JBL Reflect Flow Pro
MSRP $180.00
“An abundance of features and powerful sound make them the perfect workout buddies.”
Avg
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Firm, secure fit
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Excellent noise cancellation
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Choice of hands-free voice artificial intelligence
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Completely waterproof
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Wireless charging
Against
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Limited control options
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There is no fast charging option
JBL isn’t always the most consistent company when it comes to personal audio. Sometimes, as with the Tour Pro+ in-ear headphones and the Tour One ANC headphones, it absolutely succeeds. In other cases absent, as I felt was the case with his flagship Club One cans. But there have been more hits than misses lately, and that’s certainly true of JBL’s latest true wireless headphones for active living, the $180 JBL Reflect Flow Pro, a product that competes with the $200 Beats Fit Pro, the Jabra Elite 7 Active at $180 and JBL’s own Reflect Mini NC at $150. How good are the Reflect Flow Pros? Let’s check them out.
It fits perfectly without the Frankenstein
Simon Cohen / Digital trends
The Reflect Flow Pro are, in theory, the successors to the company’s Reflect Flow model, a comfortable and waterproof set of sports headphones that unfortunately had a few flaws. They were huge – sticking out of your ears and giving you the appearance of Frankenstein’s monster. Their physical buttons were a bit hard to press, the sound quality was uneven, and the transparency mode (ambient) was only so-so.
But one look at the design of the Reflect Flow Pro and it’s clear that, despite their name, they’re actually a Pro model of the Reflect Mini NC, not a Reflect Flow. The Reflect Flow Pro is smaller and lighter and addresses almost every shortcoming we found with the original Reflect Flow.
The Reflect Flow Pro comes with three sizes of silicone eartips and four sizes of eartips (“powerfins” in JBL parlance) that range from large to barely there, meaning more people are likely to find a combination that works for them. This is in stark contrast to the Beats Fit Pro which has a single, permanently installed set of wingtips.
Simon Cohen / Digital trends
JBL says the fit is secure enough to go surfing with the Reflect Flow Pro. I respectfully disagree. Yes, they fit very securely, but no, I wouldn’t risk finding out the hard way that they aren’t up to head-first wiping. As long as they stay in place, though, they’ll have no problem putting up with all that water—with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, they’re the toughest headphones you can buy.
The charging case is not water or dust resistant, but it is well made and quite robust. The built-in lanyard loop is just large enough to slip the pouch through the loop, allowing you to attach it to a bag strap or even a belt loop on your pants.
From zero to hero
Reflect Flow Pro not only improves upon Reflect Flow’s design, but is also packed with features. Wireless charging, wear sensors, choice of voice assistants, active noise cancellation (ANC), transparency mode, custom controls and EQ. It’s as if JBL is defying us to find something missing and honestly, it’s hard to find any fault. And that’s before we even get into things like sound quality, call quality, and handy extras (but don’t worry, we’ll talk about those too).
Hours of power
Simon Cohen / Digital trends
One of the things the original JBL Reflect Flow got right was their impressive power capacity: 10 hours per charge and two full charges in the case’s battery. Reflect Flow Pro doubles these numbers when you have ANC and transparency off. But even when using these features, you’ll still get up to eight hours per charge. That’s better than both the Beats Fit Pro and Beats Powerbeats Pro.
The only thing missing here is the fast charging option. Normally I would applaud JBL for this oversight, but when you can offer people up to 10 hours per charge, the need for fast charging is greatly reduced. In addition, the Reflect Flow Pro charging case supports Qi wireless charging, something no Beats product can do until now.
The sound that moves you
Simon Cohen / Digital trends
Punchy and punchy bass can be enjoyable no matter what you choose to do while listening to music, but it’s a big plus for people who need exercise motivation. The Reflect Flow Pro won’t disappoint: they sound great right out of the box, with lots of low end and decently clean mids and highs. Hit the track like Billy Idol Rita Hayworth and the Reflect Flow Pro will deliver a high-octane sonic assault guaranteed to get you moving.
Subtlety isn’t their strength — these aren’t headphones for searching for lost details in your favorite jazz bands — but they’re not a dull instrument, either. JBL’s headphone app offers a very capable EQ tool that will reward a little patience and experimentation with lots of tuning variations. My only criticism is that the company didn’t include a few more built-in presets — you only get three: bass, jazz, and vocals.
Quiet or conversational
Simon Cohen / Digital trends
I was already quite impressed with the noise cancellation of the JBL Reflect Mini NC, but the Reflect Flow Pro is even better. So good, in fact, that when I compared them to the Beats Fit Pro (which have excellent ANC), I found almost no difference. Outside, traffic sounds were well muffled, allowing me to hear my podcasts clearly without having to turn up the volume. Indoors, the bathroom fan that sits seven feet from my desk—but can sound like it’s right over my head—was almost completely neutralized.
Transparency mode is also very good, with the option to choose between two versions: Ambient Aware (for general ambient sounds) and TalkThru (for conversations). Both can be quickly activated with one or two taps on the headphones, making them very convenient.
The illusion of control
The controls are the only area where JBL still has work to do. The Reflect Flow Pro’s touch controls are excellent — they respond quickly and accurately to touches, and a small tone confirms when a touch has occurred, a vital form of feedback when a physical click isn’t available. The problem is that JBL forces you to choose between four possible control “groups” and you can only have two active at a time.
For example, you can choose playback control, ambient sound/ANC/TalkThru, volume control or voice assistant. If you want playback and volume control, you can’t have Ambient Sound/ANC/TalkThru or Voice Assistant. If you want playback control and voice assistant, you can’t have ambient sound/ANC/TalkThru or volume control.
If this were something inherent to true wireless headphones, I wouldn’t complain, but it’s not: Jabra’s Elite series of headphones give you full control over every gesture, without forcing you to choose between mutually exclusive options.
I also wish there was a way to turn off voice feedback. Quickly switching from ANC to Ambient mode is great, but it’s a little less convenient when your headphones keep saying “Ambient mode on” or “Noise cancellation on”.
Speak up and be heard
Call quality is generally very good on the Reflect Flow Pro. They can struggle a bit in very noisy situations, but there are few headphones that stand out in such conditions. More importantly, they handle wind noise better than most headphones I’ve tried, which is useful considering they’ll be a good choice for runners or even cyclists. In relatively quiet conditions, you will hear yourself perfectly.
But with these headphones, you can also use your voice to summon various assistants — a rare feature that’s very handy. iOS users can use “Hey Siri” just like you would with Apple’s H1-based products (AirPods, Beats Fit Pro, Powerbeats Pro, etc.) plus there’s an option to use Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant instead — both work with their respective hands-free wake-words.
Accessories
If you’re the type of person who keeps losing things, the JBL Headphones app can make the Reflect Flow Pro emit a loud beep. Each earbud can sound independently, but the feature will not work if they are plugged into the charging case. There’s also no map to show their last known location, which some other headphones (AirPods, Jabra Elite, etc.) offer.
The app can also help you figure out if the eartip size you’ve chosen provides good protection from the outside world. If you’re not getting the sound quality you expect — especially if the bass is poor — this is the place to start.
Our opinion
With superior weather protection, excellent sound and noise cancellation, and excellent battery life, the JBL Reflect Flow Pro is the perfect alternative to the Beats Powerbeats Pro and Fit Pro for people who want a killer workout companion.
Is there a better alternative?
I think the best alternative to the Reflect Flow Pro is JBL’s own Reflect Mini NC. It’s cheaper, has a smaller charging case that makes it more pocketable, and has almost all the same features as the Pro. You won’t get the same caliber of sound quality, noise cancellation or call quality, but for some people this will be a perfectly acceptable compromise.
If you want a smaller headphone, the Beats Fit Pro will do just fine, and if you want a much more secure fit, consider the Powerbeats Pro.
How long will it last?
With an IP68 rating and a very long initial battery life, you should get many years of use out of the JBL Reflect Flow Pro. They are solidly made, as is their charging case. JBL backs them with a one-year warranty.
Should you buy them?
That. If you’re looking for a rugged set of workout headphones that can handle anything you throw at them — and are packed with solid features and great sound — the JBL Reflect Flow Pro are a great choice.
Editor’s recommendations
Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn