The TWS ANC earbuds come to us from the American brand JAM, known not only for its headphones but all manner of stylish audio devices. The TWS Exec carry all that we’ve come to expect from contemporary models, including Active Noise Cancellation, touch controls, recharging carry case and speaker drivers labelled as 'high-performance'. What’s The Best’s William Lobley puts them to the test.
The Review
Volume and bass. These two qualities were the first thing I noticed when beginning my test of the JAM TWS ANC and after ten days, that’s still what I’m noticing. Depending on your perspective and music taste, this can be seen as a blessing or a curse.
The volume is impressive, verging on intimidating. Around the house and in the home office, streaming music on my phone via Spotify, I had the volume set to one out of 10. Outside, this could creep up to around five out of 10 at most. I never found myself in a circumstance where I needed the top third on the volume, and it’s probably the first time I’ve ever taken heed of Samsung’s hearing damage warning.
In terms of audio quality, there’s no doubt that JAM has focussed on bringing the lower-end frequencies to the fore with the TWS ANC. The bass is extremely powerful but well represented - there’s a clear distinction between the finer frequencies normally kettled under the term “bass”, and it’s nice to hear these low-end nuances get their chance to flex.
This care for audio’s bottom-end has carried over to create wide mids, leading the overall sound performance away from the crisp and thoroughly into the warm. This is an effect compounded by the warmth found in the highs - present and audible, yes, but notably thicker than found with some of the competition.
This focus on bass isn’t to say that the headphones are unbalanced - they are certainly well balanced in relation to themselves, it’s just that they do carry a clear bias that will not be to everyone’s taste.
Related: Best wireless ANC headphones | Jabra 85H Review
For fans of electronica, house, hip-hop or similarly inspired pop music are the ones in for a treat. Generally, these tracks have a bass focus and a relatively sparse and spaced mix, and the JAM TWS ANC carry this across very well.
For example, the collaboration between DJ Shadow and Run The Jewels on Nobody Speak is delivered powerfully, with plenty of low-end punch and mid grunt. The throbbing bass kick drone in Childish Gambino’s II. Worldstar all but rattles my teeth, and Icarus’ mix of From Me sounds energetic, with panned audio and distinct low-end synth tones coming through with precision - the hi-hat lays over this track a treat, too.
The news isn’t as clear-cut for those who like things to get a little heavy. The older and thinner recordings from the likes of Motorhead, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath are all fine, but the work of contemporary metalheads like In Flames, Trivium and Lamb Of God suffer from muddiness and imprecision.
Regarding form and functionality, the JAM ANC Earbuds comprise a neat and reliable package. The Bluetooth connectivity is solid, and once synced to a device, later reconnection is rapid, allowing you to jump into a call, music or podcast within seconds. I’m glad to report that this is the case, as initially there were some teething issues. On the first day of testing, I did encounter some significant connectivity issues, including left-right audio lag and one-sided connection loss. As infuriating as this was at the time, they’ve had a solid and reliable connectivity since - even better than my Sony headphones and Logitech Pro X Wireless gaming headset.
The ANC performed well during our test. While the in-ear design, volume and bass all go a long way to reduce outside noise, the ANC does add a nice layer of silence over the top. ANC or no, you feel truly isolated from the world when you’re listening - in a good way.
Running only the Bluetooth connection will give roughly seven hours of playback times, reducing to six when ANC is activated. The carry case holds an additional charge for over 28 hours of total playback time.
Coming from testing the EarFun Free Pro, the ANC Earbuds appeared quite large. However, the long stalks help when fitting the earbuds and the in-ear grip holds fast. They are light in weight and maintain their position well during movement, including jogging and cycling (the sweat and water resistances also add peace of mind). The touch controls are well realised - such commands are never the easiest things to operate, but JAM has implemented them well.
Pros: Comfortable, loud and plenty of bass for dance and hip hop music
Cons: Muddy performance with some genres