Latest news with #JLabGoPodsANC
Tom's Guide
5 days ago
- 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
6 days ago
- Tom's Guide
I tested these $36 earbuds and now every other pair of budget earbuds are ruined for me
I'm going to start this nice and simple: the JLab Go Pods ANC earbuds are, hands down, the best earbuds you can get at this price. There's no doubt in my mind. The Go Pods ANC may be just $36/£29, but they perform like a pair of $99 earbuds. I know that doesn't sound like a massive deal, but be assured that most sub-$40 earbuds sound like… well, they sound like garbage. The JLab Go Pods ANC actually sound phenomenal for the price, with loud bass and non-tinny mids. No, they're not going to give Bose a run for its money, but for $36? These earbuds are by far the best bang-for-buck buds out there. I'll talk about everything in detail in this JLab Go Pods ANC review. Price $36 / £29 Connectivity Bluetooth 5.4 ANC Yes Durability IP66 Battery 26 hrs Weight 2.5 ounces Dimensions 5.5 x 2.5 x 1.2 inches Colors Lilac, black, sage Compatibility iOS, Android The JLab Go Pods ANC are some of the cheapest earbuds I've ever tested. They're just $36 on Amazon U.S. and £29 on Amazon U.K., making them $13 cheaper than the second-cheapest earbuds I've ever tested, the EarFun Air 2. EarFun is probably JLab's closest competitor here: the EarFun Air 2 NC earbuds are $69 and the Air Pro 4 are $99. Even though the EarFun models are crazy affordable, the performance and price of the Go Pods ANC just blow them out of the water. Other budget options are Soundcore's offerings, like the Soundcore Liberty 5s ($129) and the P20i buds ($39). The P20i earbuds are just $3 pricier than the JLab offering, but they don't have ANC. They're often on sale for around $20. In terms of baseline performance for price, the JLab Go Pods ANC blow the competition out of the water. I love when earbuds come in fun colors, and if you do too, you'll be pleased to know that the JLab Go Pods ANC are available in lilac, dark sage, and the more standard black. I tested the lilac shade and I was obsessed — it's so pretty!The charging case is quite plasticky, though, as are the buds themselves, but I don't think this is a major issue considering they're just $36. The lid of the charging case feels very stable. One of the most unique features is that the USB-C charging cable is built into the case itself. Now, I don't know how to feel about this. On the one hand, it's great that I'm never going to forget my charger again. Yet… on the other hand, I always carry a USB-C cable with me anyway (for my phone), and I know how volatile charging cables are. If that cable breaks, does that mean I have to buy a whole new set of earbuds? Well, seeing as some charging cables (by brands like Anker) can go for $10 on Amazon, I'm technically just spending $16 on the earbuds. Right? Hm. Anyway… JLab has a 2-year warranty anyway so this shouldn't be an issue in the long term. I like pretty much everything about the Go Pods ANC, except… Oh, they're kind of uncomfortable for long periods of wear. It's a massive shame, because I love everything about these earbuds. Except for this one thing. Why is the nozzle so big? Listen, I didn't think I had particularly small ears until I started testing earbuds. But for some reason, I evidently have tiny ears, or every manufacturer is just making massive earbuds for no reason. The nozzle of the Go Pods ANC is 2 ½ millimeters, so about 0.5mm longer than the AirPods Pro 2. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but considering it's about 25% larger, it feels like a lot on my cartilage. I gave the earbuds to my boyfriend to try and he said they were a little uncomfortable, but nothing major. This doesn't seem to be a JLab issue, though: the EarFun earbuds I've tried suffer from the same problem. I think it's a budget earbud issue: if you have really small ears but want to stick to a low budget, I'd recommend the JLab JBuds Mini, which I'm also testing as we speak. It brings me great pleasure to announce that the JLab Go Pods ANC have multipoint connectivity. This is majorly refreshing to see on a pair of budget earbuds. Connecting is easy: you just have to connect to the first device, turn off Bluetooth, connect to the second, turn on Bluetooth on the first device, and you're good to go. Unfortunately, the Go Pods ANC have no wear detection, but this is an acceptable sacrifice for a pair of $36 earbuds. They do stop playing when you place them in the charging case. Most budget earbuds (EarFun, Soundcore) have a waterproof rating of IPX5-IPX7, but the Go Pods ANC have an IP rating of IP66. This means the buds are protected against particles (so think dust, sand) as well as water. This is a really impressive IP rating for a $36 pair of earbuds. Actually, the existence of any features at all is impressive. Custom EQ, durability rating, multipoint connectivity… these are all features I would expect on a $50+ pair of earbuds. If they're present on a pair of $36, that's a bonus. Obviously there are no hi-res streaming codecs like aptX or LDAC, but I don't mind. For just $36, I'm happy with whatever I'm given. In the case of the Go Pods ANC, the EQ, durability, multipoint, and touch controls that actually work, are more than enough to please me. On top of my daily listening, I tested the JLab Go Pods ANC by listening to a range of genres on Qobuz, our best streaming service for audiophiles. I listened using the custom EQ, which you can read more about in the 'App' section below. I listened to 'Pockets' by Panic Shack, which is a DIY punk track. The stereo guitar riffs were prominent without overpowering the rhythm section of the track, and the bass was loud, albeit almost too loud. For a pair of $36 earbuds, though, I'm not complaining. Afterwards, I listened to 'In Degrees' and 'On the Luna' by Foals. 'In Degrees' has a looping synth section at the head of the track, with a house beat. While, yes, the bass was a little overpowering in some parts and a little anticlimactic in others, the Go Pods ANC performed considerably better than the Soundcore Liberty 5, which were too loud and quiet at the same time. 'On the Luna' has sharp synth peaks and a heavy bassline, and sounded surprisingly great through the Go Pods ANC. I found myself wanting more when the song finished. To give the Go Pods ANC a fair test, I switched up the genre next. I went for electronic with 'Slow Burner (Effy Remix)' by Interplanetary Criminal, which is an atmospheric, ethereal UKG track. The synth notes were loud and the percussion was impactful without being tinny, and I was really impressed. 'Tir Ha mor' by Gwenno is a folk-pop-indie track (sung entirely in the Cornish Celtic language, which is very cool), with twinkling keys and a dreamy soft vocal. While I wanted the bass to be a tiny bit louder, there was no tinniness, even in the glistening percussion. Tinniness is usually the main symptom of cheap earbuds, but in the Go Pods ANC's case, there's none of that whatsoever. For some bassy sass, I listened to 'Von Dutch' by Charli xcx. The bass was pumping and the drums were layered, albeit the tiniest bit tinny at the top of the treble (but I know this song well, and that's also a stylistic choice). Lastly, I played 'Cobra' by Megan Thee Stallion, which has a nu-metal guitar riff layered over a hip-hop beat. The vocals were clear and the production was deep, although I did long for a touch more bass. This could be easily rectified by adjusting the EQ, though. I definitely recommend playing around with the EQ settings in JLab's app based on what genres you commonly listen to. On the whole, though? Wow, I can't tell that these earbuds are so cheap. I would believe me if you told me they were $99. Obviously, they're not going to defeat the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds in a battle to the death, but they can definitely hold their own. As I wrote above, the ANC is a little vacuum-like. However, it did a fantastic job of drowning out environmental noise. I couldn't hear myself typing that loudly, and all of the seagulls screeching outside my apartment were pleasantly silenced (as they all should be, controversial opinion). I couldn't hear any traffic noise from the busy road outside my apartment, even when I was sitting on the balcony. I don't get public transport much (I am a big fan of walking), but, judging from the ANC performance around the city and in shops, I would have faith in the Go Pods ANC's ability to silence bus and train rides. If I have one qualm with the ANC, it's that the buds don't announce which ANC mode you're in. I mean, it's kind of obvious when you're in each mode, but I'd like to have the reassurance that I'm not just imagining the seagull noise, you know? I love the JLab app. It's so simple, clean, and easy to use. I would recommend downloading the app as soon as you unbox the earbuds and fiddle with the EQ to find a setting you like. Here's what I went for. If you want to get the best out of your earbuds, this is the EQ you'll want. In my humble opinion, anyway. The JLab app has a huge range of functions: you can activate movie or music mode, do a HIIT workout with the built-in interval timer, and customize touch controls. If you're concerned about hearing health, there's even a volume limiter. Yes, you can even choose from a selection of ambient soundscapes to relax. This app is actually so useful. I tested the Go Pods ANC's mic and call quality on a work call. My colleagues all reported that they could hear me perfectly, and the mic was pretty good. Although it wasn't the best call quality they'd ever heard, it was better than alternatives. JLab says there are 2 mics in each earbud, but doesn't specify if these mics are loaded with an environmental-noise-reducing AI algorithm. I don't think it needs it, though, as the quality was already great. The JLab Go Pods ANC have great battery life. Obviously, these earbuds aren't going head-to-head with the big guns in the audio industry, but just for comparison: Apple's AirPods Pro 2 have just 24 hours of battery. The battery life is one of my least favorite aspects of my beloved Apple earbuds. While other budget buds have better battery lives (the EarFun Air 2 and EarFun Air Pro 4 I mentioned earlier are 40 hours each, at $49 and $99 respectively), I'm really not complaining for $36. I tested these buds for over a week and haven't charged them yet. There's no competition whatsoever. I am not afraid to come out and say it with confidence: the JLab Go Pods ANC are the best super-cheap earbuds on the market. Nothing else compares. Yes, EarFun earbuds are good, but they're priced at around $50-$100. For $36 earbuds? Sheesh, it's the Go Pods ANC or bust. There's no question about it: Go Pods ANC take the crown in every this vs. that budget earbuds contest. The sound quality is mind-blowing for the price, and the premium features have no right to be this good. I think I've found my favorite super-budget earbuds forever. Any other budget earbuds I test in the future have a lot to live up to — I'm not jealous of them right now. The JLab Go Pods ANC are the best value earbuds out there, and I'll fight anyone who disagrees.
