JBL’s is a novel and fresh approach with tailored sound profiles for each wearing style, but for me, there are issues with both…
It takes a lot to surprise an audio geek in 2022. However, I was truly stoked to learn about the JBL Tune Flex; an affordable, water-resistant, ANC-toting pair of earbuds that also boasts two different wearing styles – open or closed.
Upon receiving a set to try, I also note the translucent case showcasing the battery pack, connections and other glorious innards. I had the black/grey pair to try, but there’s a gorgeously retro purple color too.
As I said when JBL’s transforming product was released, you’ve never seen earbuds like these and I applaud the ingenuity. Also, little details such as these can add up to great value.
To clarify the proposition: unlike Oladance’s admirable fully open design which goes nowhere near the recesses or folds of your ear, JBL’s solution includes supplied tips to change the buds from simply resting in the well-like part of your outer ear or concha (in the way Apple’s EarPods or AirPods (2019) do), to longer tips which enter your ear canal to create a seal – often imperative for the best wireless earbuds.
Back to the JBL Tune Flex (short for ‘Flexibility’ owing to those two wearer options) and there’s a new sound setting to toggle within the app, depending on whether you’re wearing «Open Ear Tips» or «Sealing Ear Tips» – yes, JBL has considered the implications and shaped the audio experience accordingly. Admirable!
You get eight hours of playtime from the buds and 24 from the case with ANC off, or six from the buds, 18 with the case if it’s on. The case has a sensible lip to stop it snapping shut and you actually get a proper plastic case for the various tips – more on these later.
So far, things look great…
And where Nothing’s unreleased transparent (Stick) earbuds remain shrouded in, er, strange bags, the JBL Tune Flex are available now, with a fully comprehensive spec sheet – surely a shoo-in for our best noise-cancelling earbuds guide, no? Well…
The JBL Tune Flex’s open-ear tips come prefitted and must be removed before switching to the closed, ear-canal sealing ones, even though the tiny open-ear tips feel almost perfectly flush with the driver housing (see above, on the left) – and note that there is a right and wrong way to orient these.
