JLab JBuds Open Sport

Wearing comfort

The headband helps to keep the JLab JBuds Open Sport securely behind the ear, keeping the housing stable in front of the auricle and preventing it from slipping. Although it takes a bit of practice to put on, the system is secure, suitable for sports and does not exert any pressure. The light weight of ten grams per side also helps, as the headphones are barely noticeable when worn. The open-ear design makes them easy to combine with glasses.

Battery life

The open-ear headphones can be used for seven hours and 45 minutes at full volume, and the earphones in the case can be fully charged twice for a total of around 23 hours. While the headphones can be fully charged in 110 minutes when the batteries are empty, it takes two and a half hours to charge the case’s battery. A short USB-C charging cable is included. However, a USB adapter is not included with the headphones.

Bluetooth specifications

In addition to the Bluetooth 5.3 standard, the JLab JBuds Open Sport support multipoint connections with two devices simultaneously, as well as Google Fast Pair. SBC and AAC audio codecs are also available. The wireless connection is very stable when used outdoors, bridging up to 25 metres on a clear path. Indoors, however, there are drop-outs when changing floors, while two rooms can be bridged horizontally. There is also a low-latency movie mode for watching videos or playing computer and mobile games.

How to use

The touch controls on the earphones already cover a wide range of functions and can be customised or disabled via the app. You can configure one to three taps per side and a hold tap to control playback, access the voice assistant, adjust the volume and skip between tracks. You can also toggle between different EQ curves, although multiple taps should be made in quick succession for correct recognition. Movie mode is not assignable, however, and you also have to do without the ability to manually switch the earbuds on and off using the touch-sensitive surfaces. Instead, they can be used in single mode on one side.

JLab app

The JLab JBuds Open Sport app (Android and iOS) gives you access to an EQ section with two pre-defined curves: ‘JLab Signature’, which is the default setting, and ‘Balanced’. A third option allows you to create your own settings, with ten bands available. However, you cannot create multiple presets as the EQ settings cannot be saved.

The app can also be used to set up hearing protection, which limits the output of the sports headphones to 85 or 95 decibels. As well as customising the touch controls, you can also update the firmware and switch to movie mode.

Speech intelligibility during calls

When communicating, the open headband design allows your voice to be heard naturally. In addition, the microphone technology is able to filter out wind noise, although this has a negative effect on speech transmission above a moderate level, as it becomes less fluid. Ambient noise is also attenuated, which means that your own voice will remain intelligible, even if the overall mix seems rather diffuse to the listener when there is more background noise. It should also be noted that it can be difficult to understand the other person if the environment is too noisy.

Sound quality

The JLab JBuds Open Sport are equipped with large, dynamic 14.2 mm drivers to counteract the design disadvantages of open-ear headphones when it comes to bass reproduction. This works well for the most part, with the basic sound (JLab Signature) offering powerful media playback. However, for bass-heavy music or action-packed games and TV shows, closed in-ear headphones are superior, as the open bow headphones lack deep bass and the lower frequency range is comparatively thin.

The midrange benefits from the open bracket design and has a pleasingly spacious feel to it, ensuring that there is no sense of constriction in more complex productions. In addition, the available energy is used to produce expressive voices that have a pleasing warmth and assertiveness in mobile use.

In the upper registers, presence increases with volume. At a moderate volume and normal listening range, accents can be emphasised without overstepping the mark, but at higher volumes the treble can be perceived as sharp. Sibilants are also much clearer.

In Balanced mode, the sound is more spacious, with the virtual stage placed deeper in the room. Vocals and lead instruments appear to be harmoniously embedded in the overall structure, rather than being at the centre of attention as in the basic sound, resulting in a much more energetic and direct listening experience. In both modes, however, we noticed a background noise that was noticeable not only during pauses but also during quieter passages.

Conclusion

The JLab JBuds Open Sport allow interaction with the environment thanks to the open headband design and score points with a stable, very comfortable fit. Even if you have to accept a loss of (low) bass due to the design, the media playback of the open headphones seems relatively powerful. However, the perceptible background noise of the weatherproof headband earphones can be a slight drawback.