JBL Endurance Sprint Waterproof Wireless in-Ear Sport Headphones: A Complete Review

• Device Type: Bluetooth Headphones with Microphone
• Type: intra-channel
• Type: dynamic
• Frequency Response Range: 20 – 20,000 Hz
• Impedance: 16 ohms
• Membrane diameter: 10mm
• Bluetooth 4.2
• Profile Support: A2DP, AVRCP, Hands-free, Headset
• Battery capacity: 120 mAh
• Work time: 8 hours
• Charging time: 2 hours
• Fast charge: 10 minutes is enough for 1 hour
• Waterproof: IPX7
• Price: $39.95

Kit and Appearance: JBL Endurance Sprint

Complete with JBL Endurance Sprint headphones are 3 pairs of ear pads (one is already worn), additional silicone mounts (also already worn), USB-micro-USB cable, documentation. On the one hand, the equipment is not bad. Everything is basic. But on the other hand, the ear cushion could have been larger. It’s still sports headphones. I want a more accurate “tuning in the ear.”

Some may not have enough foam nozzles, and some may need a carrying case. There is nothing to say about USB Type-C. However, it is worth considering that the headphones are quite budget. There are few analogs with a similar price and a richer set.

JBL Endurance Sprint looks interesting, albeit a bit cumbersome. But the style of the company is recognizable: bright colors (typical for sports headphones) and their interesting combinations, the unusual shape of the cases, and reliable assembly.

Cases, indeed, are more than many analogs and quite noticeably protrude from the ears. This is done to implement touch control and a fairly capacious battery. However, in the ears, this model looks quite interesting.

The balance between size and appearance is maintained. Though on the verge.

In addition to the standard black color, JBL Endurance Sprint is available in red, blue, turquoise, and yellow. Bright, sporty. But not too flashy. There are colors suitable for athletes.

Build quality and materials, as always with JBL, do not raise questions. Unless the cable between the cases seems too thin, and for some, it will be too short to carry the headphones around the neck when not in use.

Comfort and Control: JBL Endurance Sprint

JBL Endurance Sprint Wireless Headphones are securely placed in your ear. For accurate placement, when putting on the headphones, you need to turn slightly. The company in the manual focuses on this, but it seems to me that this is intuitive.

This model will not drop out even with active training. You can run a sprint at maximum possibilities, do any exercises in the gym or shake your head. The headphones will remain in place.

But this does not mean that the correct landing will be maintained. With sudden movements, ear pads, of course, slightly change the location, from which the sound can change. But they won’t fall out of ears.

It is worth noting that with prolonged listening, the headphones may seem uncomfortable. You can have a long workout in them. But after a few hours, the ears are already starting to get tired. This is due to not the most convenient complete ear pads.

An interesting feature of JBL Endurance Sprint is its magnetic ear hooks. Headphones can be safely carried around your neck with their help, even if the cable itself is too short for you. Or they can be hooked on the handle of a backpack, for example. The magnets are strong, and the headphones are lightweight – the probability of falling is small.

Reviews of JBL Endurance Sprint are full of inconvenient touch controls. People to whom it seems comfortable are noticeably smaller. Indeed, the sensor here is susceptible. False positives occur quite often.

The most difficult thing is to change the volume correctly. It is implemented by “swipe” up and down the right case (it is on it that the touch panel is located). Rarely does it turn out what was intended? More often, a pause is triggered?

However, there is a life hack: swipe should be fast. It’s like how quickly you turn over uninteresting news in the social media feed.

Also, do not remove the JBL Endurance Sprint and try to switch to talking on the phone if you already answered the call with headphones. There is a high probability of a call being dropped in the process. Besides, the sensor can “understand” how the control commands: any touch to the skin, for example, when the headphones hang on the neck, friction on the hat, or other items of clothing in the cold season.

The instruction manual for JBL Endurance Sprint is pretty simple. All interaction occurs with the right earphone. In addition to the mentioned “swipe,” the rest of the commands are single/double/triple taps. For a change, we will present visually in a picture.

Connection quality, Microphone, and Protection: JBL Endurance Sprint

JBL Endurance Sprint communicates with the source via Bluetooth 4.2. There is no support for high-resolution codecs, but they are not needed here, given the model’s purpose. The connection is stable within a radius of a standard 10 meters, even with obstacles.

In a straight line without obstacles from the phone, you can go even further. Artifacts and cliffs begin somewhere on the 15th meter.

Pairing with the source is simple: a long press (3 seconds) on the touch panel (on the JBL logo on the right earphone) activates the Bluetooth accessibility mode, after which we find the headphones among the available devices and connect.

There is no separate application for this model. In the standard from JBL, they can not be configured either.

JBL Endurance Sprint Bluetooth headphones are not suitable for watching videos or games since the audio playback delays are about 240 ms, which is quite noticeable. At the same time, a connection to 1 source is available. There is no multipoint function.

The microphone in this model is very mediocre. When talking in a quiet room, you will be heard: at home or in the office (if it is not very noisy there). But on the street, even away from highways, problems can arise. The microphone picks up background noise is very good.

Like many sports headphones, the microphone here is made for a show.

JBL Endurance Sprint is IPX7 moisture-proof. This means that they are not afraid of sweat, rain, and even a shower. It would help if you did not swim in them, although they are waterproof. There are special models for this.

The presence of such a serious defense, of course, pleases. After all, it often happens that the headphones are protected from splashes; for example, according to the IPX4 standard, but, in fact, during active training, sweat can damage them. Here it is unlikely.

Autonomy and Sound insulation: JBL Endurance Sprint

JBL Endurance Sprint can run on a single charge for up to 8 hours. In general, tests confirm the declared value. Of course, it can vary depending on the volume and, for example, air temperature. In the cold, autonomy will be lower.

Headphones are fully charged for about 2 hours. A nice bonus: in 10 minutes they can be charged for 1 hour of work. After 5 minutes of inactivity, they shut off to save energy.

The JBL Endurance Sprint Vacuum Headphones have excellent sound insulation. And not least because of its form factor. You can listen to them at low volume while jogging. But even then, it’s worth being careful. There are few external noises.

You may need to turn up the sound louder for trips on the subway, but not too much. Simultaneously, the headphones play outwardly poorly; accordingly, you will not interfere with others in transport or, for example, in the office.

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Sound Quality: JBL Endurance Sprint

JBL Endurance Sprint sounds good for sports headphones. There is a classic V-shaped frequency response—a tangible emphasis on the bass, the middle in the background, and the treble’s rise. Of course, there is no talk about naturalness or the stage (and other audiophiles “things”).

• LF. The bass is powerful but not smeared. For its price it is quite decent.
• MF. Often “hide” behind the bottom. On some tracks, vocals become poorly readable.
• Treble. Bright. They give a feeling of pseudo-detail. True, at the price of a not very pleasant peak closer to the edge of the range. Sibilants periodically slip through.

Of course, JBL Endurance Sprint headphones are designed for rhythmic synthetic music. And they completely cope with it. May add energy to a run. But listening to your favorite songs with pleasure will not work here.