Comfort
Ergonomics: I have relatively small ears. The headphones sit securely in my ears, yet I always feel like they don’t sit very firmly. I often feel the need to push them in again to sit properly, even though I really don’t have to.
Overall, the in-ears are very comfortable. The body of the individual earbuds is very slimly built, which means that there is little potential for conflict between the plastic of the earphones and my ear bones. I have worn the devices for about 4 hours straight while playing with friends in the evening. They have always been comfortable, even if they could have fit a bit more securely.
It’s also a shame that there are no “ear supports”. Because some in-ears, like my Soundcore Life A2, are designed so that you can “twist” them into your ear: This makes them stable and does not hurt the ear bones.
Sound Quality and Other Features
How is the sound quality? However, it should be clear to everyone that in-ear headphones can never achieve the sound quality of “real” headphones. For in-ear headphones, I was positively surprised by the sound.
I can use the in-ears both via Bluetooth and through a dongle. Overall, I find the sound via Bluetooth to be a bit more convincing than via the dongle.
I played with the headphones mainly Division, Rise of Nations, and Age of Wonders 4, which are very different genres. On the PS5, I played the shooter Deathloop and the action game Chorus. I was actually positively surprised at how well I could locate enemies in Division 2 with the in-ears. The explosions also sound powerful, and both games and series are a lot of fun with the headphones. But I also don’t need a perfectionist sound.
Noise Cancelling: The actual highlight for me, besides the sound, is the active “noise cancelling.” Because it works really well in everyday life and soothes my nerves. When I play with friends in the evening and my partner is watching her favorite series with a lot of drama, the “noise cancelling” almost filters out the entire series.
Instead of the medical emergency or the next drama in the hospital in the series, I actually hear where the enemy is located.
Otherwise, the feature has convinced me in everyday life: Thanks to “noise cancelling”, it’s much more peaceful in the loud tram or the rattling regional train of Deutsche Bahn. Thus, “noise cancelling” elegantly solves my biggest problem in everyday life, and I am no longer an unwilling listener to things I really don’t want to hear while gaming.
Touch Gestures: Normally, I am not a fan of touch functions, as they are usually too sensitive or only work poorly for me. This is the case with my in-ears from SoundCore or my in-ears from Sennheiser, where I have annoyedly turned off the feature.
With the JBL Quantum TWS, it’s actually different. With a short touch on the left earbud, the mode changes immediately. A female voice tells me that I have changed the mode. Every click is recognized here, and a “I need to shove the earbud back in” mistake is not immediately interpreted as a touch gesture. If someone still finds that annoying, they can elegantly disable the feature in the app.
Battery Life, Microphone, and Connection
Battery Life: Battery life varies depending on whether you use the dongle or Bluetooth connection.
While gaming on my Steam Deck or PC, it was over after 4 – 5 hours. With “noise cancelling” turned off, the battery life is somewhat better. With Bluetooth and “noise cancelling” turned off, it’s rather 6 to 7 hours. Therefore, the battery life is not sufficient for a very long train journey.
Eventually, the headphones must go back into the charging case. At least JBL promises that the in-ears will have enough power after 15 minutes to listen to music for another 3 hours.
Microphone: The built-in microphone is dull and relatively weak compared to a proper microphone or my phone. My father told me during a phone call that I sound very strange with the in-ears and he cannot talk to me properly because I am not understandable. I was standing in the middle of street traffic in the downtown area. My phone’s microphone can filter ambient noise much better.
When gaming, I also use a combination of in-ear headphones and my desktop microphone.
Connection: The connection via dongle and Bluetooth remained stable at all times. I had no connection issues at any time. The connection ran smoothly on both the PC, my Steam Deck, and my phone.
When I plug the dongle into a device, the connection is immediately recognized.
Conclusion: Really good headphones for PC and PS5, with weak battery life
Who are the in-ears worth it for? The most exciting feature for me is the very good “noise cancelling”, as it makes everyday life easier for me and gaming much more pleasant. The sound quality is also quite good, but the battery life could generally be better. In everyday life, 4 – 5 hours of battery life is not a dealbreaker.
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
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JBL Quantum TWS In-Ear E-Sport Gaming-Kopfhörer – Geräuschunterdrückende Bluetooth-Kopfhörer... | Zu Amazon |
*Affiliate-Links. Wir erhalten bei einem Kauf eine kleine Provision von Amazon. Vielen Dank für Eure Unterstützung!
What alternatives are there? My personal highlight and still slightly better gaming alternative remain the EPOS GTW 270 with dongle. With aptX, better build quality, and a more secure fit in the ears (comfort), I can still recommend the EPOS model. On sale, you only pay around 100 euros for the headphones.
You can read the entire test of this strong alternative directly on MeinMMO:
The EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid in Test – What headphones do you get for €200?
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