Budget earbuds used to be something you settled for, not a product you’d seek out. Times have changed, and these days there are plenty of great reasons to never spend more than $100 on earbuds. TheJLab JBuds ANC 3sell for nearly half that price, and they’re a solid bargain, as long as you know what you’re looking for.
JLab Jbuds ANC 3
The JLab JBuds ANC 3 are a bargain when it comes to wireless earbuds, giving you surprisingly good sound, a nice fit, and even useful noise canceling. Just don’t buy them if you’re planning on mainly using them for taking and making calls.
Price and Availability
The JLab JBuds ANC 3 are only available in black, and they retail for $59.99. Even though this is a newer model, you may already be able to find it on sale for less at various retailers.
Looking at the competition, the biggest may be theEarFun Air Pro 3earbuds, which sell for just $10 more at $69.99. They’re quite different earbuds in many ways, but they feature higher-res audio codecs, ever-so-slightly more battery life, and better microphones for calls.
Specifications
Standard Design With Some Fun Touches
The JBuds ANC 3 are somewhat dichotomous, as the case is impressively compact compared to many of these buds' competitors, but the earbuds themselves appear slightly oversized. The good news is, this is only an aesthetic issue, as the earbuds aren’t especially heavy, nor do they feel oversized while you’re wearing them.
I had no issues with fit at all. I typically take a medium ear tip, and that’s what fit me perfectly with the JBuds. One nice touch is that, while additional ear tips are often hidden away in a plastic pouch, here they’re featured as soon as you open the box, letting you swap them out right away if you know your preferred size.
These aren’t advertised as waterproof earbuds—and they shouldn’t be—but they are water and dust-resistant. They have an IP55 rating, which means they’re moderately resistant to dust and dirt. You can take them on a run through a brief rain shower, but ensure not to drop them in any water.
I mentioned that the case was compact, and it’s also light. The only issue is that it’s also somewhat flimsy feeling. It’s also worth noting that the IP55 rating applies only to the earbuds, not the case.
Finally, the case has a built-in USB-C cable in lieu of a USB-C port. It’s short, as you’d expect, but it’s a fun inclusion.
Flaky Controls Saved by a Great App
As is the case with many wireless earbuds in this price range, the onboard controls are unreliable at best and completely random at worst. It’s also easy to accidentally activate them while adjusting the earbuds in your ears. Fortunately, if you want, you can completely disable the controls using the JLab app foriPhoneorAndroid.
In addition to completely disabling the touch controls, this app also lets you switch between modes for Movies or Music, which are independent of the built-in EQ. You also get three preset EQ bands: JLab Signature, Balanced, or Bass Boost. A fourth EQ option lets you dial in your own custom EQ curve.
The app also lets you easily swap between ANC and Be Aware modes, which we’ll look at later on in the review. Of course, you can also update your earbuds' firmware via the app, if necessary.
Good Sound Quality, But Keep the EQ Handy
The JBuds ANC 3 don’t do anything fancy in terms of driver layout, using a simple pair of 10mm dynamic drivers. Bluetooth audio isn’t anything fancy either, sticking to the basic SBC codec. Interestingly enough, these do feature multipoint Bluetooth, allowing you to connect to and easily switch between two devices at once.
One of the first tracks I listened to, Mary Timony’s “No Thirds,” translated surprisingly well on these earbuds. There was plenty of thump in the kick drum and low-end hum from the bass, while higher frequencies like the ride cymbal bell hits and the acoustic guitar strums shone through just as well. There was a sense of space that I don’t often find in lower-priced earbuds.
This, along with a few other tracks I’d listened to, gave me an overall good impression initially. That said, “Notice of Eviction” by The Bronx is a more aggressive-sounding song, and while there was nothing bad sounding, the JBuds ANC 3 didn’t seem to deliver the punch of the song fully. I switched from the JLab Signature to the Bass Boost EQ preset, and this gave the song more presence in the low end, bringing back the punch at the expense of slightly exaggerated bass.
Listening to podcasts or audiobooks is a pleasant experience on the JBuds as well, as long as you keep the EQ off of the Bass Boost preset. This brought a little too much low end to voices, but the other EQ modes sounded fine.
Surprisingly Good ANC, Surprisingly Dodgy Microphones
Plenty of lower-priced earbuds “feature” ANC, but in many cases, it doesn’t really do anything. To that end, I was surprised when I flipped the ANC on in the JLab App and realized everything around me had actually gotten quieter. It wasn’t the huge difference you get from the best over-ear headphones with ANC, but it made a noticeable change.
The Be Aware mode—often known as transparency mode—was another story. It works, in that it lets you more easily hear everything happening around you. It’s unnatural though, and it makes you feel like you’re hearing an ever-so-slight delay between “real” sound and the sound being pumped through the earbuds' drivers.
It’s possible this was my review unit, but the built-in microphones here seem to be an afterthought. Taking a test recording indoors, I was surprised to find the JBuds barely captured my voice. Bringing them outside on a breezy day, many of my words were nearly inaudible.
These aren’t the earbuds to buy for someone making calls all day.
Considerable Battery Capacity and Novel Charging
While it’s not the most battery life we’ve seen, even in budget wireless earbuds, the JBuds ANC3 have some solid battery life. The earbuds offer over nine hours of playback on a single charge, and the case will fully charge them nearly another four times for a total of up to 42 hours of playback time.
When you’re ready to charge them back up, the earbuds charge in the case in roughly an hour and a half. Meanwhile, the case takes around two hours to charge using the built-in USB-C cable.
The built-in cable may not be the handy feature it seems to be. With the standard USB-C port on most cases, all you need is one end of a cable. With this short, built-in USB-C cable, you need to find an adequate USB-C port. If you need to charge from any other type of port, you’ll need an adapter.
Should You Buy the JLab JBuds ANC 3?
The sound signature of theJLab JBuds ANC 3certainly won’t cut it for audiophiles, but they’re a fun-sounding set of earbuds to listen to. The fact that the ANC is as good as it is for this price is a little ridiculous. That 42-hour battery life is nothing to be discounted either.
On the other hand, not everything is great. The built-in microphones seem nearly unusable for calls, the Be Aware transparent mode amplifies everything in an uncomfortable way, and that USB-C cable built into the case isn’t a perfect solution. You could also point to the iffy touch controls, but at least you may disable these.
Even with those cons, the JBuds ANC 3 are solid budget earbuds, and considering everything they pack in at quite a low price, it’s a purchase you’re not likely to regret.
