Club 950NC

"These are pretty mediocre overall, but sounds is pretty decent and at $150 that's a decent deal."

The sound quality is described as decent for the price, though with some noted deficiencies like lack of sub-bass and a 'bloated' or 'warm' profile.

"According to reviews on Amazon, they’re heavy, and the ANC is poor and people are saying they’re quiet."

One user mentions the headphones are heavy, suggesting potential comfort issues, though this is not widely discussed.

"I plugged them to charge and there is no charging light (I checked the cable, my plug), and none of the reset manoeuvres I tried have worked ..."

Battery life is not explicitly discussed, but the critical issue of headphones bricking after updates implies a failure in the charging or power management system for some users.

"I seriously have the issue. Tried every factory reset combo I could find. This one doesn't respond neither. Is it because of the firmware update?"

While not directly criticized for materials, the frequent failure of Bluetooth connectivity and bricking after updates suggests underlying reliability issues that impact perceived build quality.

"Suddenly only one side (in my case left) is playing my music, but not the right side. ... the headphones turned off. ... the headphones refuse to turn on"

Bluetooth connectivity is a major point of failure, with multiple users experiencing issues where only one side works, and a significant number of headphones bricking after firmware updates.

"The JBL’s deliver a clean, clear and open sound. They favour an enthusiastic, lively presentation that’s fun to listen to wirelessly..."

The sound quality is generally praised for being punchy and clear, especially with the Bass Boost off, though this feature can make the audio muddy.

"At 372g, the JBL Club 950NC are relatively heavy, although I didn’t find them a burden to wear."

The headphones are frequently described as heavy and can cause fatigue during longer listening sessions due to insufficient padding and a tight clamp.

"The JBL Club 950NC’s offer 55 hours of playback over just Bluetooth and up to 22 hours with Bluetooth and ANC turned on."

Battery life is considered ample, with up to 55 hours without ANC and 22 hours with ANC, though it falls short of some top competitors.

"It’s pretty standard fare but the build quality of the headphones is impressive."

The build quality is consistently praised as solid, durable, and well-constructed, with metal hinges contributing to a premium feel.

"The mic offers solid intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 8, we could understand every word we recorded..."

Call quality is generally good, with a dual-mic setup providing clear voices and handling background noise effectively.

"Unfortunately, with all these buttons, JBL still decided to combine the volume buttons with track navigation. This means a long press of either will skip forward or backward a track, and it’s quite easy to accidentally skip a track when you mean to raise the volume."

Features like voice assistant support, Ambient modes, and app customization are appreciated, but the combined volume/track buttons are a point of frustration.

"the overall sound quality that you gain from the n50 ncs is actually really good and at this price range it's something that you will definitely want to consider"

Users praise the sound quality, noting its clarity, punchy bass, and the highly customizable EQ via the app, making it a strong point for these headphones.

"these headphones fall really short when it comes to their fit and comfort. And I really do think that's a shame cuz everything else about them is actually pretty good."

The headphones are consistently described as very heavy, with insufficient headband padding, leading to significant discomfort and neck pain during extended use.

"the company claims that it will give you a 55 hour playtime with the anc off"

The battery life is generally considered good, with up to 22 hours with ANC on and a much higher 55 hours with ANC off, meeting or exceeding industry standards.

"these headphones have spectacular build quality and they're built like a tank."

The build quality is frequently highlighted as a major positive, with users describing the headphones as 'built like a tank' using premium materials like hard plastic and stainless steel.

"the microphone on these headphones isn't that bad either. They do a really good job of picking up my voice and they also do a really good job of blocking out that AC unit."

Call quality is described as good, with the dual mic setup effectively reducing background noise, though it's noted as not being as good as some premium competitors.

"But my main critique here is that it does take these headphones a couple of seconds to switch from one device to another."

Features like multi-device connectivity, a customizable EQ app, and a bass boost button are appreciated, but the multi-device switching can be slow, and Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC codec is standard rather than cutting-edge.