It sounds a little strange, a gaming headset in the form of in-ear headphones, but the JBL Quantum TWS are exactly that. There isn’t much competition, especially not from typical audio brands, which is one more reason for us to take a closer look at this headset to take a closer look.
Normal headphones?
Basically, the headphones are of course a normal wireless in-ear headset. The scope of delivery includes the two headphones and a charging case, just as you would expect. A lot of things are reminiscent of the normal JBL headphones such as the JBL Live Pro 2 TWS .
The earphones weigh 11g each, the case weighs 42g. As usual, everything is made of plastic. The headphones have a battery life of 8 hours, a very good value.
The case adds 16 hours. Considering the size of the case, that’s not that much. The reason is quickly found; in addition to the two headphones, there is also space for a small dongle in the case. In addition to Bluetooth 5.2, sound can also be transmitted to the headset via 2.4 GHz radio with almost no latency – just like with a large gaming headset.
To fit into the case, the dongle uses USB-C; there is no adapter for USB-A, which also makes it clear which devices this headset is intended for.
Made for mobile gaming!
Of course, you can also use the headset with a stand-alone computer, provided there is a USB-C port or Bluetooth adapter. But, of course, the headset is primarily intended for mobile use. In addition to modern notebooks, other products also have USB-C ports. The headset can of course also be used with Android smartphones and tablets, but the Nintendo Switch or the Steam Deck are also possible.
The headphones are therefore made for mobile applications. So that no one distracts you on the go, these headphones also have active noise cancellation, which works reliably overall. A passthrough mode is also built in, so you can hear announcements on the train better or have a conversation.
Of course, you can also use the headphones as such; thanks to Bluetooth, they can be connected to your iPhone or Android smartphone without a dongle.
Not only usable on the PC
The JBL Quantum TWS surprised us in the test. Not only do they sound quite good, they can also be used particularly flexibly. The JBL Quantum Engine is available on the PC for sound adjustments, but this is the end of the case with the large headsets with Bluetooth from JBL, but not with the Quantum TWS. They can also be adjusted using the normal JBL Headphones app.
This means that various functions can be used and adjusted not only on the PC, but also on the smartphone. In addition to the classic things like active noise canceling / transparency mode and a multi-channel EQ, you can also adjust the crosstalk ratio during conversations here. A typical feature on gaming headsets, but not often seen on in-ear headphones.
This is what the JBL Quantum TWS sound like
As is often the case, sound is a matter of taste, but the JBL Quantum TWS surprised us positively: Even in neutral, they have a very balanced sound, which is a lot of fun. If you use the headset on your PC or cell phone, the sound can be further adapted to your own ideas as described. For the price you couldn’t expect more!
Design and comfort
Gaming headsets are often worn for hours on end, which is not a problem with most over-ear headsets, but is a completely different matter with an in-ear headset. There are three silicone attachments included in the delivery, but apart from that it is of course impossible to say how well the headphones fit in your ears. This works very well for me, thanks to the rounded design I don’t have any problems or pressure points after wearing them for a long time, as I said, but that’s just my experience and unfortunately depends on the shape of your ears.
The design is based on the same shape as all JBL Quantum products, but of course RGB lighting or similar is not installed here due to the compact design and power consumption.
Conclusion
The JBL Quantum TWS are an interesting product that is second to none. Apart from the rather large case, the headset is also a very good in-ear headphone. Thanks to the additional functions, you get a very good headset that is of course particularly optimized for mobile gaming.
