Jlab Gravity Neckband Review
May 22, 2017 at 12:22 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 9

red71rum

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Gravity Bluetooth Neckband Adaptor

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JLab Audio recently contacted me about their new Gravity Bluetooth Neckband Adaptor. I was intrigued by the idea of using my non-bluetooth headphones and trying them with this device. I have several wired headphones such as my AKG K280, Ultimate Ears TF10 and thought it would be interesting to try them as Bluetooth headphones.



Accessories:

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The Jlab Pro Headphones

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USB cable, tips fins

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Accessories out of the bag

In the box, along with the Gravity Neckband, came a micro usb charging cable, 3 sets of gel tips, two cush fins and the Jlab Pro headphones. The included headphones were a nice bonus if you did not have a set of wired headphones to use with the Gravity Neckband.



Features\Performance:



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A closeup of how the wired headphones connect into the Gravity Neckband

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A closeup of the easy to use controls

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I apologize for my neck hair, but this is how the Gravity looks, although I was messy with the wires.


The Gravity Neckband is supposed to get 10 hours of battery life and for those that also like the ability to use the headphones to answer calls, these have a rated talk time of 12 hours. They are Bluetooth 4.1 and are IPX4 rated. The IPX4 rating means that the Gravity Neckband is protected from splashing water in any direction. This would come in handy if you used these at the gym. I found that the Gravity Neckband did last for the full 10 hours and that was more than the enough for 5 days at the gym. If you used them for the office or just walking around, the Gravity Neckband does recharge to full power from a dead battery in just 1.5 hours, which is pretty fast. I did not talk for 12 hours on these, but I am sure that they live up to the 12 hours of talk time as well. While I am not a fan of wearing something around my neck, I will say that the Gravity was light enough and comfortable enough that it did not bother me. I found that connecting my various headphones to the 3.5mm jack to be straightforward and routing the wires on the Gravity fairly easy. I was able to put all the excess wire from the headphones in the Gravity’s cable management system, getting them out of the way. I found that the Gravity Neckband did not stick to my neck and actually did not bother me. I think the reason being is that JLab incorporated medical grade silicone instead of some cheap rubber compound. That is important because these should be comfortable or what is the point. I did find that with my Ultimate Ears TF10’s that the wire was too thick to put in the grooves on the Gravity, but it still work well without using the cable routing but still using the cable manage system in the back to take up the excess wire. I like the fact the Gravity gave headphones that did not have the ability to skip tracks, the ability to skip tracks and change volume and so on, which I liked. I found that like Jlab’s other Bluetooth headphones, that the controls were easy to use, holding down the back or forwards button to advance tracks, tapping them to increase volume, pausing a track etc.

Sound:


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My UE TF 10's are ready for bluetooth

While sound depends on the reviewer's hearing and what they like, I found that the Bluetooth capability of the Gravity Neckband to be really good. I tried it with my Ultimate Ears TF10’s and Etymotic HF5’s and the headphones both sounded good. The Gravity Neckband provided a solid connection between to my Samsung Galaxy S7 and my wife’s Iphone 7 plus. It was interesting giving wired headphones Bluetooth capability. I also found the call quality to be quite good, the people on the other end of the call said I sounded fine.

Conclusion:

While I have not been a big fan of having something on my neck like this, I must admit that these did not feel bad and were pretty comfortable. I think these are a great idea for someone who has a pair of nice wired headphones and does not want to buy another pair of bluetooth headphones and at $39.99, this is a very affordable option.
 
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May 28, 2017 at 1:02 PM Post #4 of 9
I'd say it is a requirement for your TF10s. The default codec for BT really wasn't really designed with audiophiles in mind. Hope they add aptX and MP3/AAC decoding support in the next go around.
 
May 28, 2017 at 10:18 PM Post #5 of 9
I'd say it is a requirement for your TF10s. The default codec for BT really wasn't really designed with audiophiles in mind. Hope they add aptX and MP3/AAC decoding support in the next go around.
I agree, aptx makes BT more palatable. Wired headphones are still the way to go for audiophiles, but BT headphones do allow the convenience of listening at the gym. I use their Epic2's at the gym, they have aptx. I have never thought of using the TF10s at the gym, not really the right environment for them.
 
Jun 3, 2017 at 12:15 PM Post #6 of 9
If they have AptX LL, it would be an insta-buy. Hope they add it in the future, there is nothing like this in the market. Most bluetooth thing force you to use their earphone/earbud which is less than desirable.
 
Oct 5, 2017 at 4:25 PM Post #8 of 9
APTX HD and/or LDAC please! (Also an aux in near the back/side.) I've been looking for something for a while like a neckband I could use completely wired if I wanted to. Just with better strain relief between the IEM's and my ears and the cable off to the side. The LG Tone Studio does this but is impossibly huge and has those dumb fat neck speakers.
 
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Oct 5, 2017 at 5:20 PM Post #9 of 9
APTX HD and/or LDAC please! (Also an aux in near the back/side.) I've been looking for something for a while like a neckband I could use completely wired if I wanted to. Just with better strain relief between the IEM's and my ears and the cable off to the side. The LG Tone Studio does this but is impossibly huge and has those dumb fat neck speakers.

I passed along your suggestions to JLab.
 

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