It’s surprising to me that we’re only just now getting to see headphones with lightning adaptors given the ability to push audio out that little charging port has always existed – yet with the rumours of a new iPhone without a headphone jack they’re all hitting the market. These are the JBL Reflect Aware with Active Noise Cancelling.
At $299.95 they’re right up there for headphones, but on the lower end of the average for those with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). But they prove exactly why the shift to the lightning adaptor is a great one for all concerned.
There are no batteries, no need to charge the headphones to keep the ANC working. They draw a tiny amount of power from your iPhone to provide the noise cancellation.
Don’t stress, I doubt you’ll ever notice the battery impact. The bigger challenge is if you’re running low on battery and also want to listen to music. We’ll have to wait a month, but I’d suggest Apple and other third parties will have a “double adaptor” for that.
The name “Reflect Aware” refers to the reflective strip along the cord. Fantastic for those who enjoy an early morning or night run – every bit of reflection is a good thing.
They are comfortable in the ear and come with a range of ear tip sizes, and the noise control is all done through either a single button or the JBL App.
I’m not sure the noise cancelling is world beating, Bose and others have really nailed that technology – JBL may have a little extra work ahead to battle them head to head – but for a more affordable looking price, and for additional features like the reflective cables and the lightning connection these should run off the shelves.
You’ll find in them black or blue at Harvey Norman and Bing Lee – or at JBL’s website
