Review | JBL c700si

There are countless headphones out there floating on the name of their parent brands without showing much promise in return. All that contributes to their success is the fact they are endorsed and trademarked by big-time brands and have an expensive price tag on them. However, the JBL c700si, priced at around Rs.7990 ($115.88), delivers exactly what it promises. These wonderful headphones not only look and feel good, but they also not only deliver a rich listening experience worth their price tag while living up to the name of their brand. JBL has made a great pair of headphones which are definitely worth buying.

The JBL c700si

First Impressions

The JBL c700si surely looked good when we first got it. We ordered the white coloured model and it seemed to be quite shiny, even though the black variant looked just as lustrous. These headphones seemed quite soft and sturdy and bore the huge JBL logos all around it. When we first plugged it in, these headphones sounded quite good. But this was before the burn-in. After the burn-in, these headphones took an amazing turn. We would never have expected it out of the JBL c700si had we not heard it for ourselves.

However, even though we ordered this product from Tata Clique, we never found this product listed on any of the JBL or Harman sites, leading us to question its authenticity. But when we finally heard it, we honestly didn't care whether it was real or not. These headphones sound amazing anyway.

JBL in the making

While a brand like JBL doesn't need an introduction, we still thought that we might interest you in some facts about JBL as a company and how it got built up from the ground. Everything, no matter how great, starts at the bottom and works its way up. JBL was no different.

James Bullough Lansing and Matt Milzewski started the Lansing Manufacturing Company in 1927 with the intent of selling speaker drivers for radio sets. In 1941, Lansing Manufacturing Company was bought by Altec Service Corporation. Five years later, in 1946 James Lansing quit the company and started out his own company under the name of Lansing Sound Inc. which was shortened to James B Lansing sound and finally to JBL as we call it today. JBL was finally acquired by Harman International Industries which is further a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics.

The JBL logo brandishing the sides of the JBL c700si

Today JBL speakers and headphones are famous worldwide and are present in one form or another at every household. JBL also owns the famous loudspeaker company Altec Lansing. Both of these companies are named after the original engineer and speaker designer James Bullough Lansing. You can read more about them on their Wikipedia page, or on their site.

Technical Specifications

As amazing as the JBL c700si really is, here are some specs to indulge the nerds among you. Perhaps you might able to learn about how to approximate the performance of headphones by reading them. However, it is common knowledge that the way a pair of headphones sound cannot be determined by their on paper specs. To figure that out, you must pick them up and listen to them for good. Or you can just read our blog.

Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 KHz. Broad spectrum range capable of producing a wide variety of sounds. Apt for music.

Driver Unit: 40 mm. A large driver capable of producing a large soundstage. Produces some amazing bass while at it.

Closed back: Isolates you from external noise as you listen to these headphones. However, can turn hot after long periods of exposure.

Tangle-free cable: No hassle with having to untangle your cable time and again. Also extends the durability and overall life of the product.

Supra-aural headphones: These headphones rest on your ear to isolate outside noise and produce a resounding bass. However, this also means discomfort after extensive usage.

These were the specs of the JBL c700si. Now to head into the Physical Specifications of these wonderful headphones.

Physical Specifications

The JBL c700si looks quite and feels quite good when seen and touched. They certainly are stylish, even though they may not be the most portable headphones available. However, the durability and the comfort more or less makes up for it. Let's see whether these headphones are truly worth their price for their style.

Looks

The JBL c700si looks simply beautiful if not anything else. It has an aura of simplistic elegance to it. Be it the White or the Black variant, these cans surely looks simply amazing. They can add to your style a lot, but they are a pair of headphones which you will never be able to outshine. Even the heavy JBL branding doesn't take anything away from its simplistic beauty.

The JBL c700si is furnished with a leather padding on the top with the JBL branding embossed across the headband on the top. The headband continues to extend into the extendable band supporting the rotating cups. This adds a shine to an otherwise lustrous black or white hue of these headphones. The ear cups are coated with a glossy white on the exterior with both sides bearing the brand logo of JBL in orange. The insides of the ear cups are also white with the left ear cup containing the famous exclamation mark symbol of JBL painted in orange onto the mesh fabric covering the driver unit. The foam pads are white as well and so are the wires connecting the headphones to the jack.

The JBL logo on the headband of the JBL c700si

The JBL c700si has a luxurious finish to it which none can beat. It looks a class apart on its own and is doubtful to be beaten by any other competitor in its price range. However, if you do decide to take the white variant, remember that it shall turn dirty very quickly and that maintaining white is going to be a headache.

Looks: 5/5

A class apart.

Comfort

Along with Looks, the JBL c700si is also extremely comfortable to use for prolonged periods of time. These headphones have an overall luxurious feel to them in addition to their luxurious looks. The headphones themselves are quite light. The headband at the top is quite comfortable padded and rests gently atop your skull. The ear pads apply gentle pressure on your ears and keep them from hurting for longer periods of time. The foam on the ear pads is quite soft as well, in addition to the light pressure offered.

However, at the same time, the closed back model also creates a fair amount of heat over time making it more or less uncomfortable to use these cans. Furthermore, no matter how soft, a pair of supra-aural headphones is going to place pressure on your ears in the end, making it more and more difficult to keep the headphones on as long as time goes on. The JBL c700si is quite comfortable to use but tends to get more and more uncomfortable when subject to longer durations of time.

Comfort: 4/5

Portability

If there's any complaint about the JBL c700si, it is concerning the portability. While these headphones are quite light for their size, it is their size that makes them unportable. These headphones are quite large and do not have the ability to fold, making them spatially expensive to carry around. While you can wear them around your neck and go wherever you want to, they will surely provide you with some trouble and take up a lot of space when you're trying to pack them into a bag with the rest of your belongings.

On the bright side, these headphones offer quite a low amount of impedance meaning that they can be played on and supported by the majority of music players out there. Only if these headphones could be folded, they would have no complaints against them with all the tides in their favour.

The JBL c700si as far as it can be folded and compressed

Portability: 2/5

Durability

Despite its low weight and its seemingly fragile structure, the JBL c700si proved to be quite durable not via strength, but via flexibility. These headphones can be bent and twisted to an amazing degree. Despite the lack of rotating joints and cuffs to relieve any pressure on these headphones, they have been crafted with materials and structured such that they can withstand amazing amounts of pressure by bending instead of breaking. Granted that the presence of joints should have provided greater strength to the frame, but hey, this isn't much worse either. It works quite well for a pair of sturdy looking headphones.

The parts which cannot be bend are properly padded and cushioned to avoid damage from falls and blows. These headphones are indeed quite durable even though they might not look so. Even the cord is tangle free and quite thick to prevent any accidental breakage or disconnection. These headphones have been crafted such that every weak part has been taken care of by virtue of another feature. That's JBL right there for you.

The Exclamation Mark logo of JBL displayed by virtue of the flexibility of the JBL c700si

Durability: 5/5

As durable as a bamboo in the wind

Sound Quality

Now that we've established how physically secure the JBL c700si really is, it is time to move on to the real aspects of these headphones: the way they sound. These headphones are definitely worth the price to pay with the way they sound. They might sound good before the burn-in, but after the burn-in, they are the next best thing to ambrosia and nectar. Seriously. They live up to the JBL reputation.

Highs

The JBL c700si provides a great listening experience when it comes to the treble. The majority of the notes are crisp, clear and prominent with a very few notes getting muddied especially towards the extremes. The alignment of the treble is loudest at the mids and gradually decreases towards the extreme highs. Nonetheless, it doesn't hamper the overall sound of the headphones all that much, and using them remains quite a blissful experience with the highs seamlessly blending into each other without any form of apparent distortion. The transitions are amazingly smooth and are truly worth the brand of JBL.

Highs: 4/5

Mids

The mid-range frequencies are the best part of the JBL c700si and one may argue that it was also engineered to enhance the mids, although, the bass sounds just as amazing. All vocals, notes, and sounds are crisp and crystal clear with a certain distinction between all of them. The mids never get muddied or bleed together and are certainly free of any form of distortion. They might be the loudest part of these headphones, but they don't overpower any of the other beautiful aspects of its sound. Be it a vocal note, or a scream, or even drum rolls, they all sound amazingly excellent with the JBL c700si and none of them bleed into the other with a clear differentiation between all sounds.

Mids: 5/5

Lows

If the Mids of the JBL c700si is impressive, then the Lows aren't any less. They provide just as much immersion and entertainment as the mids do. The Bass is thundering and quite dramatic. It captures every note perfectly without any distortion or crossfade. The Bass does lack a certain punchy feel to it from time to time, but it really makes up for it with the richness which it provides in other areas. If there's anything that can completely submerge you into the listening experience without overpowering the rest of the music, it would have to be the lows. Basslines, bass rhythms, and blast beats are all clearly audible in these headphones and show you a whole new perspective to your music.

Lows: 4/5

Soundstage

The JBL c700si provides a vast and dynamic soundstage with a lot of variables which seems to bring the whole listening experience to life. The frequencies also do not overlap or intertwine causing the music to seamlessly weave together to paint a new picture into life. That also makes the soundstage feel more alive. All in all, the JBL c700si provides an amazing soundstage worth its reputation and gives you a truly immersive experience.

Soundstage: 4/5

Noise Isolation

The JBL c700si puts its closed back on-ear cups to good use when isolating the listener from outside noise and interference. It is difficult to figure out other sounds as soon as put them on. However, once the music starts playing, I doubt anything short of an explosion would break through and alert you of what's going on in your surroundings. You simply can't hear anything else with these headphones on.

Noise Isolation: 5/5

Overall Sound Quality

The JBL c700si has an amazing sound that lives up to the reputation of its parent's brand despite its tiny flaws and defects. These flaws are easily overcome when the bigger picture is taken into account and you put these on to listen to the sweet symphony of music flowing out of these headphones and into your ears. It has great treble, exceptional mids, amazing bass, an awesome soundstage, and impeccable noise isolation. All of these factors combined make the JBL c700si an amazing pair of headphones when it comes to the sound quality which they have to offer.

Overall Sound Quality: 4.4/5

Near perfect

The Final Verdict

The JBL c700si is truly a pair of headphones which live up to the reputation of JBLdespite questions about its authenticity. Despite these questions, these headphones prove their mettle by virtue of their elegant looks, their comfort, and their durability, even though they're not as portable as we'd prefer them to be. If that isn't enough, then these headphones move one step farther and take it to the next level by flaunting off their amazing range of frequencies, the most impressive of which are the mid-ranges. They also provide an amazing and dynamic soundstage in addition to their perfect noise isolation, which puts the JBL c700si in a spot as close to perfect as humanly possible.

Final Score: 4.2/5