Vafee, an international e-commerce company located in Hong Kong, was kind enough to send me a pair of the J&L-100 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones for review. I’ve got a pair of old Jaybird headphones and was curious about the difference considering the J&L headphones sell for just $24 and the Jaybirds are many times that.
Included with the headphones are additional ear hooks and ear tips to customize the fit, as well as a micro-USB charging cable. They also include a nice hefty pouch to hold everything.
It took a couple hours to get a full charge and they lasted at least the stated 4-1/2 hours on a full charge.
There are two buttons on the right earbud. One button is your typical multi-function button and the other is a rocker type for volume. Pairing is accomplished in typical fashion by holding the multi-function button down for a few seconds until you hear the “pairing” voice prompt. Once paired with your device, it will prompt you with a “paired” voice notification. It’s interesting that when you subsequently connect your J&L-100s it still says “paired” instead of the traditional “connected,” but that’s no biggie.
I tested the J&L-100s, my Jaybirds as well as my Mpows and wired studio-quality Westone earphones using Audiocheck.net’s Headphones and Earphones Benchmarking Test Files. I could hear frequencies from about 20Hz to 14KHz for all of them–including the Westones–which probably has more to do with my impaired hearing at the upper ranges than anything else. I’m no audiophile, but the Jaybirds were clearer than the J&L-100s which sounded tinnier in comparison, but on par with the Mpows. The bass was reasonable on the J&L-100s and overall they were pleasant sounding. Unfortunately, with phone calls, people told me they couldn’t hear me very well.
Personally, I don’t like earhooks so I wear mine sans them. Like with my Jaybirds, I don’t have any problem with them staying in my ears. Perhaps if I was doing something more active, they would be needed. I found the J&L-100s very comfortable even after hours of continuous use.
The cord that connects the two ear pieces is slightly thicker and more rigid than on the Jaybirds. As a result, the cord transfers more rumbling noise as the cord moves and slides when in contact with your body. This can be minimized by using the included cable clip to shorten up the cable.
I thought I might not like the look of the J&L-100s since all of the electronics are packed into the earpieces, but once inserted they look fine and added bulk of the earpieces compared to the Jaybirds is a non-factor. I find that I like having the controls on the earpiece versus in-line like with the Jaybirds. I know exactly where to reach compared to the Jaybirds where I find myself fumbling around to find the controls. Not a big difference, but one to note. I also like the big white L and R letters marking the left and right. Sometimes its the little things that make a big difference.
I wouldn’t hesitate to break the J&L-100s out to listen to some tunes and since I listen to podcasts a lot, they are well suited for that use. If you’re looking for high-quality sound and will use for phone conversations, you might want to look elsewhere and be ready to fork out additional funds. I will definitely keep a pair as a back up or in my car.