I’m always a little skeptical of cheap headphones that claim to have ANC (noise cancelling). I have tested enough to know that some of them announce that they have this technology on board without being able to make it work correctly. And based on my testing, the best ANC implementations come from headphones that can cost over $300.
So I was happy to test out a pair of affordable headphones with effective ANC for just… €70. I tested them for two weeks to see how they behaved in the urban noise. I took these headphones on the subway, wore them for a run in a park, and tested them against my upstairs neighbor whose music rocks my room. Literally.
The main takeaways with the Jlab JBuds ANC 3 headphones
- Priced at €70, these Jlab JBuds ANC 3 headphones are a great pair of budget-friendly in-ears for all-day use.
- These headphones deliver great sound, have impressive battery life and effective noise reduction.
- Some premium features, like touch controls and in-ear detection, are missing from these headphones.
The JLab JBuds ANC 3 come with three sizes of tips and a fairly lightweight pocket case. They boast 42 hours of battery life, an IP55 rating, multi-point Bluetooth, and three different noise controls (noise reduction, noise reduction off, and alertness).
The JBuds ANC 3 produce clear sound, with powerful bass frequencies and brilliant high frequencies. Bass-heavy songs sound full and groovy, but the JBuds ANC 3 manages to always preserve the most subtle details of a song.
The sound of the JBuds ANC 3 is very close to that of the QuietComfort Ultra
When I listened Holding On from Jungle, the JBuds ANC 3 delivered full bass while keeping the song’s most subtle details clear and bright. Compared to a pair of high-end earbuds, like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, the JBuds ANC 3 may be more powerful, but some small sound details aren’t as well articulated, which I expected given anyway the low price of the JBuds ANC 3.
But quite impressively, the sound of the JBuds ANC 3 is very close to that of the QuietComfort Ultra. And for around 200 euros less, I’ll take it!
Above all, after ZDNET’s testing of the latest Bose headphones, we declared it the king of ANC. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that the JBuds ANC 3 performed very well when it came to ANC.
The noisy neighbor test
When I tested the noise-cancelling properties of the JBuds ANC 3, my upstairs neighbor, an aspiring DJ (it seems), was mixing his music at such a high volume that the bass from the songs shook the walls of my room. bedroom. It became almost unbearable to work with this background noise in my ears. So I turned on the ANC function of these headphones and listened to classical music. The irritating noise completely disappeared, so much so that I didn’t realize if or when the music from the upstairs DJ had stopped playing.
It is easy to wear the headphones. They’re lightweight and comfortable, and stay in place during my 45-minute runs without me having to adjust or reposition them. Not even once. I can’t say the same about other, more expensive headphones with ANC that I’ve trained with, like the JBL Tour Pro 2, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, or the Urbanista Phoenix.
Nina Raemont/ZDNET
But obviously, everything is not perfect. The touch controls on the exterior surface of the JBuds ANC 3 earbuds can be tricky and unreliable. Therefore, I used my smartphone to pause and skip songs instead of pressing the earphone controls.
Additionally, the JBuds ANC 3 emits a high-pitched squealing sound if you grip them during transparency mode. I think my fingers must have disrupted the headphones’ external mics, which are responsible for routing environmental noises to the ears. But for 70 euros, what can you expect? I wouldn’t complain.
Buying Tips for Jlab JBuds ANC 3 Earbuds
These Jlab JBuds ANC 3 gave me everything I needed in noise-cancelling headphones, without the secondary features that might have pushed them to a premium price.
These headphones don’t have tons of features, but they are more than enough.
In short, these headphones are perfect for all your daily needs, whether it’s running outside, participating in phone meetings, muffling loud noises on the subway, or listening to music in your bedroom to sleep.
Source: “ZDNet.com”