Hey guys Marc here from rtings.com and today
we’re comparing JBL Endurance Sprint Vs,
the Sony WI-SP600N
Both are sports oriented headphones with a
stable fit for running and working out but
the Sony are noise cancelling which also makes
them quite a bit more expensive than the JBL.So
how do they compare sound and feature wise
and should pay more to get the sonys or are
the JBL a better value for your money.
Well in this review we will be comparing their
Design, sound quality and isolation which
you will be able to hear for your self a bit
later on in the video.
Well also compare their active features and
connection options.
But as always lets start with what’s in
the box.
So, there’s not much difference in their
respective boxes.
In the Sonys box you have 3 additional tip
sizes, plus, an extra pair of stability fins,
a micro usb charging cable the manuals and
the Sp600 headphones
It’s about the same for the JBLs box.
So, you have the manuals, 2 extra tip sizes,
the USB charging cable and the JBL endurance
sprint headphones.
Now let’s get the boxes out of the way and
compared their design.
Build quality the Sonys have the slight edge
over the JBL.
The JBL Endurance Sprint have a cool ear-hook
design that feels durable and looks a lot
more high-end then their price would suggest.
They have a decently dense rubber coating
on the ear buds and the hooks are thick and
flexible and should maintain a stable fit
once behind your ears.
The hooks even have magnetic plates that help
them stick to the ear buds, so you can attach
the ear buds to your backpack or keys.
Unfortunately, the cables are quite thin and
not as heavily rubberized as the rest the
design.
its shouldn’t be an issue for most but if
the cable does get hooked on something while
your working out it will more easily snap
than that of the Sonys
Here the SP600N’s cable looks and feels
more durable, they also have smaller denser
ear buds that won’t break if you accidently
drop them once or twice and their in-line
control module is well made and feels sturdy
without but it’s a little bulky and tugs
on the left earbuds which won’t be ideal
for more strenuous activities.
The JBL also have an IPX7 rating compared
to the Sonys IPX4 so the Endurance sprint
should be water resistant but we do not yet
have a sweat or water resistance test as of
yet, so we cannot definitively say the JBL
are more sweatproof.
As for comfort, here the Sonys have the upper
hand and are bit more comfortable than the
JBL.
The JBL like the Sony have an in-ear fit but
do not come with as many tip options to help
you find the right fit.
They also have an ear-hook design which can
get a little frustrating to put on correctly
and you do feel the hook stem behind your
ear when running.
However, it does make them a bit more stable
than the Sonys which have a more typical wireless
in-ear design with stability tips.
The JBL also come with these stabilizer tips
that to help lock the ear buds in place but
it does take up a bit of space in you ear
which may get a bit fatiguing during longer
listening sessions.
The Sony on the other hand have a more typical
in-ear fit but since they come with multiple
tip sizes and types they are easier to find
a comfortable fit.
Unfortunately, they do not have the best cble
management and the inline remote does make
them a bit less stable overall however If
your used to in-ears you will prefer the Sonys
over the JBL.
Lastly for their control schemes, The Sony
SP600N are a lot easier to use and more precise
than the JBL Endurance Sprint.
The JBL have touch sensitive tactile controls
on the left ear bud.
It’s a nice addition at this price range
since there aren’t many touch sensitive
in-ears let alone below a 100$.
Swiping up and down controls the volume and
tapping on the JBL logo pause and resumes
tracks and also manages calls.
If you tap twice its fast forwards and 3 times
rewinds.
Unfortunately, though the controls are fairy
simple they are some what imprecise and can
get bit frustrating to use especially when
running.
Swiping up and down does not always register
and will often pause or skip tracks just when
the song starts getting good.
Also, the touch-sensitive surface will often
turn on the headphones by accident if they
are dangling by your neck or by your side.
Its not the biggest issue since they have
an auto off feature, but it still wastes a
bit of battery life.
The Sony on the other hand have a very simple
control scheme on their in-line remote.
They have a volume rocker, a multi function
play, pause and call/music management that
skip tracks if you press twice and rewinds
if you press 3 times.
They also have a dedicated noise cancelling
button to enable the feature.
Its straightforward its efficient and its
easy to use.
So overall design wise The Sony are bit better
in most aspects.
They’re more comfortable, they’re better
built, and they have easier to use controls.
However, the JBL offer a unique design and
a decent build quality for their price range.
They’re just not as easy to use or as comfortable,
even if they should de a bit more sweat resistant
overall.
But now let’s compare their sound quality
and isolation with Sam.
Now let’s compare their sound quality isolation
and leakage with Sam.
If sound quality is your priority, then we
would recommend the JBL over the Sony, since
overall it has a more neutral and accurate
sound.
But before looking at their measurement results,
we’re going to play a recording we have
done with these headphones, so you can get
an idea about how their sound compares for
yourself.
Just keep in mind that this is a relative
comparison, and not an absolute one.
So it is good for seeing which headphone has
more bass or treble for example, but you won’t
be able to judge their actual sound profile.
And if you get one of these headphones and
listen to the same track that we’ve used
here, you most likely won’t hear the same
thing.
Here we have the frequency response of the
JBL Endurance Sprint on the left and the Sony
WI-SP600N on the right.
As you can see the JBL has a mostly flat response,
but with a tilt favouring bass and treble
frequencies.
This gives them a classic V-shaped or smiley
face response, which makes their sound a bit
more exciting by hyping up the bass and treble
ranges.
However, this is at the expense of deemphasizing
the mid-range, so vocals and lead instruments
will be nudged towards the back of the mix.
The Sony on the other hand, doesn’t have
as flat a response.
It is noticeably heavy in the bass range,
and lacking in the mid and treble ranges.
This gives them a sound profile which is bass-heavy,
but lacking detail and presence.
So some people may find them a bit boomy and
muddy sounding.
In terms of frequency response consistency,
both of these headphones deliver the same
of bass and treble with every re-seat, but
you have to make sure that you are using the
tips that are the correct size for your ears.
Otherwise, you may experience a noticeable
drop in bass.
Now for isolation and leakage, we have also
recorded a comparison, which we’re going
to play now.
First up, is isolation.
So the interesting thing here is that the
JBL doesn’t have active noise cancellation,
but the Sony does, and yet, it is the JBL
that outperforms the Sony slightly.
In the bass range, the JBL provides more isolation
overall, but has a weak spot around 50Hz.
The Sony on the other hand, doesn’t isolate
as much, but doesn’t have a weak spot either.
In the mid-range, these headphones perform
almost identically.
Both of the have a weak spot around 200Hz,
and their isolation progressively improves
as we go higher in frequency.
The treble isolation of the JBL is similar
to their bass isolation.
They provide a higher overall isolation, but
have a weak spot around 8KHz.
The Sony on the other hand, provides a bit
less overall isolation, but they do it more
evenly.
Now let’s listen to the leakage recording.
In terms of leakage, both of these headphones
perform great and barely leak.
Our measurements show that the JBL leaks a
bit less than the Sony, but you don’t really
need to worry about the leakage of these headphones,
unless you are blasting your music in a very
quiet environment like a library or an elevator.
Now let’s go back to Marc
And now for their active features and connection
options
Latency wise the sony do a much better job
than the JBL
The Sonys have about 174ms of latency which
is on the low end for most Bluetooth headphones
but still won’t be ideal for watching a
lot of videos.
However, the JBL do much worse at 240 ms.
Which is quite noticeable making them a lot
worse for occasionally watching YouTube videos
or for gaming on your phone.
As for their wireless range theres not much
difference.
The JBL reached up to 37ft when obstructed
and 122ft in direct line of sight compared
to the sony at 35ft and 121ft respectively.
This means both headphones won’t be ideal
for big office environments or for pairing
to fix Bluetooth source like a TV or Pc and
walking around your home, but they should
both be fine if you have your phone on you,
For their battery life here the JBL do a lot
better than the Sonys.
The JBL have 9 hours of continuous playtime
and charge fully in 1.7 hours.
They also have a good if a tad too aggressive
auto-off timer that saves a lot of power.
They will automatically witch off after 5
to -10 minutes of inactivity which is great
like the Sonys which have 5.6 hours of battery
life but do not automatically switch off.
They charge a little faster at 1.5 hours but
the overall they have a worse battery performance.
App wise the Sony WI-SP600N work with the
Sony headphones connect app where as the JBL
Endurance sprint do not have support for the
JBL Headphones app.
This makes the sonys a lot more customizable
and versatile than the JBL.
You can EQ their sound quality to better match
what you listening to thanks to the app. you
can also adjust the level of noise cancellation
add room effects and you get an in-app player.
The Lack of an app for the JBL is noticeable
but expected since most Budget JBL headphones
do not support the app
Lastly for their connection options.
They are both Bluetooth only headphones that
do not come with audio cables and will not
provide audio over usb.
However, this is to be expected for most similarly
designed wireless in-ears.
So in the end between the JBL endurance sprint
and the Sony WI-SP600N which one should you
choose.
Well if your getting them primarily for sports
then get the JBL they offer a better value
for your money and they have a more stable
and s ear-hook design The JBL have a better
battery life, isolate more with their passive
fit than the noise cancelling Sonys and they
have a better-balanced default sound.
On the other hand, the sonys come with an
EQ so you can make them sound the way you
like they are also a more comfortable and
have a better design and build quality overall
than the JBL.
The Sonys overall feel like casual headphones
you would use for sports whereas the JBL feel
like sports headphones that you might use
casually on your way to the gym.
And that’s pretty much it
So which headphones do you use to work out?
and if you have any other headphones you want
us to review let us know in the comments below
You can check out all of the measurements
on our website.
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or become a contributor.
Thank you for watching and see you next time.
