ZDNET's key takeaways The JLab JBuds Pods are on sale at Amazon for $50.
They're a fantastic-sounding pair of earbuds, with dynamic lows and just the right amount of highs.
The controls can be a bit finicky, so make sure you spend a bit of time mastering them. View now at Amazon
The JLab Jbuds earbuds are currently marked down to $49 during Amazon Prime Day. That's 29% off the regular price of $70.
If I'm not listening to music, then I'm probably asleep, so you can imagine that I've gone through many, many headphones and earbuds.
One of the things I've come to realize is that even the low-to-midrange headphones and earbuds sound surprisingly good these days. Once upon a time, that was not the case. I remember, back in the late 80s and early 90s, when you purchased a cheap pair of headphones, their sound was very much in line with what you paid for them.
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Now, you can buy a pair of $50 earbuds that sound like a much more expensive pair. They might not beat out a pair of $300 earbuds, but they certainly can stand their own against competitors double the price. Such is the case with the JLab JBuds Pods earbuds.
My experience
The JLab JBuds Pods earbuds support Google's Fast Pair, so connecting them to my Pixel 9 Pro was as easy as it gets. Just take the buds out of the case (don't forget to remove the tape from the tip of the earbuds) place them back in the case, and connect.
Once I was good to go, I played a song that has special meaning to me: "Hush" by Jellyfish. It's not an exciting song; in fact, it's very peaceful (I used it as my wake-up song during my second year of grad school). But it has a nice depth to it, and the juxtaposition of the timpani and voices is brilliant.
These well-designed earbuds will impress, especially given the price. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
To my surprise, the JLab JBuds handled the song beautifully.
I then decided to let the "Spilt Milk" album play out because there's such a variety of songs on the album that it covers just about everything I would need to judge a pair of earbuds.
My conclusion with this combination of album and earbuds is that the JLab JBuds do an outstanding job of handling the more delicate songs, but when things take a turn for the heavier, the low end of the midrange can get a bit too pronounced and ever so slightly distorted.
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This is especially so, considering how well the earbuds handle the low end. The JBuds produce well-defined lows, making the bass sound well-rounded and distinct. And trust me when I say that the "Spilt Milk" album really benefits from speakers, headphones, or earbuds that produce agile, dynamic bass.
The final track, "Brighter Days," brought to light another very positive aspect of the JBuds: soundstage. To my surprise, the soundstage (the perceived space between voices and instruments) was fairly wide. What that does is keep the performers from getting compressed together such that they become hard to hear with any distinction.
Finally, if you tap the right earbud three times, you cycle through the built-in EQ, each of which is very distinct.
One thing I did not do was take these earbuds out for a run. Because these are in-ear earbuds, I know that my copious amounts of sweat would destroy them after a single run.
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The other issue is that I need to be able to hear ambient sound (so I don't get run over by a driver not paying attention). I would imagine, however, that someone who doesn't sweat as much as I do would find these earbuds a great option for exercise.
ZDNET's buying advice
If you're looking for a pair of earbuds in the $50 range, the JLab JBuds Pods should be a no-brainer. With an ease of setup, great bass, a wide soundstage, and solid EQ options, you'd be hard pressed to find a better pair of earbuds at this price.
You can purchase the JBuds Pods at Amazon now for 29% off the retail price ($70), so I'd recommend you snag a pair before the discount ends.
JLab JBuds Pods tech specs
10+ hours of playback on a single charge with 56+ hours total playback time (including the case)
Hybrid ANC
11mm drivers
Fast Pair support
IP55 water-resistant rating
6 dedicated mics for calls, Google Assistant, and Siri
3 EQ settings to choose from - JLab Signature, Balanced, and Bass Boost (with more customizations using the JLab app)
Bluetooth 5.4 with Multipoint support