JBL Endurance SPRINT is Waterproof with Tap Controls

July 30, 2018 2:55 pm

JBL Endurance SPRINT doesn’t have a single button, but rather a large touch surface, good sound and pretty impressive features for a mere $50.

JBL Endurance SPRINT is Waterproof with Tap Controls

Build & Design

JBL Endurance SPRINT has an interesting build. The entire long rectangular like housing is actually angled to hook over your ear. The inside of the housing is fit with an angled bud on the inside. This bud is built with a twist and lock feature (the same one that’s found on JBL Focus 500). The fit is a little odd at first and getting them in takes more than a second, but once the bud is in and the hook is properly placed over your ear, the entire unit feels comfortable. I will note that once the buds were situated in my ears I hated taking them out because putting them back in was a bit of a drag. Oh yeah, these earphones possess a decent amount of sound isolation While the shape and fit seem a little different, it’s all beneficial.

Features

The cable and housings are fit with magnets that also assist in the lock feature. The entire unit is lightweight and the hooks also possess a soft flex material for a comfortable fit, as I mentioned earlier.

Endurance SPRINT ditches buttons and opts for easy tap/swipe controls on the outside of the housings atop the grooves and JBL symbol. This features allows those with active lifestyles an easy means of switching back and forth between tracks, pausing and playing of music, adjusting the volume, and taking calls. The buds support an 8 hour battery life, which is great. Most wireless earbuds support about 7 hours or so. Moreover, a quick charge of 10 minutes yields an entire hour of play time. Sweet!

One of the most exciting features is the water resistant rating of IPX7 which means JBL Endurance SPRINT is actually water proof. It can withstand extremely heavy sweating and immersion in water for 30 minutes no deeper than 1 meter.

Connectivity

Since these earphones don’t have buttons they connect a little differently than all the other buds you’ve probably tried. The earbud housings and cable connect via a magnet and tap surface. Once the magnets are separated for about five seconds, the buds power on. Tap the JBL symbol and the buds enter into pairing mode. From there, you can select JBL Endurance SPRINT from your list of available devices and voila, connected. What I find funny about this entire process is that the sound prompts are identical to those of the JBL Flip 4. Loyal JBL fans will know what I’m talking about, so it threw me off for a second. Anyway, once connected, you’ll be able to see that the buds are pre-charged with about 1/3 to 1/2 battery life.

Sound & Overall Performance

These headphones are a winner in my book. For a mere $49.95 users are equipped with a bud that can survive a dunk in the pool and deliver impressive sound. While JBL is known for their reference sound, I find their bass response is nice and punchy allowing for a subtle, yet impactful amount of sub-bass. It’s even enough to appease bass-heads. The mids are lively and nicely spaced between the lows and highs. This allows the earphones to provide a sound that isn’t as compact as other headphones in this price range. As for the highs, they are quite crisp for a $50 pair of earphones. I’m impressed. If interested in getting a pair of JBL Endurance SPRINT earbuds head over to Audio46 or Amazon.