Comparison JBL Wave Beam 2 vs JBL Wave Flex 2

This item primarily specifies the way headphones are mounted on the ears; by this parameter, modern headphones are divided into over-ear, in-ear, earbuds, open-ear types. For over-ear models, it may also specify the acoustic design (closed, semi-open, open), as well as the presence of features such as over-ear construction (in the absence of this feature such headphones are called on-ear, or just "on-ear"), swivel cups, auto headband adjustment or even the popular mid-2021 trend — Cat Ear Headphones (headphones with cat ears). Details such as a rigid band, over-the-ear mounting, neck mounting, and folding ability, can be combined with almost any method of ear placement (with some exceptions — for example, on-ear models cannot be worn on the neck).

Here is a more detailed description of different ear placement options:

— On-ear. On-ear headphones are placed outside the auditory pinnae, covering the ear from the side ("usual" on-ear models) or completely (full-size Over-Ear — see below). In any case, such models are fairly large. This, on the one hand, simplifies the creation of headphones w...ith advanced audio characteristics, and also allows using some specific tricks without much difficulty — for example, multiple drivers or multichannel surround sound support. On the other hand, the size of the "ears" complicates transportation and use on the go. Moreover, it should be noted that most on-ear models feature a headband, making them less compatible with complex hairstyles and some headgear. This disadvantage is absent in models with rigid bands and over-the-ear mounts, but they also have their specifics (see below).
On-ear headphones can have different acoustic designs:

• Closed. Models with a high degree of sound isolation, maximally shielding the user from external sounds. This design contributes to rich sound (especially in the bass range) and provides a very powerful immersion effect, making it suitable for home use (including computer games) and noisy environments. However, using such "ears" on the street is not recommended: full isolation from surrounding sounds in such conditions can be unsafe. Besides, it is believed that a fully closed design slightly worsens sound fidelity.
• Open. Headphones with minimal sound isolation, allowing most external sounds through. They are less powerful and rich in sound compared to closed models and less effective in noisy environments; also, the sound from such headphones is easily heard by those around. On the other hand, open models generally provide more authentic sound and are better suited for situations where it's necessary to monitor the surrounding environment — for example, for use on the street.
• Semi-open. A kind of compromise between the above-described options: headphones with better sound isolation than open models but still not reaching the level of closed "ears." For some users, this intermediate option may be more comfortable. Additionally, semi-open headphones are valued in professional sound work: they retain bass richness and at the same time do not create the distortions characteristic of a fully closed design.
• With a rigid band. A rigid band allows the earbuds to be reliably fixed to the auditory pinnae. A close analogue of the rigid band is the headband of full-size headphones, but unlike that, the band is worn on the back of the head, not the top. For this reason, rigid bands are mostly made without soft padding, from bare plastic/metal. Headphones with a rigid band most often have a sporting focus, as being on the back of the head, they will not slip even during intense running. On-ear headphones are closely pressed to the auditory pinnae, but the speakers themselves are placed outside the ear canals.
• Cat Ear ("ears"). On-ear headphones in an interesting design — with imitation cat ears on the headband. This addition does not affect working characteristics but looks unusual and can be a great addition to the owner's vibrant, original style. Cat Ear Headphones are particularly popular among teenagers.

— In-ear. Miniature headphones that, when used, are inserted directly into the ear canals. For wearing comfort, rubber or silicone tips are often included, usually in a set including several such tips for adjusting to the specific ear size. Such a construction combines compactness with advanced working characteristics: in terms of sound volume and bass richness, in-ear "ears" often compare to on-ear headphones, and sound isolation is quite high (many models can even be used as improvised earplugs). On the other hand, full isolation from external sounds can sometimes be a disadvantage — for example, when cycling or strolling in heavy traffic.

— In-ear with a rigid band. In-ear headphones are placed inside the ear canals, allowing them to be most securely fixed in the ear and not fall out. The presence of a rigid band further increases the reliability of the headphones' fixation. This type of headphones is well-suited for sports. The rigid band and in-ear design of sound emitters allows the headphones to stay securely in place even during intensive running.

— Earbuds. Also colloquially known as "pills." Similar to in-ear models, such headphones are small and placed in the auditory pinna — but not deep in the ear canal, just at its entrance, almost outside. As a result, earbuds are somewhat simpler in construction and cheaper, but achieving rich sound and advanced acoustic characteristics is more challenging with them. Such models provide quite low sound isolation, but this can be either a downside or an advantage — depending on the situation. Some headphones of this type have an elongated shape, allowing them to sit deeper in the ears and approaching in-ear models in capabilities.

It is worth noting separately that in-ear models and earbuds don't use headbands — the headphones are made either completely separate or connected by a device such as a rigid band or neck mount. Thus, such headphones can easily be worn with almost any hairstyle or headgear.

— Earbuds with a rigid band. Earbuds are simply inserted into the ear canal entrance, not penetrating deeply. This is not the most reliable way to fix the headphones, but due to the presence of a rigid band, earbuds gain secure placement and reliable fixation. The headphones themselves have an open sound path design, which reproduces audio with noticeable distortion to the original sound signal. However, the open acoustic scheme allows clear hearing of the surrounding environment.

As for additional design features, they can be such:

— Full-size Over-Ear. On-ear headphones (see above) in which each cup completely covers the ear and fits tightly against the head. Cups in such models are made fairly large and equipped with characteristic soft "borders" along the inner side's perimeter — these borders fit tightly against the head, so the ear pinna is effectively inside the cup. The main advantage of such a design is that the headphones (with the right size) practically do not touch the user's ears and do not press on them — this is particularly comfortable for extended use. Furthermore, Over-Ear models facilitate achieving high-quality sound isolation (although among them it is possible to find models with semi-open and even completely open acoustic design). The main disadvantage of such devices is bulkiness and inconvenience in transport and on-the-go use. Additionally, when wearing glasses, Over-Ear cups usually press on the frames' sides — this can cause discomfort.

— Open-ear. A special variety of wireless true wireless headphones with open acoustic design. Unlike earbuds and in-ear models, open-ear headphones do not suggest partial or full closure of the auricle — this provides better perception of surrounding sounds. This is handy during walks and outdoor runs. Most often, such headphones have over-the-ear mounts (see below), and the drivers in their construction are directed straight into the ear canals but remain outside. Passive noise isolation in open-ear headphones is practically absent, and the playing music and phone conversations may be heard by those nearby — keep this in mind.

— Auto headband adjustment. A headband capable of automatically adjusting to the user's head size. Such a headband usually consists of two parts — a rigid, usually metallic, base and a soft inner part that fits directly against the head. The inner part is capable of stretching, and the user just needs to place the cups on the ears comfortably — and the headband will automatically adjust to the needed size.

— Rigid band. A band made of rigid material, connecting the two headphones and worn on the back of the head; in some models, it can also serve as a neck mount (see below). The advantage of such a device over a classic headband is that the band can be used with almost any hairstyle and headgear. On the other hand, in in-ear models and earbuds (see above), this feature makes the headphones bulkier, and in on-ear models, it makes sense to use it only with regular models, not belonging to full-size Over Ear. Consequently, for a range of reasons, the band is not particularly popular nowadays.

— Over-the-ear mounting. A mount that allows fixing each headphone directly on the auricle; it generally has the form of a characteristic band. This feature appears in all types of modern "ears," except Over Ear (see above), and its specific meaning depends primarily on the main method of placing the headphone on the ear. For in-ear models and earbuds, over-the-ear mounting provides additional retention reliability: the likelihood of the headphone falling out of the ear is practically reduced to zero due to such a mount. In on-ear "ears," this feature appears significantly less often, and its main purpose is to do without a headband or rigid band — in some cases, these construction elements are unnecessary.

— Neck mounting. A feature found exclusively in wireless and combined models (see "Connection Type") — and only in in-ear and earbuds (see above). Both headphones in such models are connected by either a regular wire with a thickened part or a special horseshoe-shaped band (to each end of this band, an individual "ear" is connected via a wire). In any case, during use, this wire or band is located behind the user's neck, ensuring additional convenience: removed from the ears (or fallen out), headphones do not drop to the ground but remain hanging on the mount. Some models also feature special magnets, enabling the removed headphones to "stick" together, turning the entire structure into a ring — reducing the risk of dropping the device even further.

— Folding ability. The ability to compactly fold headphones for storage and transportation. Note that this feature is listed only for on-ear models (see above) — in-ear headphones and earbuds are already quite portable by themselves, without a special folding design.

— Swivel cups. A design feature found in on-ear headphones (see above). Swivel means cups that, in working position, can rotate at a certain angle around the vertical axis. This allows headphones to further adjust to the user's head size and shape — thereby increasing comfort, especially during prolonged wear. On the other hand, the swivel mount slightly complicates the headphones' construction, increases the cost, and somewhat reduces reliability.

Rated headphone sensitivity. Technically, this is the volume at which they sound when a certain standard signal from the amplifier is connected to them. Thus, sensitivity is one of the parameters that determine the overall volume of the headphones: the higher it is, the louder the sound will be with the same input signal level and other things being equal. However, we must not forget that the volume level also depends on the resistance (impedance, see above); moreover, it is worth choosing “ears” for a specific device first by impedance, and only then by sensitivity. In this case, one parameter can be compensated for by another: for example, a model with high resistance and high sensitivity can work even on a relatively weak amplifier.

As for specific figures, headphones with indicators of 100 dB or less are designed mainly for use in a quiet environment (in some similar models, the sensitivity does not exceed 90 dB). For use on the street, in transport and other similar conditions, it is desirable to have more sensitive headphones — about 101 – 105 dB, or even 110 dB. And in some models, this figure can reach 116 – 120 dB. and even more.

It is also worth noting that this parameter is relevant only for a wired connection according to the analogue standard — for example, via a 3.5 mm mini-...jack. When using digital interfaces like USB and wireless channels like Bluetooth, the sound is processed in the built-in headphone converter, and if you plan to mainly use this kind of application, you can not pay much attention to sensitivity.

The diameter of the speaker installed in the headphones; models with multiple drivers (see "Number of drivers"), usually, the size of the largest speaker is taken into account, other dimensions can be specified in the notes.

In general, this parameter is relevant primarily for over-ear headphones (see "Design"). In them, emitters can have different sizes; the larger it is, the more saturated the sound is and the better the speaker reproduces the bass, however, large emitters have a corresponding effect on the dimensions, weight and price of the headphones. But in-ear "ears" and earbuds, by definition, have very small speakers, and rich bass in them is achieved due to other design features.

The number of microphones in headphones indicates how many separate microphone capsules are used in the headset for voice transmission and sound processing algorithms. In simple models, there is one microphone, which is sufficient for occasional calls in a quiet room. More advanced TWS, office, and gaming headsets have 2–3 microphones per earbud: some "listen" to the voice, others to the surrounding noise, so the electronics can better eliminate interference and make speech clearer to the listener. A large number of microphones is especially important during conversations outdoors, on public transport, in an open-plan office, and for features like wind noise reduction or precise sound direction detection in gaming models. For instance, a headset with multiple microphones will transmit a voice much better during a conference call or online gaming than basic headphones with one microphone, though it may be slightly more expensive.

A system that reduces the influence of ambient noise on the audibility of sound through headphones. "Noise reduction" with the help of a separate microphone (or several micro) "listens" to external sounds and sends the same sounds to the headphones, but in antiphase. Due to this, the noise heard by the ears is attenuated almost to zero and the user can enjoy the sound of the headphones without interference even in a rather “loud” environment. For filtering in headphones, Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Environment Noise Cancellation (ENC) systems are used. The first suppresses all the noise around the listener, the second - reduces the noise level of the environment. Active noise cancellation affects the purity of the sound, but the noise from the outside spoils the picture when listening to audio tracks even more.

Also in the headphones there is an adaptive active noise reduction system Adaptive ANC, aimed at automatically adjusting the sound of the headphones depending on the level of ambient noise. In a noisy environment (for example, when traveling on the subway), the Adaptive ANC system enhances the work of “noise reduction”, in the absence of loud sounds from outside, it weakens the noise reduction.

The capacity of the battery installed in the headphones of the corresponding design (see "Power").

Theoretically, a higher capacity allows to achieve greater battery life, but in fact, the operating time also depends on the power consumption of the headphones — and it can be very different, depending on the characteristics and design features. So this parameter is secondary, and when choosing it is worth paying attention not so much to the battery capacity, but to the directly claimed operating time (see below).

The capacity of the battery installed in the case (case) for headphones.

This parameter is relevant only for true wireless models (see "Cable type"). Recall that these headphones are charged from a case, which is usually equipped with its own battery and actually works in standalone power bank mode. Knowing the capacity of the battery in the case and in the headphones, you can estimate how many charges of the “ears” will last for one charge of the case. However, it should be taken into account that in the process of charging the headphones, part of the energy is inevitably spent on third-party losses, and the effective capacity of the case turns out to be somewhere 1.6 times less than the claimed one. This is the starting point for calculations: for example, a 300 mAh case will actually be able to transfer 300 / 1.6 = 187 mAh of energy to the headphones, and 30 mAh “ears” from such a battery can be fully charged about 6 times (187 / 30 ≈ 6).

The declared operating time of headphones with autonomous power supply (see above) when listening to music on a single battery charge or a set of batteries.

As a rule, the characteristics indicate a certain average operating time in music listening mode, for standard conditions; in practice, it will depend on the intensity of use, volume level and other operating parameters, and in models with replaceable batteries - also on the quality of specific batteries. However, based on the stated time, you can fairly reliably assess the autonomy of the selected headphones and compare them with other models. As for specific values, relatively “short-lived” devices have a battery life of up to 8 hours, a figure of 8 – 12 hours can be called quite good, 12 – 20 hours – very good, and in the most “long-lasting” headphones the operating time can exceed 20 hours.

The maximum battery life of headphones on one full charge of the battery or replaceable batteries in talk mode. A long working time will be relevant for those who expect to regularly conduct long telephone conversations. Note that in talk mode, autonomy may be lower than when listening to music, since the use of microphones and clear voice transmission algorithms puts an additional burden on the hardware of the headphones.