JBL T450BT Review

Wireless headphones are flocking the market, and while this might be good, it gives the consumer a hard task choosing between the different headphone models and brands. With the JBL T450BT which comes at a very cheap price, there are very few competitors that could match up this headphones overall performance.

In this review, we will delve into the JBL T450BT’s build and design, comfort and fit, sound quality and lastly its packaging and accessories. We will also make a quick comparison of the T450BT to different headphone models. If you are interested, we also reviewed another BT wireless headphone in this site, the Sennheiser HD 4.40.

We also have an article here reviewing the OneOdio A30 ANC Bluetooth headphones that you might be interested in.

JBL T450BT Specs

Driver type: Dynamic
Driver size: 32mm
Headphone type: Closed-back
Ear coupling: On-Ear
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Sensitivity: Unknown
Frequency response: 20Hz – 20000Hz
Pads: Pleather
Headphone Connector: Wireless/ 3.5mm
Cable length: 1.2m
Color options: Black, Blue, White
Headphone weight: 144g
Battery Life: 11 Hours
Bluetooth version: 4.0
Where to buy: Amazon

Design

Looks and Build Quality

The JBL T450BT comes in a very compact design, easily foldable and very perfectly suited for an active lifestyle. The T450BT is an On-ear headphone, and it has small earcups that are designed to rest against the ears.

The headphone is lightweight and features mostly plastic construction in its build. The design feels cheap, but overall the quality of the plastic seems good enough for the price paid to get this headphone. The headphone is pretty bare bone, no padding on the headband or any sort of material that acts as a cushion. The earpads are well padded, and the pleather that covers them is soft and sits very fine on the ear. However, the pleather cover of the earpads is very thin which makes it more prone to break down over time.

The earpad’s openings are small, and this is to be expected with On-ear headphones because they are meant to sit on your ear as opposed to Over-the-ear headphones where the ear is covered entirely by the earpads.

Controls

The JBL T450BT is completely wireless and does not include any port that a user can use an external cable to connect to a playback device. To use the T450BT, it comes with the basic controls that can be used to operate the headphone easily.

All of the headphone controls and indicators are located on the bezel of the right earcup. From top to bottom, the controls and indicators are as follows: a small microphone, the power button, an LED indicator and a 3-button control that will provide the following; track skipping, call and music management and volume control.

The buttons are easy to operate, easily identifiable but could have been better if they were better spaced. To power up the headphone press the power button. The power button also works to enable Bluetooth pairing mode by pressing and holding down it down for a few seconds.

JBL T450BT wireless buttons

Bluetooth Connectivity

As earlier stated, to enable Bluetooth connectivity, you will need to press and hold on the power button. The LED button on the headphone blinks blue as an indication the headphone is searching for a device to pair with. Once the pairing process to your playback device is successful, the LED light stops blinking followed a successes sound that is played from the headphone speakers.

The connection to a playback device is very fine, and we experienced to issues with pairing. The Bluetooth connection also has a decent range of about 10 meters. JBL T450BT supports Bluetooth version 4.0 but does not support NFC, multi-device pairing or aptX.

For watching movies, you will experience latency issues that would be minimized by using wired mode or having support for aptX and currently the T450BT does not support both of these.

Battery Life

The battery life of the JBL T450BT is up to 11 hours, which is more than enough to take you through the day. However, the headphone takes up to 3 hours to completely be charged. The long time taken to charge this headphone to full capacity may make the headphone not ideal for long trips where you will not have access to a power source. However, for casual listening at home or working out, the battery life is adequate.

If you’ll have charging issues with your Bluetooth headphones, here’s an article that can help you out.

Running and Gym Use

Unfortunately, the JBL T450BT is not water or sweat proof and could be damaged if exposed to water. However, if your exercises are light or you do not profusely sweat, this headphone can be very fit for use in the gym. The headphone can be great for light and simple exercises like Yoga or walking which do not make you sweat profusely.

Comfort and Fit

The JBL T450BT is very light on the head, which makes it feel as if it is not on your head. The earcups are well padded and the pleather material though not of high quality is soft and feels good when it sits on the ears. The headband lacks cushioning, and though this might present some discomfort when used for a more extended period, the headphone is light enough, and no pressure spots are formed.

The clamping force of the headphone when new is quite high, over time you can actually get uncomfortable from using this headphone. After using the headphone for some time, the clamping force lessens, and the headphone becomes bearable to wear for longer periods. Do not try to adjust the headphone by pulling it apart to reduce the clamping force, let it correct itself over time.

The headphone also has a steel band in the headband that allows height adjustments to fit different head sizes. To adjust the headband, hold the earcup and pull out the headband slowly to your required fit.

Sound

Audio Quality

The overall sound quality of the JBL T450BT is just ok. The bass is dominant while the mids come out as very balanced. The treble response is good but lacks enough details. Overall, the sound signature of the JBL T450BT makes it a very good choice for bassy and musical genres.

Below is a breakdown of the JBL T450BT’s sound signature.

Low-End (Bass)

The bass response of the JBL T450BT is good. However, in our testing, pumping up the volume of this headphone made the bass more prominent and overall made the bass heavier. At high volume, the bass also muddies up the other frequencies.

Mids and High-End (Treble)

The midrange is well balanced and comes out with very good clarity. From vocals to lead instruments, the midrange delivers perfect reproduction of sound.

The treble comes out sharply but overall seems decent for the price. There is a lack of details, and it is also affected by sibilance in some tracks.

Noise Isolation

The JBL T450BT does not come with an active cancellation feature. To isolate noise, the JBL T450BT uses its earcups. However, for an On-ear headphone, it does very little to isolate noise entirely passively. Because of this, they are not suitable for use in a noisy environment because of noise leakage into the earcups. However, the headphone does not leak much sound outside, and you can crank up the volume to counter the noise.

Microphone and Call Quality

The microphone of the JBL T450BT when used for calls in a good environment which no noise was good. A user will hear you but the voice does not come as naturally as it should. In a noisy environment, though the user at the end can hear you, the microphone picks up every kind of noise in the background, and this may make it hard for a clear and coherent conversation.

Packaging and Accessories

JBL T450 BT package and accessories

What we like:

• Cheap
• Good sound at the price
• Lightweight and very compact
• Good sound quality

What we don’t:

• Lack of headband padding
• The overall quality and choice of materials is not great

Comparison Table

BATT.* – Battery Life
CANC.* – Active Noise Cancellation

The Competition

1. JBL T450BT vs.Sony WH-CH500

The JBL T450BT is an excellent Bluetooth headphone. However, if you are looking for alternative options, the Sony WH-CH500 is a great choice, but cost more than the JBL T450BT. Overall, both headphones have a cheap build quality and flimsy materials. However, the JBL T450BT is a superior competitor in most aspects when compared to the Sony WH-CH500. First, in terms of portability, the JBL T450BT offers a much compact folding mechanism, which makes them easily to move around. The Sony WH-CH500 do not fold into a compact design and will be easily stored in a storage case or hang around your neck if you like to keep them with you. The sound quality of these two headphones is more similar, but the JBL T450BT has a deeper and punchy bass that is much clear. However, the Sony WH-CH500 come with better a better and longer battery life and also support NFC for a quick and easy Bluetooth pairing.

2. JBL T450BT vs. JBL E45BT

For a better competitor and similarly priced in the range of the Sony WH-CH500, the JBL T45BT is solid and better performer compared to the JBL T450BT. The JBL E45BT looks and feels premium to the T450BT. The T45BT is much comfortable and foldable for portability. The T45BT also comes with better battery life and comes with a wired mode if the battery dies. For Bluetooth connectivity, the JBL T45BT can pair up to two devices, unlike the T450BT that pairs only one. The overall sound signature of the E45BT is more balanced and better than the T450BT. The JBL T45BT is overall a much better competitor but if you are on a budget; the JBL T450BT comes at less than half the price of the E45BT.

3. JBL T450BT vs. Jabra Move wireless

The Jabra Move wireless comes at nearly double the price of the T450BT, and that is for a good reason. First, their build quality is better with premium materials that feel and look good. The headphone is also much comfortable. The headband is slightly padded and better than the bare bone plastic headband on the JBL T450BT. The sound quality of the Jabra Move wireless is great, but thee JBL T450BT can hold up against this headphone. One aspect of the sound that the Jabra Move wireless feels and sounds better than the T450 BT would be the microphone and call quality. However, the battery life of the T450BT is better, and the headphone is much portable with a compact design compared to the Jabra Move wireless.

4. JBL T450BT vs. Beats Solo3 Wireless

The Beats Solo3 Wireless comes with a price tag of nearly $300. To compare the Beats Solo3 Wireless to the JBL T450BT seems like the Beats Solo3 Wireless would beat it easily. Though this is the case, if you are looking to a price to performance ratio the JBL T450BT is a better pick over the JBL T450BT. Otherwise, if you have a few hundred bucks to spare you can go with the Beats Solo3 wireless. The Solo3 comes in more than ten different colors, a 40-hour battery life, and a load of accessories that makes it much superior to the JBL T450BT. The sound quality of the Solo3 is more balanced, but the bass tends to sound overpowering and powerful compared to the other sound signatures. The midrange of this headphone is slightly recessed which gives bassy instruments more emphasis than vocals and other lead instruments.