JVC HA-FX9BT earphones review: Affordable, but surprisingly good!

The Indian arm of JVC KENWOOD has recently launched a range of earphones in the country and we recently reviewed the JVC HA-FX65BN noise-cancelling earphones and the JVC HA-FX103BTA that offered some deep bass. Today we take a look at the third option from the Japanese brand — the JVC HA-FX9BT and its performance is surprisingly good.

JVC Gumy series has been around for some years and this is one of the brand’s most popular line-ups as it offers users an inexpensive, no-nonsense pair of earphones that are up to whatever task you throw at it. The JVC HA-FX9BT follows in the same vein and this wireless option comes with features that show the company is serious about its products — 9mm Neodymium drivers, Bluetooth 4.1 interface, an inline microphone and battery life of up to 5-hours.

Design, Build

The JVC HA-FX9BT comes in a throw-away plastic packaging that cannot really be retained and you also receive additional ear tips along with a short micro-USB charging cable. There’s nothing really special to write home about regarding the packaging as it’s as simple as you’d expect. While it looks like an off-brand product, there’s nothing off-brand about the Gumy Wireless.

The earphones come in plenty of colour options depending on your location and in India, you can purchase them in Black, Blue and White. Other markets have some more options such as Green, Pink and Violet and this is one of the most colourful products from JVC. For the purpose of this review, we were sent the Black variant and the universally-loved colour appealed to us as well.

The JVC HA-FX9BT features a short cable with the inline microphone located near the right earbud. The earbuds feature a bullet design and sit snug in the ear canal. This not only helps give it a secure fit but the snugness also ensures that there is a tight seal which helps with passive noise isolation which in turn improves the overall audio quality. In the packaging, you get two additional pair of ear tips making them three in total — small, medium and large. It’s advisable that you try on all sizes in order to gauge the best fit for you.

The in-line microphone features a three-button layout which we found to be well-spaced. This makes it easy to access whichever control you want without any accidental presses. A point of contention which we had was that due to the short length of the cable and the placement of the in-line remote, the weight-distribution isn’t the best. This tugs on the earphones which makes us feel that they will slip out of the ear cavity. However, during our testing, we are pleased to say that they remained secure in the ears.

Performance

The JVC HA-FX9BT was tested with an iPhone 11 Pro and being fitted with Bluetooth 4.1, the connection was pretty solid throughout. There was not a single time where we witnessed a loss in connection which allowed for uninterrupted listening.

As mentioned earlier, one of the best features about the Gumy Wireless is its snug fit and with it, you get a much deeper fit than most other options available in the market. This allows you to block out ambient sounds and negates the need to turn up the volume to the maximum.

Fitted with 9mm Neodymium drivers, the bass response is pretty impressive which actually surprised us quite a bit. There is substantial bass straight after unboxing which means that there isn’t any burn-in required for fans who enjoy their music with punchy bass. The mid-bass is decent as well and the sub-bass has an impressive depth to it as well. The JVC HA-FX9BT is a bass lover’s dream and those who are looking for an inexpensive solution that offers oodles of clean bass, then this option is definitely worth considering. The mid-range is soothing and laid back while highs produce feature a fair amount of detail. The V-shaped sound signature is very much present with this Gumy Wireless earphone.

Battery life, on the other hand, is a bit of a disappointment as it offers a mere 5-hours of playback. There are true wireless earphones in the market that offer a lot more battery and JVC definitely needs to up its game in this respect.

Verdict

Priced at Rs 2,999 and available for Rs 1,999, the JVC HA-FX9BT Gumy Wireless are our pick of the lot with regard to its newest offerings in India. This model offers some great audio quality and at this price, it’s an option worth considering over the JVC HA-FX103BTA Xtreme Xplosive earphones. However, if price is your concern, then there are other less expensive models available in the market which offer similar features.