JVC HA-ETR40 Review

JVC’s HA-ETR40 may not be the most exciting-looking pair of
exercise earphones available, but they get the important stuff right. They cost just $39.95, are water-resistant, and offer a very secure fit, with plenty of extra eartips, including some that allow runners to better hear their surroundings. They also deliver crisp, bright audio with reasonable bass response. If a secure, exercise-friendly design, and audio that doesn’t distort are priorities, the HA-ETR40 are definitely worth your consideration. If you want the throttle of a subwoofer to drive your workouts, consider the Editors’ Choice Audio-Technica ATH-CKX7iS ($83.57 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) instead. 

Design
The HA-ETR40 are neither flashy nor ugly—the visual design favors function above all else. Offered in black-and-gray or red-and-black, the earpieces feature upward-pointing stabilization fins that help keep the in-canal eartips in place. These earphones are, in fact, some of the more secure-fitting in-ear models we’ve tested lately. The HA-ETR40 comes with six pairs of eartips in various sizes, including the aforementioned runners’ eartips with larger openings that let in more ambient sound.

The main cable is quite short in order to facilitate armband use and cut down on cable-thump when moving, but a cable extension is included for those who prefer to keep mobile devices in pant pockets or otherwise farther away from the ears. A shirt clip is also provided, which will help those using the extension keep cable-thump in check.

The inline remote is of the single-button variety. Pressing once controls Play/Pause (or Call Answer/End if you have an incoming call or one in progress), and multiple taps control track navigation. There are no volume controls on the remote, so you’ll have to manage that on your mobile device itself.

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The earphones are IPX5/IPX7-rated, meaning they can get wet in the rain, washed off under a faucet, or even briefly submerged. They aren’t fully waterproof, though, so they shouldn’t spend long periods of time under water on a regular basis.

Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the HA-ETR40 delivers a laudable level of clean bass response for earphones in this price range and doesn’t distort even at top (and unadvisable) listening levels. This doesn’t mean that these earphones will appeal to big bass lovers, however; the low-end is rich and full, but not massive, and the high-mids and highs are quite boosted. Tracks like this one sound bright, with some healthy bass response, but nothing approaching the subwoofer-esque power of many other exercise-focused pairs.

See How We Test Headphones

On Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” his baritone vocals receive a crisp coating of treble edge. It sounds great, as his low-mids provide a rich anchor, and the track’s drums also receive a bit of bass presence. Nothing in the lows seems particularly big or thin, though certain aspects of the mix arguably sound too bright—there’s a lot of sibilance, and these earphones bring out quite a bit of the high-end tape hiss.

What sounds like tape hiss on the Callahan track comes in the form of vinyl LP crackle on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” and the HA-ETR40 gives you plenty of it. The extra-bright sound signature also emphasizes the sharp attack of the kick drum loop so it slices through the multilayered mix with ease. The sub-bass synth hits that grace this track are delivered with a decent level of thump; the deep lows are present and not just implied, but again deep bass fiends will likely be looking for a little more power.

Classical tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound bright but balanced, with the lower register instrumentation receiving only the subtlest of boosting, while the higher register strings, vocals, and brass rule the mix with edgy high-mids and extra-bright highs. The sound is crisp and clear, but potentially too bright for some.

If you need a big bass sound to inspire you while you exercise, check out the Audio-Technica ATH-CKX7iS or the JBL Synchros Reflect ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) . If you’re looking to spend less money, the exercise-friendly Skullcandy Method ($29.61 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) and JLab Fit offer great value and are perhaps the best choices if you’re always replacing your earphones. For $40, the water-resistant JVC HA-ETR40 will appeal to those who value a secure fit, and the option to better hear environmental noise by using the included special eartips. They don’t offer gobs of bass, but they don’t sound thin, either.