Testing Edifier 800 vs JBL510BT headphones

Just a quick crosscheck between these two models. I have owned a JBL model for around 12 months and have been using it while in the city. It is a good model with decent bass and noticeable high trebles. On the other hand, the Edifier headphones have been used by my teenage daughter for a long time. Not only does she like them, but she also uses them extensively, and surprisingly, she has never lost them. Unlike other models she has owned, these headphones' larger size makes them less prone to being misplaced.

A few days ago, my daughter lent them to me, providing a good opportunity to compare them with my JBL headphones. This wasn't the first time I had tried them, but it was another chance to evaluate their sound quality. I already knew that the Edifiers had a bassy profile with deep bass, but I had never directly compared them to the JBL headphones before.

My current smartphone is a Redmi 12C, a model that I dislike due to its design featuring a micro USB instead of the faster USB-C for charging. However, my older smartphone is still functioning well and hasn't been discarded. The only downside is its limited memory with only 4 GB of RAM. In contrast, the Redmi 12C offers 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage space.
Indeed, as depicted in the photo, the Edifier headphones are visibly larger compared to the JBL headphones. This discrepancy in size could potentially contribute to their relatively bassy sound signature. Larger headphone drivers often have more surface area to produce low-frequency sounds, resulting in enhanced bass response. Therefore, the increased size of the Edifier headphones suggests a possible reason for their pronounced bass performance.

Particularly, there are a few notable features that are specific to the JBL headphones. Firstly, they incorporate a typical mechanism for adjusting the headphones to fit different head sizes. This allows for a comfortable and secure fit for various users. Additionally, the JBL headphones are designed with an over-the-ear style, ensuring that they fully enclose the ears for better sound isolation and an immersive listening experience.

In contrast to many Bluetooth models that typically employ verbal notifications, often utilizing female voices, Edifier has taken a different approach. They have opted to use musical tones for various notifications. For instance, rising tones are used to indicate actions such as connecting or pairing, while falling tones are employed to signify powering off. This unique use of musical tones adds a distinctive touch to the user experience and sets Edifier apart from other headphone brands in terms of audio cues.

Operation and crosscheck 

Initially, there was some chaos while using the Redmi 5 and conducting various tests on two headphones. Eventually, I connected them both via Bluetooth and switched between them using the 12C. I decided to listen to some Malay rock songs from an official YouTube site.

Malaysian music typically features higher and sharper sounds compared to Western music. As expected, the JBL headphones had a seemingly flat sound with some high trebles, while the Edifier headphones delivered deep bass (as low as 90-100 Hz) with over a 6 dB difference from the JBL. Both headphones had similar treble performance.

According to the information provided, the headphones can last for up to 35 hours before the battery drains. I didn't test this duration extensively, but it is beneficial for my daughter, who uses them for extended periods.

I extended the experiment by listening to a few more songs from ASEAN countries, including Thai and Malaysian tracks, and obtained similar results and impressions.

After approximately 40 minutes of use, I experienced no discomfort or pressure in my head. Sometimes, even the lightly pressed JBL model can cause irritation, but the comfort level for the ears depends on the duration of use.

Remote listening distance

Compared to any other headphones I have used so far, this model impressively pairs with the smartphone at distances exceeding 10 meters including wall barriers. That can mean more than 20 meters direct , obstacle free  places!  

 

Testing two Inkax models: EP33 (aka HiFI) vsR9

 

This is a text piece about my interest in audio engineering and my passion for testing audio equipment. I own a large collection of headphones and earphones including many from the Inkax series. I often purchase these from the local distributor, which offers a wide variety of smartphone products at very affordable prices.

The first I found / bought were so trebly which irritated my ears putting the 5+ kHz range with more than 20 db comparing to the remain audio spectrum. This was a reason I stopped for long time spending in earbuds and finding from competitors. 3 years ago their HIFI model was quite better in it response curve with trebly sound but not so high as their predecessors. A newer addition was replacing their sponge buds with comply type which added more bass than the relatively dull sound of the silicon. That translates into a model with near to real HiFi performance as for example the JBL T500 cabled model , one model I use for about 3 years.

The packing of

The latest model I found is the R9. I bet that it is a very recent fron its series of products with a new slimmer design . Marked as stales steel as the color used for the design of this plastic model separates well from is predecessor HiFi with the half on the rear part with the audio transformer and using a quite good insulated cable that seems to be closer to a higher level to the HIFi or even the Muse (design similar to the R9)

As with most of the Inkax models this includes also a microphone and a splitter/switch which can stop /play the music from the smartphone and still be cheaper than its predecessor

Operation and impressions.

I tested for a very short time with its own buds and immediately replaced them with Comply compatible buds. These buds can offer much better isolation then the typical bud and can keep the earphones better and stiffer inside the ear canal .

The first step was to listen to both using some Malaysian music of the 90s with a middle class DAP called Amoi C10 a brick like mp3 player . Malay recordings are usually more bright than the western counterparts with treble curve shaped as in Dolby cassette recording ,while Dolby is not used while tape is playing . An audio splitter is connected between the DAP and the two earphone sets. At first the R9 was not pushed enough into the air canal making the sound rather poor with low bass. A further press and keeping the tips , finger pressed added much of bass and closer to the HiFI model with identical sound response. Note that the HIfi model uses the 400 model tat is a bit wider than the T300 used on R9

Tested them in parallel and seen that the sound level is the same in both stakes: R/R and R/L modes There was no difference in sound level that can shift the audio point towards the left or right ear(eg R)

All together to listen to the music

Next step is testing their frequency rage. The set is very simple: A audio file is previously prepared with test tones , evenly spaced across the audio band with more emphasis on the higher spectrum total 25 tones WAV format! A lavalier microphone is touched in earbuds foam tip ad the sound is finally driven to the smartphone where a program records and saves the audio. The final stage is made in the computer with audio software for making he spectrogram.

 

The picture is quite clear. This picture joints with two spectrans showing the resulted curves form the above process for HIFi (2014) and R9 (2017)

HiFi shows a linear response on the voice part while the R9 has a steep response. The remain part is nearly similar to both. All recording settings are the sane for both As it clear e R9 is has a lower audio level than HiFi

The final part of the test : Checking microphones

Putting the microphones in front of the DAPs’s speaker and isolating them from outside noises with a ….dry sponge. I adjusted once the audio level because otherwise the result will be garbled. The two files were scanned with the software for spectrum analysis and grouped into one image.

My reflections : There is a hum of 55 Hz from R9 (at right) . R9 produces 12 db lower audio (or 4 times lower volume) than the HiFI with a peak on the upper level of voice and losing some lower notes . I have not tested in practice to the moment

Nothing more to notice .Both earphones have a good and reliable sound. The primary issue with HiFi is its splitter design, which causes the cable to tear after only 8 months and heavy use , rendering it unusable. The connections are lost in the one bud’s cable , in the splitter part , Will the R9, with a similar splitter design, be able to resist this problem? Only time will tell!