Manufacturers of equipment today are trying to get rid of excess wires as much as possible. Smartphones can be charged on special docks, streamed movies directly to the TV via Wi-Fi, and personal files can be stored in the cloud.

One of the things that are now actively getting rid of cords is headphones/earphones. More and more new products appear even for those manufacturers whose main areas are practically not connected with headphones. But today we will talk about a brand that specializes in sound – JBL. For a while, I used their Reflect Mini BT sports headphones, and this is what came of it.

Options and First Impressions

By the packaging, it is immediately noticeable that we have headphones for sports. Inside the device, there is a cable for charging, documentation, two versions of ear pads with clips and two without.

With headphones, personally, I like to get some kind of cover for transportation, because they collect dust from pockets or a backpack (which is clearly visible in almost all photos), and wearing them around your neck while the music is turned off is not so convenient. The manufacturer has a case with a built-in battery for charging on the go, but it costs almost half of the headphones themselves.

It will take some time to try on ear pads. As soon as the necessary option is suitable, for a connection with a smartphone, for example, the start of work will take a few seconds. They are almost instantly detected, and since there is no need for additional software, you can start listening to music without slowdowns.

Design and usability

JBL Reflect is not in vain called – to reflect. Headphones are interconnected by a wire on which a reflective strip is applied. It looks impressive.

The manufacturer took such a step to once again highlight the person in the evening, which will allow the driver to see the athlete a little better while jogging if their paths somehow intersect. A pretty good bonus to headphones designed primarily for sports. There are four design options to choose from: black, blue, red and turquoise.

The headphones themselves are quite large and noticeably peek out of the ear. In the kit, there are two pairs of ear pads with clips and two pairs of ordinary ones. They are all quite large but made to fit better in the auricle. And indeed, if they fit (everyone has different ears), then they hold on well. Personally, I was approached only by the smallest ordinary pads, and those with a retainer interfered a bit in the left ear. You should definitely measure them before buying them.

It is on how well the headphones are suitable for the ear, and both the sound quality and comfort during training or just listening to music will depend. Due to the fact that the headphones and ear pads are quite large, users with small ear canals can get tired of them pretty quickly. At first, they started to bother me pretty quickly (less than an hour of use), but then my ears got used to them and a similar effect disappeared.

Under the left earphone on the cord, there is a remote control with volume, power and microphone buttons. It does not weigh much (and the headphones are light), but it still pulls the entire cord. Therefore, sometimes it has to be corrected. I would not say that it somehow bothered me, although I do not exclude the possibility that this might annoy anyone a little.

There is also a diode on the remote control showing the current state. Every four seconds, it quickly blinks in blue. When the battery runs out, red color is displayed. The remote control, like the headphones themselves, also magnetizes dust, which is quite difficult to remove.

You cannot swim with the Reflect Mini. However, a little protection against moisture is there. So, the device is not afraid of sweat or light rain. But they should not be immersed in water.

Management and synchronization

As I said, the headphones are connected in a very simple manner and do not require additional software. JBL has models that can be controlled using a special application, but this option does not support this product. So only the player will be responsible for the sound settings.

The connection quality of the gadget is decent. During testing, I only heard some hitches a few times. If there is no long distance between the headphones and the smartphone, the signal will be stable and without interruptions. But completely parting with the smartphone and running around the stadium, while the sound source is in the bag will not work. I liked the minimum delay, which will allow you to watch a video without noticeable desynchronization of picture and sound.

The control panel allows you to adjust the volume and control playback. The last function of JBL turned out to be slightly limited. A short press on the power button will start or stop the track, and a double press will switch to the next song. But that is all. That is, a triple-click will not return to the previous song, and a short and long press will not skip the current one. Although for sports this set of possibilities is quite enough.

There is also a microphone on the remote. With it, you can answer calls immediately from the headset. The quality of voice transmission is worse than that of a smartphone (it happened that the interlocutors asked again something), but in extreme cases, it’s quite right.

Sound

If, however, ear pads came up to you, then the sound will not disappoint. I again mentioned this because, in the case of sports nozzles, I constantly had to adjust the left earphone. Changing them to ordinary ones, this problem did not disappear. At the same time, this also did not affect confidence, the headphones sat well in the ears, and the sound insulation did not disappoint. Of course, something loud can be heard even through the music, but this almost does not affect the composition itself. I suspect that a microphone picks up some sounds, but such a function is not advertised by the manufacturer.

As for a wireless headset, the JBL Reflect Mini BT sounds very good. They do not have significant blockages in the direction of low or high frequencies, while there is a rather deep bass, and the upper ones do not peep. Thanks to this, the songs sound voluminous and there is no lack of sound. I did not want to somehow tweak the sound, because the initial abilities of the headphones for my taste are quite enough. And if they are bought purely for training, then the option is all the more excellent.

Mostly I listened to electronic music and hip-hop, which the headset does very well. But classical compositions are within her power. Again, the model will not be able to compete with the reinforcing headphones, but among the wireless options – the sound is still pretty good. The maximum volume level is not so high that the ears are tired, and it is enough for both training and simple walks. In general, I personally was pleased with the sound of the headphones.

Autonomy

According to the manufacturer, the headset can play music for up to 8 hours. According to my measurements, continuously playing at maximum power, she did not reach the declared only 15 minutes. The result is excellent. On average, I had to charge the headphones once every two to three days.

You can recharge the battery through the micro-USB connector on the remote. You can charge it from anything – a computer, a smartphone charger, a portable battery – everything will work. A full charge will take 1 hour 40 minutes.