HWM Singapore – August 2019

Maybe the smallest headphone in this

shootout, the JBL Live 650 BT is also one

of the cheapest at just $248. However, it

too comes with smart assistant support

built in that you can access via the

dedicated companion app.

Choose between

Google Assistant and

Amazon Alexa and

get easy access with

just a tap on the ear

cup. Unlike some of

the other headphones

in this shootout, the

Live 650 BT doesn’t

come with any touch

controls, so you’ll have

to run your  ngers

over the sides of the right ear cup and

access the buttons blind if you don’t

want to pull out your phone.

Despite its smaller size, the Live 650

is one of the most comfortable, thanks

to the plump PU leather cushions which

also help to add a layer of passive noise

isolation. It’s hard to say how well the

PU leather will hold up in our humidity,

but they certainly make for hours of

listening comfort while good.

Speaking of hours, the Live 650 brings

a solid 20 hours of playback on a single

charge, with a quick charge feature that

gets you an additional two hours of

playback after just 15 minutes.

It seems the Live 650 BT has perhaps

the darkest sound signature of the

group, with a tight bass

that extends low. This

was most evident when

listening to a copy of

Rebecca Pidgeon’s Spanish

Harlem. Pidgeon’s vocals

were nice and round, but

the entire presentation was

just a little darker than on

the other headphones.

Moving on to the

acoustic version of The

Eagles’ Hotel California gave the

headphone a chance to show off its

imaging capabilities, and it did a good

job of picking up the strings and the

shakers while giving enough weight to

the vocals of the band.

Ending off with a copy of Queen

Latifah’s rendition of That Lady is a

Tramp, we found that the headphone

can be prone to a little sibilance, but

thankfully the power in her vocals

helped move the track along.

TEST

Good comfort thanks to

plump ear cushions.

Control bu‚ ons are too

small to acঞ vate easily.

Thesebuttonsaretoosmall

toreachbyfeel.

ATA GLANCE

FREQUENCY

RESPONSE

20Hz-20kHz

BATTERYLIFE

20 hours(Wireless

andANCenabled)

QUICKCHARGE

2 hoursafter

15 minutes

WEIGHT

260g

PRICE

$248

Use the app to select your

preferred smart assistant.

JBL LIVE 650 BT

52 HWM | AUGUST 2019