JLAB – JBUDS OPEN-EAR HEADPHONES

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Tech Specs

Open Ear vs Closed Ear

Unlike traditional closed-ear headphones which isolate sound by sealing the ear, open-ear headphones deliberately allow ambient noise to pass through. The goal here isn’t total immersion, but balancing personal audio with environmental awareness. The science behind it is acoustic isolation, but essentially your noise-cancelling headphones are designed to separate you from the world, these are designed to keep you connected to it.

After spending over a week using them across workouts, walks, calls and daily use, they’ve proven to be a more interesting audio experience than anticipated.

First Impressions

One of the first things that stood out to be about the JBuds was the weight. They feel incredibly light on the head, but don’t come across as flimsy or cheap. The weight balance also matters here, lightweight frames can sometimes feel fragile, but the JBuds manage to feel reassuringly well put together, which is a must when wearing for long periods of time. They definitely feel secure without becoming intrusive.

They come in a nice simple carry case, with an elasticated clasp around the top and little clip area for the USB-C charging cable. It’s a simple and effective way to protect and carry your headphones. One thing that did frustrate me was these little blue sticky tabs on the outer shell that’s left a horrid residue. It’s minor but it seemingly offered zero reason to be there.

Comfort & Wearability

The comfort is genuinely excellent. The adjustable headband clicks into position as you slide the band up and down, and once adjusted it has not moved, staying firmly where placed.

Secondly, the headphones give your ears enough room without being uncomfortable as they sit over the ears, not on them.

Because of the open-ear design, they feel breathable. During runs, workouts and longer listening sessions, they don’t feel hot or give me that closed off feeling. It easily becomes a product you forget your wearing, which for an everyday headphone, I’d argue that’s more important than outright sound quality.

Isolation

Keeping sound quality without a strong seal can be difficult. The JBuds perform surprisingly well.

Considering the design here, audio remains clear and enjoyable, while still allowing me to hear what’s happening around me. This balance is most definitely the point of these open-ear headphones, and JLabs have managed this better than I expected.

Will these replace my dedicated noise-cancelling earbuds? No. But that’s not really what they’re trying to do. So many reviewers pull up lack of bass or full immersion when reviewing open ear headphones, yet that’s not the point here.

Instead these JBuds excel in situations where awareness matters. Like the biker ringing their bell behind me as I ran a trail, or the gym rat asking how many sets I have left.

Where Do They Make Sense?

Have you ever wanted to hold a conversation without pausing the music or removing your buds? What about the traffic on that run? Walking the dog? Parenting but need to hear the kids? Multitasking in the Office? Or just dislike earbuds… If you answered yes to one of these, then you fit this category.

At the gym, the lightweight breathable design felt freeing compared to other traditional closed headphones I’ve tried. While walking the dog I was able to hear traffic and acknowledge other dog walkers without pausing or removing my headset. I felt safer and more aware of my surroundings.

But they aren’t for people who want a quiet flight or hate loud public transport, audiophiles (to a degree), bass-heads and immersive gamers. If you sit in this list, then they’re not for you.

I did try them in the car as a passenger. I found the shift of louder external noise difficult to balance with the music playing. I then tried a call, to which I didn’t find the call audio easy to hear and had to switch to my handset as the other end was finding it difficult to hear me.

Trade-offs

Sound leakage is the unavoidable compromise here. Anything over 50% volume in quieter environments, audio leakage become very noticeable to people nearby. In a gym environment or outside, this isn’t really an issue as the ambient sound is much louder, but finding that about 75% volume was the sweet spot for me, being in the house around others and in the office, it’s definitely something to be aware of. However, this isn’t a flaw unique to these JBuds, and more like the reality of open-ear headphones in general.

JLab App

When products come with applications, I genuinely have to think about does this app meaningfully improve the headphones or is it more bloat on my home-screen?

So did the app and headphones connect immediately? Yes. That’s usually my biggest headache.

The app offers quite a few different options. EQ adjustments, button remapping, spatial audio (didn’t really notice a change here), Music / Movie modes and firmware updates. However an interval timer for workouts was the most surprising in the app.

Realistically most people might want to adjust the equaliser and the app offers three set options and a fourth custom mode. I found EQ3 the better option (Bass Boost), although the JLabs Signature option is good, I did loose some crispness with option three, but for my workout music, it suited me better.

The app gives enough control without overwhelming casual users. It’s quick and clean. All you need for non-audiophiles.

Not Better – Just Different

The JBuds open aren’t trying to replace your high-end closed-back headphones, or those noise cancelling earbuds you keep in your bag, they’re just here to fill another problem. They prioritise comfort, awareness, breathability and convenience for all day usability.

If you’re chasing the audio-high and maximum immersion, these aren’t for you. Sound leakage at higher volumes is also impossible to ignore, but for workouts, casual listening and generic everyday use, they offer a surprisingly enjoyable and comfortable experience.

The biggest observation I can give here is that I didn’t stop using my other headphones, I just started reaching for these far more than I expected.

Rapid Reviews Rating

4 out of 5

4