[Review] JBL Live 500BT Wireless Over-Ear Headphone; Affordability And Premium Design Makes It A Winner

JBL is the market leaders when it comes to high-quality headphones at an affordable price. The JBL Live 500BT carry the same legacy forward, priced at Rs. 9,999 offer bassy goodness with a full-bodied feel. The Live 500BT on-ear wireless headphones are aimed at someone looking for a portable option. The on-ear wireless Live 500BT headphone is comfortable to wear and comes with key features like 18 hours of battery life with fast charging, great sound, easy to transport, and support for voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Additionally, the headphone is characterized by a flexible suspension with tiltable, swivelable and retractable headphone shells. As a result, the headphones are space-saving, collapsible, and adapt in your head pretty well. The soft padding on the hanger and shells provide a good fit with a firm hold that will not cause any pressure, even when worn for extended periods. There’s more about JBL Live 500BT and for this check out the detailed review below.

JBL Live 500BT Review

In the Box

First thing first, what you’ll get when you purchase JBL Live 500BT. In the box, you get the headphones, a microUSB charging cable, and an aux cable.

Design, Controls

JBL Live 500BT comes with all possible bells and whistles except active noise cancellation. The first thing you will notice about the JBL Live 500BT is its design. The on-ear wireless headphone features a distinct “JBL” look with the JBL logo that is emblazoned on the outer panels of each ear cup, as well as rounded corners and the ability to fold up and swivel. The outer earcup is made up of matte plastic while the headband is covered with fabric. Additionally, the headphone features exceptionally comfortable memory foam on the earpads and the underside of the headband.

On the left ear cup, you find a microUSB charging port while on the right earcup you find a power/pairing switch with a status LED, volume plus/minus buttons that adjust the volume when tapped or track navigation when held, a multifunction button that controls playback and call management, an aux port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and Bluetooth button. You can also summon voice assistants with the multifunction button, though the outer panels by just tapping it.

The JBL Live 500BT comes with Ambient Aware button too, placed on the same control panel edge on the right ear cup. By just pressing the Ambient Aware button. Another thing which you like about Live 500BT is that it comes with multiple device pairing. JBL allows you to connect 2 devices simultaneously and you can switch between devices by holding down one of the buttons on the ear cup.

The JBL Logo on the right earcup outer panel is touch-sensitive and holding your finger will summon Apple’s Siri while the left panel works for Alexa and Google Assistant. There’s also a 3.5mm jack for the included 3.5mm headphone cable which has a sporty cloth-lined look to it and features a single-button remote and inline microphone. The included micro USB cable is of good length and connects to an uncovered port on the left earcup.

The My JBL Headphone app once installed on your smartphone recognizes the headphone model that you’ve already paired up and guided you through the relevant features like setting up Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant or adjusting the equalizer settings and activate ambient modes, which amplify outside sound so you don’t have to lip read. A talk-through mode (much like ambient mode) can also be activated by pressing the dedicated button the ear cup and it lets you lower the music volume levels for conversation.

The on-ear wireless headphone is available in a range of different colors like Black, Blue, Red, Green, and White.

Call Quality

The call quality on JBL Live 500BT is excellent in active mode, provided the headphones are turned on and Bluetooth is enabled. By chance, if you run out of battery, you can also use the mic on the cable provided in the box.

Included Cables

In the box, the JBL Live 500BT comes with a sturdy and well-insulated 3.5mm cable that lets you use the headphones in passive mode. Additionally, you get a pretty long charging cable with a USB to micro-USB termination.

Portability

The JBL Live 500BT does not come with a carrying case, that’s the only disadvantage I find. Although, it can swivel flat and fold up into a bundle, making it easy to carry with you in a backpack but put it carefully.

Battery

The best part of the JBL Live 500BT is its battery. According to company claims, the JBL Live 500BT packs 3000mAh lithium-ion battery that offers up to 18 hours of operation and the battery level in combination with an iOS/Android device is indicated by a display next to the Bluetooth symbol. Refueling the Live 500BT is easy, it takes only 2 hours to charge it fully by using the USB cable provided by the JBL in the box. Additionally, 15 minutes of charging yield 2 hours of playtime.

GadgetGuide4U Verdict

The JBL Live 500BT is a solid choice and quite nice headphones. The headphones are well-designed, comfortable, sound and call quality is quite good. Additionally, the headphones come with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant Integration and you can use it without touching your phone. The real value is for bass lovers who want control over the sound signature and the lightweight profile makes this a comfortable and stylish pair of headphones. You can use headphones for long durations without feeling any discomfort.

The JBL Live 500BT is hard to beat for the price and when compared with competitor ones. According to me, the JBL has once again delivered an excellent pair of headphones that not only offers good audio experience but also creates an immersive environment while playing your favorite songs, movies, etc.