JBL Live Buds 3

JBL Live Buds 3

JBL Live Buds 3

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BEST RATING
Battery Life:
5.0
MUSIC: Good7.8/10
CALLS: Poor5.2/10
GAMING: Poor5.4/10
TV: Poor5.6/10
PODCASTS & AUDIOBOOKS: Poor5.9/10
EXERCISE: Very Good8.4/10
AIR TRAVEL: Very Good8.5/10
NOISE REDUCTION: Very Good8.3/10
BUILD QUALITY: Very Good8.5/10
BATTERY: Best in Class10.0/10

The JBL Live Buds 3 are premium-priced stemless earbuds with a closed enclosure design ensuring better passive noise isolation. They come equipped with wireless functionality but lack a wired option. Their overall sound quality is very good with good soundstage and imaging, and comfortably good along with strong build quality. These earbuds come with built-in controls that are very good, and LDAC support for better audio quality over Bluetooth, but they are not optimized for activities like gaming or watching TV due to latency issues. The Live Buds 3 are not the best for calls and meetings either. They are sweatproof and dustproof and boast active noise-cancelling feature, making them suitable for exercise and air travel with very good portability and noise isolation. They may not be the best choice for music lovers who prioritize sound quality above other features as other earbuds may have a better music score. The earbuds weigh 8.8 grams and are slightly on the larger side. These JBL earbuds have a fairly average battery life of 10 hours but with an additional 30 hours provided by the case, which supports wireless charging and can be fully charged within 2 hours. An intriguing feature is the Smart Charging Case with a 1.45-inch LED touch display that controls the earbuds' functions, such as volume adjustment and toggling ANC. Moreover, they support app customization with an equalizer and audio controls which is optimized for both Android and Apple devices. Ear detection is present, stopping the playback when you take them out. The earbuds are not foldable but come with an integrated mic and boast durability, making them a well-rounded choice for daily use and fitness activities, though they may be considerate of other models for use cases like gaming, TV, and critical music listening. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.




Evaluation

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Pros
  • Very good overall sound quality
  • Advanced Active Noise Cancelling feature
  • Excellent for exercise and travel
  • Smart Charging Case with touch display
  • Supports LDAC and AAC codecs
Cons
  • Not suitable for gaming or TV
  • Poor performance for calls, meetings
  • Limited battery life
  • May not fit comfortably for all, due to large size

Ratings by Category

Battery Life:
5.0
The Battery Life rating is based on hours of typical, actual usage.
Air Travel:
4.6
This score evaluates the product for use on airplanes and other similar kinds of travel. It takes into account noise reduction and portability, including case shape, case size, and weight. It also incorporates the battery life of the product, long-haul comfort, noise reduction (both active and passive), and sound quality. We generally consider wireless products to be more suitable for air travel.
Exercise:
4.5
This score evaluates the product when used for exercise and physical activity. It mainly takes into account comfort, whether or not the products are sweatproof and how secure are the earbuds or headphones while wearing them. We also consider products with wireless capabilities to be more suitable for this particular scenario
Music:
4.4
This evaluates the product when used solely to listen to music. It takes into account the sound quality, whether or not they support high quality codecs, their ability to reproduce soundstage, and whether or not it has any virtual surround capabilities.
Portability:
4.1
The Portability score is based on an overall assessment that includes volume and maximum dimension of the product (and case, if relevant), and its weight. Special features like foldability for headphones are also taken into account.
Podcasts & Audiobooks:
3.0
This score evaluates the product when used solely to listen to podcasts or audiobooks. It takes into account sound quality and sound signature, to be able to keep voices clear and intelligible. It also considers battery life, when available, and comfort.

Full Specs

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GENERAL

Price
$216
Brand
JBL
Release Date
June 1, 2024
Form Factor
Earbuds
Connectivity
Wireless

SOUND

Music Score
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7.9/10
Phone Calls Score
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5.3/10
Gaming Score
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5.4/10
TV and Video Score
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5.7/10
Exercise Score
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8.4/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
10 Hours
Wireless charging
Yes
Charging time
2 Hours
Bluetooth version
5.3
Case Battery Life
30

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
Yes
Noise Reduction Score
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8.4/10
Virtual Surround
Yes
Android App
Yes
iOS App
Yes
Mic Quality
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7/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
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8.5/10
Comfort score
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7/10
Size
Large
Weight of single earbud
8.8 Grams
Microphone style
Integrated

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
99,500
Recommendations made
14,925
Consumer hours saved

About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.

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