JBL SoundGear Frames Review – Audio Glasses from an Audio brand

When JBL showed me the SoundGear Frames earlier this year I knew they had a winner on their hands because it’s the combination of great audio, a cool idea and a cracking great price.

At just $169 these are the most affordable audio glasses ever, but no, they’re not the first. I can recall now five years ago the Bose Frames blew my mind as a concept. Great sunnies with great sound. But they were $299!

As one of the oldest and most respected Audio brands, JBL isn’t going to get into this space without being able to replicate their audio quality in this new format. And they’ve done that.

“Open” Audio is a whole new and growing space. JBL launched the SoundGear Sense at IFA last year which are headphones that sit outside your ear leaving you able to hear the world around you and without any potential in-ear discomfort.

The SoundGear Frames take that up, with audio in the arm of the sunglasses that projects down into your ear.

While wearing them yes the person sitting next to you knows what you’re listening to. And the person two seats away knows your listening to something, but not what you’re listening to – unless it’s a catchy tune:)

But sitting in an office or on a bus isn’t the primary use of these.

Out for a walk? Running along the foreshore? Out and about walking to the office or through a crowded city – that’s where you want to hear the world around you, the sirens of alert, the beeping of a horn, the person calling your name. All while enjoying a podcast or music.

The JBL SoundGear Frames pair well with the standard JBL Headphones app for basic EQ controls as well as a bunch of other great adjustments.

Gesture controls are vastly different to the Bose or even the Ray-Ban Meta glasses which had swipe as well as touch controls.

JBL’s SoundGear Frames have a tap control on the JBL logo on each side – this allows volume control with a single or double tap, and on the other side track control with single double and triple tap. Works well, but don’t try doing too many repeat controls back to back, you might confuse the number of taps it thinks you’re making.

There are two styles of Frames, a rounder style and a more square traditional look.

Both styles come in a few colours, but all of them are a transparent plastic frame, which looks good, but also allows you to see the “workings” of the gadget itself.

Volume doesn’t pump too high, so it’s really not easy to truely judge the sound quality comparative to a set of JBL headphones. However I feel confident in saying you get a true sense of the music.

The left and right music shift in a strong stereo track actually feels more evident when the sound is coming from just outside your ear – strange, but that’s just a sense I got from a few tracks.

Clarity wise I can hear the detail without any question, a drum beat here a keyboard there. Vocals too are clearly definied.

If anything there’s a distance to it, perhaps a thin quality to them. There’s no clear bass which is unusual and a drift from classic JBL sound. I think judging them on the micro level by their sound is tough because they simply can’t compete with a full in-ear driver.

Nor are they made to be worn sitting in your armchair taking in a classic tune.

These are made for convenience and for the moment. That moment might be a walk around the block or while sitting at a cafe enjoying a podcast.

I would argue that Podcast listening is the best use-case for the SoundGear Frames. Very easy to enjoy while also taking in the world around you and even having a conversation.

All in all, for what they are, it’s a remarkable product for just $169. You’ll pay more than that for most headphones.

Well worth a look through and listen:)

Web: JBL / JB HiFi