JBL is into audio glasses too. You can listen to your playlist, while looking as cool as your fave artistes are thought to be By Low Teck Mee Audio sunglasses are one of those wearables that are not a must, unlike, say, an activity tracker. Th…
JBL is into audio glasses too. You can listen to your playlist, while looking as cool as your fave artistes are thought to be
By Low Teck Mee
Audio sunglasses are one of those wearables that are not a must, unlike, say, an activity tracker. The extra-functional eyewear is not new to the market: The Bose Frame and the subsequent Base Frame Tenor come to mind, not forgetting the Owndays X Huawei Eyewear (now in Version 2). It is not known how popular these glasses that allow you to listen to music really are, compared to, say, Ray-Ban's multi-purpose Meta Smart Glasses. But, as an eyewear category, they seemed be picking up retail momentum. The latest to join the fray is the JBL Soundgear Frames. This is the cinema loudspeaker brand's first pair of sunglasses with audio feature. And, it is, dare I say, rather an appealing package.
What strikes me most is how attractive the Frames really are. These do not pretend to be cool just by looking dark and mysterious; they do not try to be another Wayfarer. The Frames come in two styles (roundish or squarish) and three colours (Onyx, Amber, and Pearl), and allow you not to be mistaken as a Men in Black wannabe. That said, some might find them too trendy, and, hence, conspicuous. But the younger set, likely JBL's target audience, won't mind how eye-catching they could be. Made of thermoplastics, they fit quite snugly, but may be a tad too snug for those with a wide face—which is most of Asia. JBL does say that the shades are "crafted for all-day wearability". When I tried them on for the first time, I did find the grip of the arm a tad too perceptible although the overall weight of the glasses is fairly light. Perhaps they could do with some adjustments at the optician.
The sound. Ultimately, if you commit yourself to a pair of audio glasses, you'd want to be able to enjoy decent sound, or more than decent. The JBL won't offer the warmth and closeness of wireless ear buds or a pair of wired cans, but they do provide acceptable depth with surprisingly punchy base and clear vocals. During my test run, I was able to enjoy Billie Eilish's Chihiro on my evening jog (from a pair of the Soundgear Frames that a serious gadget-addict had lent me). But these are, in the end, glasses with arms that sit above your ears, and the audio is 'open sound'. The surrounding noises are still discernible, and you can, no doubt, hear the impatient cyclist vigorously clinking behind you. They are, therefore, not ideal for shutting out the hissing sounds blasting from the Xiaomi smartphone of the uncle sitting next to you in the MRT train. He, happily watching some singing competition on MeWatch.
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