JLab Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds – Endurance Earbuds


JLab Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds

If you’re looking for affordable wireless in-ears, these Epic Air Earbuds from JLab stand out. The bluetooth in-ears cost about 114 euros and also offer noise reduction for this price. You can read whether the JLab headphones are also a wise purchase in this JLab Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds review.

JLab Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds

MSRP € 115,-
Colour black
Link Bluetooth 5.0
Battery 90 mAh (earpiece), 700 mAh (charging case)
Weight 7 grams (earpiece), 90 grams (charging case)
Features microphone, IP55, tap control, noise reduction, ambient sound mode
To upload USB-a, wireless
Website www.jlab.com
7 Score 70 Rating: 70

  • Pros
  • wearing comfort
  • Battery life
  • Negatives
  • International price differences
  • Moderate noise reduction

If you compare prices when looking for new headphones, you will notice that the asking price of these JLab earphones varies quite a bit. They are listed for $99 on JLab’s international site. At the time of writing, the lowest price in the Netherlands is 114 euros. So it pays to keep an eye on the prices and to compare on a price comparator such as Kieskeurig.nl. I previously tested the JLab Go wireless in-ears and ran into the same crazy price differences.

JLab Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds
JLab Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds
JLab Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds

Wireless noise canceling earphones

In contrast to the compact JLab Go earphones, the Epic Air in-ears are a lot more extensive in terms of functionality. The design is just like AirPods with a stem that sticks out of your ear and thanks to rubber (or foam) tips you can adjust the ears to size, so that they stay in place and close the ear. The latter is nice, because the JLab Epic Air has noise reduction (ANC). There is also a mode that lets sound through, you control the earphones by tapping them and there is an app available to update and set the headphones. In short, everything you can expect from a wireless bluetooth headset in this price range.

But the competition is fierce if you are looking for earphones of about a hundred euros. Samsung offers great in-ears as well as Urbanista, JBL, SkullCandy, 1More and countless other brands. JLab does drown a bit in this price range.

JLab Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds
The USB plug on the charging box is not a plus.

Striking ears

The earphones do stand out physically, thanks in particular to the charging box. The box does not have a USB-C connection, but a USB-A plug that you connect directly to the adapter. Peculiar. You can also charge the wireless earphones wirelessly. Nice to have on hand if, for example, you only have a modern USB-C adapter adapter.

You open the box by opening a kind of artificial leather flap. Three LEDs on the front let you know how full the battery of the charging box is. The charging case has enough capacity to charge the earphones about seven times. That’s quite a bit, moreover, the earphones have a remarkably long battery life. Depending on the listening mode you use, they can last about ten hours on a battery charge.

The JLab Epic Air earphones themselves have a design that, like AirPods, has a stem that protrudes from your ear. The black color and somewhat flatter finish don’t make you feel like you’re walking around with one (of the many) AirPods copies in your ears. The in-ears have interchangeable tips, so you can adjust them to your size – which is also handy for the noise reduction (ANC) present. There are five sizes of interchangeable tips, including foam tips that were given my personal preference during testing.

JLab Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds in Practice

Thanks to the amount of (foam) rubber tips and the light weight of the JLab ears, wearing comfort is perfectly fine. The earphones also stayed in place during activities – and even running. This is also possible in the rain, since the earphones are splash-proof (IP55).

The sound quality of the in-ears is acceptable: the high, middle and bass tones are nicely balanced. The bass sound is a bit heavier, although that may appeal to some music genres and listeners. The sound is quite clear due to the balance and the details are clearly audible.

JLab offers an app for the earphones, which looks a bit dated, but does what it’s supposed to do. Firmware updates, configure touch controls and there is an equalizer to control the music tuning yourself. This equalizer has four presets, with the sound best balanced with the ‘JLab Signature’ setting. Be sure to use the app to update the firmware, for example to tackle a bug that occasionally causes connection problems.

JLab Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds

Noise reduction and ambient mode

The JLab earphones also have noise cancellation and an ambient mode, which amplifies ambient noise so that you stay informed of what is happening in your environment. On this part, the earbuds disappoint so much that you might be better off without them. Little noise is filtered by the ANC and it does little good for your battery life. The ambient mode also made little difference in listening.

If you are looking for earphones and ANC and ambient mode are an important condition for you, then this JLab Epic Air is unfortunately not your best purchase option.

JLab Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds

Alternatives to the JLab Epic Air

The JLab Epic Air earphones are perfectly fine on all fronts. Yet JLab does not know how to stand out from the crowd. Perhaps it would have been possible if they had lowered the price point, as is the case for these earphones in foreign webshops. For example, earphones from the affordable brand 1More often offer a better price-quality ratio. Even if you’re not looking for noise suppression. Because that noise reduction is a bit disappointing, you could also opt for, for example, the Samsung Galaxy Buds +, which sound a bit better and are better designed.

Conclusion

The JLab Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds sound great, have good battery life and are comfortable to wear. However, if you are looking for good noise reduction, the ears will disappoint. Even for this price range.

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