JBL makes quality speakers with their signature bass boosted sound. When I tried their first truly wireless earbud, Tune 120TWS, they sounded pretty good but the bass just left me wanting more. Also they were more for casual use and not for active individuals who put their earbuds and speakers through their sweaty workouts.
The JBL Reflect Flow steps in to fill that demand. Retailing at S$239, it is packed with 10 hours of playtime per charge and armed with IPX7 waterproof rating. Is it any good? Let’s get into the review.
Unboxing
JBL Reflect Flow comes in 4 colors – black, blue, yellow, teal. The unit I have is the black one.
Unboxing the Reflect Flow, you get:
- JBL Reflect Flow earbuds (17g each)
- Charging case (8.5cm * 4cm * 3.2cm, 51g)
- Ear tips x3 (Size S, M, L)
- Ear fins (ie. FreeBit) x3 (Size S, M, L)
- Micro USB charging cable
- Quick start guide
Tech specs
- Driver Size: 5.8mm Dynamic Driver
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
- Bluetooth version: 5.0 Headset
- Charging time: <2 hrs from empty
- Music playtime: 10 hours (20 hours in charging case)
- IPX7 waterproof rating
The JBL Reflect Flow is packed with great specs whether or not you are using it for casual use or for workouts. Armed with IPX7 waterproof rating, you can feel safe going through any kind of sweaty activities.
Again, like the JBL Tune 120TWS, charging is done via micro-USB and not USB-C. At S$239, it is expected for USB-C to be included. Having said that, you still get a rapid charge feature – a 10 min charge gives you 1 hour of playback time.
Build quality and features
Once you take the Reflect Flow out of the case, you can tell that this is a well built pair of earbuds. The gunmetal portions of the earbuds gives off sturdy feel and durable. The buttons on the Reflect Flow are pretty okay to press on.
As for the charging case, it has a pretty decent grip and the hinge does not feel flimsy and shuts tightly magnetically. It shows you a battery level indicator which is really useful and under-rated. The earbuds snap back easily to the magnetic points in the charging case.
With regards to playback controls, the left earbud controls the special listening modes – (1) TalkThru, and (2) AmbientAware, by pressing on the button once, which will shuffle through the options.
TalkThru is a feature whereby the mic takes in the sound outside and amplifies it in your ears. Based on my experience, TalkThru works best in a still environment with not much consistent noise. In the best condition, the result you hear from your ears makes it feel like you are not really wearing any earbuds. But in environments such as coffee shops, all I can really hear is the fan wind sound being amplified and not the conversation around me.
AmbientAware is basically audio transparency. The audio that comes in from the mic just sounds okay, feels a little processed, but it works effectively to let in outside sound if you’re biking and need to hear the surroundings.
The left earbud also allows you to skip tracks with two presses. And on the right earbud, a single press pause/play the song while double press activates your voice assistant. One downside here is that there is no way to adjust your volume and to go back on a track just through your earbuds.
Battery life
The JBL Reflect Flow is equipped with 10 hours of battery on a single charge, which is really long. putting it on par with Creative Outlier Air and X-mini Liberty+. Even after an hour of use the battery life drops by only 8-9%
A fully charged case can provide another 20 hours which is more than sufficient. And due to JBL’s rapid charging, you get 1 hour of play time from just 10 minutes of charging.
Fit
The Reflect Flow comes with 3 different sizes of ear tips and ear fins (or as JBL would call them FreeBits). The ear fins and ear tips are separate attachments, which means you can actually wear the Reflect Flow without the ear fins. I tried that – and they don’t fit very well – so better to attach the ear fins.
And when you do attach the ear fins, the Reflect Flow stay very secure in your ears. If you tried to fling those earbuds out of ears without yours hand I don’t think you can ever do it. You want something that stays in your ears no matter what workout you’re doing – the JBL Reflect Flow is perfect for you.
The fit is generally comfortable but due to the presence of the ear fins, they don’t feel as light in your ears. Depending on your ear shape, unless you find a perfect ear fin, it might get a little bit uncomfortable after long periods of wearing them. I do wish the ear fins were much softer at the edges.
Pairing and connectivity
Pairing the Reflect Flow to your phone is fairly easy. You remove the both earbuds and the name ‘JBL REFLECT FLOW’ should appear in your Bluetooth settings. The earbuds are seen as one unit in your Bluetooth.
Having Bluetooth 5.0, the connection was really stable and I barely experienced any audio dropouts. And if you want to use the Reflect Flow on one ear, you can only the right earbud as it is the master earbud.
Sound quality
JBL really delivered with the sound on the Reflect Flow. The sound of the JBL Reflect Flow is a bass boosted one. The lows you get on these are full, boomy and punchy – something JBL is known for. The bass response on this earbuds is its biggest trait. You can feel the sub bass from songs that have deep boomy bass. Despite having amped up the bass response, clarity is not sacrificed. Bass does not overshadow the mids or highs.
For mids and highs, they are clean and clear, and generally have a very nice balance which is versatile for many genres of songs. Highs are bright and transparent but yet do not get grainy. Soundstage is pretty okay. On most songs, you can hear a good amount of dimension. But when rock songs, it can feel a little flat and narrow. Otherwise, you generally a decent amount of spaciousness on your songs from the Reflect Flow.
JBL Reflect Flow vs Creative Outlier Air
Both earbuds sound very similar to each other, just with a couple of slight nuances. Bass wise, the JBL Reflect Flow and Creative Outlier Air both delivers firm and detailed bass with good sub-bass weight that do not overpower the mids and highs. Mids are also similar. As for highs, the JBL Reflect Flow is bright but slightly more controlled than the Outlier Air which can a little bit too bright and grainy on certain songs. With regards to soundstage, the Outlier Air sounds more open and wider than the Reflect Flow. This is more apparent and rock and alternative genres such as Fall Out Boy.
JBL Reflect Flow vs X-mini Liberty+
Both earbuds also have the same bass boosted signature. But where the JBL Reflect Flow and X-mini Liberty+ distinguish themselves are in the mids, highs and soundstage. The easiest way to put it would be that if you take the X-mini Liberty+ and bump down slightly on the bass and amp up the highs, you can a similar sound profile to that of the JBL Reflect Flow. Having said that, the JBL Reflect Flow do provide a more clean audio experience.
Conclusion
JBL comes with really great features – 10 hour battery life, IPX7, secure fit and great bass boosted dynamic sound, all in a package that costs S$239. It might seem a little expensive but if you’re looking for a solid pair of workout wireless earbuds, I think this is a pretty good choice for you to consider. They really fit so securely in your ears it takes some effort to get them out of your ears.
Where to buy
You can buy it from Stereo Singapore shop on Qoo10. Or you can also consider the links listed on JBL Singapore’s website. But with the ability to use and stack coupons, I would go with Qoo10 any day.