Most of the Bluetooth headphones we test are intended to look cool or eye-catching in some way, sometimes to the (seemingly unintentional) detriment of the audio experience. No one can accuse the budget-friendly Creative Sound Blaster Jam of this sin—this headphone pair looks boring at best, but sounds excellent for its modest AED 189 price.
Despite its light, thin, exceptionally comfortable frame, the Jam pumps out powerful bass response, and can also deliver a more balanced, nuanced sound with the Bass mode disabled. If fashion is far less important to you than strong audio performance and low price, read on. On the right ear's outer panel, the central button controls Play/Pause, Call Answer/End, Power, and Pairing.
Dedicated Volume controls (that work independently of, not together with, your phone's volume levels) double as track navigation controls, depending on how long you hold them. A "Bass" mode button along the outer rim allows users to boost the bass response with ease. Often, Bluetooth on-ear controls are confusing to operate, since you have to rely on touch, but everything on the Jam is easy to find with your fingers. The microphone is also located on the right earpiece.
So, from a layout and functionality standpoint, the Sound Blaster Jam is a success. From a visual standpoint, no one will ever look at these black plastic headphones and say: "Those look awesome!" Were it not for the word "Jam" scribbled in a font directly imported from the worst part of the '80s, the headphones would merely look bland and institutional.
The Jam logo takes things to the realm of slightly cheesy. It's unfortunate, because the headphones sound and feel pretty great, especially for the price. The Sound Blaster Jam was easy to pair with an iPhone 5s, and you can also pair NFC-compatible devices by tapping them to the headphones.
Creative estimates that it gets 12 hours of battery life from a full charge, but your results will depend upon on how loudly you play your tracks. You can also listen to audio from your PC or Mac through the USB charging cable. The included red cable is a bit longer than a typical charging cable for this very reason.
On tracks with powerful sub-bass content, the Sound Blaster Jam delivers deep bass that is surprisingly strong given the headphones' modest frame. The bass doesn't distort at top volume with the Bass mode activated, though it does seem to teeter on the edge of distortion on this track.
At moderate volumes and/or with Bass mode deactivated, this isn't an issue, and even with Bass mode off, this track still sounds rather thunderous, with the lows sounding a bit tighter and cleaner. Tracks with less intense bass content, sound pleasantly balanced through the Sound Blaster Jam.
Let's face it—many headphones today are fashion accessories. In that regard, the Sound Blaster Jam fails majestically. It's simply not good-looking, regardless of how good it sounds. However, for AED 189, it's hard to find much fault with the simple, lightweight Creative Sound Blaster Jam, other than its ho-hum design. And its looks can be forgiven considering the dearth of quality Bluetooth headphones at this low price range.
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