JBL Synchros S300i On-Ear Headphones Review
Comex 2017 was held at Suntec City Convention Centre last week, with amazing tech deals everywhere. I went there on Thursday searching for treasure and picked up two things that day: a set of HP printer ink at 30% off and a pair of on-ear headphones, the JBL S300i. The S300i is at least 3 years old at this point in time, but at only S$69, down from the initial S$169, How can I resist such a great deal? (You can grab one at S$79 on Lazada now.)
Unboxing - Great First Impression
A lot of attention was put into the S300i's packaging. Removing two stickers at the back and sliding off the cover, we are greeted by a very "JBL orange" box with the words "Big on sound - precise in design" written on top. We shall see if the S300i lives up to these claims below. To open the orange box, you have to remove 3 more stickers.
In the box sits a black carrying case with JBL logo printed on one side and Synchros branding on the other. Unzip the case and you will find the headphones, folded up. On first impression, the headphones are heavy but screams quality. The hard case is fitted with furry interior and a mesh compartment for holding the cable. Sweet! But where is the cable?
Deeper into the orange box is a hidden compartment where you will find the paperwork, as well as the cable for the headphones. On one end we have a straight 2.5mm audio jack, which connects to the left side of the headphones. The other end is a right angled 3.5mm jack, for your audio input source. Nice!
Design & Build Quality - How is This Only $69?
The JBL S300i comes in multiple colours and the one I got was black with blue accents. Making up the S300i's housing is a combination of matte plastic and metal, which feels really sturdy in the hand, be it a little heavy. The steel headband is covered with small amount of soft padding which gets the job done, but more cushioning would have been nicer. The ear pads are soft and thick, making them really comfortable to wear. Unlike many other ear pads I have seen, these does not press against your ears but fit to them instead.
The ear cups are rotatable 180° and can be tilted vertically at a small angle, allowing them to sit really nicely on any ears. The adjustable hinges allow you to fold the S300i up for storage in the really compact black case. The headband has 12 levels of adjustments on each side, but the maximum length is only what I would consider “big enough".
The cable’s colour matches the accent of the headphones, blue in my case. As the name may suggest, the volume controls only work on iOS devices, but the play/pause button works for both mobile platforms. The microphone is well hidden behind the volume buttons, nowhere to be seen. There is also a really handy clip, but overall, the cable feels plastic and cheap.
From the one week I have spent with the S300i, the ear pads are holding up really well but the headband cushion is starting to show serious signs of wear and tear. Will update you guys again once I spend more time with these on-ear headphones.
Update: The headband's cushion is peeling off very seriously after a month of use. The ear pads are also peeling off a little, but to a much smaller extent. We will see how it holds up after a year.
Sound Quality - Sweet Sweet Details, Balanced Sound
If you love bass, these headphones are not for you. Bass is clean but not super punchy on the S300i. Meanwhile, treble is crisp and clear, not excessive. Overall, I would describe the sound as really balanced. What really impressed me was the level of details the S300i could achieve. For a S$69 on-ear headphone, this is probably as good as you can get.
I tested the S300i using songs from Spotify on a Redmi Note 4 running HalogenOS ROM, with streaming quality set to extreme. First up, listening to 李白 by 李荣浩 on the JBL S300i is satisfactory, with the cymbals being overshadowed. With a little magic from AudioFX, the cymbals were brought back to life, clear and sharp. (Note: If you are listening via YouTube, you won't be able to hear the striking sound of the hi-hat at all.)
Next up, we have the instrumental version of 何日再相见. The amount of details is awesome. Highs are really nice without having to use EQ, but the occasional sound of the drum was not as deep and filling as I had hoped. This is probably due to the prominence of the highs in the track. But overall, very shiok!
Third on the list is 忘了如何遗忘 by 郭静. This song begins with the piano and you can really feel the oomph on the first key when listening on the S300i. There are points in the song where the headphones struggles a little, but overall, it was an enjoyable experience.
Lastly, Lying From You by Linkin Park. The bass produced is clean but does not have a lot of depth. Something I do like about the S300i when listening to this song is that the vocals are very pronounced and not engulfed by the bass and noise.
Despite being closed-back, noise isolation isn't very good on the S300i and noise leakage is an issue. Unless you want glaring eyes staring at you, it is probably not a good idea to listen to these on the way to work or even at work. Also, due to the weight, wearing the S300i longer than an hour or two will cause you to feel fatigue.
Conclusion - Excellent Value
I was intending on getting something costlier at Comex, something within the price range of S$100-150. However, after trying out several headphones including Creative’s Aurvana ANC and JBL’s E55BT, I was most impressed by the S300i and ended up buying it. After using it for a week, I am in love with the S300i and can confidently say that I do not regret purchasing it.
Great sound is very subjective, but one thing that cannot be denied is that sound from the S300i is incredibly detailed, beyond what you get from other on-ear headphones in this price range. Its biggest con would be the weight, which makes it unsuitable for long listening sessions.
Right now, you can grab a JBL S300i from the official JBL Lazada shop at only $79. Should you get one? If you do not currently own a pair of on-ear headphones, the S300i offers excellent bang-for-your-buck and is a great pair of headphones to start. But if you already have a decent sounding pair, save the money to get something lighter and better.
