There's a strange shortage of great wireless headphones in the $100-200 range. Most of the good pairs we test seem to fall, more often than not, into the areas above or below this price range. So while they may not be best pair of over-ear Bluetooth headphones we've ever tested, the JBL E55BT sound quite good for their $149.95 price. Lovers of big bass won't be disappointed, but JBL thankfully keeps the overall sound signature balanced with strong high-mid and high frequency presence. The headphones are also quite comfortable and ship with a detachable cable for passive, wired listening. If you're looking for a step up from a sub-$100 pair, you won't be disappointed.

Design

Available in black, blue, green, red, or white, the circumaural (over-the-ear) E55BT headphones have a cloth-lined headband and soft, imitation leather earpads. The outer panels of the earcups are matte plastic, emblazoned with the JBL logo in the middle. The fit is quite secure and, thanks to the generous cushioning in the headband and earcups, very comfortable over long listening sessions. Inside each earcup, a 50mm driver delivers the audio.

Built-in controls are located on the right earcup. They're plastic buttons that feel a bit on the cheap side for this price range, but they work nonetheless. There's a power/pairing switch with a status LED, as well as a three-button control panel that has a central multifunction button (playback and call management) and plus and minus buttons for volume (they work in conjunction with your mobile device's master volume). These two buttons, when held down, also control track navigation. We're not huge fans of this type of control array, as it makes it easy to accidentally skip a track when you mean to only adjust the volume.

Each earcup also has a connection point for a cable. The left ear houses the micro USB connection for the included charging cable, and the right ear has a connection for the included 3.5mm audio cable, which allows for wired, passive listening. Connecting the audio cable automatically shifts the headphones into passive mode, saving battery life.

The detachable audio cable has an inline single-button remote control and mic situated just below chin level. The cable's mic offers excellent intelligibility, much better than the mic in the headphones themselves. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 6s, the cable's mic recordings were clear and every word was discernible, while the wireless, built-in mic sounded slightly distorted.

The headphones ship with no accessories other than the aforementioned charging cable and detachable audio cable. A protective carrying pouch would've been a nice inclusion, as the headband's surface includes cloth that could easily catch and snag on something.

JBL estimates battery life to be about 20 hours, but your results will vary with your volume levels.

Performance

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the headphones deliver a powerful thump that doesn't distort even at top, unwise volume levels. At more moderate volume levels, the drivers still deliver a laudable deep bass response, but it's all balanced out with very crisp, well-defined high-mids and highs.

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Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with less deep bass in its mix, gives us a better sense of the general sound signature. The drums on this track get some added bass presence, giving them far more depth than they typically have, but the boosting never sounds unnatural. Callahan's baritone vocals get a solid low-mid richness, but is matched by plenty of presence in the high-mids and highs, bringing out the treble edge of the vocals and allowing the acoustic guitar's attack to have a little extra high frequency contour. In other words, there's plenty of bass boosting, but not an obscene level, and the sculpted highs also help balance it out nicely.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop gets an ideal high-mid presence, pushing its sharp, punchy attack forward in the mix. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with gusto, but nothing too intense—headphones that overdo the bass boosting can sound ridiculously boomy on this track, but the sub-bass synth hits here are powerful without overtaking the mix's balance. The high-mid and high frequency presence is also ideal for the vocal performances on this track—there's excellent clarity, and nothing sounds overly sibilant or harsh.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, get a little more added bass depth than purists might want. The lower register intrumentation has some added richness and bounce as a result, but the spotlight still shines on the higher register brass, strings, and vocals—they have a natural brightness that is further enhanced by sculpting and boosting in the higher ranges.

Conclusions

Generally speaking, the E55BT headphones offer a sculpted-but-balanced audio experience, with robust bass response and crisp, clear highs. It's not a flat response sound signature, but it will appeal to listeners who like a little added bass depth without throwing the entire balance of the mix off. And at $150, there are few pairs of high-quality Bluetooth headphones (as opposed to in-ear options, of which there are significantly more) on the market. The JBL E55BT may not be flawless, but they provide a powerful Bluetooth audio experience in a comfortable design we don't often see below $200.

If you're looking for even more powerful bass out of your Bluetooth headphones, the Sony MDR-XB650BT deliver intense low-end and a strong overall audio experience. If you're looking to spend less money, we're fans of the Skullcandy Grind Wireless and the Urbanears Active Hellas. And if your budget can stretch beyond the $150 mark, the Marshall Mid Bluetooth is one of our current favorite pairs.

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