JBL Endurance DIVE: A swimmer's delight (Tech Review)

New Delhi : Bluetooth sports earphones is one category which got a lukewarm response, at least from the price-sensitive Indian buyers until some time ago.

However, one can now find more companies offering dedicated headphones for the sports/fitness enthusiasts.Samsung Electronics Co. and HARMAN International have taken a new route by introducing the JBL Endurance DIVE earphones that promises to be a great companion for swimmers.Priced at Rs 6,999, the JBL Endurance DIVE includes features such as on-ear touch controls embedded right into the earphone that gives users the ability to control their music and volume with ease.Let's find out if the device lives up to the expectations.Talking about the design language, the earphones sport an around the ear "hooked" design and the form factor ensures stability and safety with a unique "twistlock" technology. We had the blue colour variant for review which looked sporty.The eartips come with "FlexSoft comfort fit" silicon material to further ensure they do not fall out when the user performs rigorous exercises or even swimming.The company has added a nifty feature by letting the users add their music directly to the device and provided 1GB of onboard storage and a built-in music player to get the job done.This feature is especially handy for those who want to use the device only for swimming as Bluetooth connection can't be used underwater.Another way to enjoy music on the Endurance DIVE is of course by connecting your smartphone through Bluetooth.Switching on the device is a piece of cake. Just release the eartips from the magnet latch and they are good to use. Both the earbuds snaps on to the hook via magnets.We think this power on-power off functionality should be present in all Bluetooth headphones.The right side of the device houses the touch controls; play, pause and the volume controls as well. However, it can take some time for a user to get accustomed to these features.Talking about the audio quality, the earphones do a decent job of cutting out all external out external noises. The earbuds are good at providing a snug fit.The sound wasn't too heavy on bass and was just perfect.Another high point of the earphones is its "Speed Charge" charging capability. We managed to squeeze in about 40 minutes of battery life with almost 10 minutes of charge.What does not work?We found the battery back-up fell short of the promised eight hours. We got close to six hours of music playback on a single charge.Conclusion: The JBL Endurance DIVE is a perfect match for someone looking for a good noise-isolation earphones with sporty looks and doesn't want to spend a bomb on it.(Krishna SinhaChaudhury can be contacted at krishna.s@ians.in)