As most Smartphone manufacturers are moving away from including a traditional 3.5mm headphone socket on their models, more and more Bluetooth headphones are appearing on the market.
Such a feature naturally sees an increase in a product’s selling price, usually around £50 for entry level cans. Imagine our surprise then when we received the JBL T450BT headphones into store for far less than that! We’ve known JBL to be capable performers on a lot of their kit so there’s a certain element of surprise to see a pair of Bluetooth headphones from the company at such a good price.
Powerful big-stage bass, and no stings attached.
Without further ado we quickly have the T450BTs out of the box and peer at them to assess their looks. Aesthetically speaking, they’re pretty basic but the plastic construction doesn’t look or feel as cheap as the price tag might suggest. Having said that there’s no cushioning on the head band and the ear pieces are somewhat tight (though of course I could just have a large head). The slightly tight fit does a good job of cutting out external noise though and didn’t have the affect of becoming unbearable after 3 or 4 tunes. I suspect it would loosen up a little after a while but perhaps be a little wary if you are the bearer of an enlarged cranium.
Set up is very straightforward; the right hand earpiece holds a power button which is held for a couple of seconds turns the JBLs on and off. In-between the up/down volume buttons sits a multi-functional button for syncing to devices, playing/pausing music and answering calls. A tiny hole for a microphone sits towards the front of the ear casing. At this stage it’s worth pointing out that unlike a lot of Bluetooth headphones, the JBL’s do not have the capability to be used with a cable and plugged into a normal headphone socket. Not a problem providing you’re only going to be using them with your phone/tablet/laptop etc but a nuisance if you want some multi-purpose cans. However, something had to give for the JBL’s to go out at their current price point and as most people use a phone for their portable music it’s not the end of the world.
After starting off with some Elbow and their debut album Asleep in the Back, it’s pretty obvious that the T450BTs aren’t one for massive scale and transparency, however they’re relatively easy to listen to. The sound is a little heavy on the bass side but there’s enough mid and treble for it to not cause a problem. It does mean however that you won’t get the snap and attack that you might be used to from certain tracks. The finger clicks and plucked strings on Undisclosed Desires by Muse (a common piece of demo material over the years here in Bristol) don’t have the presence and zip that you find on other headphones in the sub £50 market. Spin something overtly rock such as Royal Blood though and there’s a good amount of punch from the drums and warmth to the guitars. Here, the lack of clarity at the top end of the frequencies isn’t as needed but it’ll soon become evident when you switch to more dynamic music. However, as much as this is a drawback for anyone pursuing the best sound for their money, the JBL’s are still good enough for someone wanting something for their commute to work. The controls on the right hand earpiece worked pretty well and the inbuilt mic was good enough to have surprisingly clear conversations when using the headphones for hands-free phone calls.
All things considered, the T450BT are still very good value, especially considering that they are compatible with Bluetooth version 4.0. If you spend more money you’ll definitely get more quality but when alternatives start off at about £80 it’s pretty unreasonable to ask for much more from the JBLs. If you’re looking for an affordable set of Bluetooth headphones, they’re definitely ones to check out. Why not come in and try them for yourself?
Click to find out more about the JBL T450BT Headphones
Author: Steve, Bristol Store
