Customer Ratings & Reviews

I have been using these headphones/nearphones for last 1 week and I like them. So, first thing first, in my opinion these are not fit for intense workouts like fast running etc as they kind of hang over your ear canal. My usage has been mostly indoor (for work calls and online meetings) and for some walks outside. And I like them precisely for the reason that they simple hang over which makes them more comfortable to wear for long periods of time as compared to other in-ear or over-ear headphones that I have tried. The battery life is pretty good. These last whole day for me and I only charge them in the night. The sound quality is good. Obviously it is not as immersive as in-ear or over-ear headphones but it is better than other bone conduction near phones that I have tried. The design is good so that even though you can hear the external environment noise/audio, others can't hear what you are listening to. So overall, they are a good fit for people who want to be aware of their surroundings while enjoying their music/podcasts etc. Their price point makes them pretty affordable as compared to other nearphonse available without compromising on the quality of audio.

This is a hard product to review because it’s good at what it does, but it’s not good at what headphones usually should do. Let me explain. The idea of this style of headphones is so you can hear around you and not have that “plugged ear” feeling. When you talk or chew with these on, you won’t hear yourself in your head as if you had your ears plugged. And that is SUPER useful for certain situations. What these headphones do not do is provide full body sound at a high volume. And that’s going to make a lot of people rate them low despite the fact that they do still serve a purpose. I have been wanting a pair of headphones like this for awhile. There’s also bone conducting headphones, which I have not tried yet, but are also way more expensive but claim to do a similar result. However, for this lower price and my needs, I thought these JVC nearphones headphones would get the job done. And technically, I was right. I wanted this style for things like zoom calls, discord voice chats while gaming and even phone calls. I figured for the occasional music while working with or around others might also be useful but that didn’t work so well, and that’s where I had some not so good experiences, but more on that later. PROS: For voice chat type audio, these work fantastic. Since that was the main reason I wanted them, I’m happy with it. I can put these headphones on for a zoom chat and when I am talking, I don’t have that annoying plugged ear feeling where my voice is extra loud in my head making me talk quieter or not hear others. I can talk just like a normal phone call. However I could see issues with volume since these speakers are not in your ear, they are quieter and less full. In a noisy environment, it could be harder to clearly hear the voice on the other side. Overall though, I used these headphones in a controlled environment during multiple video chat calls and zoom calls on my PC and had no issues with connection or hearing the other people. I was using a pro audio mic at my computer and not the mic on the headphones, but when I tested the headphone mic, people said they could hear me fine. CONS: The first thing I’ll mention is the fit because it probably has a lot to do with the rest of my issues. The instructions from JVC that come with the nearphones headphones show how to put them on and how they should look/fit when in the correct spot. There is a picture of how they shouldn’t fit but that’s the only way I could get them to stay put. So how the manual says is wrong is how I was forced to wear them. I guess to be fair, I was more in the middle of the two pictures, not quite correct, not quite wrong. I do have smaller ears so maybe that’s some of it, but the issue was the headphones kept pushing themselves away from my ear instead of moving inward toward the ear hole like the manual says they should. I rotated them back and forth and tried forcing them into place, but they would always settle into this hybrid style fit that was loose but worked good enough. I felt like they would fall off, but I jumped around a lot and couldn’t get them to actually fall off. So they fit good enough for what I wanted them to do, but I also noticed if I pushed them in closer to my ears they would be louder and fuller sound. So you may have different experiences based on the ear shape. But because of the fit I had two major issues. Quality and volume. By far the biggest con of these headphones is the audio quality. If you want crystal clear, full range music from headphones that float over your ear, you’re gonna be searching for a long time. Those of you old enough to remember the old style of headphones that came with every walkman or discman will know what I’m talking about when I say it sounds like those old style headphones when you would put them slightly in front or off your ears a little. You still hear the music but 90% of the low end is gone and it’s very tinny. Now, you can adjust this a bit with EQ but you’re not going to recover the lows. It’s just not how this style works. I do wish JVC was a little more upfront about that instead of claiming to still have full range clear sound, it would only help their marketing if they were more honest, but if you’re skeptical about how these sound, you’re probably right. Again, for voice, it doesn’t matter and it works great, but once you play music you’ll notice a lack of quality. It works for low volume background noise while still wanting to be present in the room, but you’re not gonna toss these puppies on and kick back in your chair to dissect some classical tunes. The other glaring issue is the lack of volume. Again, to reference those 90s headphones we all had that sat over our ears, if you didn’t have them lined up perfect with your ears, the volume would drop off dramatically. These are the same way. They’re designed to sit over your ear opening, but like I mentioned about the fit, they don’t really sit right for me and because of that gap, I lose a lot of quality and volume. There is a chance MAYBE they fit better on others, like I mentioned, the instructions seem to show a different fit than I can get, so maybe that’s part of the volume issue too, but generally speaking, for my fit, I had to turn everything up to full volume just to get an average level. If I pushed the headphones in closer to my ears, it was better, but they would not stay there. OVERALL So like I said, I still really like these headphones if you use them in ways that benefit from their unique design. Many of us are on virtual calls more than ever these days and having a headphone that allows you to hear the room around you and the people in the call is something you just cannot get with new standard in-ear headphones. People opt to not use headphones at all making calls harder to hear with ducking every few seconds. These headphones allow for clearer calls without that annoying plugged ear sound when you talk. I think if these were marketed as video call headphones they would fly off the shelf. Everyone should have a pair of these at their work or gaming computer.

There seems to be a trend in the headphone industry to shake up the clip style headphones. Having used earbuds in place of dedicated single speaker headset, I can understand having long sessions of the earbuds and the fatigue it creates. Our ears are all different so, trying to get that perfect fit is sometimes hard and the earbud is either falling out or being pushed out if you can’t get that Goldilocks fitment. The ear clip design tries to mitigate this issue, but sometimes it just pairs the earbud with the clip so you may still get ear fatigue. The JVC Nearphone is like an on-the-hear headphone (speaker rests on the ear), but wireless and in clip format. The clip secures on the ear by rotating in the base and “clamping” (I use that extremely loosely) onto the ear. It does solve the issue of ear fatigue by earbud. These are extremely light and other clip style headphones I have tried creates a different kind of ear fatigue. These are so light though, gravity doesn’t really help them stick to the ear either. Use cases would be sitting in a coffee shop typing up a review and listening to music and wanting the ambient sounds to come through naturally. Light activity, I wouldn’t worry about them falling off, though they may “flop” about a bit. Looking at the advertisement images on JVC webpage…jogging and cycling are a no go for me. The Nearphones don’t fix the perfect for everyone issue existing with all earbuds and in my usage cases, those movements created too much movement for Nearphones and quell my irritation if they were going to stay on or fall off. What I Like: They are very light as is the case. Virtually no ear fatigue Simple to use, no app needed or required (does mean controls are locked) What I Don’t Like: Audio Quality Call Quality I really cannot comment on the battery life as I didn’t use for very long. My main goal was to see how they do as dedicated headset for calls, but whether one or both Nearphones were in operation, the caller on the end said there was just too much background noise. The cafe I was in had 3 people in and soft piano music playing, the air was running. Not what I would call loud background noise. Maybe all of it combined was too much for the mics to wash out. Audio quality I feel is just a result of the design, as an earbud will get into the ear canal, so there is going to be a loss of “feeling” the music and respectively the loudness at which you hear it. The sound experience is not rich or full, but useable. The caveat with these being very simple to use and not requiring an app, means no long-term support with firmware updates; so what you get is what you got. I feel like this style of headphone is very niche, so the recommendation has to be the same. Overall I feel like the Nearphone is a dual pack headset with Left and Right headsets that can be paired or used in single mode. If that appeals to your needs then they might do the trick. Bearing in mind, they are not the best at being a headset unless you are in a no-to-low ambient noise environment.

I was so happy to receive these JVC HA-NP40 nearphones in black with the open-ear styling. That is my all time favorite type of earbuds now. They arrived with an included USB-C to USB-C charging cable but no charger. Your charger must have a minimum of 2.5 watts to max of 10 watts per the instructions. I proceeded to charge them which didn't take long and as I mainly use them for making calls and listening to audiobooks I was excited to give them a try. There is some paperwork with a QR code to scan for the manual which I did. There is no app available but I wasn't bothered by that. One of the first things I noticed was the ear wrap has a pivot motion so you can adjust to fit your ears perfectly. I also like the fact that I can use one single earbud and when the battery depletes I still have the other one to use. These offer true wireless, 16mm large drivers sound, Bluetooth 5.4 and up to 26 hours battery life with charging case. They come in black, blue or green. They also have 3 sound modes ~ Normal, Bass, High and a touch sensor control. A female voice does alert you to various things like POWER ON ~ CONNECTED ~ POWER OFF, etc. That's part of the auto off/on connect feature and a microphone which is superb for hands free calls. When I used them straight talking they made it about 7 hours then I switched to the other one. Started charging the drained battery and in about 2 hours it was fully charged again. They are ever so comfortable and lightweight weighing about 0.28 ounces. I honestly forget I have them on! I found I can get about 30 feet away from my phone before the sound starts cutting out. I personally like the Normal setting. It's all around ideal for my various uses. The sound is crystal clear for myself as well as the listener on calls. I am so very pleased with that ~ no muffled noise or unpleasant racket. When listening to my audiobooks at night and I fall asleep then wake up they are still on my ears with absolutely no discomfort. Being a back sleeper these are fantastic for me. Not much else I can say except they are quite impressive and I have no CONS to note. Well made, great sound, easy to wear and well worth the purchase!

I really wanted to like these ear, headphones, but ultimately I just don’t like the way they fit. The set up is easy enough and pairing, there’s no problem with whatever device. Would be nice to be able to pair with multiple devices, but I was not able to get that to work. that in and of itself is not a dealbreaker. However, the design and fit of these over the ear ear headphones is a big problem for me. I have other over the ear headphones, and I have no problem with the way those fit. However, these JBL’s just doesn’t give you that confident feeling that the ear headphones are snuggling in your ear canal. They’re just not designed to fit that way and I get it, but they fit more like earrings and dangle more than they are snuggling inside your ear canal. Therefore, I think quality suffers as a result and never gets a proper seal and projection of the sound into your ear. Sure, when you first put it on it slips around your ear, and then you can rotate the body of the device to make it fit a little more securely, but it still does not give you a confident feel. Additionally, the touch controls are so overly sensitive that if you mess with the Device and try to get it to fit better you end up messing with the controls and Pausing your content or doing some unwanted control because the touch controls are poorly designed And located on the body of the headphone. The case is nice enough design and they charge well but ultimately I cannot use these for day-to-day use music, Phone calls or watching video.

I've found that over time I have purchased different headphones for different applications. These JVC headphones impressed me right away by how light they are, but that is abut the only way they are superior to my other headphones. The experience of wearing these is closer to wearing bone induction headphones instead of the other over-the-ear headphones I own. That's why they are called "Nearphones." And since the speaker is never in your ear, the listening experience is far from excellent. So the value of these headphones really depends on the application. The first time I took these to listen to an audiobook on a walk, I was very disappointed. I could not hear the audiobook at all when cars passed by. I concluded they are not made for exercise, even though someone could argue they are helpful to allow you to remain aware of activity around you. If I cannot hear the audiobook, I might as well not have them on. Where I did end up using them is in my quiet office taking calls or participating in video meetings. Given that, it is hard to comment on sound quality - these are certainly not for audiophiles.

Let me get straight to the chase on these. These JVC Open-ear headphones are absolutely atrocios for anyone serious about the all around quality of their listening apporatus. I don't know what JVC was trying to achieve by bringing them to market, but I definitely know that it wasn't designed to impress anyone. First thing. Opening the box, you find and over-sized charging case that no one wants to be seen pulling out of their pocket. It literally gives off hearing-aid vibes. I believe this case has a larger footprint than that last iteration. I believe these are round 3 for the brand. you get what I may be a 4" charging cable and the Near phones. After reading that, I thank you for wanting to know more. The comfort in these are near non-existent. They feel like they are going to fall off at any given second. Which is wierd, considering that they are designed to hoook around your ear securely. The buttons are unnecessarily over sensitive. That leads us to the sound quality. Since these don't enter the ear, you'll not get that humming bass of other earphones.(at least that is the escuse.) But the truth is, they just aren't secure enough to allow for any comfortable listening. I tryed these on my PC after such hot mess while using my phone, and I actually feel like I was punishig myself. For something that coul easily pass for a hearing-aid, it's a shame that you would need a hearing-aid to get any enjoyment from trying to wear them. Please pass these up.

Doesnt come with instructions and I somehow turned the earphones themselves lower? Now I cant turn them up and have to have my phone volume all the way up. The out of the ear thing is nice but hard to hear with just one earphone.

They work great and connected easy. It is nice to have something not strapped over your head. Nice to be able to hear what is going on around you .

Good price and the sound is fine. The right one doesn’t always come on. Can’t figure out why.

I didn’t like these. It did not fit snug on my ear, even after attempting to adjust it several times. The volume is very low and I did not like the quality. It does not sit in your ear. It sits on top of your ear, which makes it very difficult to hear.

Very flimsy, the sound was the worst quality I have ever seen! JVC should get there act togather. Yes, they really are that bad!

Works great! Fit is comfortable and sound is great

Sorry not worth buying again or at anytime , poor comfort and poor sound quality , but ok to use when you are outside on bad weather days or nights ,

I'm not a big fan of earbuds. I don't like the feeling of things in my ear, and they always slip out at inopportune times, usually while I'm trying to wash dishes. While I have plenty of sets of over the ear headphones, for some activities like exercising, they just aren't convenient. The JVC Nearphones clip on over the top of your ear but don't go into your ear canals. The look is similar to the OG bluetooth earpieces, pre-smart phone era, except much smaller. I paired this set to my main android phone. This model does not have multipoint, so it can only pair to one device at a time, but that's ok for me as I intend for this to be my "running errands/doing activities" pair. Since these earphones are meant to better enable the user to still hear the outside world, they don't get very loud. Even on the max volume setting I was still able to hear environmental sounds. On half volume I can easily hear my daughter calling out from two rooms away over the sound of the kitchen faucet while I am washing dishes. These "nearphones' hardly weigh anything, so having them hang off the top of my ear is actually much more comfortable than I was expecting, even with glasses on. While the fit isn't exactly snug, it also doesn't pinch or put annoying pressure, making it easy to wear all day. When there is no sound playing, I sometimes forget that they are on. I've even accidentally tried to put on a headset to answer a work call while wearing them. The listening experience is actually surprisingly good for this style of audio device. The soundstage is nice and wide. Listening to On the Run off of DSotM, there is a smooth panning effect as the audio moves from the left channel to the right and back again. The bass isn't great, but that's to be expected with such a tiny device. The subbass hits in J Majik's "Your Sound" are more like suggestions of deep notes, and obviously not the bone trembling pounding that you would get while hanging out at the Hippodrome in London in the early 00's. But they are still there, and pretty clean too, not muddled out puffs from the tiny driver trying to push the membrane ever so slowly. Watching Youtube videos, there can be a little bit of lag that causes some sync issues between the audio and video, but pausing the video and restarting seems to alleviate things. I also have not found a way to keep them on while laying down. My only other complaint is how sensitive the touch areas are, as I am always accidentally pausing while attempting to adjust the earpiece. The charging case is a bit larger than your standard wireless earbuds case, but that's why we all have fanny packs again, right? And thankfully it's USB-C. Basically, these headphones are great for when you want to do other things while also listening to music. Being able to hear the outside world while still enjoying your favorite song or listen to a podcast is especially helpful for urbanites like me. It's great being able to hear any announcements without having to pull out an earbud (which these days usually pauses the music). And while doing chores around the house, it's nice to both some relaxing tunes but also have conversations with my family (and they aren't big on instrumental jazz).

To start, the charging case in comparison to other "ear buds" I have is huge! That being said, there is good reason and good design in play. First the case is slim and fits easily in my pocket but the size is due to the unique lightweight hook that the headphones hang from. When JVC claims they are comfortable I must say that there is truth in that advertising. The hook gently rests on where your ear attaches to your head positioning the speakers just over the ear canal. The hook is actually able to pivot creating a secure comfortable fit. As for comfort, there is no doubt as I can barely feel them on my head. I was doubtful they would stay in place but after wearing them for several days now I can say they stay on very well. I enjoyed listening to all sorts of media while just hanging out, gardening, biking, and working out at the gym. I do wear glasses and there was another concern. At first I was thought that the temple of my glasses would interfere with the fit but so far, it hasn't been a problem. This style of attachment avoids that potential irritation caused by "in ear-canal" devices. Now, for this reason these provide no noise cancelation or noise isolation. Most of the time this is fine and if I need that I use my high end, over ear, headphones which are amazing but are heavy and bulky etc.... Sound quality is likely the most important feature on something like this and I can report these sound great. Through my collection of music, pod casts and other media, all were clear and crisp. This also includes when on the phone. I can clearly hear the caller and the folks I have talked to report that my voice is loud and clear as well. JVC reports that you get a total of 26 hours between the headphones internal battery and the charging case. I have not tested that long but I have worn them for up to 7 hours without the battery gong dead. A great device especially for the price - enjoy!

great price but not comfortable enought to keep. i was looking forward to some headphones like these

These Open Ear Nearphones are a new twist on earbuds that are lightweight, adjustable for different ear sizes and come in a slim case to charge and protect them. Starting with what I liked. The lightweight nature and being that they don't go into the ear, they are very comfortable. The connection of the hook to the earpiece rotates to make them a customized fit for your ear. So with those features you can wear them for long periods of time without your ear getting sore. The controls on the headphones are also responsive. You tap either one and it pauses the music and then tap again to restart. You press and hold for a second on either side and it cycles through the sound modes of Normal, Bass and High. If you then press and hold down it powers off the headphone on either side. The part that I was not satisfied with the headphones was the volume. Since its away from the ear they just don't get loud enough for me on a workout with other noise around. If I push them closer to my ear and hold them closer the sound is loud enough and is great on High mode for me. However, I am a fan of bass and on that mode they sound even quieter when in their normal position on my ear. Overall my advise is if you don't like the traditional earbuds that stick in your ear, definitely give these a try. If you are happy with traditional earbuds and or have some hearing loss, these may not be the headphones for you.

These are unusual earphones as they do not fit in the ear but move over the ear. And it not only works but is incredibly comfortable and with great sound. The earbuds are complete with a flat rectangular charging case, in which the earbuds sit flat and are held in place by magnets. I found them to charge quickly and there are LED's on the front of the charging case to show the charge levels. Each earbud has charging lights and 'tap' controls which are very effective in operation. Pairing was simple and these is no app for use. They work will both android and iOS. They are incredibly light weight and the way they fit over the outside of the ear, yet sound great and with decent volume, is amazing. The 1st time I used them I kept checking to make sure they were still on my ear which gives you an idea of the comfort and light weight. They have not fallen off so far, and this is at the gym and jogging. Sound quality is great, not an extreme amount of bass, but just enough for me. It does give an 'open' feeling using them as it does not block any surrounding sounds yet it does not bother the music playing through the earbuds. Battery life so far has been decent, and charging time as well. I have a new favorite set of earbuds.

So for about the last week or so I’ve been using my new JVC Nearphones (Open Ear) True Wireless headphones. I have used JVC products in the past from some being mediocre to pretty decent. So I decided to give these a try. These are my first ever open-ear style headphones/earbuds I’ve ever tried. So when you open up the box you’re greeted with a nice sleek clamshell case that hold the nearphones in place. Also included is the user manual as well as a USB-C charging cable. The case also charges the nearphones like most other earbuds on the market with a battery life of 7.5 hours or 26 hours with the rechargeable case. Setting them up is simple if you’ve ever used any type of bluetooth headphones/earbuds before. Simply power them on using the user guide that comes with the nearphones in the box. Next making sure they are in bluetooth mode and connect them either to your mobile device or desktop/laptop computer. And that’s it. Now putting these on can be a bit tricky if you’re like me and you wear glasses. The arm on each nearphone acutally pivots back and forth allowing you to customize the fit perfectly for each ear. Once you have them in place then you’re ready to go. Now at first when I started playing some music through them I was not at all happy and did not like them; this was due to me turning up the volume all the way on my iPhone 16 Pro Max and it just seemed like the music was so distant. This is why it’s important to ensure you have them sitting on your ears and angled in a way near the opening of your ear, hence the name, nearphones. But also you can adjust the sound quality by long pressing either nearphone for a couple of seconds to switch between normal, high, and bass. After cycling through these different sound modes, I found that the HIGH mode, worked best for me. Now as far as phone calls, initially at the beginning of each call, those on the other end say that can’t hear me but after a couple of seconds everything sounds ok. From my end, I can hear others clearly with no issues. So being in the price range they are, if you’re looking for a decent pair of open ear earbuds these aren’t too bod. They are great for those that want to stay aware of their surroundings for those that are working in their office or for the joggers that’s taking a quick early morning/night jog.