JBL’s latest addition to consumer goods are their E Series headphones “inspired by you.” In doing so, the California based company launched 3 new colorful, wireless headphones in an in-ear, on-ear, and over-ear design with many wondering whether the on-ear or over-ear model is the better option. Find out in our “JBL E45BT vs E55BT” article.

JBL E45BT vs E55BT Review

These boxes are alike. There’s a good chance you could buy the wrong one if you weren’t paying very close attention to the model number. From the orange and white packaging to the basic build of each headset, the E45BT and E55BT and their respective boxes are made quite similarly.

JBL E45BT vs E55BT Build

Both headphones are “inspired by you,” touts JBL’s E Series promo. This means the headphones were built with the must-have essentials for commuters – being lightweight and good on battery life. Both headsets are very lightweight, but the E55BT over-ear headphone is slightly heavier thanks to full-size ear cups. The headbands on both headphones are comprised of durable comfort-fit fabric that provides a small amount of padding. The ear cups on both headphones are made of hard-grade material (possibly plastic) that help to maintain the lightweight frame of both headsets. In respect to the ear cushions, both headsets feature soft, pleather cushions. On the smaller E45BT (on-ear) there is just enough pleather to provide a comfortable and well-sealed fit against the ear while the larger E55BT (over-ear) is fit to sit right around the ear. I have small ears and was able to nestle my ears quite easily inside the ear cups. But, the seal was not as tight near the bottom of the cup. In addition, the inside of the E55BT ear cup is shallow and my ears were directly up against the drivers. That’s not a total deal breaker for me, but I thought it should be mentioned here.

JBL E45BT vs E55BT Features

The right ear cup on both the E45BT and E55BT features the Bluetooth on switch, controls to adjust the volume, answer calls, and switch tracks, as well as a Bluetooth button for pairing each headset with up to 2 devices simultaneously. There’s also an aux jack port for days you feel you’d rather go wired. The left ear cup on both the E45BT and the E55BT has a micro USB port to recharge the Bluetooth headphones. The E55BT provides up to 20 hours of wireless use and takes about 2 hours to fully rejuice. The E45BT is a smaller headphone and subsequently has a smaller battery and battery life, providing up to 16 hours of wireless use while taking 2 hours to recharge. Both headphones are shipped with micro USB charging cables and detachable fabric cables with an in-line remote and mic for wired usage.

JBL E45BT vs E55BT Sound

As of yet, there are two major differing factors between the E45BT and E55BT, being the size of the ear cups and hours of play time. The third and final major factor has got to be the sound. The E45BT provides a brighter sound. The lows are present, but not pronounced. They lack in comparison to the E55BT. The mids and highs are more forward and quite shimmery. Vocals and treble claps have a nice bit of detail without sounding too sharp. Overall, a pleasant listening experience for just about everyone – except bass heads. If you’re looking for some bass, you’ll prefer the over-ear E55BT which has a heavier low end. The lows and low-mids are more forward providing a nice bit of warmth to songs with thumping bass lines or 808s. The mids and highs are full, but can sometimes become a tad buried under richer bass lines. However, the E55BT is still a great sounding headphone, but the better catch for those who are connoisseurs of bass.

Specs

E45BT: The E45BT is built with 40mm dynamic drivers and reaches a frequency response between 20 – 20,000 Hertz on an impedance of 32 ohms.

E55BT: The E55BT holds 50mm dynamic drivers and reaches a frequency response of 20 – 20,000 Hertz on an impedance of 32 ohms.

The JBL E45BT is $99.95 and the JBL E55BT is $149.95 at Audio 46’s JBL Store.