Latest news with #JLabJBudsLuxANC
Tom's Guide
26-07-2025
- Tom's Guide
I usually give budget earbuds a tough time, but not this $29 pair — here's why I won't stop until everyone owns them
I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to audio products. I find that if my earbuds/headphones/speaker/soundbar falls short of expectations, I can't ignore it. When I'm listening to music I want to be immersed in that music. That's why I'm on a mission to find the best wireless earbuds — although so far, there's a clear winner, and it's the $249 Apple AirPods Pro 2. But still, I'm yearning for the best budget earbuds. Why must all semi-decent earbuds be so pricey, I thought, while testing pair after pair of cheap buds, slowly losing hope. I was beginning to think that good inexpensive earbuds were a myth. But then, I tested the JLab Go Pods ANC. Without a shadow of a doubt, these are the #1 top budget earbuds money can buy right now. That's the whole article — you don't need to read any further. If you want the best cheap earbuds, it's the JLab Go Pods ANC or bust. If you want a little more information, though, please do keep reading. The JLab Go Pods ANC are some of the cheapest earbuds I've ever seen... and they're on sale for $29 right now. These earbuds can do it all: surprisingly excellent sound quality, an impressive IP66 durability rating, 26 hours battery life, and 3 ANC modes. These are truly the best cheap earbuds money can buy. As a professional audio reviewer, I've tested my fair share of earbuds now. I've tested $30 pairs, $50 pairs, $80 pairs, $100 pairs, $150 pairs... you get the picture. I've tested a lot of earbuds. And the truth? More often than not, the sound quality is disappointing. Some of the best sounding earbuds I've tested are the $129 Skullcandy x Bose Method 360 ANC and the $70 EarFun Air 2 NC. But these are rare diamonds in the rough, and trust me when I say there's a lot of rough. I've been impressed by JLab gear in the past (the JLab JBuds Lux ANC are, to date, the only budget over-ear headphones I've ever recommended), but the JLab Go Pods ANC seemed too good to be true. Why? Because they're literally $36. So it's fair to say that I didn't have high hopes — but boy, was I wrong. The JLab Go Pods ANC sound awesome. Thanks to the fully-configurable 10-band EQ in the JLab app (which I'll discuss in full later), the sound style can be adjusted to suit your tastes. Listen to bass-heavy electronic? Up the bass. Want to get the most out of your singer-songwriter's voice? Up the treble. I found an EQ that suited most genres of music and I stuck to that. I enjoyed a balanced yet complete soundscape, with loud and infectious bass and strong, clear treble without a smidge of tinniness. Truly, for $36, the sound quality is unmatched. No other cheap earbuds come close to the JLab Go Pods ANC — not even other JLab earbuds. These earbuds literally have me tearing my hair out and screaming, "Why? How?" How are they so cheap? Why do they sound so good for $36? I don't get it. These earbuds are truly a miracle. But you best believe it. Most budget earbuds I test have a companion app, but sometimes it either doesn't work (Mixx StreamBuds Ultra Mini, $69) or is only available on one pair of earbuds (Belkin). The JLab app has a huge range of functions: the aforementioned 10-band EQ customization; a range of ambient soundscapes like bird noises and waves; volume limiter to protect your hearing; touch control customization; interval timer for HIIT workouts; activate music or movie mode. As you can see from the image above, the JLab app is absolutely stuffed full of features. I had a blast customizing my EQ one band at a time, finding the optimal setting, cycling through the ambient noise soundscapes, and playing with the touch controls to find my ideal setup. I absolutely adore this app, and made my experience with the JLab Go Pods ANC even more enjoyable. Here, I will give an honorable mention to the EarFun app, which I think it just as great as the JLab app. EarFun also makes affordable earbuds, but none are quite as affordable as the $36 Go Pods ANC. I can't really do much else now but let the numbers speak for me. These earbuds are the same price as an entree at a nice restaurant, a week's worth of gas, just a couple days of groceries. It's very rare to get earbuds of this quality at this price. I'd expect the JLab Go Pods ANC to cost at least $70 — and that's still cheap. Some of our highest-rated budget earbuds so far are as follows: EarFun Air 2 ($49), EarFun Air 2 NC ($69), EarFun Air Pro 4 ($99), Soundpeats Air5 Pro ($79), and the Soundcore Liberty 5 ($129). But what do all of these earbuds have in common? They're not as cheap as the JLab Go Pods ANC. Some of them are three times the price, actually. Seeing as the JLab Go Pods ANC have an IP rating of IP66, they have a companion app, a 2 year warranty, excellent sound quality for the price, 3 ANC modes, 26 hour battery life (better than AirPods Pro 2), and the case isn't flimsy... I'm just lost for words. And I write for a living. As I said above, I just don't get how these earbuds are so cheap. I can't wrap my head around it. It's unfathomable, unbelievable, inconceivable... And yet, the earbuds exist. They are sitting on my desk next to me as I write this. At just $36, these are — realistically — a pair of earbuds that everyone could have as a backup pair. Obviously they're good enough to be your only pair, but in a pinch, the JLab Go Pods ANC won't let you down. They didn't let me down. 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.
Tom's Guide
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
I review audio gear for a living, and the only budget headphones I've ever recommended are 35% off right now — hurry!
I test the best headphones, the best earbuds, the best speakers, and much, much more every single day. If an audio product exists, I've probably listened to it at some point. There are a few budget earbuds and speakers that I love, but only one pair of budget headphones. Other inexpensive headphones seem to fall flat in almost every area, especially the most important: sound quality. However, there's one pair that I won't shut up about. The JLab JBuds Lux ANC. And while the regular MSRP is $79, right now you can get them for just $51 on Amazon U.S. . The JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones are on sale in all four colors (white, black, purple, green) on Amazon U.S. right now. There are many reasons to love these headphones, but the most important reason of all? Sound quality, of course. There are so many reasons why these headphones outperform every other pair I've tested, but it basically boils down to one element. Sound quality. The JLab JBuds Lux ANC simply excel in terms of sound quality. While other brands' budget headphones tend to send me to Tinny City (an overly-obvious metaphor for trash sound quality), the Lux ANC cans offer balanced yet deep sound. I will admit the bass performance is a little heavy-handed. In my review of the JLab JBuds Lux ANC, I wrote, "Jazz-tinged crooning vocals from Clairo's 'Sexy to Someone' was smooth and gentle, with the charisma you'd expect from much pricier headphones. I especially liked the sliding guitar notes in the chorus; but the bass notes were a touch muddled." I added, "Confidence Man['s] 'Let Them Bells Ring' pounded through the drivers with such groove that I wanted to stop mid-walk and start boogie-ing (I won't, for everyone else's sakes), although a little of the bass was lost amongst the liveliness of the track." While it's true that the bass can be muddled, this isn't rare on budget headphones. Actually, this is the main symptom of cheap headphones. I've yet to find budget cans that completely blow me away, but the Lux ANCs are the closest I've ever got to affordable perfection. Now they're just $51, so I'd boogie over to Amazon to snag this deal before it's too late.
Tom's Guide
10-07-2025
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Bose QuietComfort headphones have crashed to their lowest ever price, but I'd still get these $47 headphones this Prime Day instead
We're tracking the best Prime Day deals live so you don't have to. Through tomorrow (Friday 11), we're vetting deals as they come in. Many of the best over-ear headphone Prime Day deals include lowest ever prices this year. For example, you can get the Bose QuietComfort for just $199 at Amazon, down from $349. However, I don't know about you, but my purse strings are extra tight this year. I want to save as much money as I possibly can. I have only one recommendation, and it's not snagging the Bose QuietComfort while they're at their lowest ever price. It's going back to basics and getting the JLab JBuds Lux ANC, $47 on Amazon... the only pair of budget headphones I've ever recommended. I've only ever recommended one pair of over-ear budget headphones, and it's these. What sets the JLabs JBuds Lux ANC apart from other budget cans? Well, for starters, they don't sound like a burning dumpster fire. The JBuds Lux ANC have delicious bass, non-tinny mids, and non-pinchy treble. I absolutely adore these headphones and this price is tough to beat. The JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones seem too good to be true. Great sound quality, really comfortable cups, 70 hours battery, app control, and amazing ANC, for just $47? You'd best believe it. In my review of the JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones, I wrote, "The new techno house offering from my current obsession band Confidence Man, 'Let Them Bells Ring', pounded through the drivers with such groove that I wanted to stop mid-walk and start boogie-ing". Usually budget headphones sound... well, to put it nicely, usually budget headphones sound less than ideal. True, the JBuds struggle with a touch of muffled bass, but this isn't an individual issue. When I tested out the QuietComfort headphones, I wrote in my phone's notes: "bass sounds muffled?". It's true! Although the ANC is second-to-none, the Bose QuietComfort sound isn't $349 worth of quality. It's merely good. For $349, I expect more than good. I expect phenomenal. I want to feel immersed and overtaken by the sensational magic of my music. I don't want to be merely pleased. I want to be blown away. Which is why I can't recommend them over the JLab JBuds Lux ANC. This Prime Day, I think you should save your money and get the JLab headphones. You'd keep $152 — imagine what you could do with that extra cash. Don't forget to check out our Prime Day live blog for the best deals, and all the stuff you can get for free on Amazon this Prime Day.
Tom's Guide
08-07-2025
- Tom's Guide
These are the 5 best Bluetooth headphone deals under $50 this Prime Day
The world is getting ever more expensive, making it harder and harder to find things that fill our needs without breaking the bank. Deals events like Prime Day exist to make things on your wallet a little easier. There are plenty of deals that get you great headphones without spending too much money. How about the Soundcore Life Q20, which give you solid ANC for just $37 at Amazon? Or maybe you want something on-ear — check out the Sony WH-CH520, which are now just $38 at Amazon. Whatever happens, we've got you covered for affordable headphones options — here are all the best cheap headphones in the Prime Day sales. These on-ear headphones are about as bare bones as they come. They're a comfortable, light pair of cans that sound fine for the price, and feature some very good battery life — 40 hours to be exact. This deal brings them close to their lowest price ever. Sony makes some of the best headphones at this price range, and the WH-CH520 are a great example. While these on-ear cans lack ANC, they offer up to 50 hours of battery life in an extremely lightweight design. In our WH-CH520 review, we found them to be super-comfy. The JLab JBuds Lux ANC are some of our favorite budget headphones, and they pack in loads of flagship features for the price. In our 4-star JBuds Lux ANC review, we loved the noise cancellation, sound quality, and comfort. This deal makes them even more affordable, dropping them below $50. The Soundcore Life Q20 bring a whole load of more premium specs to a very affordable price. There's ANC on board to match a comfortable fit and foldable design. 70 hours of battery is the icing on top of a delicious budget headphone cake. These budget cans pack in more features, although you'll miss out on the ANC you'll get with some of the other options on this list. Still, these headphones have a massive 76 hour battery, so they'll last you for a long, long time. Thick cushioning provides a comfortable fit for long periods of wear. There are plenty more deals to be had this Prime Day — make sure you check out our Prime Day live blog to make sure you're staying on top of all the latest sales and offers.
