JLab Audio
Gravity Bluetooth Neckband Adaptor & Earbuds (Black)
Model #EBGRAVITYRBLK62
MSRP: $39.99
Summary: This lightweight, comfortable, IPX4 water-resistant neckband (<2oz) is made of soft, flexible, medical-grade silicon rubber. It rests easily above your shoulders/around your neck & connects wirelessly to your headphones/earbuds. Great for use while exercising. Neckband includes digital mic for hands-free conversations & simple, easy-to-use, universal controls, incl.: call answer/hang up as well as volume up/down, play/pause, & click-&-hold track-forward/back buttons for listening to music. Control buttons are large enough to give a sure, no-look, tactile feel.
Pairing: The Bluetooth 4.1 wouldn’t auto-pair w/any device, but thanks to JLab's sticky note on the Quick Start Guide, which showed the manual Bluetooth pairing option, I was still able to pair quickly. Once paired, the connection was solid up to the advertised 30ft.
Compatibility: With the neckband's 3.5mm-to-Bluetooth adapter, you can convert your favorite wired headphones, regardless of style/brand into Bluetooth headphones.
Sound Quality: JLab's Signature C3 technology provides crisp, clear sound via the titanium drivers in the JBuds Pro, but there's absolutely no bass, no equalizer options, & no real noise canceling features (save for the ‘noise isolating design’). So these headphones are good for phone calls & listening to podcasts, but not as good for listening to music. Since the neckband has a 3.5mm headphone jack, as a comparison, I connected 1 of my better-quality headphone sets to the neckband & experienced noticeable bass & midrange improvement. Still, the included earbud headphones compared favorably to the headphone sets purchased w/my last 3 smartphones. The microphone quality is also very good. As a test, I engaged in several smartphone telecons w/my spouse, & we found that the voice clarity/sound quality was about the same, both w/the incl. headphones & w/o any headphones, for both the initiator & receiver of calls.
Ear Buds: Comes w/3 pairs of quality gel cushion ear tips (small, medium, large) which are very smooth, provide a great fit/seal in the ear, & are easy to clean.
Cush Fin Technology: Comes w/2 Cush Fins (medium/large), allowing each wearer a customized/secure fit. The Cush Fin fits into the outer ear to provide support/stabilization for the earbud: https://youtu.be/_J5CqamD-NQ.
Cord Management System: Cord mgmt. options are in the instructions, & JLab's website offers a few helpful tutorials on the subject at www.jlabaudio.com. But the cord keeper needs some work, as the 3¼ ft. cord won’t stay taut/secure, no matter how carefully/tightly it’s wrapped around the hidden neckband loop that’s supposed to keep it in place. Would prefer a retractable cord.
Rechargeable Battery:
Charging: Takes 1½ hrs. to charge dead battery to 100% w/incl. micro-USB charging cable.
Life: Claims 10hr of music playtime & 12hr of talk time. I used the neckband/headphones for 8½ hrs. over the weekend w/o any battery issues, & they still had some juice left.
Packaging: Nice & minimalist.
Warranty: 1yr limited w/30-day satisfaction guarantee.
Rating: Except for the poorly designed cord "mgmt." system, I like the neckband adaptor more than the headphones. Great concept but lacks quality execution.