JBL Soundgear Frames Are a New Way to Wear Your Music

Christa I. De La Cruz

Wireless headphones—from earbuds to headsets—have changed the way we listen to music, answer calls on our phones, or even drop in on online meetings. Just pop them in, connect via Bluetooth, and you're good to go. But what if you can do all these without the discomfort of having something on your ears while outdoors—all while looking trendy? Audio equipment manufacturer just launched their most innovative product to date, the JBL Soundgear Frames Audio Glasses, last July 2 with a grand launch at the Dusit Thani Mactan in Cebu.

After wearing a pair for a couple of days, here's what we think.

What the JBL Soundgear Frames Audio Glasses Look Like

The JBL Soundgear Frames are available in two styles: round and square, and three colors: Onyx, Pearl, and Amber. Made from durable, flexible, and hypoallergenic thermoplastic, these glasses are lightweight and comfortable, designed to fit larger faces. For someone with a smaller face, like me, the temples could be too far apart, so it's best to fit a pair at the store to make sure it's snug.

The glasses feature polycarbonate UV-blocking lenses with the option to fit prescription lenses. The translucent material allows you to see the inner workings of the glasses, adding a unique aesthetic appeal.

Key Features

Mounted inside the left and right temples (and near the frames) are down-firing ultra-thin 25mm x 9mm speakers powered by JBL OpenSound Technology. What I like about this is that I don't have to deal with the discomfort of having something obstructing my ear canal (as with an earbud) or pushing on my ears (as with a headset) for a long period of time. Plus, I can still hear what's happening in my surroundings, especially if I need to be wary about street sounds and traffic.

Volume levels can reach 90 dB, which results in someone near you hearing what you're listening to. But if you set the volume just right, you can be sure the sound won't bother anyone else. The JBL OpenSound Technology directs sound pressure through waves through the ears while restricting sound dispersion.

For more advanced controls, such as setting the Equalizer to bass, vocal, jazz, and so on, you can use the JBL Headphones app on your phone. It also allows you to set which side of the frame has a louder volume if that's something you want to tinker around with. The app even includes a smart mode for audio or movies, which improves lip-sync and provides a balanced sound experience.

I also tried using the Soundgear Frames while answering a call with my phone inside my pocket. Featuring a two-mic array on one temple, it allows for clear and natural voice quality whether you're in a regular phone call, a Zoom, or—god forbid—a Teams meeting. The glasses also have noise cancellation features, just in case you didn't tell your boss that you're answering a call by the beach.

Hands-free functionality is another useful feature of JBL's sound glasses. The JBL logo on both temples facilitates the touch controls. Tapping on it lets you increase or decrease the volume, set your music to the previous or next track, answer or reject a call, and so on. Turning on the Soundgear Frams' Bluetooth is as easy as "opening" it, which means putting up the temples as you're about to wear your glasses. Powering off is also the same. You can set it to power down automatically after 30 minutes (or so) of being idle through the mobile app, so you can save on battery while wearing it as a regular pair of sunglasses all day.

In terms of battery life, it offers up to eight hours of continuous playback. The glasses also have a quick charge capability, providing an additional eight hours of playback with just a 10-minute charge. Charging is done via USB-C ports located on each arm, ensuring convenience and compatibility with modern charging devices. The charging cable, which opens up to two cords for the two temples, is available in the box, though the charger itself is not.

What We Wish the JBL Soundgear Frames Audio Glasses Also Have

As a pair of audio glasses, the JBL Soundgear Frame lives up to its functions for listening to music, audiobooks, and podcasts or answering a call while wearing a pair of sunglasses. If it's a good fit, you can wear it while running, biking, walking to work, or even just leisurely strolling by the beach. Of course, this restricts its use to the outdoors unless you like wearing tinted glasses indoors.

One of the JBL Soundgear Frames' selling points is its look, so it doesn't come as a surprise that plenty of posts on social media are selfies with the Onyx, Pearl, or Amber-colored glasses. Since it's definitely aesthetic, maybe a future reiteration can also be connected to a phone's camera to easily facilitate the taking of photographs. It pairs via Bluetooth anyway, and some smartwatches can already do this.

Overall, the JBL Soundgear Frames are perfect for music-loving, sunglasses-wearing individuals. It's stylish, functional, and basically, just cool to sport on the road.

A Quick Look at JBL Soundgear Frames Specifications

Dimensions

• Dimensions Round shape (L x W x H): 160.87mm * 150.54mm * 53.68mm / 6.33" 5.93" 2.11"
• Dimensions Square shape (L x W x H): 160.21 mm x 152.54 mm x 50.83 mm/6.31" x 6.01" x 2.00"

General Specifications

• Power supply: 5 V ? 0.5 A *2
• Material: Frame-Plastic (TR90), Hinge-metal (SUS316), Temple housing- Plastic (PC)

Audio Specifications

• Driver size: 25mm x 9 mm/0.98" x 0.35" Dynamic Driver
• Frequency response: 100 Hz - 18 kHz
• Impedance: 20 ohm
• Sensitivity: 114 dB SPL@1 kHz
• Maximum SPL: 90 dB
• Microphone sensitivity: -38 dBV/Pa@1 kHz
• Maximum operation temperature: 45 °C

Control and Connection Specifications

• Bluetooth version: 5.2
• Bluetooth transmitter frequency range: 2.4 GHz – 2.4835 GHz
• Bluetooth transmitter power: <12 dbm="" eirp="" li="">
• Bluetooth transmitter modulation: GFSK, π/4-DQPSK, 8DPSK

Battery

• Battery type: Lithium-ion battery (110 mAh/ 3.8 V)
• Charging time: 2 hrs from empty

Inside the Box

• 1 x Soundgear Frame audio glasses
• 1 x Carrying case
• 1 x USB Type-C Y-shaped charging cable
• 1 x Warranty / Warning
• 1 x product QSG/ Safety Sheet

The JBL Soundgear Frames Audio Glasses are available for P9,499 through the JBL website and outlets. The JBL Headphones app is available for Android and iOS.