I tested these $36 earbuds and now every other pair of budget earbuds are ruined for me
The Go Pods ANC may be just $36/£29, but they perform like a pair of $99 earbuds. I know that doesn't sound like a massive deal, but be assured that most sub-$40 earbuds sound like… well, they sound like garbage.
The JLab Go Pods ANC actually sound phenomenal for the price, with loud bass and non-tinny mids. No, they're not going to give Bose a run for its money, but for $36? These earbuds are by far the best bang-for-buck buds out there. I'll talk about everything in detail in this JLab Go Pods ANC review.
Price
$36 / £29
Connectivity
Bluetooth 5.4
ANC
Yes
Durability
IP66
Battery
26 hrs
Weight
2.5 ounces
Dimensions
5.5 x 2.5 x 1.2 inches
Colors
Lilac, black, sage
Compatibility
iOS, Android
The JLab Go Pods ANC are some of the cheapest earbuds I've ever tested. They're just $36 on Amazon U.S. and £29 on Amazon U.K., making them $13 cheaper than the second-cheapest earbuds I've ever tested, the EarFun Air 2.
EarFun is probably JLab's closest competitor here: the EarFun Air 2 NC earbuds are $69 and the Air Pro 4 are $99. Even though the EarFun models are crazy affordable, the performance and price of the Go Pods ANC just blow them out of the water.
Other budget options are Soundcore's offerings, like the Soundcore Liberty 5s ($129) and the P20i buds ($39). The P20i earbuds are just $3 pricier than the JLab offering, but they don't have ANC. They're often on sale for around $20.
In terms of baseline performance for price, the JLab Go Pods ANC blow the competition out of the water.
I love when earbuds come in fun colors, and if you do too, you'll be pleased to know that the JLab Go Pods ANC are available in lilac, dark sage, and the more standard black. I tested the lilac shade and I was obsessed — it's so pretty!The charging case is quite plasticky, though, as are the buds themselves, but I don't think this is a major issue considering they're just $36. The lid of the charging case feels very stable.
One of the most unique features is that the USB-C charging cable is built into the case itself. Now, I don't know how to feel about this. On the one hand, it's great that I'm never going to forget my charger again. Yet… on the other hand, I always carry a USB-C cable with me anyway (for my phone), and I know how volatile charging cables are. If that cable breaks, does that mean I have to buy a whole new set of earbuds?
Well, seeing as some charging cables (by brands like Anker) can go for $10 on Amazon, I'm technically just spending $16 on the earbuds. Right? Hm.
Anyway… JLab has a 2-year warranty anyway so this shouldn't be an issue in the long term. I like pretty much everything about the Go Pods ANC, except…
Oh, they're kind of uncomfortable for long periods of wear.
It's a massive shame, because I love everything about these earbuds. Except for this one thing. Why is the nozzle so big? Listen, I didn't think I had particularly small ears until I started testing earbuds. But for some reason, I evidently have tiny ears, or every manufacturer is just making massive earbuds for no reason.
The nozzle of the Go Pods ANC is 2 ½ millimeters, so about 0.5mm longer than the AirPods Pro 2. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but considering it's about 25% larger, it feels like a lot on my cartilage.
I gave the earbuds to my boyfriend to try and he said they were a little uncomfortable, but nothing major.
This doesn't seem to be a JLab issue, though: the EarFun earbuds I've tried suffer from the same problem. I think it's a budget earbud issue: if you have really small ears but want to stick to a low budget, I'd recommend the JLab JBuds Mini, which I'm also testing as we speak.
It brings me great pleasure to announce that the JLab Go Pods ANC have multipoint connectivity. This is majorly refreshing to see on a pair of budget earbuds. Connecting is easy: you just have to connect to the first device, turn off Bluetooth, connect to the second, turn on Bluetooth on the first device, and you're good to go.
Unfortunately, the Go Pods ANC have no wear detection, but this is an acceptable sacrifice for a pair of $36 earbuds. They do stop playing when you place them in the charging case.
Most budget earbuds (EarFun, Soundcore) have a waterproof rating of IPX5-IPX7, but the Go Pods ANC have an IP rating of IP66. This means the buds are protected against particles (so think dust, sand) as well as water. This is a really impressive IP rating for a $36 pair of earbuds.
Actually, the existence of any features at all is impressive. Custom EQ, durability rating, multipoint connectivity… these are all features I would expect on a $50+ pair of earbuds. If they're present on a pair of $36, that's a bonus.
Obviously there are no hi-res streaming codecs like aptX or LDAC, but I don't mind. For just $36, I'm happy with whatever I'm given. In the case of the Go Pods ANC, the EQ, durability, multipoint, and touch controls that actually work, are more than enough to please me.
On top of my daily listening, I tested the JLab Go Pods ANC by listening to a range of genres on Qobuz, our best streaming service for audiophiles. I listened using the custom EQ, which you can read more about in the 'App' section below.
I listened to 'Pockets' by Panic Shack, which is a DIY punk track. The stereo guitar riffs were prominent without overpowering the rhythm section of the track, and the bass was loud, albeit almost too loud. For a pair of $36 earbuds, though, I'm not complaining.
Afterwards, I listened to 'In Degrees' and 'On the Luna' by Foals. 'In Degrees' has a looping synth section at the head of the track, with a house beat. While, yes, the bass was a little overpowering in some parts and a little anticlimactic in others, the Go Pods ANC performed considerably better than the Soundcore Liberty 5, which were too loud and quiet at the same time.
'On the Luna' has sharp synth peaks and a heavy bassline, and sounded surprisingly great through the Go Pods ANC. I found myself wanting more when the song finished.
To give the Go Pods ANC a fair test, I switched up the genre next. I went for electronic with 'Slow Burner (Effy Remix)' by Interplanetary Criminal, which is an atmospheric, ethereal UKG track. The synth notes were loud and the percussion was impactful without being tinny, and I was really impressed.
'Tir Ha mor' by Gwenno is a folk-pop-indie track (sung entirely in the Cornish Celtic language, which is very cool), with twinkling keys and a dreamy soft vocal. While I wanted the bass to be a tiny bit louder, there was no tinniness, even in the glistening percussion. Tinniness is usually the main symptom of cheap earbuds, but in the Go Pods ANC's case, there's none of that whatsoever.
For some bassy sass, I listened to 'Von Dutch' by Charli xcx. The bass was pumping and the drums were layered, albeit the tiniest bit tinny at the top of the treble (but I know this song well, and that's also a stylistic choice).
Lastly, I played 'Cobra' by Megan Thee Stallion, which has a nu-metal guitar riff layered over a hip-hop beat. The vocals were clear and the production was deep, although I did long for a touch more bass. This could be easily rectified by adjusting the EQ, though.
I definitely recommend playing around with the EQ settings in JLab's app based on what genres you commonly listen to. On the whole, though? Wow, I can't tell that these earbuds are so cheap. I would believe me if you told me they were $99. Obviously, they're not going to defeat the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds in a battle to the death, but they can definitely hold their own.
As I wrote above, the ANC is a little vacuum-like. However, it did a fantastic job of drowning out environmental noise. I couldn't hear myself typing that loudly, and all of the seagulls screeching outside my apartment were pleasantly silenced (as they all should be, controversial opinion).
I couldn't hear any traffic noise from the busy road outside my apartment, even when I was sitting on the balcony. I don't get public transport much (I am a big fan of walking), but, judging from the ANC performance around the city and in shops, I would have faith in the Go Pods ANC's ability to silence bus and train rides.
If I have one qualm with the ANC, it's that the buds don't announce which ANC mode you're in. I mean, it's kind of obvious when you're in each mode, but I'd like to have the reassurance that I'm not just imagining the seagull noise, you know?
I love the JLab app. It's so simple, clean, and easy to use. I would recommend downloading the app as soon as you unbox the earbuds and fiddle with the EQ to find a setting you like. Here's what I went for.
If you want to get the best out of your earbuds, this is the EQ you'll want. In my humble opinion, anyway.
The JLab app has a huge range of functions: you can activate movie or music mode, do a HIIT workout with the built-in interval timer, and customize touch controls. If you're concerned about hearing health, there's even a volume limiter.
Yes, you can even choose from a selection of ambient soundscapes to relax. This app is actually so useful.
I tested the Go Pods ANC's mic and call quality on a work call. My colleagues all reported that they could hear me perfectly, and the mic was pretty good. Although it wasn't the best call quality they'd ever heard, it was better than alternatives.
JLab says there are 2 mics in each earbud, but doesn't specify if these mics are loaded with an environmental-noise-reducing AI algorithm. I don't think it needs it, though, as the quality was already great.
The JLab Go Pods ANC have great battery life. Obviously, these earbuds aren't going head-to-head with the big guns in the audio industry, but just for comparison: Apple's AirPods Pro 2 have just 24 hours of battery. The battery life is one of my least favorite aspects of my beloved Apple earbuds.
While other budget buds have better battery lives (the EarFun Air 2 and EarFun Air Pro 4 I mentioned earlier are 40 hours each, at $49 and $99 respectively), I'm really not complaining for $36. I tested these buds for over a week and haven't charged them yet.
There's no competition whatsoever. I am not afraid to come out and say it with confidence: the JLab Go Pods ANC are the best super-cheap earbuds on the market. Nothing else compares.
Yes, EarFun earbuds are good, but they're priced at around $50-$100. For $36 earbuds? Sheesh, it's the Go Pods ANC or bust. There's no question about it: Go Pods ANC take the crown in every this vs. that budget earbuds contest.
The sound quality is mind-blowing for the price, and the premium features have no right to be this good. I think I've found my favorite super-budget earbuds forever. Any other budget earbuds I test in the future have a lot to live up to — I'm not jealous of them right now.
The JLab Go Pods ANC are the best value earbuds out there, and I'll fight anyone who disagrees.
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I've been using both headphones for the last month to work out which ones you should spend your hard-earned dollars on. The fight this time around is tricky for both of our entrants, so let's put them out of their misery. Sony WH-1000XM6 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Price $449 / £399 / AU$699 $429 / £449 / AU$645 Colors Black; Silver; Midnight Blue Lunar Blue; Deep Plum; White Smoke; Black Size Not specified Not specified Weight 8.9 ounces 8.8 ounces Battery life (rated) Up to 40 hours Up to 24 hours Connectivity Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC and LDAC support Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC and LDAC, aptX HD support support Special features Adaptive ANC, Ambient Sound Mode, DSEE Extreme Audio, Bluetooth multipoint, customizable sound, quick charge, passive mode, 360 Reality Audio ANC, Immersive Audio, Bluetooth multipoint, customizable EQ, quick charge We don't need to spend much time on this point. 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The headband has also been widened for comfort reasons (we'll get to that), rounding out the key physical differences between the old and new models. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. The case is vastly improved, however. I really like the magnetic clasp, and I've only come to like it more during my comparison period. I'm not sure about the longevity of the mechanism as of yet, but for now it's a winner. Comfort is also better, but still not perfect. I've found that the headband, while wider, still presses on pressure points across the top of my head. There are also bits inside the earcups that interfere with my piercings. The Sony WH-1000XM6 are not wholly uncomfortable — far from it — but they're less comfortable than their Bose rivals. Bose's headphones are not only more padded in all the right places, but also uses better foam inside to make sure that they remain comfortable for long periods of time. They're light, which can make them feel slightly cheap, but that does add to their overall comfort in the end. The Sony WH-1000XM6 are not wholly uncomfortable — far from it — but they're less comfortable than their Bose rivals. The case is much the same as the XM6 in terms of sturdiness, but it's slightly more compact. That makes it easier to pack into a bag when you're going on a trip or getting ready to go to work. The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are a more handsome pair of headphones as well. There's more variety to the kinds of materials used here, with metal in the folding armatures making them feel better built than the flimsy feeling XM6. Overall, thanks to a more comfortable fit, better case and more interesting style, the QuietComfort Ultra take home the points for design. After a strong start for Bose in the design and price sections, the controls section is the place where Sony is going to start clawing back some crucial points. The controls you'll find in the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones aren't really all that good. I don't like the inaccurate touch volume slider, and the multifunction button that does almost everything else is a pain to use. The two buttons on headphones are the same shape, only differentiated with a little bump on the Bluetooth pairing button. I've found skipping accidentally and initiating pairing mode unintentionally is far too easy. I don't like touch controls, but the gesture based controls on the XM6 are better than those found on the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. The touch pads on either earcup can be swiped for volume and skip, and then tapped for play/pause. I still don't like how moving my hair can be mistaken for a command, or how I can accidentally pause when I want to turn the volume up, but there are some redeeming factors. For example, the power button and ANC button are very easy to tell apart — the power button is round, and the ANC button is long. Simple and easy to use. The Sony WH-1000XM6 take the round when it comes to controls. The Sony WH-1000XM6 have an updated sound profile, and while it's not my favorite, I do prefer to the way that to the Bose sound. Sony has focused more on the vocals of your music this time around, and we've ended up with a pair of headphones with some top-notch vocal clarity. Unfortunately, I've found that means that soundstage has taken a hit. The XM5 had a very wide soundstage, and that's taken a back seat with the XM6. The new model is slightly more restricted, and spatial imaging (where everything is on the soundstage) isn't as well defined. Sony's bass-heavy sound isn't horrible, but I wish it were a little bit less in-your-face. I've found dialing it back in Sony's very solid EQ helps a bunch, but it's a shame that I have to. To be clear: The Sony WH-1000XM6 sound very good, but the likes of the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3 have shown what wireless over-ears are really capable of. The Bose straight-up sound worse than the Sony WH-1000XM6. They're bassier and warmer, and you lose some top-end detail and presence. There are going to be some people who are fans of their looser attention to detail and sloppier low-end, but the Sony sound noticeably better. You can EQ the Bose slightly with a three-band adjuster, but they never quite manage to sound as good as Sony's headphones — let alone other headphones you can pick up for the price. Both sets of headphones have good apps and well-rounded feature sets that have their fans and detractors. Both sets of headphones have good apps and well-rounded feature sets that have their fans and detractors. We'll start with the XM6. The Sony Sound app has been recently re-done, and it works very well. It can be slightly confusing for first-time users with some of the features hidden away in separate sub-menus, but once you know where everything is you'll be navigating the headphones' multiple features with aplomb. It's in the app that you'll find the noise-canceling modes. I don't really get these — I just leave my ANC on max level when I want it. Transparency is the one mode I do use frequently, however, as well as the 'off' setting, so that I can save a little battery. Inside the app there's also the EQ, and it's very good. Plenty of bands for adjustment make it very easy to dial the sound in exactly as you want it. Spatial audio is here as well, and it's much better than Bose's option. It's similar to Apple's headtracked Dolby Atmos, only it's built for Amazon Music Unlimited as opposed to Apple Music. Bose's app is also very easy to use, I find. Everything is better laid out than Sony's app, but there are fewer options for customizing your headphones. I don't miss the multi-step ANC adjustment, and I like how you can turn the ANC to transparency and back. Not off, however, for Bose does not believe in turning ANC off. To each their own, but it would be nice to have the option to save some battery life. EQ is good, although not as in-depth as Sony. It gives you ample opportunity to change the sound of your headphones in the long run, however. Giving you ample opportunity to make use of the 'off' slider is Bose's version of spatial audio. It's an in-house 'enhancement' of whatever music the headphones are playing, but I find it just makes music sound anemic. It's the best of these in-house systems, also found in the likes of the Marshall Monitor III and the Nothing Headphone (1), but it's still better left in the 'off' position. Perhaps the most important part of the whole competition here — has Sony finally caught up to the might of the Bose noise-canceling machine? Short answer: No. The longer answer is that Sony's noise canceling is better than that found on the older XM5. Thanks to a new chip and some more clever algorithm changes, the ANC handles some annoying noises better than before. But Sony where promising the best ANC, and the best ANC we have not received. They still struggle slightly with really loud noises that the Bose manage to block out, and they're less of a step up over their predecessor than I was hoping for. Perhaps that's unfair, but the Bose headphones prove that better noise canceling is possible. The Bose headphones prove that better noise canceling is possible. The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones have sat at the top of the list of the best noise-canceling headphones for a long time for a reason. They're really, really good at it. They block out more noise than just about anything else, making your commute and office time more comfortable. Transparency modes across both are good and sound natural. However, the Bose win thanks to superior ANC overall. If only it could be turned off for some extra battery life. Another quick and easy one to decide here: The Bose lose out on battery life thanks to their limited 24 hours of staying power. That's not great, and the Sony handily beat them out with 35 hours of battery. During my testing, I found that the battery life claims of both pretty much matched the expected life on the specs sheet. Remember that you can extend the XM6 to 40 hours when you turn off the ANC as well, something you can't do with the Bose headphones. Fast charging is a helpful bonus for both headphones: 3 minutes of charging the XM6 gets you 3 hours, while the Bose get 2.5 hours after a 15-minute charge. Both aren't the best around, but there is a clear winner overall. I put these two headphones head-to-head when the XM6 launched, but I didn't have both in hand at that point. Now that I've had ample testing time with both sets of headphones, I can find a clear winner — and it's Sony with the XM6. They might not look quite as pretty as the Bose or have better ANC performance, but their sound, features, and battery life ultimately win them the competition. If you're looking for the best ANC you can buy, I've found you're still better off with the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. For just about everything else, the Sony are the headphones of choice. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Sony WH-1000XM6 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Price and value (5) 3 3 Design (15) 13 14 Controls (10) 7 5 Sound quality (25) 22 20 Active noise cancelation (20) 15 20 Call quality (10) 9 9 Connectivity (5) 5 5 Battery life (10) 8 5 Total Score (100) 84 80
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