This is a great option I hope becomes a more popular trend…

MediaTek sent me the JBL Quantum True Wireless earbuds to take on a test drive, and I’m really glad they did.

We’re trying to do a lot with Bluetooth these days, and sometimes we’re forcing Bluetooth into situations it wasn’t really designed for. We’ve gotten pretty good at augmenting Bluetooth for better quality and latency, but at the end of the day, it’s still Bluetooth.

There’s a frustrating aspect to our current earbud market, where host devices and earbuds have to match to get all the benefits of a new audio codec. We have several flavors of audio signal now. If your phone, tablet, console, or PC don’t speak the same codec “language” as your headphones, then you don’t get all the fancy new features.

There is a way around that, and gamers have been using it for YEARS on wireless gaming headsets.

Instead of using an all-purpose solution like Bluetooth, you can use a standalone transmitter.

The JBL quantum have this extra little USB plug. Pop it into any host that recognizes USB audio devices, and the earbuds will shift to that signal as the primary audio source.

This is an easy way to deliver a “multi-pair” style use. Use Bluetooth for your phone, and pop in the USB when you want to transfer to a desktop or console.

I’m nerding out on this because, it’s a feature I like a lot on big gaming headset cans, and it’s not something we’ve seen as often for earbuds.

Bluetooth codec support on PCs is kind of miserable.

[Someone PLEASE correct me in the comments if I’ve missed it, but as far as I know, there is now way to determine IN WINDOWS natively what codecs a PC might support. You have to install a program to scan your Bluetooth hardware to see what you might be able to use, and the only safe bets are SBC and AAC.]

Likewise, a Linux based gaming system, like the Steam Deck, doesn’t seem to properly support codecs that would offer better latency. I’ve seen some more intrepid Steam Deck users dig through the Linux desktop on the Deck to improve that, but it requires a bit of tinkering.

The Quantum are a solid pair of mainstream “premium” TWS buds. Including all the features we consider “table stakes” for nice buds, and with a few fun extras that punch above the MSRP.

The snipped-stalk design isn’t my favorite, but overall fit should be decently comfortable for folks who like “medium insertion” design. The rest comfortably in MY ear canal without going too deep. The “tube” that goes in your ear is a little broad, so these might not play nice for folks with smaller ear canals.

JBL rates these for five hours of playback with ANC on, and that might be a little generous. I clocked just over four and a half hours on my first full charge. Less than we’d maybe like to see on a single stretch of listening, but in the world of TWS, plenty for daily use where your buds will be topped off in the case.

The case is a little broad, and will take up some space in a pair of jeans, but considering the additional USB transmitter inside, it’s not too big of a lump to pack and carry. We’re not far from earbud cases like my Beyerdynamic Free Byrd.

The case has three tiny lights up front to show charging and battery capacity. From fully depleted to full charged should only take about two hours. I see no mention on JBL’s site about fast charging the earbuds, and there is no wireless charging in the case.

Sound Quality

All the bells and whistles, but these are earbuds, so how do they sound?

Consumer Friendly Thumpy

These are a “fun” pair of buds, and will compliment gaming and movies REALLY well. Out of the box tuning leans HARD on the initial bass attack, with minimized decay. You get an elevated punch to kick drum and bass guitar, but the lows won’t completely roll over the mids in a good stereo mix.

Highs are a bit recessed, and that gives the Quantum an overall “mellow” feel. Aggressively mixed pop tracks won’t get brittle or shrill. I worry that classic rock and jazz will feel “lopsided”. Listening to some Beatles, Ringo’s kick drum was a bit more in my face than I would normally prefer.

I’m very pleased with this tuning for gaming and movies though. Action film and game sound effects have a respectable “pop” to them, but these buds manage to keep dialog accessible.

The ANC is respectable. It has a natural feel, where environmental noise is reduced, but it feels a lot like wearing passive earplugs. It’s not as powerful as some other options in the space that can hyper isolate the listener, and it’s not as good at reducing “incidental” noises like typing sounds. I think folks who are sensitive to that “stuffy ear” feeling will appreciate this balance.

The pass-through audio is interesting. There are two separate modes, one more focused on ambient sounds in your environment, and the other is more focused on highlighting speech. I can HEAR there are differences, and the speech setting introduces a bit more “hiss” or “air” into background, but if you struggle to hear speech in crowded environments, you might benefit from this kind of focused “hearable” setting.

JBL’s QuantumENGINE PC software supports the Quantum buds, and you can dig into more granular tuning and playback options. JBL’s Android app includes a lot of the same functionality, but the more advanced features like spatial audio control seem locked to the PC side of the software.

The Dongle is Fantastic

We sometimes take limitations for granted. Someone buys a nice pair of buds, but maybe they aren’t great for gaming, and they just deal with the delay on the audio. Your brain can “acclimate” to audio lag to a degree, but it’s never as nice an experience as a cabled solution. It might not be as noticeable with movies if speech and sound effects are a little delayed, but it is more distracting with gaming.

Switching to a dedicated transmitter virtually eliminates that distracting latency. It makes the game feel more responsive. Hearing action audio line up perfectly with the visuals is really pleasing. Properly synced audio makes my brain really happy.

The hand-off from Bluetooth to transmitter is handled really well. I kept the Quantum paired to my XPERIA over Bluetooth. Plugging the transmitter into my Steam Deck, the buds automatically switch over, and the transition is announced via a voice prompt in the buds. While gaming, I got a phone call, and then the buds auto switched back to my XPERIA to handle the call, and finishing the call, returned to the Steam Deck audio. It was exactly the kind of transition I was hoping for.

The Quantum highlight a specific use case (low latency), and happily don’t suffer many other compromises.

MediaTek supplied these as a review unit, and they’re driven by MediaTek internals. MediaTek currently doesn’t have a codec solution like Qualcomm’s APTX options, so we lack that kind of higher res audio signal.

The Quantum’s top codec is AAC, which should be fine for most mobile applications. JBL isn’t badging these as a premium audiophile earbud. The Quantum line is focused on gamers, and the Achilles heel for true wireless gaming is latency.

An Interesting Time for Bluetooth Audio

We’ve seen some progress on quality and latency with new hardware, and we’re seeing more earbuds embrace multi-connection. Of course, there are multiple ways to approach this kind of functionality. We can keep building EVERYTHING inside the earbud, but that requires the earbud and the host device to have compatible hardware.

The idea of a gaming dongle might be a little old fashioned, but it’s genuinely the most plug and play solution we can deliver today. The user doesn’t need to check compatibility beyond whether the host device can use a USB-C audio device.

The cool thing about a Steam Deck (or a Nintendo Switch) is that it’s a crazy portable way to carry a PC gaming library to enjoy on the go. Someone might not want to carry separate headphones just for gaming. That individual can now pack one pair of buds for their phone and for low latency gaming.

The full MSRP is definitely in “premium” earbud territory, and it’s not difficult finding some TWS options that can outperform them for ANC, sound quality, or battery life around $150. However, the Quantum TWS have regularly been found on sale, and at the time of this review were on sale for $99.95.

At that price it’s really difficult outright beating this combination of features and flexibility.

If you’d like more info on the Quantum TWS – https://www.jbl.com/gaming-headsets/QUANTUM-TWS.html
Quantum TWS on Amazon – https://amzn.to/3ZcHmrr