The Jade Audio JW1 was kindly provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t receive monetary or any other kind of compensation and I don’t use affiliate links. The price of the Jade Audio JW1 is $34.99 and you can buy it from FiiO.eu.
Jade Audio
Jade Audio is a subsidiary brand of FiiO, a brand that aims to create products with core functions and select accessories to provide audio enthusiasts with products of high quality at a competitive price. The company has already released many successful products like the Jade Audio JD3 and JD7 earphones or the Q11 and KA5 USB DACs. Most of the products are co-branded as FiiO so a confusion may arise because most people (reviewers included) are using the name FiiO and not Jade Audio.
Jade Audio JW1
The latest product by Jade Audio is the JW1, an affordable, True Wireless Bluetooth (TWS) earbuds with an open design and a large 14,2mm dynamic driver. The JW1 is a non-in-ear design, a traditional style earbud with an ear-hook that cleverly balances the forces around the ear at multiple points and provides a comfortable fit.
The Jade Audio JW1 houses a newly developed 14.2mm dynamic driver unit that produces crystal clear sound with robust bass response and a big soundstage.
The JW1 supports wireless Bluetooth V5.3 connectivity for a faster, more stable and lag-free connection. There are only two Bluetooth codecs supported, SBC and AAC while the JW1 is not compatible with the FiiO Control application.
Accessories
The Jade Audio JW1 comes together with a carrying pouch and a USB charging cable.
The benefits of an open-back earbud
Being an open design means that the Jade Audio JW1 will not block outside noise so you are going to be well aware of your surroundings making it an excellent choice when contact with the outside world is desired, like when working, driving a car or commuting with a bike. The JW1 is also IPX5 waterproof and sweat-proof rated, making it an ideal partner for the gym or when exercising outdoors.
Battery duration
The JW1 will last you about 5 hours per charge and the charging case will add about 15-16 hours more. Both the earbuds and the charging case need about 1.5 hours to get a full charge.
The charging case
The charging case features a push-pull lid that is made from transparent plastic which is rather thin and prone to scratching. The lid uses a magnetic system to stay closed and make sure that it will not accidentally open. The earbuds are magnetically attached to the two opposite sides of the case. This is a bulky and quite heavy case that houses a 250mAh battery. It measures 91.6×55.6×28.6mm and weighs 85g with the earbuds attached.
Wireless connectivity
Connecting the JW1 with your phone is very simple, the only thing you have to do is to pull them out from the charging case to enter seek mode. After initial pairing, the JW1 will remember and automatically reconnect to the last connected device. The JW1 supports single and dual earbud usage modes. The connection is stable and lag free, at least for listening to music and making calls because I haven’t tested gaming or watching movies. Call quality is very good with a crystal clear sound both for the user and the caller.
Touch controls
Both the left and the right earbuds are equipped with touch controls that are conveniently located at the free end of each ear hook. The touch area is responsive but it has a small diameter and is concealed behind the ear so performing various actions is not so straightforward. You can double tap to play/pause/answer/end call, triple tap left side for previous track and right side for next track, four taps to wake the voice assistant and long press to power on.
Build quality and fit
The earbuds together with the ear-hooks are entirely made from hard plastic. Build quality is very good for the category and the JW1 is available in black and white.
The Jade Audio JW1 is very comfortable to wear but only if you have small ears. The main drawback of the JW1 design is that the size of the earbuds together with the ear-hooks is really small, the main body of the earbud has 3.5cm of length and there is no way to bend or adjust the length of the ear-hooks. This translates that the JW1 will actually fit only small ears making it unusable with larger ears because the length of the earbud is not enough for the driver to reach and be properly placed against the ear canal. Not only is it uncomfortable to wear but also negatively affects sound quality with complete loss of bass and sound level pressure. It seems that the Jade Audio JW1 was designed with the Asian market in mind because it is too small and there is no way to fit a normal sized ear of a Caucasian adult.
Sound quality
Given that the JW1 is well fitted as intended then and only then the sound quality is pretty good. The large dynamic driver makes sure that the low-end gets sufficiently present for an open-back earbud, of course mid-bass is actually more prominent but still you can listen to most kinds of music without the feeling that there is much lack of bass. Dynamics are pretty good but control, layering and definition are average. The JW1 has a very open and spacious character with well defined, naturally tuned and engaging mid-range. Clarity is very good and voices are well reproduced, making the JW1 not only suitable for music listening but also for voice calls, web meetings and listening to podcasts. The treble is a touch sharp, but not too bright, with plenty of energy and bite. The absence of the higher resolution codecs doesn’t help much with resolution and refinement or detail retrieval and definition. What we should remember though is that the Jade Audio JW1 is intended for casual and generic use and as such it should be considered as successfully designed and tuned.
In the end
If you have small ears then the Jade Audio JW1 is a very comfortable pair of TWS earbuds with good sound quality and the benefit of letting you be aware of your surroundings. It is also waterproof , has good battery duration and is dirt cheap, an excellent choice for everyone looking for a pair of open back TWS earbuds for everyday use.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2023.
+ Good sound quality for everyday use + Comfortable and highly recommended for people who dislike in-ear monitors + Suitable for driving, working and everytime you need to have contact with your surroundings + IPX5 Water-resistant + Extended battery duration + Touch controls + Stable wireless connection + Very affordable - Small sized earbuds that will not fit average or larger adult ears - Hard and non adjustable ear-hooks - Limited support of Bluetooth codecs - Bulky and heavy charging case - Awkward touch controls
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