Creative Sound Blaster Jam Ultra-light Bluetooth Headset Review

Almost of the Bluetooth headphones we exam are intended to await cool or eye-catching in some way, sometimes to the (seemingly unintentional) detriment of the audio experience. No i can accuse the budget-friendly Creative Sound Blaster Jam of this sin—this headphone pair looks wearisome at all-time, but sounds excellent for its pocket-size $49.99 cost. Despite its light, thin, exceptionally comfortable frame, the Jam pumps out powerful bass response, and can besides evangelize a more balanced, nuanced audio with the Bass mode disabled. If fashion is far less of import to you lot than strong audio performance and low price, read on. If you have more room in your budget for both style and audio quality, the Editors' Pick Jabra Movement Wireless ($29.95 at Amazon) offers fantabulous performance and an attractive pattern for less than $100.

Blueprint
If we're talking nigh simplicity, ease of use, and helpful extra features, the supra-audible (on-ear) Sound Blaster Jam ($29.95 at Amazon)  is a winner in the design department. Its extremely lightweight build is comfortable over long listening periods, and the unproblematic on-ear controls are laid out in an intuitive way.

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On the right ear'due south outer panel, the central button controls Play/Pause, Call Answer/End, Power, and Pairing. Dedicated Book controls (that work independently of, not together with, your phone'due south book levels) double as track navigation controls, depending on how long you hold them. A "Bass" mode button along the outer rim allows users to boost the bass response with ease. Oft, Bluetooth on-ear controls are confusing to operate, since y'all take to rely on touch, but everything on the Jam is easy to discover with your fingers. The microphone is too located on the correct earpiece.

And so, from a layout and functionality standpoint, the Sound Blaster Jam is a success. From a visual standpoint, no one will ever look at these black plastic headphones and say: "Those look awesome!" Were it non for the word "Jam" scribbled in a font directly imported from the worst part of the '80s, the headphones would simply look bland and institutional. The Jam logo takes things to the realm of slightly cheesy. It'due south unfortunate, because the headphones sound and experience pretty great, especially for the price. Reagrdless, if you're looking for a style accessory, the Audio Blaster Jam is not for you.

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The Audio Blaster Jam was easy to pair with an iPhone 5s, and you can also pair NFC-compatible devices past tapping them to the headphones. Creative estimates that it gets 12 hours of battery life from a total charge, merely your results volition depend upon on how loudly you play your tracks. You tin can besides listen to audio from your PC or Mac through the USB charging cable. The included carmine cablevision is a chip longer than a typical charging cablevision for this very reason.

Functioning
On tracks with powerful sub-bass content, like The Knife'south "Silent Shout," the Sound Blaster Jam delivers deep bass that is surprisingly strong given the headphones' modest frame. The bass doesn't misconstrue at acme book with the Bass mode activated, though it does seem to teeter on the edge of distortion on this track. At moderate volumes and/or with Bass mode deactivated, this isn't an event, and even with Bass mode off, this track still sounds rather thunderous, with the lows sounding a bit tighter and cleaner.

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Tracks with less intense bass content, like Bill Callahan'due south "Drover," sound pleasantly counterbalanced through the Sound Blaster Jam. In Bass mode, Callahan's baritone vocals go a fleck more than low-cease boosting than they need, but there'due south no shortage of crisp high-mid presence to keep things well-divers and prevent the track from sounding dirty. With Bass mode off, this track sounds dramatically different—the lows accept a definite backseat to the high-mids and highs, with the treble edge of the vocals and the guitar strumming basking in the spotlight. Some listeners might yearn for a compromise between the two modes, with a fleck less bass response than Bass mode delivers, but more than the normal listening mode packs.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West'due south "No Church in the Wild," the boot drum loop gets plenty of high-mid presence to deliver a precipitous attack that slices through the mix whether in Bass mode or not. With Bass mode activated, however, the deep lows are essentially more powerful, matching the crisp attack of the loop with deep low-end sustain and a powerful presence to the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat. The vocals on this runway bladder cleanly and cleary above the entire mix with a bright, only never overly sibilant, presence.

On orchestral tracks, similar John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the Jam sounds balanced, with an added robustness in the lows with Bass mode activated. With Bass way off, this track sounds vivid, simply a tad thin at moderate volumes. Higher volumes tease out a scrap more than of the bass response, just this is a runway that truly benefits from Bass manner. The high-mid and highs remain crisp, merely the lows are brought out in a total-sounding manner.

Permit's confront it—many headphones today are fashion accessories. In that regard, the Sound Blaster Jam fails majestically. It's simply not practiced-looking, regardless of how proficient it sounds. If you're wanting a budget pair that's a little bit more mode-frontward, the Outdoor Technology DJ Slims ($29.95 at Amazon) is a solid-sounding Bluetooth headphone pair. If you take more room in your upkeep, the stylish Jabra Movement Wireless remains our Editors' Choice, and the on-ear, exercise-focused Sennheiser MM 100 ($29.95 at Amazon) is some other solid Bluetooth option. Only for $50, it'due south hard to observe much mistake with the simple, lightweight Creative Sound Equalizer Jam, other than its ho-hum design. And its looks can be forgiven considering the dearth of quality Bluetooth headphones at this low price range.

Creative Sound Equalizer Jam

The Bottom Line

They may non be beautiful, but the wireless Creative Sound Blaster Jam headphones are very comfy and sound fantastic for the toll.

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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/creative-sound-blaster-jam