Creative Sound Blaster Jam Review - Affordable Powerful Wireless Headphones With Insane Battery Life
Even up to this date, getting a good pair of wireless headphones with limited budget is a very hard task to do. Often, you'll need to spend a lot for the high quality pair or if you can't extend your budget, you'll have to settle for can with loads of compromises.
Creative, a well known brand in the world of audio knows that problem, and they don't want you to experience it. It's the reason why they curated and introduced the Sound Blaster Jam, a headphone that promises good sound, great comfort, several connectivity options (Bluetooth / NFC / wired), and long battery life without the need of emptying your wallets.
Now the question is, are those claims too good to be true? Let's find out in this review!
Disclaimer: This unit was seeded by Creative for an honest review
Connector: USB to micro USB 2.0
Battery: 200 mAh (up to 12 hours battery life)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.1, SBC, FastStream, A2DP, HFP, AVRCP, NFC
Buttons: Pause, Play, Next, Previous, Bass Boost, NFC
Price: PHP 2,499
The headphones came with a pretty basic red box with a large print of the can and basic information about the device.
Basically, what's inside the package is the Sound Blaster Jam itself, a thick red audio / USB charging cable, and paper documentations. There's no other freebies included such as extra foam pads or carrying case which is forgiveable for the price.
The Creative Sound Blaster Jam comes with a basic construction mainly made out of brittle plastic. Fortunately, the removable USB wires are thick and the they included some good type of soft ear cushions. However, the body still feels flimsy to brittle at worst which may not last if you don't take good care of it.
In terms of design, this open headphone is low profile and small (very portable) which we like. Then its headband is expandable for different head sizes and the headphone controls at right are quite easy to locate. It's style may just look too plain for some, but it not a major concern.
Just like what most open cans can offer, the Creative Sound Blaster Jam provided us with one of the best comfort around. It's sits perfectly in the ears and lightweight. There are even times that we forgot that it is still in our head while listening to good music.
Being an open headphone, expect that there will be less isolation. We were correct, the headphone didn't isolate much as you can still hear your surroundings well. Moreover, it isn't suitable to use on noisy environments.
There are 3 ways to listen using the Sound Blaster Jam. Via NFC (I don't really use much), second is Bluetooth (stable up to 15 ft and easy to pair and compatible with many gadgets), and though USB cables (Plug and play using PC or Mac). Then aside from the regular headphone controls, there's a bass boost button that anyone can use to increase bass levels.
On PC or Mac, it's sound signature can be configured for music, movies, and gaming. It creates an artificial bass and wider soundstage like effect. However, it makes the mids sound muddier and lessens details.
Checking its sound quality, we were surprised on how well it sounds for a budget wireless headphone. As a matter of fact, it is safe to say that it sounded better most budget Bluetooth headphones we tested in the past.
Lows are there, its tight sounding enough, and packs some decent punch. Sub-bass is present, but it isn't that prominent. With the bass boost, the massive increase in upper bass level is noticeable but it failed to add the type of exciting crawling sub-bass that we wanted to hear. Moreover, it added more distortion and noise with the other parts of the audio spectrum.
Mids are nice overall as voice are clean / crisp and instruments are well separated most of the time. However, it tends to go show some uncontrolled harshness in some loud tracks. Highs are also present, can extend, and crispy enough. There are just some roll offs and piercing sound in some tracks.
Given that it has an open design, soundstage is wide enough as well. Not yet 3D-like, but feels airy enough.
The included hidden microphone is usable, but noise / echo / distortion are can be noticed easily.
Note: This headphone can go loud, but we can only recommend up to 50% volume on PC or 70% on wireless or it'll sound muddy and distorted. Sound leaking on high volume levels are also
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| Creative Sound Blaster Jam |
Creative, a well known brand in the world of audio knows that problem, and they don't want you to experience it. It's the reason why they curated and introduced the Sound Blaster Jam, a headphone that promises good sound, great comfort, several connectivity options (Bluetooth / NFC / wired), and long battery life without the need of emptying your wallets.
Now the question is, are those claims too good to be true? Let's find out in this review!
Disclaimer: This unit was seeded by Creative for an honest review
Creative Sound Blaster Jam Specs
Driver Unit: 32 mm Neodymium driversConnector: USB to micro USB 2.0
Battery: 200 mAh (up to 12 hours battery life)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.1, SBC, FastStream, A2DP, HFP, AVRCP, NFC
Buttons: Pause, Play, Next, Previous, Bass Boost, NFC
Price: PHP 2,499
Unboxing / Accessories
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| The box |
The headphones came with a pretty basic red box with a large print of the can and basic information about the device.
 |
| What's inside? |
Basically, what's inside the package is the Sound Blaster Jam itself, a thick red audio / USB charging cable, and paper documentations. There's no other freebies included such as extra foam pads or carrying case which is forgiveable for the price.
Build Quality / Design
 |
| NFC, play / pause / call, volume rocker, and bass boost button at right |
The Creative Sound Blaster Jam comes with a basic construction mainly made out of brittle plastic. Fortunately, the removable USB wires are thick and the they included some good type of soft ear cushions. However, the body still feels flimsy to brittle at worst which may not last if you don't take good care of it.
 |
| micro USB charging port on the lower left side of the headphone |
In terms of design, this open headphone is low profile and small (very portable) which we like. Then its headband is expandable for different head sizes and the headphone controls at right are quite easy to locate. It's style may just look too plain for some, but it not a major concern.
Comfort / Isolation
 |
| Add caption |
Just like what most open cans can offer, the Creative Sound Blaster Jam provided us with one of the best comfort around. It's sits perfectly in the ears and lightweight. There are even times that we forgot that it is still in our head while listening to good music.
Comfort ranks among the best around!It may just tend to get itchy on places that are hot, so it is still best to use this on cool air-conditioned spots.
Being an open headphone, expect that there will be less isolation. We were correct, the headphone didn't isolate much as you can still hear your surroundings well. Moreover, it isn't suitable to use on noisy environments.
Battery Life
On of the highlights of this set lies in its battery life, Creative claimed that it can last for 12 hours. In our test, we feel that it performed even better as it lasted for around 12 hours and 35 mins. Our settings is on 50% volume and used the can for 3 days (4 hours a day on the first two days, and 4 hours and 30 mins the last day).It can last for more than 12 hours of straight usage, insane!Normally, headphones of this size only last for around 6-8 hours, but with the Sound Blaster Jam, you can squeeze at least 4 hours more. Charging time is roughly under 1:30 mins.
Sound Quality / Performance
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| Let's Jam! |
There are 3 ways to listen using the Sound Blaster Jam. Via NFC (I don't really use much), second is Bluetooth (stable up to 15 ft and easy to pair and compatible with many gadgets), and though USB cables (Plug and play using PC or Mac). Then aside from the regular headphone controls, there's a bass boost button that anyone can use to increase bass levels.
 |
| The downloadable software by Creative |
On PC or Mac, it's sound signature can be configured for music, movies, and gaming. It creates an artificial bass and wider soundstage like effect. However, it makes the mids sound muddier and lessens details.
Checking its sound quality, we were surprised on how well it sounds for a budget wireless headphone. As a matter of fact, it is safe to say that it sounded better most budget Bluetooth headphones we tested in the past.
There are flashes of brilliance in its sound!Without the bass boost, it provided us with musically engaging type fairly balance sound signature (close to U shape sounding) that's safe to listen on any genres. It's far from HiFi sounding, but its still serviceable considering its price.
Lows are there, its tight sounding enough, and packs some decent punch. Sub-bass is present, but it isn't that prominent. With the bass boost, the massive increase in upper bass level is noticeable but it failed to add the type of exciting crawling sub-bass that we wanted to hear. Moreover, it added more distortion and noise with the other parts of the audio spectrum.
Mids are nice overall as voice are clean / crisp and instruments are well separated most of the time. However, it tends to go show some uncontrolled harshness in some loud tracks. Highs are also present, can extend, and crispy enough. There are just some roll offs and piercing sound in some tracks.
Given that it has an open design, soundstage is wide enough as well. Not yet 3D-like, but feels airy enough.
The included hidden microphone is usable, but noise / echo / distortion are can be noticed easily.
Note: This headphone can go loud, but we can only recommend up to 50% volume on PC or 70% on wireless or it'll sound muddy and distorted. Sound leaking on high volume levels are also
Pros - Steady wireless connectivity, great sound (for a budget wireless headphone), great comfort, long battery life, plenty of features, good price
Cons - Plastic build, kinda weak isolation, sound leakage, not great for calls
Verdict
Priced at just around PHP 2.5K, the Sound Blaster Jam by Creative delivered the good type of overall performance that's missing in this budget segment before. It sounds better than most budget wireless cans we tested in the past, comfort is great, battery life is superb, and the price is GREAT!
It may not have the best build or isolation around, but this headphone is something special at this price point.
It may not have the best build or isolation around, but this headphone is something special at this price point.
GIZ Rating: 4/5 Stars
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