I am a fan of value for money (VFM) products. JBL sells 2 VFM head phones – C100SI and C150SI – they look identical but later is priced Rs.700 more than the other. In a discounted deal, the later is actually cheaper than the former.
The packaging didn’t give me a clue to why one is superior to the other and the online comparisons were very qualitative in nature. So the hunt…
The Harman site lists the following audio specs…
| JBL C100SI | JBL C150SI | |
| Driver | Advanced 9mm driver | Advanced 9mm driver |
| Impedence | 16±3.2 ohms | 16±3.2 ohms |
| Frequency Range | 20-20kHz | 20-20kHz |
| Maximum SPL | 5mW | 5mW |
| Driver Sensitivity | 100±3dBSPL, 1mW | 100±3dBSPL, 1mW |
| Rated power input | 3mW | 3mW |
| Headphone Jack | 3.5mm | 3.5mm |
| Cord Length (m) | 1.2M | 1.2M |
Identical! So I set out to test. Here is a nice post on audiocheck for testing headphones and this is what I found for the C150SI (didn’t have the C100SI model to check, will update when I have access to one.
| JBL C100SI | JBL C150SI | |
| Frequency Response | ||
| Bass | 30Hz | |
| Treble | 16 kHz | |
| Perceptual Sweep Spectral Flatness | Good | |
| Dynamic Test | 66 dBFS | |
| Bass Shake | Rattles 40Hz onwards | |
| Full Range Sweep | Good | |
| Wiring | Good | |
| Polarity | Good | |
| Binaural Test | Good | |
As you can see, there are some issues. Found good earphones to reproduce Bass as low as 20Hz and Treble as low as 14kHz with way lesser rattle.
Before signing off, on audiocheck, there are a whole range of other tests you can do to check the quality of your audio equipment including your headphones as well.
