JBL T205 Earbuds Review - Bass on a budget
- Avichai Elimelech
- Mar 31, 2018
- 3 min read
My never ending search for the perfect earbuds hasn't ceased as of now, I've tried a lot of manufacturers and models - Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, AKG, Shure and many many others, but couldn't find that perfect one.
Why earbuds? well, like the saying goes - "The best camera is the one that's in your pocket" - headphones are the same deal! When you want to listen to music on the go, and you don't want to take a backpack just for some big and bulky headphones - the earbuds are a perfect solution.
What's the catch? Some earbuds tend to cause ear fatigue - long periods of listening might cause some discomfort and even pain. Other earbuds have bad bass response due to the driver size.
You might not see eye to eye with my next statement but - the most comfortable earbuds for long listening sessions I've found were the Apple Earpods! But those earbuds have several flaws: They don't work well with Android smartphones, they don't isolate the environment well and the bass is very weak.
Now, the Apple Earpods shape is very unique, but other manufacturers have started copying them as well - so, here is my chance to find the perfect ones!
I've tried the Philips Rich Bass SHE3205 - They look "Earpods"-ish but man, they are just bad!!! They just fell apart a month later, the sound was bad from day one... and no bass (The name is misleading) so stay away from them.
ENTER the JBL t205 - which I had to try myself, as reviews for these earbuds are few and far between.
Design
As mentioned before, the design is similar to the Apple Earpods - with 3.5mm headphone plug but with a twist - the cord is flat and tangle resistant (not tangle proof) and there is a single button on the remote, without any volume control. The cable seems to be tangle free, as I try to tie temporarily around the neck - it gets loose rather quickly, so I take the good with the bad.
As for the fit - they are similar although not exactly as the Apple Earpods, BUT they are comfortable for long periods of listening! I even tend to forget they are there since they sit very lightly in my ears. Like all similar earbuds - they feel like they're going to fall out, but for me they never did.
Due to the nature of the fit - the sound isolation from the outside world is below average.
Performance
Due to the lack of sound isolation from environment, the sound stage is wide, and the bass response is on point - its not muddy nor overwhelming. Yes, you lose some sound quality because outside noise is noticeable at low volume - but the earbuds can get loud enough with very little distortion to drown most of the outside noise. As for sound quality - it's very good for the price! and this sentence should be written more in this review, don't think for a second it could rival 150$ plus earbuds, but at 10th of the price - it's awesome!
Bottom line: The vocals are clear, the bass is clear and a little punchy (not for bass-heads) and overall the sound coming out of these earbuds is just FUN!
PROs
A very good option on a budget
Comfortable for long periods of time
Noticeable bass, but not for bass heads
Remote with a single button is useful and the microphone is good enough
Almost zero microphonic while walking - the wire rattling isn't noticeable like in other more expensive earbuds
Sound is great for its price with wide sound stage
Long flat cable, really tangle free! almost too tangle free...
CONs
Feels like they're going to fall out of your ears (although they don't).
Not the best bass.
Noise isolation is very low without any music on.
Doesn't come with a hard case, just a cloth one (although for the price, it's really isn't an issue).
Bottom line:
These are a very budget friendly well balanced earbuds, which I had the pleasure of listening to for hours at a time. At the time of the review, the price of these earbuds was 19$ which is one of the best "bang-for-your-buck" you can find - but somehow they are not as popular as they should be.
If you're in the market for a budget comfortable earbuds, with more than average bass - keep these in mind!
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