JVC was first founded nearly one hundred years ago and has been one of the most important inventors and developers of new technologies and products in all consumer electronics, including the VHS video recording system and countless other audio and video innovations.
These days it seems that JVC has a bit of a reputation for really good mid-priced gear, which offers an excellent lower-cost alternative to Bose, Sony, Beats, and others, but this may be selling JVC a little short. The more we listen to their headphones, for example, the more we realize that they often sound better than the more expensive alternatives – very clear and neutral, with low distortion and a real sense of ease and musicality. JVC phones are often actually nicer in terms of design and styling, and even best the “premium” brands in terms of material quality and durability.
So, their reputation for offering an excellent alternative to more expensive brands is definitely right on, and their products are often much, much less expensive, but please don’t assume for a moment that you have to sacrifice sound, design, and usability or overall quality. In fact, when listening to any of their headphones you will be reminded of JVC’s guiding philosophy, to make products that are “closer to the musical truth.”
Are JVC Headphones A Good Choice?
We here at Speakergy are asked all the time how brands compare, and people who have seen the sometimes almost unbelievably good reviews of JVC headphones and earbuds often ask:
- How do JVC Headphones Compare to Sony?
- How do JVC Headphones Compare to Bose?
- How do JVC Headphones Compare to Beats?
- How do JVC Headphones Compare to JBL?
- Are JVC Headphones Really Any Good?
The short answer is yes – they are a lot less expensive, and sometimes better, than any of those brands! Indeed, if you are considering spending a lot of money on a new pair of Sony, Bose, JBL or Beats headphones, or any one of the more visible brands, you might really want to consider JVC instead and will find that overall performance and quality is at least equal to headphones and earbuds costing sometimes much more, and that quite often the sound quality is actually superior.
Of course, if you already own a pair of JVC wireless or wired headphones or in-ear buds you don’t need convincing, and very well may be here to purchase a new pair for yourself or as a gift. Whether you are looking for full-on audiophile headphones, a pair for more casual listening, or for sports, it’s pretty likely you are a faithful JVC fan and customer and aren’t even seriously considering the more pricey competitors.
How Can You Find the Right JVC Headphones for You?
You may have come here looking for answers to any of the following questions:
- What are the Best JVC Headphones Overall?
- What are the Best JVC Headphones for Sports?
- What are the Best JVC Wireless Headphones?
- What are the Best JVC Audiophile Headphones?
- What are the Best JVC Budget Headphones?
- What are the Best JVC Gumy Headphones?
- What are the Best JVC Earbuds?
- What are the Best Value Headphones on the Market Today?
We have put together a detailed buyer’s guide with recommendations of our favorite JVC headphones –wired and wireless, in-ear and on-ear, and ranging from high-end audiophile (which are comparatively quite inexpensive) to cheap, simple buds (which have a surprisingly great sound) and everything in between.
We’re breaking this guide into two parts:
- Best Wireless JVC Headphones
- Best Wired JVC Headphones
and in each division, we will recommend our favorite overall as well as our favorite in each of several different categories – best standard headphones, earbuds, wireless, sports, noise-canceling and audiophile.
So all you need to do is decide what kind of phones you want and how much money you want to spend. Then you can select the corresponding choice from our list of recommended JVC headphones and you will be getting a brilliant new pair of headphones with great sound, intelligent design and durable construction, and for a really great price.
I was going to say that you don’t need to pay more for a name, but in fact JVC is one of the oldest and most respected names in consumer electronics, and particularly in hi-fi audio, so instead I will say you should pay less for a name, and you will be surprised at how much more you get!
The Best JVC Wireless Headphones:
- Overall – JVC HA-XP50BT Wireless On Ear Extreme Deep Bass Headphones
- On-Ear – JVC HAS190BTA Folding On Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headphones
- Earbuds – JVC HAA10TA Truly Wireless Bluetooth 5.0 Earbuds
- Sports – JVC HA-AE1W Waterproof Wireless Sport Earbuds
- Noise-Canceling – JVC HAS90BNB Wireless Noise Canceling Over Ear Headphones
- Audiophile – JVC HA-XP50BT Wireless On Ear Extreme Deep Bass Headphones
The Best JVC Wired Headphones:
- Overall – JVC HA-RX900 Full-Sized Over Ear Premium Headphones
- Over-Ear – JVC HA-RX700 Precision Sound Over Ear Premium Headphones
- Earbuds – JVC HAFX38MB Marshmallow Memory Foam Earbuds with Mic
- Sports – JVC HA-ENR15 Sweat Proof Gumy Sport Earbuds
- Noise-Canceling – JVC HAS90BNB Wireless Noise Canceling Over Ear Headphones
- Audiophile – JVC HA-FW01 Wood Series High Resolution In-Ear Monitor
The Best JVC Wireless Headphones
The Best JVC Wireless Headphones Overall
This recommendation is, first and foremost, about sound, and the JVC HA-XP50BT Bluetooth headphones have one of the most exciting and musical sounds I’ve heard in a long time. They are dynamic and lively, with a really engaging character, but without a hint of aggressiveness, harshness or distortion.
And then there’s the bass! There is a bass-boost button, which makes these the best JVC headphones for bass-heads, and without the boost their bass port design gives the JVC HA-XP50BT wireless headphones incredibly deep, fast and tight bass without exaggeration – perfect for critical listening to all kinds of music.
These are also very well designed headphones, super-tough, with long battery life (up to 40 hours), great wireless performance and an included cable for wired connection. There is no microphone for telephone use, but as I said this one is all about the sound!
A great product, the JVC HA-XP50BT Deep Bass headphones are our choice for best JVC wireless headphones overall in 2024.
The Best JVC Wireless On-Ear Headphones
Where the XP50BT ‘phones above are all about the sound, it might be said that these wonderful JVC HA-S190BT headphones are all about the look – a beautiful design, great colors and just the right size.
With such clear, sweet sound, though, the S190BT phones are really just as much about the sound. They also have really deep, strong bass (and a bass boost button), and open, undistorted quality that brings out the most in every kind of music. In fact, while lots of customers rave about the style, the design, the clarity of the built-in microphone, the comfort and the wireless performance, the main thing we see in verified customer reviews is that, in comparing these to even much more expensive ‘phones, like from Bose, Beats and Sennheiser, the JVC HA-S190BT on-ears just sound better.
That is our experience too, and the inexpensive JVC HA-S190BT Bluetooth headphones are our choice for best JVC wireless on-ear headphones in 2024. And did I mention that they look fabulous?
The Best JVC Wireless Earbuds
An incredibly comfortable pair of earbuds, the JVC HA-A10TA wireless buds come with two sets of memory foam tips and three sets of high quality silicone tips. This not only adds to the comfort and non-slip security when you’re wearing them, but ensures a great seal, which lets the incredible deep bass, detail, dynamic energy and smooth, rich sound to really come through.
The JVC HA-A10TA true wireless headphones use Bluetooth 5.0 technology, are compatible with several voice assistants, are very well built and waterproof and come in four nice colors. The battery life isn’t the longest we’ve seen, but at 14 hours total it is still plenty for all-day use, and the brilliant, rich and exciting sound quality and other benefits far outweigh this anyway.
A really great sounding set of wireless buds, and the best built and most comfortable by far in their price category, the JVC HA-A10TA truly wireless earbuds are our choice for best JVC wireless in-ear headphones in 2024.
The Best JVC Wireless Headphones for Sports
When people talk about what you might want and need from the best wireless headphones for sports they always mention a few basic items:
- Non-Slip, Stay-in-Place Fit
- Water Resistance
- Good Battery Life
- Reliable Wireless Connection
- Durable Construction
And the JVC HA-A7TB true wireless earbuds certainly have those bases covered, with an all-day 15 hours total battery life, IXP4 sweat/rain water resistance, strong and tough construction, Bluetooth 5.0 and the brilliant Gumy design which is not only really secure but incredibly comfortable.
But to me there is something that might be even more important in selecting the best earbuds for working out – fun, energetic and exciting sound. The HA-A7TB have a punchy sound, fully dynamic and engaging, with smooth, clear mids and highs, without any harshness, and great deep bass impact, to really get you going through even the most high-energy workouts.
Overall one of the highest quality, most reliable and best sounding in-ear sports wireless buds we’ve ever found, the JVC HA-A7TB true wireless sports earbuds are our choice for best JVC wireless earbuds for sports in 2024.
The Best JVC Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones
When we consider the best wireless noise cancelling headphones on the market today, one question always seems to come up – how do they compare to Bose? And here, we might phrase the question more specifically:
How do the JVC HA-S80BN headphones compare with the Bose QuietComfort 35 Series II headphones?
But this is a totally unfair question – although not in the way you might expect. You see, the Bose do have slightly better noise canceling, even the best in the industry, but the JVC are nearly as good, and absolutely effective in pretty much any situation – even the noisiest environments. The Bose have very good sound quality, but the JVC, for my money, sound more open and clear, with less compression and more detail, and are overall a little more musical and sweet – the kind of headphones you could play for hours and hours without the slightest bit of fatigue.
They are both comfortable to wear, have great wireless performance, compatibility with various digital assistants and are really well made products.
So why is this an unfair question, if these are both very good noise cancelling headphones, and actually quite competitive with each other? Simply because the JVC HA-S80BN are well under half the price of the Bose QuietComfort 35.
An easy choice, then, the JVC HA-S80BN on-ear wireless noise-canceling headphones are a great product and an incredible value, and our choice for best JVC wireless noise-canceling headphones in 2024.
The Best JVC Wireless Audiophile Headphones
For the best audiophile experience, we come back to our first recommendation – the JVC HA-XP50BT headphones. Not only are these the best overall wireless headphones JVC makes, they also perfectly represent the audiophile ideal of pure, clear and neutral reproduction of music.
The HA-XP50BT ‘phones use the AptX Bluetooth codex, so they can play even full high resolution digital audio files without loss or compromise, and their honest and neutral overall sound signature, low distortion, precise stereo imaging and wide frequency response let all of the music’s dynamic excitement, range and energy come through accurately and beautifully.
And if you’re a bass-head, and have to have the big, punchy foundation of really strong bass, the JVC HA-XP50BT wireless headphones not only have incredibly extended, fast and tight bass, with their brilliant bass port design, they have a bass-boost button which really kicks it, but still with the same high-fidelity accuracy and musical sweetness overall.
For critical listening to high resolution music, or to get the most and the best out of any music files or any audio source, with a fun, dynamic and engaging sound that strives for the utmost in neutrality and clarity, the JVC HA-XP50BT Extreme Bass wireless headphones are amazing, and our choice for best JVC wireless headphones for audiophiles in 2024.
The Best JVC Wired Headphones
The Best JVC Wired Headphones Overall
In this age of amazing high-tech innovations and features, like wireless, voice assistants and smart integration, active noise canceling and more, it is nice sometimes to go back to the most basic – and often most effective – design and execution in audio gear.
And the JVC HA-RX900 are that, and are about as old-school as you can get. Yes, they do have snazzy high-tech design features like neodymium drivers and acoustic lens structures, but really these are big, basic headphones with amazing sound. As lots of reviews say, they are not overwhelming – and especially not at first listen – because they don’t have tons of artificially boosted bass, or glaring, high impact sound, or special phase and time distortions built in to make things sound spacier or more exciting.
But after a while you realize what you have gotten, and what you have (thankfully) avoided. The deep bass is awesome, the clarity and sweetness implies very low distortion, the mids and highs are neutral and smooth yet very detailed, the imaging and soundstage are remarkably large and precise, and the musical energy is amazing. Nothing artificial or contrived, just the musicality, energy and excitement of the music itself.
If you want more prominent bass, mids or high frequencies, these extremely tough, high quality ‘phones can handle as much equalization as you can throw at them – of course it is always better to begin with an honest and neutral picture before you start fiddling. But be warned – if you listen too long to their honest, neutral and incredibly attractive sound out of the box, you may well lose all desire to fiddle.
Well built, comfortable, remarkably inexpensive and with surprisingly good and refreshingly neutral sound quality, the JVC HA-RX900 full sized headphones are our choice for best JVC wired headphones overall in 2024, and a dream come true for any audiophile on a budget.
The Best JVC Wired Over-Ear Headphones
To be honest, the JVC HA-RX900 headphones reviewed just above are really the best JVC wired over-ear headphones, but these HA-RX700 offer so much of what makes the 900s great and at an even more insanely low price.
Really, for less money, the JVC HA-RX700 wired headphones have just as much bass, with even a little more of a “popular” sound signature that slightly boosts the bass and treble and offers a bit more excitement. The RX900 ‘phones are more neutral, with tighter, more accurate sound overall, and work great with absolutely any type of music, but these 700s are maybe better for somebody who listens mostly to rock, rap and hip hop, electronica and IDM or any other kind of popular electric music.
But don’t get the wrong idea – even with their popular sound, and popular appeal, the ridiculously inexpensive JVC HA-RX700 headphones are still very neutral, and will sound amazing with any genre or type of music. They too let the music speak for itself, and are easily one of the most accurate and satisfyingly musical headphones anywhere near this price, and our choice for best JVC wired standard headphones in 2024.
The Best JVC Wired Earbuds
If you’ve wondered what all the buzz on the internet around JVC Gumy or JVC Marshmallow is all about, you can hear it right here with the JVC HA-FX38MB Buds. People are all the time asking questions like:
- What are the best JVC Marshmallow earbuds
- What are the best JVC Gumy earbuds
…but those are actually pretty tough questions to answer – all of the Gumy and Marshmallow ‘phones are great, and must be by far the most popular items JVC sells. The HA-FX38 wired buds are, in particular, a really amazing value, truly musical, well made and including a microphone for use with a phone – and at a really, really low price.
These FX38 buds are a perfect example of how Gumy and Marhsmallow earbuds combine two things brilliantly – one, a clear, honest, smooth and dynamic musical signature, and two, an incredibly comfortable and secure fit. And when these two qualities come together something really magical happens – a clear, full range sound with real musical energy, great bass, precise and spacious stereo imaging and an overall honest and neutral character, and a tight fit that seals up these earbuds so well and reliably that all of that great sound comes through fully and completely – and continues to even with extended listening.
It may be hard to believe that a pair of earbuds costing less than fifteen bucks could sound this good or get this strong of a recommendation, but if you feel you’re not spending enough money you can always get several pairs of them – once your family members and friends hear them, they’ll all want a pair of their own!
Internet sensation or down-low audiophile bargain, either way the JVC HA-FX38 are an amazing set of in-ear ‘phones for a very, very low price, and our choice for best JVC wired earbuds in 2024.
The Best JVC Wired Headphones for Sports
Like the Marhsmallow buds reviewed just above in our buyer’s guide for best JVC headphones, these JVC HA-ENR15 sports earbuds have that great JVC earbud combination of a tight, secure and comfortable fit and really good sound quality. The ENR15 might, in fact, have even a little more bass, a little more musical energy, and a bit more of an exciting sound overall – not perhaps, strictly speaking, quite as neutral as the FX38s above, but maybe more energetic and motivating for workouts.
The comfort level of these HA-ENR15 buds is really amazing, and the secure fit means they will stay put even with more strenuous exercise. They are very sturdy, are sweat and water resistant and have an extra-long cord, so you don’t have to fiddle with or worry about them while you’re working out. A built in microphone for telephone calls makes these cool little JVC buds even more useful.
With fun and exciting sound, durable build, a great design and a tight, solid fit, the JVC HA-ENR15 in-ear headphones are some of the best and nicest to use we’ve found for working out, and our choice for best JVC wired earbuds for sports in 2024.
The Best JVC Wired Headphones for Audiophiles
The last category in our roundup of best JVC headphones in 2024 may seem a little odd, since really all JVC headphones are very clear, sweet and musical. There are a few JVC headphones, however, which are at a substantially higher price and offer a whole new level of resolution and fidelity, and the HA-FW1800 earbuds are the best of the best.
A brand new product, the HA-FW1800 in-ear headphones have diaphragms made of a combination of carbon fiber and wood – a JVC exclusive – and offer insane amounts of detail and resolution for the money – really much more resolving power than lots of audiophile earbuds that cost many times as much. There is also a very high level of neutrality to the sound, which combines with great imaging and a wide soundstage, effortless dynamics, transient speed and timing to make this one of the most realistic listening experiences possible.
I do love high end earbuds, to the point that I would be a little embarrassed to tell you how many I own, but I have to say that these new JVC HA-FW1800 – which are almost ridiculously inexpensive, considering the buds they compete with – are one of the best I’ve ever heard, with a sound both sweet and neutral, smooth and detailed, incredibly dynamic and yet never exaggerated, and with stunning presentation of space, time and flow.
An absolute steal, the JVC HA-FW1800 in ear headphones are a true high end choice for a very low price, and our choice for best JVC wired headphones for audiophiles in 2024.
Final Thoughts: What are the Best Budget Headphones on the Market Today?
This may sound like the beginning of a whole new article, but in the face of so many great bargains I keep wondering what is the very best value in the whole line of JVC headphones, because I think that the best value in JVC headphones may well be the best value in the whole headphone market.
I mean, the new HA-FW1800 high resolution earbuds must be one of the best values in high end audio today, the inexpensive HA-XP50BT wireless extreme bass headphones are incredibly exciting to listen to and are really tough and rugged, the HA-RX900 and HA-RX700 are really great, neutral and accurate big old-school over-ear wired ‘phones for a surprisingly low price, and on and on and on…
The prevailing wisdom is that the JVC Gumy HA-FX7 wired earbuds, which are a whopping 8 dollars a pair, are one of the most unbelievable values there is in audio – from JVC or from any company. And they do indeed have a really rich, dynamic, neutral, and honest sound, as well as beefy construction and super-comfortable fit. And the prevailing wisdom also suggests that when you buy them you should get five or six pairs, because everybody who hears them is going to want their own pair, and at 8 bucks a pop you can be a real hero!
When you spend more in the JVC line you will get better and better sound, to be sure, and I would not choose the HA-FX7 phones over anything on our list of best JVC headphones just to save a few dollars, but I would, and do, keep a couple of pairs on hand for quick and easy listening that’s imminently musical and satisfying. Whatever JVC headphones you end up with, though, you will enjoy truly honest and engaging sound, great material and build quality and smart design, and a remarkable value. And you will, without question, end up “closer to the musical truth.”