you charge the case with the included cable.