JBL Under Armour Sport Wireless review: Big sound that stays put

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We’ve had the chance to work with JBL for the past few months and we’ve been impressed with many of their offerings, some even winning Top Pick awards. This time around JBL sent us a pair of their new Under Armour Sport Wireless earbuds and we gave them a go. Read on for the full JBL Under Armour Sport wireless review.

Specifications

The JBL Under Armour Sport Wireless have the following specifications and features:

  • Speaker drivers: JBL 5.8mm dynamic
  • Maximum volume: 113dB SPL
  • Frequency Response: 10Hz – 22kHz
  • Bluetooth version and profiles: 4.0, A2DP v1.2, AVRCP v1.4, HFP v1.6, HSP v1.2
  • Bluetooth transmitter frequency and power: 2.402GHz – 2.480GHz, < 4dBm
  • Bluetooth transmitter modulation: GFSK, π/4 DQPSK, 8DPSK
  • Battery type: rechargeable lithium-ion (3.7V 2x60mAh)
  • Battery life: up to 8 hours
  • Battery charge time: Less than 2 hrs
  • Controls: three-button controller
  • Connector: micro USB

What’s In The Box

  • 1 pair of UA Sport Wireless – Engineered by JBL headphones
  • 5 sizes of ergonomic eartips (sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) and 3 pairs of ear tips (S, M, and L)
  • 1 Premium Carrying Case
  • 1 Micro USB Charging Cable
  • Quick start guide
  • Warranty card
  • MapMyRun™ premium membership voucher
  • 1 Sport clip

Design

I had the chance to review the JBL Reflect Aware Lightning headphones a few weeks back and was impressed with the design. The Under Armour Sport Wireless are very much in the same vein with some minor differences. Because the Reflect Aware are noise cancelling the housing is a bit bigger but the tips are pretty much the same (minus the wings). That being said, I loved the design of the Reflect Aware and I love the design of the Under Armour Sport Wireless.

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The ear tips are especially great as they are shaped more like the inside of your ears instead of a ball which helped the fit for me. While I don’t do a lot of running or strenuous exercise, I did test the earbuds to see if I could get them to pop out of my ears but they stood firm really well. I’m pretty confident once you find the right size ear tip and position these will remain in place just as advertised. JBL does also offer access to a “fit specialist” who can help you get the proper fit for these earbuds, the number is included in the documentation. I did find the cable connecting the earbuds to be shorter than other brands, this could be a good thing for some but I was wishing for just another 1/2″. Overall the design is wonderful and the ergonomic ear tips are very awesome.

Ease of Use

The JBL Under Armour Sport Wireless are real simple to use, just push the power and hold until pairing starts. Head over to your smartphone and choose the headphones in your Bluetooth list and you’re done. There are no apps to worry about just plug, play, and run.

Sound

Once you get the right fit and ear tips in these things sound really crisp and clean. There is an emphasis on the bass end but most headphones these days are defaulting towards more low end. That’s not a bad thing because it’s not overtly obnoxious or overbearing. It is very tolerable and actually hits the sweet spot for me in terms of balance between bass, mids, and highs. JBL’s sound has been really great across many of the devices we’ve reviewed here and these are no exception. Overall these do lean to the low end but the sound is really amazing and pretty much everything sounds really crispy, clean, and clear with these.

Reception/Call Quality

One word here. Excellent. The fit with these make the call quality really great and the reception was actually really good too. I had no problem with callers understanding me, other mics have had issues but this one was really great.

Battery Life

Battery life is going to vary on your use, JBL advertises 8 hours of life and I got just around 9 hours at 50% volume. The louder you go the more battery you will use so mileage will vary. Overall, it’s good battery life but we do wish there was more.

Price/Value

$149.95USD isn’t exactly cheap but these are JBL’s and they fit and sound really great. Add in the free year of MapMyRun and these are a pretty decent buy.

Wrap Up

These sweat-proof wireless earbuds produce some of the best sound and they stay put, which is half the battle when working out. They are a bit pricey but the included MapMyRun membership could make this a great buy for some users.

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*We were sent a sample of the JBL Under Armour Sport Wireless for the purposes of this review.

Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

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