It’s not often that a brand manages to offer consistently top-tier quality and affordability, but for the better part of a century, JBL has been producing truly impressive headphones, often at a fraction of the price of its competitors’. When one of those stellar pairs are on sale? Even better! Right now, JBL Tune 130NC earbuds are a whopping 40% off, down to just $60. That’s some serious savings, especially when you consider that these have many of the same features as the most recent iteration of AirPods.
JBL
Thanks to the nearly 40 hours of battery life and their sweat- and water-resistance, these little buds can go anywhere — from home to the gym to the beach.
$60 at Amazon
Why are these a good deal?
Remember what we said about that fine line between quality performance and affordability? Well, when you keep in mind that these buds are on-par with many other, more expensive headphones and are far less expensive than even the cheapest pair of AirPods, they’re worth paying attention to. And unlike those AirPods, the JBL Tune 130NC has noise-cancelling features.
Why do I need these?
The Tune 130NCs have a lot of features that set them apart from the competition. For starters, let’s talk battery. Each earbud has 10 hours of life all its own, but then the case provides another 30 hours on a full charge. If you enable noise cancellation, it reduces the battery life a little bit, but less than you might expect: You’ll still get 8 hours per earbud and 24 on the case.
The active noise cancellation is also quite impressive. Two microphones detect ambient noise and cut it from your ears, so you only hear what you want. The Active Aware feature helps keep you in the loop about what’s happening around you; important noises such as the honk of a car horn or someone shouting will come through — but the whine of an air-conditioning unit will be blissfully absent from your aural awareness.
Of course, the noise cancellation relies just as much on a proper ear fit as it does on the powerful hardware and software built into these headphones. These include two pairs of ear tips to help you find the perfect fit.
What reviewers say
“I’m a very picky audiophile and was looking for a TWS [true wireless] set to use out and about,” related this very discriminating shopper. “I’ve tried a bunch of different models in the past and sold them because of sound, mostly. I’ve tried the Galaxy Buds, Buds+, Buds Pro, Buds2 Pro, Jabra Elite 7, Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro, AirPods, Sony WF-1000XM3, among others. These have the best sound I have personally heard out of any TWS earbuds.”
“I purchased these earbuds after my AirPods completely stopped working. They have been the best earbuds I’ve ever owned. The active noise cancellation works really well for me when I’m trying to sleep or get work done, and the battery lasts forever. Honestly, I have recommended them to many of my friends when they say they need a new pair of earbuds and I will continue to do so,” said another user.
One iron-pumper said, “They cancel out a ton unless the occasional gym bro is shouting across the gym. Download the app to customize the sound. I made mine bass-heavy and it sounds great. Only downside is that these fall out of my ears sometimes while I’m lifting heavy.”
JBL
Four microphones block out ambient noise while the 10mm drivers pummel your ears with beats.
$60 at Amazon
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
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