JBL Tune 710BT Wireless Headphones Review

The box they arrived in was quite nice and included a few very well-made cables for listening and charging. I like the orange charging cable; it is very visible and hard to lose. Pulling the 710BTs out of the box they seem well made, though a bit small. The padding on the headband is not as thick as many other brands but is still somewhat comfortable. The first thing I did was give them a full charge, which took about one hour and 20 minutes, then set them on a 24-hour break-in at full volume. JBL claims a 50-hour listening time on one charge which is impressive and for every five minutes of charge time, you get three hours of listening time.

One feature I love about the 710BTs is the nice bit of music that plays when you turn them on or off. Some headphones just beep and leave you wondering what that means. Low power? Out of range? What? These make it very clear what the headphones are trying to tell you. I wish that was more common in the wireless headphone world.

Out of the box, the 710BTs were a bit tingly and lacking bass, so I decided to give them a 24-hour break-in. That helped a lot, they really smoothed out and sounded fuller. Some female vocals still sounded a bit tingly after the break-in period. Bass was probably the biggest letdown in these headphones. Instead of deep clean bass, it was more of a popping sound. All in all, it’s hard to really fault a $39 pair of headphones. At this price point, they are near perfect. Of course, they don’t compare with anything above $199, but if you need something for the gym or yard work, the 710BTs are perfect.

I would like to follow up after giving these much more break-in time to see if the bass and highs smooth out more. Although they lack an active noise-canceling feature, the ear pads do an excellent job of blocking out most ambient sound. If you hadn’t told me the 710BTs were $39, I would guess they were around $99-149. They’re probably the best inexpensive headphones I have tested to date.

Yes, they are $39 on sale, and that is what makes them a great buy. They’re definitely not the best in terms of sound or features but they make up for it in value and listening time and are an overall solid set of headphones. JBL makes a lower-priced version of these, the Tune 510BT, which is currently on sale for $24 at Amazon if you’re looking for an even crazier deal. Some improvements could be made to low-end bass and comfort, but they compare well to headphones two to three times their price.