JLab JBuds Open Sport Review: Affordable Yet Compromised Sound Quality

Experience the balance of affordability and awareness with JLab JBuds Open Sport wireless earbuds that bring unique features but require sound sacrifices.

Introduction to JLab JBuds Open Sport

JLab JBuds Open Sport earbuds are budget-friendly wireless earphones designed with an open-ear structure. Unlike traditional earbuds, they don’t have ear tips that seal the ear canal, allowing you to remain aware of your surroundings. This design is a great option if you want to hear oncoming cars while jogging or don’t want to pause your music to engage in conversation.

Features and Performance

JLab offers impressive features for such an affordable price point. Their app not only provides various sound profiles to enhance treble and bass but includes a 10-band equalizer, a rarity even among pricier models. While these features are not essential, hearing protection and background sound generators can be beneficial for relaxation.

According to JLab, these earbuds can last up to nine hours of playback without needing a recharge, extending to 26 hours with the charging case. I tested this claim by draining the earbuds from 100% to 0% while continuously listening to music. I found JLab's prediction to be quite accurate, as the Open Sport easily lasted an entire day before needing to be placed back into the case.

Design and Comfort

The JLab JBuds Open Sport does not differ much from many top open-ear earbuds. They are made from smooth matte plastic with a flexible hook that keeps them secure in front of the ear canal. They stay in place even during intense workouts, and the open design allows me to hear approaching traffic while running on busy roads. Additionally, their water resistance rating of IP55 means you don’t have to worry about sweat or an accidental splash ruining your earbuds.

However, there are trade-offs in sound quality. The Open Sport's soundstage is genuinely impressive; while listening to "Grown" by Kiasmos, shimmering high synthetic frequencies moved noticeably from left to right as strings sounded wide. Yet, I found their frequency balance somewhat uneven: high frequencies can sometimes be sharp, and mid frequencies lack space to breathe, causing certain elements to compete for attention. While this isn’t overly detrimental, it’s worth remembering that some fidelity is sacrificed for situational awareness.

Technical Specifications of JLab JBuds Open Sport

Usability and Controls

Setting up the JLab JBuds Open Sport is straightforward, albeit slightly unusual. To activate pairing mode, you only need to take the earbuds out of the case, and their indicators will start flashing, allowing you to connect them to your primary device. However, connecting to multiple devices is less conventional. To re-enable pairing mode, you must turn off Bluetooth on your primary device, and once JBuds connect to a second device, you can turn on the first device again. This dance may take a bit of maneuvering, but it works, and the connection feels stable.

Most functions accessible after setup can be managed through the JLab app, which offers a decent range of settings, though not as extensive as you'd expect from higher-end earbuds.

The app provides access to the JBuds equalizer settings. It features two preset profiles: “Balanced,” which slightly boosts low and high frequencies, and a more aggressive JLab profile that reduces frequencies in the 500 to 2000 Hz range to significantly enhance low frequencies. You can also create your own profile using a full 10-band equalizer, which is impressive when compared to some pricier headphones. Included are a couple of special listening modes — music mode and movie mode — which further tailor the sound according to the source.

Sound Quality Evaluation

While JLab JBuds Open Sport doesn't offer full sound isolation by design — their key feature is to keep the ears open to ambient sounds. So, if you plan to use them in an office, be prepared to hear every key click from your colleagues’ keyboards or their theories about the latest series.

Conversely, when using Open Sport during runs, the earbuds allowed me to hear the sounds of approaching cars and construction workers. However, this openness comes at a price: Open Sport struggles to compete with the intensity of traffic noise, often resulting in music being drowned out by the din of vehicles when jogging along busy roads.

A less expected advantage of JBuds' open design is their soundstage. Listening to Paul Simon's "Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes," I was struck by how open the stereo field was—especially the choir of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, which moved across the soundstage with impressive accuracy.

However, the sound of individual instruments begins to fall apart. During Sonny Rollins' performance of "St. Thomas," I noticed the bass, piano, and saxophone were constantly competing for the listener's attention. While they sounded clear during solos, when all three instruments played together, they somehow formed less than the sum of their parts.

After diving into the sound balance, I realized what was happening. Listening to "Nothing Left To Lose" by Everything But the Girl, I noted some clarity in the bass, but sadly, there was a lack of low frequencies that give bass resonance. Conversely, the high frequencies can sometimes be overly bright, which is a flaw: "Young Blood" by The Naked and Famous cuts sharply, and the lively, distorted synth melody quickly becomes irritating and makes listening unpleasant.

You might think that everything outside these two extremes would sound better, but in reality, it’s the opposite. While "I Want You" by Moloko demonstrates sufficient low and high frequencies for fullness, mid-range frequencies are heavily underrepresented. Elements like strings, fast guitar parts, and vocals felt crowded, a sound profile that feels compressed in the mid-range, causing every instrument to fight for attention, undermining overall cohesiveness.

Fortunately, the Open Sport's equalizer modes can alleviate some of these shortcomings, but we’re talking more about damage control than achieving realism. Listening to "Otomo" by Bonobo on the flat profile of the earbuds was disappointing—the sound seemed rather tinny, and the spectral profile of the tribal choir was so sharp it almost stung. Engaging the JLab Signature mode helps quickly tighten up the looser areas of sound, muffling problematic frequencies in the 1 to 2 kHz range while boosting the bass in compensation. This is definitely a rough tool, but it helps mitigate some inevitable flaws of open-ear headphones.

Design Quality Assessment

When it comes to design, JLab JBuds Open Sport look rather conservative. Compared to the more extravagant designs of some open-ear headphones, they don’t stand out much from many top workout earbuds. You won’t find the square shape of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds or the earring-like shape of the Huawei FreeClip here. Instead, they have a traditional curved form with a rectangular driver situated directly in front of the ear canal. This is practical but utterly uninspiring, akin to a pair of sweatpants for your ears.

I’m not particularly picky about hooks when it comes to workout earbuds — I’ve never had trouble keeping earbuds in place. But for earbuds that don’t insert into the ear, some sort of hook or strap is necessary. While the Open Sport’s hook design isn’t quite to my taste, I found it relatively comfortable, allowing me to wear them for several hours without discomfort.

Oddly enough, despite the hooks being designed to hold the earbuds in place, I found them to sometimes feel less stable than I’m used to. During runs, they wobbled more than I expected—I couldn’t help but periodically adjust them to ensure they were secure. However, I don’t think they will fall out, and it’s natural for open earbuds to shift a bit while in motion.

They should be sturdy enough to withstand most workouts. They not only appear durable—crafted from matte black plastic, which is tough enough to resist marks and scratches while remaining flexible enough for easy wear—but they also have an IP55 protection rating, allowing them to withstand dust, sweat, and even light rain.

Value for Money Analysis

While I don't hide the fact that the JLab JBuds Open Sport has some drawbacks, there’s one factor that might change your perspective on everything you've read: their price. Premium earbuds significantly outstrip them in cost by at least double. Given a price of 4,200 rubles, they fall within the budget segment of the market.

From this viewpoint, some of Open Sport's shortcomings become less critical. Achieving flawless sound from open-ear headphones is a far more complex technical task compared to headphones with passive noise isolation or active noise cancellation, and naturally, you’ll need to pay more for higher quality. Therefore, if situational awareness and affordable pricing are your priorities, these earbuds represent a reasonable investment. But if sound quality is your utmost priority, you might need to spend a little more or opt for closed headphones.

Should I Buy JLab JBuds Open Sport?

Additional Considerations

Shokz OpenFit Air

These earbuds are slightly more expensive than the Open Sport but deliver superior sound quality, especially in the bass department. They are lightweight and comfortable when positioned correctly. Unfortunately, their battery life is shorter, lasting only seven hours before needing a recharge. Read more about Shokz OpenFit Air.

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

If you're willing to invest a bit more, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are fantastic. They produce excellent sound, even outperforming many closed headphones, and offer a truly immersive spatial sound experience. They are comfortable and intuitive to use but come at a high price point, which reflects their quality. Read more about Bose Ultra Open Earbuds.

Testing Methodology

• Tested for two weeks
• Used in various quiet and noisy environments
• Evaluated their water resistance by spraying water on them

I tested the JLab JBuds Open Sport for two weeks, trying them out in various quiet and noisy environments. I evaluated their water resistance by spraying them with water to see if it affected their performance. I listened to a wide range of music, not only going through the TechRadar test playlist multiple times but also trying out some of my own tracks. I also tested their microphones by recording voice notes amidst background noise and made several calls outdoors in urban settings.

Having covered technology for over ten years, I have extensive experience evaluating the performance of various gadgets. Additionally, as an audiophile and music producer, I have assessed the quality of speakers and headphones for many years, and with regular workouts, I’ve used a myriad of different workout earbuds.

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