The nascent true wireless earbud category is a tough one compete in.
There really aren't any mind-blowing options yet: just bad ones, decent ones, and a few above average options.
For $149.95, JVC's HA-ET90BT earphones fall somewhere on the lesser end of the decent spectrum.
JVC is targeting runners with a water-resistant design, but battery life certainly isn't long enough to last for an actual marathon.
And the audio experience isn't particularly inspiring, especially if you like intense bass to accompany your workouts.
Design
Available in black or neon yellow models, the HA-ET90BT, like all true wireless earphones, rely on a portable charging case to supplement their meager battery life.
The case is compact, measuring about 1.0 by 3.8 by 1.5 inches (HWD), and features a flip-top lid that opens when you press a button on the front, as well as a covered micro USB port for the included charging cable.
The case can carry a total of six hours of battery life, and the earphones have roughly three hours on their own.
None of these numbers are great, even in a field that isn't known for strong battery life.
The earpieces rest inside the case and charge once snapped into place magnetically.
There are removable earfins, but there are no replacement hooks, so we recommend removing them only if you need to wash them.
The earpieces are rated IPX5, which means they can withstand moderate water pressure from any direction, but cannot be submerged.
The case is only IPX2, so try not to get it wet.
The silicone eartips are separate from the fins, and you get six pairs in various sizes.
Three of the pairs have an open style that allows more noise in—helpful for runners who wish to remain aware of their surroundings.
The earpieces themselves are rounded and boxy at the same time, with a sporty look.
Removing them from the case immediately puts them in pairing mode, which we found to be a quick, painless process.
The in-ear fit is quite secure—you twist the earpieces so that the earfins press against the ear for added stability.
The left and right earpieces each have one button—tap the left ear twice to lower volume, or the right ear twice to raise the volume.
Tapping either button once plays or pauses, and holding them down summons voice assistance.
Tapping the button also answers or ends incoming calls, but you can't skip tracks, which is bound to annoy runners when the current track doesn't match their current energy level.
The mic offers pretty weak intelligibility.
Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 6s, we could understand every word recorded, but vocals sounded distant and very fuzzy.
The audio is also only in one ear whenever you make calls, which is the case with basically all true wireless earphones.
JVC includes a neoprene carrying pouch for the charging case and cable.
It has a clip on the back, so you can take it with you on runs.
There's also a free app, JVC Headphones Manager, that works with a variety of JVC earphones.
We tried multiple times to get the app to recognize the HA-ET90BT, but this never happened.
According to JVC, the app is mainly useful for its battery level indicator, an earphone finder feature, and three sound modes—flat, clear, and bass.
Without being able to test these modes, this review covers the earphones in default flat mode.
Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," we immediately ran into problems.
We use this track because of the seriously deep sub-bass that kicks in around 15 seconds, but occasionally, the thumping beat at the opening of the track gives drivers some trouble.
That's the case to a degree here—at moderate volumes, there are no issues, but at higher volumes, the opening thumps distort slightly.
The actual sub-bass hits at 15 seconds do not distort at moderate volume, but get a little fuzzy at top volumes.
Simply put, this shouldn't happen at this price.
Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, does not distort, but sounds, at least in flat mode, quite thin.
The drums lack any real bass punch or roundness, and the entire track feels boosted in the highs.
This makes the vocals overly sibilant at times, and the track a touch too bright.
There's no distortion, even at top volumes, however.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," distortion is not an issue either, so it doesn't appear to be an across-the-board problem on tracks with powerful lows.
The kick drum loop here gets more than enough high-mid presence to accentuate its sharp, punchy attack, but the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are modest in their low frequency presence at best.
Typically, exercise-focused in-ears have some real bass push to them, so this is a surprise.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound a tad thin.
The lower register instrumentation doesn't get much low frequency presence, neither of the sub-bass nor the rich low-mid variety, so the sound signature ends up being all higher register instrumentation.
Conclusions
For the price, JVC's HA-ET90BT earphones pose no advantages over most other models on the market.
Simply put, if you have $150 to $200 to spend, you can do better.
In the true wireless realm, our favorites include the Bose SoundSport Free, JLab Epic Air, and the B&O Play Beoplay E8.
If you're looking to spend less, the Altec Lansing True Evo earphones are pretty solid for the price.
Ultimately, this category is still quite new, and has some growing to do.
Pros
Water-resistant, sports-focused design.
Secure in-ear fit.
Neoprene pouch with clip means you can bring all accessories along while you work out.
The Bottom Line
The wire-free JVC HA-ET90BT headphones do little to distinguish themselves from the competition.
The nascent true wireless earbud category is a tough one compete in.
There really aren't any mind-blowing options yet: just bad ones, decent ones, and a few above average options.
For $149.95, JVC's HA-ET90BT earphones fall somewhere on the lesser end of the decent spectrum.
JVC is targeting runners with a water-resistant design, but battery life certainly isn't long enough to last for an actual marathon.
And the audio experience isn't particularly inspiring, especially if you like intense bass to accompany your workouts.
Design
Available in black or neon yellow models, the HA-ET90BT, like all true wireless earphones, rely on a portable charging case to supplement their meager battery life.
The case is compact, measuring about 1.0 by 3.8 by 1.5 inches (HWD), and features a flip-top lid that opens when you press a button on the front, as well as a covered micro USB port for the included charging cable.
The case can carry a total of six hours of battery life, and the earphones have roughly three hours on their own.
None of these numbers are great, even in a field that isn't known for strong battery life.
The earpieces rest inside the case and charge once snapped into place magnetically.
There are removable earfins, but there are no replacement hooks, so we recommend removing them only if you need to wash them.
The earpieces are rated IPX5, which means they can withstand moderate water pressure from any direction, but cannot be submerged.
The case is only IPX2, so try not to get it wet.
The silicone eartips are separate from the fins, and you get six pairs in various sizes.
Three of the pairs have an open style that allows more noise in—helpful for runners who wish to remain aware of their surroundings.
The earpieces themselves are rounded and boxy at the same time, with a sporty look.
Removing them from the case immediately puts them in pairing mode, which we found to be a quick, painless process.
The in-ear fit is quite secure—you twist the earpieces so that the earfins press against the ear for added stability.
The left and right earpieces each have one button—tap the left ear twice to lower volume, or the right ear twice to raise the volume.
Tapping either button once plays or pauses, and holding them down summons voice assistance.
Tapping the button also answers or ends incoming calls, but you can't skip tracks, which is bound to annoy runners when the current track doesn't match their current energy level.
The mic offers pretty weak intelligibility.
Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 6s, we could understand every word recorded, but vocals sounded distant and very fuzzy.
The audio is also only in one ear whenever you make calls, which is the case with basically all true wireless earphones.
JVC includes a neoprene carrying pouch for the charging case and cable.
It has a clip on the back, so you can take it with you on runs.
There's also a free app, JVC Headphones Manager, that works with a variety of JVC earphones.
We tried multiple times to get the app to recognize the HA-ET90BT, but this never happened.
According to JVC, the app is mainly useful for its battery level indicator, an earphone finder feature, and three sound modes—flat, clear, and bass.
Without being able to test these modes, this review covers the earphones in default flat mode.
Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," we immediately ran into problems.
We use this track because of the seriously deep sub-bass that kicks in around 15 seconds, but occasionally, the thumping beat at the opening of the track gives drivers some trouble.
That's the case to a degree here—at moderate volumes, there are no issues, but at higher volumes, the opening thumps distort slightly.
The actual sub-bass hits at 15 seconds do not distort at moderate volume, but get a little fuzzy at top volumes.
Simply put, this shouldn't happen at this price.
Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, does not distort, but sounds, at least in flat mode, quite thin.
The drums lack any real bass punch or roundness, and the entire track feels boosted in the highs.
This makes the vocals overly sibilant at times, and the track a touch too bright.
There's no distortion, even at top volumes, however.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," distortion is not an issue either, so it doesn't appear to be an across-the-board problem on tracks with powerful lows.
The kick drum loop here gets more than enough high-mid presence to accentuate its sharp, punchy attack, but the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are modest in their low frequency presence at best.
Typically, exercise-focused in-ears have some real bass push to them, so this is a surprise.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound a tad thin.
The lower register instrumentation doesn't get much low frequency presence, neither of the sub-bass nor the rich low-mid variety, so the sound signature ends up being all higher register instrumentation.
Conclusions
For the price, JVC's HA-ET90BT earphones pose no advantages over most other models on the market.
Simply put, if you have $150 to $200 to spend, you can do better.
In the true wireless realm, our favorites include the Bose SoundSport Free, JLab Epic Air, and the B&O Play Beoplay E8.
If you're looking to spend less, the Altec Lansing True Evo earphones are pretty solid for the price.
Ultimately, this category is still quite new, and has some growing to do.
Pros
Water-resistant, sports-focused design.
Secure in-ear fit.
Neoprene pouch with clip means you can bring all accessories along while you work out.
The Bottom Line
The wire-free JVC HA-ET90BT headphones do little to distinguish themselves from the competition.
