JBL Reflect Flow

As the ergonomically-shaped Freebit ear cushions of these in-ears have small wings, these sports headphones have an extremely good and secure hold in the ear cup, which has sufficient stability even with strong vibrations and fast, jerky movements. At the same time, the pressure on the auditory canal is relieved so that the firm fit is not uncomfortable in the long run. Only caps or other headgear can cause pressure problems, as the headphones protrude slightly despite their compact design and do not embed themselves completely in the ear. Both the transport case, which serves as a charging station, and the in-ears themselves appear perfectly finished and, despite their relatively light weight, are robust and of high quality. While the case weighs 73 grams, the headphones seem pleasantly light with 9 grams per side. The sweat- and water-resistant construction not only proves to be advantageous for sports, but also simplifies cleaning and care of the system, it also offers protection against weather-related moisture during all outdoor activities.

The quick-charging lithium-ion batteries of the headphones have a capacity of 110 mAh and achieve a remarkable runtime of eleven and a half hours in use at high levels. If required, the quick-charge function also allows more than two and a half hours of further use after ten minutes of charging in the transport case, while full charging of the in-ears takes almost exactly 95 minutes. The case has a battery reserve of 850 mAh, which is sufficient to power the headphones about two and a half times, so that the total battery life is approximately 38 hours. If the capacity of the transport case is exhausted, it can be recharged in about two hours using the supplied USB charging cable. A good feature here is that the case provides feedback on charging progress via LEDs and that these serve as a battery status indicator during use.

Device control

The pairing of the Reflect Flow, which supports Bluetooth standard 5.0, takes place automatically with removal from the case, by switching the system on and putting it into pairing mode. The headphones can also be returned to the charger to switch them off. Alternatively, the buttons integrated into the surface can be held down for a long tap to switch them on and off manually. Since the right headphone functions as the master, it can also be used in single mode. If there is a connection, the right-hand side is used to control the Play/Stop function and to accept and end calls. These can be made with clear speech intelligibility. Supported speech assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant and Bixby can also be called up by pressing twice. In addition, you can jump to the next title by double-clicking on the left; otherwise, the button activates the TalkThru and Ambient Aware functions. Volume control is therefore not available and must be carried out either on the device itself or via voice control, which is also possible over longer distances, as there was an extremely stable range of a good eight meters in conjunction with various Android and iOS systems.

Sound

The sports headphones have a powerful output with plenty of reserves, which can also be used with very little distortion, so that there is enough power even if you’re working out even with lots of background noise. The slightly springy basses sound round and full, especially as the lush foundation reaches deep down and is defined enough to push powerfully. Despite the strong bass, the tuning does not appear unbalanced, but harmonious, because midrange and treble are not dominated and no drop in the upper frequencies is noticeable. Although the support of high-quality audio codecs has been dispensed with, the rounded, warm sound is well resolved and as clear as possible, covering a broad musical spectrum. Bass-focused music with depth, however, benefits particularly from the orientation and is fun to listen to, especially when playing sports.

TalkThru and Ambient Aware function

Those who wish to understand announcements or make a call despite the high shielding can do so in TalkThru mode, which can be activated by pressing the left button, resulting in a significant reduction in playback. At the same time, high-frequency external noise is amplified via the microphones so that conversation is possible without any problems. In a quiet atmosphere, background noise can be perceived, but it does not interfere with speech intelligibility. In Ambient Aware mode, on the other hand, you can hear a mix of playback and the outside world, which increases your own safety, especially during urban outdoor activities. This function can be switched on by pressing the left button again, while a third press returns to normal playback.