JVC True Wireless Earbuds 2022 REVIEW

Mediocre Sound, Uncomfortable Fit, Poor Connectivity

Earbuds have mediocre sound, uncomfortable fit, and poor connectivity.

When it comes to earbuds, I find that there are two significant factors that must be fulfilled before any of the other bells/whistles should be considered. The first and most important aspect is the fit and comfort to the user because an uncomfortable device will not be well received, no matter the sound quality.

Audiophile-grade earbuds that cause fatigue, pain, or discomfort will not likely sell well. However, a truly comfortable pair of earbuds will likely receive more accolades, even at lesser output qualities. The second factor to be considered is the quality of the sound followed by a robust smart device connection.

Thus, before considering waterproofing, battery life, accessories, and wired vs wireless charging options, a company must clear the comfort/sound hurdles. Unfortunately, the JVC True Wireless Earbuds experienced two quick strikes with fit/sound, and then quickly struck out with the problematic Bluetooth connectivity.

UNBOXING

The JVC True Wireless Earbuds arrived in a 3 1/8 inches wide by 4 3/8 inches tall by 1 3/8 inches thick hanging-style retail package. The cover panel displayed the red JVC logo along the top left, a picture of the front/back of the earbuds along the top right, and an overly generic True Wireless Earbuds name along the middle of the panel.

The lower section of the panel provided an image of the closed earbud case, the HA-A3T model number, a large Bluetooth logo, and five product feature icons (Eco-Friendly Less Plastic Package, 22-hour battery life, microphone, water resistance, and touch buttons). The black-colored side panels contrasted nicely with the clean white cover panel.

The left panel listed the generic product name, while the opposite side panel re-displayed the main product features (Touch control, IPX4 Rain Proof, Remote Microphone, up to 22 hours (7.5 +14.5*2) battery life), and product accessories (USB charging cable, charging case, instruction manual). I was a bit disappointed with the IPX4 rating, and with the lack of transparency in the type of USB charger. The small icon of the short USB cable could not be identified as USB-Micro or USB-C.  

The rear panel proved to be overly cluttered with information. The JVC logo was present along the top left, the model number was listed at the top right, and the remainder of the panel was overrun with black text upon a white background. The panel detailed the Bluetooth 5.1, built-in lithium-ion battery (did not specify size), four product feature descriptions, product manufacturing labels, contact address/information, and a small FCC rules segment. The panel provided a multilingual description of the five product features (1. IPX4 rating is not waterproof and is only for the earbuds.

The case is not IPX water-resistant compliant. 2. Charging case. 3. May vary depending on usage conditions. 4. Warning that some phones may limit device capabilities. 5. Bluetooth logo description). To access the True Wireless Earbuds, I lifted the top lid, removed the sizeable white cardboard tray, and then the two included pamphlets (1. JVCKENWOOD JVC limited 1-year warranty/registration and multilingual startup guide.). 

Charging/Pairing

After my recent review of the JVC Riptidz, I was excited to trial the JVC True Wireless earbuds. I removed the 1.6-oz, 2 1/2 inches wide by 7/8 inches thick by 1 3/4 inches tall black charging case, opened the lid, removed each of the 0.1-ounce, 1 1/4 inches tall by 7/8 inches wide by 3/4 inches thick earbuds, and then removed the paper blocking tabs.

I returned the earbuds to the charging case, removed the short 10 5/8 inches long USB-A to USB-C cable, and plugged the device into a standard 5V/2A USB-A port. After approximately 2.5 hours, the flashing LED at the front of the case ceased flashing and assumed a solid state. I removed each of the earbuds, placed them into my ears and a female voice noted “Power on, Pairing.”  I navigated to Settings on my iPhone 13 Pro Max, then to Bluetooth, and selected JVC HA-A3T from the list. The female voice then noted, “pairing successful, connected.”  

Unlike the Riptidz, the JVC true wireless earbuds had no silicone ear tips and thus no adjustability. The triangular shape did not seem to fit my ear canals securely and regularly fell out when running, jumping, during burpees, or anything outside of sedentary utility. With the main draw for hands-free use, I was a bit disappointed to have to continuously press them back into my ears.

I felt that there was a lot of sound leak, and the shape decreased the bass effect with poor seal. Even though they were lightweight and had a sleek, tacticool-black color, I found very little to like about the JVC True Wireless Earbuds. Before you gawk at the sub $25 cost, let me affirm the cliché that you get what you pay for.

I severely disliked that the earbuds seemed to randomly disconnect from my smartphone, that they would randomly beep within my ears, and that they would randomly announce “pairing.”  Displeased with the shape, the fit, the comfort, and the connectivity, I cautiously turned to the sound/testing.    

SOUND/TESTING

If you have read any of my previous earbud reviews, you will know that I love to utilize the audiocheck.net website to evaluate the parameters. I started with the Low-Frequency Response and Subwoofer Audio Test (10-200 Hz) and heard the same whining noise as the JVC Riptidz. Unlike the Riptidz, with good strong bass at 20Hz, the JVC True Wireless buds had weak sound at 20Hz and increased minimally starting at 30Hz.

The male announcer sounded clear and crisp, while the rumbling under tones felt muddy and blurred. The whining noise was less noticeable at 40 Hz but never truly went away. I placed my phone on the ground in front of me, assumed a prone/laying position, and repeated this test three more times. When I turned my head side to side, the earbuds beeped, and lost connection with my iPhone.

I disconnected them from my iPhone, reconnected them, repeated the process, and experienced the same result. I disconnected the device again, paired it with my iPad Pro 12.9”, and experienced the same issue. I next considered a website/test issue and repeated the process with the High-Frequency Response and Hearing Audio Test (22-8 kHz).

Yet again, I noted that the earbuds lost connection when my head was turned. I was able to maintain connection when the phone was directly in front of my face but not when my head rotated even to 45 degrees from center. I left the website, attempted to listen to several songs on Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Pandora, and experienced the same issue each time. 

When I completed the High-Frequency test, I found that I was able to hear the upper frequency at 15kHz, which was on par with my ability to hear. With age and sound trauma, we tend to lose our upper-frequency sensitivity prior to the lower frequency ranges.

My children were able to hear to about 17-18kHz, while I was limited to ~15kHz. I used the Left/Right (Stereo) tests and found that the left/right/center channels were appropriately programmed, and then tested the “Original Binaural Recording” on the Stereo Perception and Sound Localization Test. The knocking test did an okay job at representing the sound stage but I could not get over the problematic Bluetooth connection.

Honestly, the inability to move my head in either direction without static, distortion, and complete cutting out of the earbuds, meant the device was a no-go for me. I was unable to move my phone to my pocket, move to a different room, or listen to music/movies/Audible without a direct line of sight with my phone.

With the lack of comfort and unreliable connectivity, I struggled to continue with the testing process. I liked that each earbud had an outer haptic/touch button with intuitive, responsive controls. A single touch of either earbud will play/pause the sound, while a double press of the right will progress to the next track and a triple press will return to the previous track.

The left earbud will decrease the volume with a double tap, while a triple tap increased the volume. With the above tests completed, I navigated to Amazon Music and ran through a variety of my test tracks. Unfortunately, I continued to experience the same popping, cracking, and cutting-out that I experienced above. I thus decided to end my testing process a bit early.

Even though the bass felt unsupported and muffled, I thought the mids and upper sounds were quite warm. The earbuds seemed to have a pop equalizer preset and seemed to succeed in the mid/upper range with Home Free “Sea Shanty Medly” and “Fishin’ in the Dark/Down in the Boonddocks.”  Even though Home Free performed a nice cover rendition of the medley, I still prefer the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Little Big Town renditions. I returned to the Riptidz and ran through my favorite song tracks again.

I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt to the JVC headphones but the uncomfortable shape/design paired with the dreadful Bluetooth connection rendered the device unusable. Even though you can pick up a pair of the devices for <$25, I would much prefer to spend just a bit more to get the Riptidz or other $30-50 earbuds. 

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