JBL 46BT vs. Audio Technica ATH-CKX9: For once, wireless beats wired

For many of us, the headset that comes bundled with our phones is something that's "good enough". But visit any electronics store and the number of earphones and headsets that come in a dizzying variety, provespeople want something better.

We recently got to try both the Audio Technica ATH-CKX9 wired headset, and - courtesy of Shop Your World - we also tried the JBL J46BT headset. Both are available for roughly Rs. 5,000 and so we decided to put them through the paces and see if either of these is a good pick.

Both are in-ear headsets with built-in microphone and volume controls. However, while the ATH-CKX9 is a wired set, the J46BT is wireless, with no way toconnect it to your phone other than Bluetooth. That means that when your battery empties, there's no way to use the headset until you chargeit again.

Look and feel
The ATH-CKX9 has a flexible earpiece with a C-grip in flexible rubber that lets you anchor it quite securely in your ear. You can wear this while being fairly active and not worry about your earphones popping out. The all-white design looks good, and this set feels comfortable to wear.

There are four different sizes of ear-pieces and grips so that you can adjust it to find something that is comfortable for you. But changing the ear pieces was beyond difficult - it's never easy because all the parts are small and fiddly, but with this particular set, it took a huge amount of effort, and many wasted attempts, to change the ear piece.

The allblack J46BT is a nice looking set - since there's no wire to connect toyour phone, it's just two earpieces connected by a flat, tangle-free wire. The earpiece is not flexible, but is angled inwards, so it's actually very secure once you wear it, and since the only wire is wrapped around the back of your neck, it is hard to accidentally dislodge these. The volume controls and microphone are discreetly placednear the right earphone, and are practically invisible. Above that, there's a small plastic notch so you can attach the two earpieces together for storage.

The placement of the controls is a little awkward - it dangles just under your ear so you look like you're playing with your earlobe when you're trying to adjust the volume, and at that angle, you can easily pull the earpiece out by mistake.

Audio performance
Considering the price, the ATH-CKX9 was fairly disappointing. The sound is very clear, but almost missing in the lower registers. The headset also sounded faint. While listening to music or watching a movie, we kept thevolume at 100% and still the output was equivalent to what we get with avolume level of around 30-40% on other headsets. There is no denying that the sound is clear with zero noise, but most music sounded flat, which when coupled with the low volume means that these earphones are better for a walk in the park, than for using on a crowded metro ride.

TheJ46BT sounded a lot better, and it's a wireless headset! The JBL earphones are suitably loud and have a wider range, but they aren't without some caveats either. The audio on the JBL headset isn't as clearas the Audio Technica. The upper registers in particular feel a little noisy - when you're playing a video game, for example, the voices lack the clarity of the gunshots, which might suit some people, but not everyone wants that.

Personally, while both speakers have their pros in the audio department, neither of them lived up to the price tag;we've seen better audio performance from sub-Rs. 1,000 in-ear headphones from companies like Sennheiser and Philips.

Connectivity
The ATH-CKX9 connects with a standard 3.5mm jack; the J46BT on the other hand has only Bluetooth connectivity. This means that once the battery wears down, you're just carrying a piece of rubber and plastic in your hands until you can charge it again.

And that is a problem, because the small size of the set also means that they could only put a small battery in there. The J46BT takes around two hours to charge, and if you're using it at around half volume, then you're going to get roughly seven hours of continuous use.

Charging the J46BT is interesting and inconvenient - the right earpiece has two charging points nearly hidden behind the rubber cup, and the entire earpiece needs to be socketed into a cradle that has a USB cable attached. This means that unless you have a USB charger, you're stuck charging these headphones from your laptop at all times. We wish the headphones came with a standard Micro-USB port - there would've been one less cable to carry around.

Pairing the headset with our devices was painless, but a relatively short battery life, and an inconvenient charging procedure both count against this particular set.

Verdict
TheAudio Technica ATH-CKX9 is an average headset that comes at a high price. It's definitely clear, but has a very limited range and volume. The JBL J46BT, on the other hand, sounds better but has a few drawbacks of its own. The battery life isn't impressive, and means that you could be charging it everyday - and charging the headset means fitting it intoa small cradle. It's simply inconvenient and also, in case you're having a long day, it's quite possible that your headset will simply runout of battery life when you're on the road - do you really want to monitor the battery levels on a headset, the way you already do for your phone?

Price
Audio Technica ATH-CKX9 - Rs. 4,699

JBL J46BT - Rs. 5,990

In the box
Audio Technica ATH-CKX9
Four sizes of ear pieces and cups
Carry case

JBL J46BT wireless in-ear stereo headphones with rechargeable battery
USB-recharge cradle
Three sizes of ear pieces
Carry case
Quick Start guide