Yes it is another Jesbod, with another crazy nice box. Of course the box isn’t important, its what’s inside that counts. Well the QY11’s look great but how do they sound? Read on and find out.
Thanks to Jesbod UK (Jesbod US) for the sample.
First Impressions
Okay this is just getting spooky, Jesbod, a brand Iād never heard of a few weeks ago and another wow box. Sure I know that the box isnāt really important and anyone that really cares about the box of a product is an idiot butā¦ā¦ seriously, look at it. Random Chinese companies are support to start out using cheap ānā nasty boxes that look terrible and feel worse. Oh no none of that here, itās a change from the natural, unbleached box of the QY13 but this is just as impressive. Its jet black, with all black innards, seriously this box looks and feels like it should house a product with an extra zero on its price tag. It really does make for a wow, first impression. The buds are interesting looking, their over the ear but the cable drops right down shape. You really canāt wear these any other way. Thing is cable straight down means that cable microphonics could travel straight up it.
In the ears, having slapped on a pair of Complyās because, well laziness mostly. Hmm their shape is limiting. These need to sit pretty shallow, you just canāt push them in. On the left I think Iām not quite getting a seal. Hmm the bass though is good, a little abundant. Hmm are these the exact same as the QY13? You know I think they are, just in a different shape IEM.
Source
Predominantly a Lumia 735 and Moto G 4G.
Lows
I feel like I could just copy paste what I wrote for the QY13. A bass heavy presentation but not wildly so, tbh I reasonably like a fairly bass heavy sound anyway and I find its quantity a little bit much but Iām still perfectly happy with it. Itās really good in fact. Skipping around through tracks and I find that pretty much everything I like works will with them. Itās really enjoyable. Now sure there isnāt endless depth and its not the most solid bass that ever there was but come onā¦ā¦Bluetooth and this cheap? A little bloom, a little expansion takes the punch out of the bass but that makes it more easey on the ear. Seriously every track that comes on sounds great out of them. I know what itās not doing technically right but I really donāt mind, itās so pleasantly enjoyable. A little big and billowy but itās got that nebulous, indefinable quality that I just cannot help liking them.
Quantity wise they are overblown and expanded from where they sound be. Still from a more mainstream perspective these arenāt all that bassy, they are probably spot on what people would go for. A bassy but never overwhelming or unduly domineering.
Mids
They are a little recessed. Ahh well thatās not really a shocker is it? Tonally they are a little off, there is a natural quality but I think that bass is sucking a touch of air out of them. This makes them a more weighty, slightly lower vocal preference. Itās very staid, a little warmed, a little complacent. They are missing a dash of air, some energy, some sparkle, these just lack something in the upper mid range. There is a certain liveliness that just is not there. Donāt get me wrong I found them still to be highly enjoyable but there was indeed something missing.
Quantity wise they are behind the bass and maybe about the same level as the treble. Iām happy with the balance. Itās reasonably level with the mids and treble then a boost to the bass.
Highs
Pretty nice. They arenāt the worlds most detailed nor refined but then at their price thatās simply a given. However with their warmed sound signature it isnāt particularly noticeable. They are never pushed forward, never dominant, never exploding all over the place. For my ears itās great, Iām treble sensitive so I never really want them up front and in your face. Here when they sort of come out to play they do their best to stay in the back and gently shimmer. They want to give you a pleasantly sparkling idea of whatās going on while fudging the details a bit. If you push them and listen out then youāll notice that the treble will descend into a vaguely scratchy mess. Even when itās thusly scratchy itās not the energy to be truly abrasive to the ear, by that point itās in the back where it hasnāt the volume or power to actually scratch you.
Soundstage
Alright. They are pretty goodly sized in all directions. Vocals tend to be somewhat close and bang in your face, never forward but right in front of you. The bass I canāt really locate, itās there, itās pretty big but it hasnāt got a particular place where itās coming from. The treble, thatās kinda at the back of the stage, maybe just behind and to the sides of the vocals.
Fit
Mostly good. They are a little bit different in their shape so you canāt wear however you like, they must be worn up, which Iām good with, howeverā¦ā¦. That means the cable comes directly out the bottom. That means no looped over the ear to absorb vibrations. They also very much wanted to sit shallow and thatās just that, they canāt sit deeply. Notably my left ear only just got a seal, I kept wanting to push them in but you canāt.
Comfort
Great. Their shape was a strange but in use they were perfectly comfy.
Microphonics
Sadly you do get some. Okay so itās not a lot but with that cable having to sit down directly meant that it could and did catch on my collars. When it did it sent vibrations directly up. Now itās not like it was some massive problem but it was certainly noticeable compared to its near twin, the QY13.
Cable
It was fine. Honestly the cable isnāt significant enough to provoke more discussion.
Accessories
You get a micro USB cable to charge them and 5 pairs of silicone tips.
Phone Use
So I made a quick call, all was well. I heard them fine, they heard me fine too. Oh and the button all worked great. The play/pause/skip/answer call button worked and the volume controls worked great too.
Build Quality
Very nice. The closer you get to them the less fancy they appear but they still feel quite solid and decently put together. There really wasnāt anything I could count as a flaw. They do look more fancy from a distance, up close you can tell they are just plastic.
Aesthetics
I like them. In pics and from a distance they look rather funky with their rather peculiar shape. They look so different and interesting. The weird capsule shape body then the stark and angular ear hook coming out of them. These is something, I dunno, 80ās esq black and angular about them, I like them.
Isolation
Hmm it was okay. It was still a little lacking on the left, where I just always felt like I wasnāt getting the best seal. They were fine for walking out and about and you could get away with them for a bus commute but you know. Tube and flights, na not so much. As ever they would be more than enough to get you run over if you arenāt looking where youāre going though.
Battery Life
The spec says 6 ā 7 hours. You know depending on volume and whatnot. Since I wasnāt going to sit with a stopwatch for 6 or 7 hours my best guess is that that seems reasonably a fair assessment. That should be enough to get anyone through any commute or gym session with ease.
Value
Super good. Actually its biggest value issue in that its sibling, the QY13 which seem to be largely the same thing but in a different body, is a tiny bit cheaper, fits me better and I think may actually sound a tiny, tiny bit better. I donāt want to say they do sound better because I suspect itās down to the fit. Mind you the QY11ās do look much cooler than the 13, the 13 are not the prettiest things ever. Anywayā¦ā¦.the things are 20 quid, youāre getting a bargain.
Conclusion
Is it me or is there an explosion of Bluetooth earphones just now? Whatās more they all seem to have gotten good, seriously good, as in good even compared with wired things at the 20 quid price point. I liked it better when there was more clear differentiation between things but so much is getting so good and the QY11ās are one of those. At their price I really cannot pick fault with them. I mean sure they arenāt perfect, mostly because their siblings the QY13 are better and a tiny sliver cheaper. These sound a teeny bit more bassy and less middy than the 13 and the 13 is a better shape for going in my ears. However the 13ās arenāt lookers and these QY11ās do look a little bit kick ass.
Now I would never dream of picking something based on looks butā¦ā¦ given their target demographic I donāt think itās unreasonable to think that many people will. In fairness they still sound superb for their price and oh no, they a little more bassy, well their target demo is just going to hate that, lol. They do look nice and they sound great for the price, they also come in a crazy nice box. These just all-round feel like they have been someoneās baby. Someone at Jesbod has put some real care and emotion into these, the little things, the attention to details. You could be very easily forgiven for thinking these were a much more expensive product than they are.
So should you / would I buy one? Wellā¦.. hand on heart Iād take the QY13ās as they fit me better and were a hint more middy. However if you care about looks these are basically every bit as good but these look way cooler. They just give you impression from the moment you see the box that these are a considerably more premium earphone than what they are priced would indicate. Itās a really nice sounding, acoustically competent, Bluetooth earphone that costs just Ā£20. I mean you really cannot bash them in anyway at that price, they are so acoustically competent for something of that price, Iād be happy with their quality wired never mind being Bluetooth. Great stuff.
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