Jlab Headphones App For Mac

  

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Headphones

Editor Rating: Excellent (4.0)

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Buy It Now

Amazon UK£99.99
  • Pros

    • Strong audio performance with full bass response and three EQ settings.
    • Exceptionally secure in-ear fit.
    • Sweat-proof design ideal for exercise.
  • Cons

    • Easy to skip tracks by accident.
    • Sculpted sound signature not for everyone.
  • Bottom Line

    The gym-friendly JLab Epic Sport Wireless earphones offer solid audio with variable EQ modes and a very secure fit.

The $99.99 JLab Epic Sport Wireless are bass-forward Bluetooth earphones with three EQ modes, a waterproof design, and an exceptionally secure fit. The sound signature isn't for purists, as the mids are scooped and the highs and lows are sculpted and boosted dramatically regardless of the EQ mode you choose. But generally speaking, these are solid Bluetooth in-ears, ideal for exercise.

Design

The Epic Sport Wireless is a neckband-style pair, available in black. The earpieces are connected to adjustable memory wire that pops up, over, and behind the ears, and can be molded to stay in whatever position fits you best. This, and the excellent included eartips and fins, ensure an extra-secure fit. In all, JLab includes five pairs of eartips in various sizes and materials, and three pairs of fins (S, M, and L) that help add stabilization to the fit. An IP66 rating means the earphones are dust and waterproof.

Nearest the right earpiece, there's an inline remote control and microphone. The remote automatically redials whoever you last called when you double tap it, which is more often annoying than it is useful. The plus/minus buttons are for volume when tapped, and track navigation when held longer. We're not fans of this button array, as it easily results in accidentally skipped tracks. So we're not thrilled with the inline remote control in general, but it works, and once you memorize the buttons, mistakes will be less likely.

Jlab headphones app for mac pro

SEE ALSO: Cheap AirPod Alternatives: The Best True Wireless Earbuds Under $100

In addition to all the eartips and fins, the earphones ship with a USB charging cable that snaps on to the bottom of the remote control compartment, rather than using a micro USB cord as much of the competition does. There's also a cable cinch for adjusting the neckband's slack, a cable clip, and a small zip-up protective case.

The mic offers so-so intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 6s, we could understand every word we recorded, but the audio was fuzzy and distant. This, however, is common with Bluetooth earphone mics. JLab estimates battery life to be roughly 12 hours, but your results will vary with your volume levels.

Performance

In the default EQ mode, on tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's 'Silent Shout,' the earphones deliver powerful, thumping bass response. At top, exceptionally loud and unsafe listening levels, the bass doesn't distort, and at more moderate levels it is still quite powerful. Those motivated by deep bass during their workouts will appreciate the low frequency response, which can be adjusted (more on that in a moment).

Bill Callahan's 'Drover,' a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the overall sound signature. The drums on this track can sound overly thunderous on earphones with heavily boosted bass, but through the Epic Sport Wireless, have a roundness and fullness that is boosted, but not to insane levels. Callahan's baritone vocals are delivered with rich low-mid presence and use a smidge more high-mid presence to balance things out. The guitar strums get a solid high frequency presence—they pop with brightness and stand out more in the mix than usual. In other words, this is sort of a scooped sound signature—strong bass response, bright highs, and a little less in the way of mids than might be ideal.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's 'No Church in the Wild,' the kick drum loop receives slightly less high-mid presence than we prefer—its attack isn't dull here, but it lacks the crisp punch it often has, while the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with strong depth, but are not quite as intense as we have heard on some seriously bass-boosted earphones. The vocals on this track receive added brightness and less high-mid presence, and we notice the high frequency crackle of vinyl in the background a little more than usual.

For orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the lower register instrumentation is boosted far more than usual—this tells us that much of the bass presence pushed out is in the lows and low-mids, while sub-bass frequencies are delivered more or less as they are. This is why Callahan's vocals sound so rich, and why the deepest bass elements on the previously mentioned tracks are well-represented, but aren't necessarily as powerful as they are on some bass-forward earphones. Here JLab is all about pushing the lows (and some low-mids) up in the mix, as well as the highest frequencies. It can translate well on most pop, rock, and rap music, but it doesn't sound quite as ideal on orchestral tracks such as this one.

You can adjust the EQ, as mentioned, by holding the two plus/minus buttons at once—this switches from the default signature mode we tested in to Balanced mode, and doing it again switches to Bass Boost. Unfortunately, there's no announcement of which mode you're in, nor an LED that tells you. We found the Balanced mode seemed to even out the treble and bass response a bit—sometimes the Signature mode sounded crisper and clearer, sometimes it was the Balanced mode. But the Bass Boost mode sounds a little ridiculous—the lows are pushed even more forward in the mix while the highs are dialed back significantly—it's a muddy sound, and we suggest sticking with the two more crisp choices, both of which still offer plenty of bass.

Conclusions

JLab's Epic Sport Wireless earphones deliver strong audio performance that can be adjusted. They'll appeal to those who like deep bass and want bright highs to balance it out, but will probably irk listeners who want the mids to be more consistently represented. The design is excellent in terms of secure fit and exercise-friendliness—that IP66 rating is no joke, and plenty of companies don't even bother to test for dust ingress. Throw in the generous array of included accessories, and the major gripe here is the layout of the remote control panel.

For the price, though, the Epic Sport Wireless is a solid pair, albeit one with some stiff competition. We're fans of the JBL Reflect Fit, the Jaybird X3, the JBL Reflect Mini BT, and the Bose SoundSport Wireless in this price range. JLab gets a lot of things right here, but it's worth looking at these other options before you commit to this one.

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Further Reading

Mac

Simplify Bluetooth connection
With ToothFairy, pairing AirPods with Mac is effortless.

From the dawn of time to just about a few years ago, all of us sported a pair of wired headphones and were convinced that this is simply how it will be done forever. After all, they are the easiest technology around: just plug them in, put them on, and go. But with proliferation of Bluetooth headphone options and disappearance of headphone jacks from nearly all the latest smartphones, wired headphones seem to progress on the path of disappearance more and more each day.

Thankfully, wireless devices are great. They are lightweight. They are versatile. They can be easily connected to your iPhone, your Mac, or your car. Charge them overnight just the same way as your phone and they last all day too.

Sadly, without proper configuration, connecting Bluetooth headphones to Mac might get a bit tricky, with frequent disconnections and music interruptions. Here, we’ll help you find out how to pair AirPods and other sound devices with Mac properly and control them masterfully at the same time.

Why Bluetooth Headphones Won't Connect To Mac

There are a few common problems we need to explore:

  1. Bluetooth headphones won't connect to Mac right out of the box — some configuring is needed
  2. Pairing Bluetooth headphones with Mac is different from pairing them with iPhone or your car’s audio system
  3. Special settings that answer questions like how to connect two Bluetooth headphones to one Mac and how to use multiple audio outputs

Throughout the article, AirPods would be used as an example, but any other model of Bluetooth headphones can be connected in a similar fashion.

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How to pair wireless headphones to Mac

Connecting Bluetooth headphones to Mac for the first time is done by following a few easy steps:

  1. On your Mac, click on the Apple menu and launch System Preferences
  2. Navigate to the Bluetooth menu and Turn Bluetooth On. You should now see all available Bluetooth devices around you.
  3. Make sure your headphones are charged and currently in discoverable mode. Click Connect to establish a new connection
  4. Your Bluetooth headphones should now appear in the list. Click Connect to establish a new connection.
  5. If you’re trying to reconnect your existing device, right-click on it and choose Connect

After you’ve managed to successfully connect Bluetooth headphones to Mac for the first time, they should stay connected or reconnect automatically when you leave the Bluetooth range (around 33 feet or 10 meters) and come back.

You can also calibrate headphones to your liking through the Sound menu in System Preferences. For example, in the Output tab you can choose to “Show volume in menu bar” and set a stereo balance between right and left.

Described above is the ideal scenario for connecting AirPods to Mac. But oftentimes things don’t go as planned, so let’s work through some widespread issues regarding Bluetooth headphones as well.

How to connect AirPods to Mac

There’s good news for those interested specifically in how to pair AirPods with MacBook. It’s really handy to set up connections if you use multiple Apple devices with your AirPods. Plus, you can get third-party software to automate the flow.

Here’s how you connect new AirPods to Mac:

  1. Open System Preferences on your Mac and select Bluetooth.
  2. Ensure Bluetooth is turned on.
  3. On AirPods, press and hold the round button (it’s at the bottom center of the case) until the white light starts blinking.
  4. Your Bluetooth headphones should now appear in the list.

In case you’ve already paired AirPods with your iPhone that’s tied to the same iCloud account and Apple ID, your earbuds will be automatically recognized by Mac.

To simplify it even more, install ToothFairy, an app that pairs Bluetooth devices with Mac in one click. It works particularly well with connecting AirPods to Mac – instead of taking AirPods out of their case and putting them back in, you click on one single icon in ToothFairy. You can read more about how to use the app below.

How to fix Bluetooth headphone issues

Sometimes going through the setup steps doesn’t result in your headphones connecting successfully, or connecting and then abruptly disconnecting. This is profoundly annoying but can be solved by either resetting the headphones or purging preference settings on your Mac. Here's how to fix all known issues:

Restart your Bluetooth headphones

In case you can’t connect your Bluetooth headphones not only to your Mac but also any other device you own (iPhone or car audio), it might be a glitch in its settings, so a simple reset should remedy the situation.

For reset instructions, check your device’s manual. Here’s how to reset AirPods:

  1. Put the earpieces into the case and keep the lid open
  2. Press and hold the setup button until the light switches from amber to white (around 10 seconds)

Now all settings on your earphones should be reset and you should be able to connect them again using the standard workflow above. If the problem persists, it could be something to do with the preferences on your Mac.

Jlab Bluetooth Headphones

Reset sounds preferences on Mac

First, make sure that your Mac is running macOS Sierra or newer (macOS High Sierra or Mojave). If not, upgrade to the latest version by going to System Preferences > Software Update or using the App Store if you’re upgrading from a few versions back.

Next, if nothing was of any benefit so far, try resetting your Mac’s sound preferences. To do that:

  1. From the menu bar select Go > Go to Folder… and type ~/Library/Preferences
  2. In the long list of preference files, find and delete the following: com.apple.preferences.plist and com.apple.soundpref.plist

Deleting preferences out of the library forces your Mac to recreate them brand new, thus avoiding any bugs or improper algorithms that could have interfered with your Bluetooth headphones setup. If that didn’t work, you can also try relaunching the audio process:

  1. Launch Activity Monitor from the Applications folder
  2. In the CPU tab, find the process called coreaudiod
  3. Quit the process and close Activity Monitor

The above would force not only the preferences for your audio to reset but also the audio process for your whole Mac to relaunch.

No audio from a paired and connected Bluetooth headset

Occasionally, when you succeeded in connecting Bluetooth headphones to Mac, you might hear no sound going through. There are a few things you can do to solve this.

Ensure that your headphones are the selected audio output for your Mac:

  1. Go System Preferences > Sound
  2. In the Output tab, find your headphones in the list and double-click to make them active

If that didn’t change anything:

  1. Reset your headphones as per the directions above
  2. Go System Preferences > Bluetooth
  3. Right-click on your headphones, choose Remove, and confirm

Now you need to connect Bluetooth headphones to Mac all over again, and the problem should disappear.

Can’t connect two Bluetooth headphones Mac recognizes

The beauty of Mac’s Bluetooth menu is that it lets you add any number of Bluetooth-enabled devices, from keyboards to headphones. Sometimes, however, it might malfunction and not allow you to add two wireless headphones at the same time.

To fix this issue, essentially repeat the steps from the previous section:

  1. Reset each pair of headphones
  2. Remove them from Mac’s Bluetooth menu
  3. Reconnect your headphones once more

If, however, you’re looking for how to use multiple audio outputs, such as headphones, at the same time — here some magic tricks are required.

How to use multiple audio outputs simultaneously

Most Mac users believe that they can only play their audio output through one device at a time, be it internal speakers, Bluetooth headphones, or some other amplifier. But in reality it’s possible to play audio on multiple devices at the same time through a handy built-in utility called Audio MIDI Setup. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Launch Audio MIDI Setup through Applications
  2. Click the plus icon at the bottom left and choose Create Multi-Output Device
  3. In the new option that appears, check all the Bluetooth devices you need to play simultaneously
  4. Navigate to the Sound menu in System Preferences and choose the Multi-Output Device in the Output tab. Now all sounds will play through both devices at the same time.

Playing audio through multiple devices is a nifty trick for when you need more sound power for your party or when trying to create a true surround sound for a movie screening.

Jlab Headphones Connect

Use master audio software for all needs

Most of the time, audio on Mac is not an issue. What’s frustrating is the way current settings are sprinkled all over macOS. Lots of fixes described here might seem confusing and unintuitive at first sight. You might wish there was an app that would make it easy to control all your audio needs from a single place. And there is.

Meet ToothFairy — the most simple and magical Bluetooth device assistant for Mac. In a true one-click fashion, ToothFairy allows you to set up any number of Bluetooth-enabled devices, configure hotkeys, and switch easily between them.

To set up a new device in ToothFairy, all you need to do is:

Jlab Headphones Target

  1. Open the app
  2. Click the plus icon
  3. Locate your device in the list and click Connect

Similarly, it’s just as easy to assign custom icons to all your frequently used devices and get them displayed in the menu bar, so you instantly know which devices are connected, what’s their battery life, and can quickly turn them on and off with one click.

Wireless Headphones Jlab

Additionally, ToothFairy offers a unique option of improving the sound quality of your Bluetooth headphones by funneling the sound through a higher level audio codec.

Jlab Bluetooth Headphones App

In the end, it seems like wireless headphones are here to stay. So finding a master program to control them with ease is going to save your hours of time in the long run. Use the tips above to configure your headphones, easily connect AirPods to MacBook, and take advantage of ToothFairy to just the way you want and take advantage of ToothFairy to tell you what exactly is going on with all your Bluetooth devices.

Best of all, ToothFairy is available for a free trial through Setapp, a platform of over 150 useful utilities and apps for people who love finding the best shortcuts for using their Macs. Now enjoy the sound!