Skullcandy Jib True

The Jib True weigh no more than five grams per side, which is conducive to a comfortable, long-lasting fit that also provides enough stability for a short sprint. However, the design is neither flat nor slim, so the casing of these in-ears means they protrude significantly from the ear, which prevents you from wearing a cap or lying on your side, for example. But an advantage of these robust-looking earpieces is that they are protected from weather-related moisture thanks to their water resistance.

In our battery endurance test, these in-ears offered a runtime of up to six and a half hours at a higher volume, which was a good result. In the transport case, which serves as a charging station, these headphones can be fully charged twice and charged to 50 per cent once, resulting in a total runtime of 22 hours and 45 minutes. A good feature is that both in-ears have a separate LED charging level indicator, which shows if the earphones are being charged correctly when they are placed in the charging case. In addition, you can see when the charging cycle is complete, which only takes 50 minutes and enables further use after a reasonable amount of time. An LED on the case also signals that the battery reserve has been restored after 130 minutes; here, the power is supplied via a micro-USB connection, rather than the more modern USB-C variant which is not included. A corresponding USB charging cable is included in the package.

Device control

Pairing these in-ears, which support Bluetooth standard 5.0 and single-sided use in single mode, can be done as soon as they are removed from the case. This turns the system on and automatically puts it into pairing mode, while placing them back in the charger turns the headphones off. Alternatively, manual switch-off is also possible by a long press on the buttons embedded in the surface, while a short press switches the in-ears back on.

When a wireless connection is established, a single touch controls playback, which can be done on both sides and is also used to answer and end phone calls. Track selection can be made by briefly pressing and holding the left headphone to go back and the right headphone to go forward. Volume control is also available, with a double press on the left reducing the level and a double press on the right increasing it. Voice assistants can also be activated by pressing three times on either side. All in all, this is a successful operating concept that offers versatile control options, especially since the remote responds reliably. However, the buttons seemed a little stiff, which can cause a feeling of pressure in the ear. The size of the housing is an advantage in this case, as the headphones can be held with two fingers when controlling your device. We also noticed that the range of the Bluetooth connection varied considerably depending on the device used. In combination with various Android and iOS systems, there was a range of just under seven to ten metres within an urban environment, with occasional dropouts. When making a phone call, you have to accept that your own voice will sound somewhat choppy and have a tendency to hiss, while the person on the other end can be understood perfectly.

Sound

The Jib True have a high output with impressive reserves that can be used with little distortion. However, there’s no need to turn up the volume on these headphones, as the tuning offers listening pleasure regardless of level with its round, rich bass response. Even if the precision decreases in the lower ranges, the rich low bass sounds sufficiently defined, does not boom or rumble and does not seem muffled, which makes for a warm but fairly clear sound image from these in-ears. The midrange sound is pleasing and reproduces lead instruments and vocals smoothly but with substance. The highs do not fall off, although the treble range seems rather more restrained. However, the reproduction does not exhibit sharpness or harshness and is subtle even at higher volumes. In this respect, no serious weaknesses can be detected. On the contrary, given their price, they offer a good, bass-driven sound with a high fun factor.