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What should you look for in JBL earbuds?

JBL organizes its wireless earbuds into distinct product lines, and the model name tells you exactly what you’re getting. Once you understand this logic, you can make a choice in just a few minutes. Go through these points before you decide.

Wave or Tune: Which Line Is Right for You?

Wave is the entry-level line, and Tune is the next step up. The main differences lie in battery life and driver size. Noise cancellation is a feature found across both lines—more on that later.

• Wave: the entry-level line. The current generation, featuring the Wave Buds 2 and the Wave Flex 2, offers about 10 hours of battery life on the earbuds alone and up to 40 hours with the charging case. The earbuds are IP54-certified and therefore resistant to dust and splashes; the case itself is only resistant to drops (IPX2).
• Tune: a step up. The Tune Buds 2 and Tune Flex 2 last up to 48 hours including the case, feature adaptive noise cancellation, and have 10- to 12-mm drivers.

This overview also includes older models. They’re still available, but they lack features that come standard on the newer generation.

Buds, Beam, or Flex: the shape is in the name

For the current models, the second word in the name describes the shape, which determines how the earbuds fit in your ear. The older models with a number in the name don’t follow that logic yet.

• Buds: an earbud without a stem that seals off your ear canal. Compact and unobtrusive, and that in-ear fit alone keeps out sound.
• Beam: an earbud with a stem, also featuring sealing silicone tips. The stem provides space for more microphones and offers a more secure fit for some ears. In this overview, this type is listed as, among others, the Tune Beam 2 Ghost Edition.
• Flex: the open-ear design, where the earbud doesn’t seal off your ear canal. You hear more of your surroundings, which is nice in traffic but less relaxing on the train. With the Tune Flex 2, JBL includes both types of earbuds—open and sealed—so you can choose for yourself.

Noise cancellation: not every model has it

Active noise cancellation is by no means available on all JBL earbuds. The Tune models in this overview have it, as do the Wave Buds 2 and the Wave Beam 2. The Wave Flex 2 and the older Wave models do not: at most, they offer a transparency mode that actually lets ambient sound in. Note the Tune Flex 2: it does have noise cancellation, and you’ll get the most out of it with the included ear tips, since noise cancellation works best when the earbud seals off the ear canal.

Battery Life and Charging

Battery life varies significantly within this brand. The latest Tune models last 12 hours on the earbuds without noise cancellation and 10 hours with it, for a total of up to 48 hours including the charging case, measured without noise cancellation. The current Wave models offer 10 hours and up to 40 hours. The oldest models in this overview last no more than 5 to 8 hours on a single charge.

For the models in this overview, the charging case charges via a USB-C cable. If you want to be able to place the case on a charging mat, JBL’s Wave and Tune lines do not offer a solution.

The JBL Headphones app

With the current Wave and Tune models, you can adjust the settings using the free JBL Headphones app for Android and iOS. In the app, you can adjust the equalizer, control noise cancellation and transparency mode, assign functions to the control panels, and install firmware updates. The app also includes Find My Buds, but it’s not a full-fledged tracker: it only shows the last known location and the last time the earbud was used, not where your earbud is right now.

Where are the compromises?

In the codecs and in long-term battery life. JBL is notably silent on codecs: the spec sheets the brand publishes for the Wave and Tune models don’t mention a single one. JBL only highlights high-resolution codecs like LDAC as a selling point for its higher-end lines, so don’t assume you’ll get anything beyond the standard SBC and AAC here. You won’t notice much of a difference when streaming from Spotify or YouTube, but you will with lossless subscriptions.

Connecting to two devices at the same time is possible with the current generation, but not with all older models. Keep an eye out for the term “Dual Connect”: it means you can use one earbud on its own, not that you’re connected to two sources simultaneously.

More important in the long run: the battery in wireless earbuds wears out, and we couldn’t find a battery replacement service for earbuds at JBL. The brand does, however, sell individual parts such as replacement charging cases and earbuds.

Who is JBL?

JBL is an American audio brand founded in 1946 by loudspeaker designer James Bullough Lansing, whose initials form the brand name. In 1969, the brand was acquired by Sidney Harman’s company, which later became Harman International. That company has been wholly owned by Samsung Electronics since March 2017. JBL continues to exist as a separate brand, with its own app and product lines.

The brand’s focus is on affordable audio for everyday use. In its marketing, JBL places a strong emphasis on bass, under the banner “Pure Bass Sound.” Those looking for a neutral sound can adjust it in the app using the equalizer, but they don’t start off with a head start here.