Review: JBL Live Buds 3

The choice of wireless earbuds is huge, and JBL doesn’t make the choice any easier by offering three variants of their Live 3 premium earbuds. The JBL Live Buds 3 are the ‘classic’ earbuds that sit discreetly inside the ear.

The buds are relatively small and oval, with JBL’s logo tastefully discreet on each earbud.

The fit is good and the earbuds sit firmly in the ear canal once twisted into place. Because they are so small, it can be a little difficult to tell if they are facing the right way without using a mirror.

The pairing with your mobile phone or computer starts as soon as you open the case for the first time. This means you need to pay attention to where they are first detected if there are multiple devices nearby. Of course, it is possible to repeat the mating ritual later, but you’ll need to consult the manual to find the method.

The case does most of the work

Operating completely wireless earbuds is not easy. For obvious reasons, there’s no room for anything but the simplest controls on the plugs themselves, which means a single touch field. And it’s virtually impossible to adjust the buds without accidentally switching ANC on or off, changing the music track or ordering a calzone pizza.

This is where the charging case comes in as an almost perfect solution. In addition to being able to charge the earbuds three times for a total of 36 hours of playtime with ANC on, the case also features a touchscreen where you can control all the most useful functions such as changing tracks, adjusting the volume and switching between ANC, ambient sound (where you can hear your surroundings while the music continues) and ‘TalkThru’ (where the music pauses so you can have a conversation).

Information at a glance

The screen on the case can also display messages and notifications from your mobile phone. This is nifty, but of limited use, as the texts only scroll across the small screen the moment they are received and you can’t scroll back.

Finally, the case also has some features that seem like a waste of screen space: the screen can be used as a flashlight, but any mobile phone can do that a lot better. And the menu language selection could just as easily be done in the app. The need to spontaneously switch between English and Chinese text is just an invitation for pranks and and mistakes.

The case can be charged both with USB-C and wirelessly.

Comprehensive app

The JBL Headphone mobile app is quite simply one of the best wireless headphone control apps I’ve seen. Not only is it really comprehensive, but the many features are easy to navigate.

The Check My Best Fit feature does exactly what it’s supposed to: with a test tone, it determines in seconds whether the earbuds fit snugly enough in the ear canal to provide an optimal frequency response in the bass range.

Tests your hearing

The Personi-Fi feature is really smart – and also a little intimidating, as it tests the user’s hearing and then tries to correct the sound to match the result. The measurement is done using a series of test signals at different frequencies that get weaker until you indicate that you can no longer hear the sound.

The sound after the PersoniFi measurement definitely gave more level in the highest treble, but I’m not sure I’m convinced that it was more satisfying. However, I’m absolutely convinced that we’ll see more hearing enhancing features in the future. And that the boundaries between earbuds and hearing aids will become more blurred.

Something that can definitely be recognised as an improvement is the ability to switch to the high-resolution LDAC instead of the standard A2DP Bluetooth protocol. This results in audibly cleaner and more resolved sound – even in a pair of mid-range earbuds like the JBL Live Buds 3.

However, choosing LDAC means giving up some of the other audio features in the app. These include spatial sound, which mimics the experience of listening to speakers. And also Adaptive EQ, which works a bit like the old-fashioned loudness function from amplifiers by boosting bass and treble when playing at lower levels.

Variable noise cancellation

The noise cancellation in JBL Live Buds 3 is variable in several ways. You can choose to adjust it manually on a slider in the app, or you can leave it to the earbuds to adjust the degree of attenuation to the ambient noise level.

Any automatic noise cancellation will inevitably affect the sound quality, and the more reduction, the more the sound of the music will suffer. Therefore, there’s no need to use heavy ANC in a quiet environment. This worked brilliantly in practice.

The sound quality

The JBL Live Buds 3 are far from being the company’s cheapest model, but the price is still at a level that most people can afford. Even on a pocket money budget.

And it’s actually quite impressive what you get for the price.

The sound is clean and the balance between tonal ranges is fine. The bass is rich and appropriately heavy, voices seem natural, and the treble is quite well resolved. It’s simply by the book.

The above rating is based on the most neutral Studio setting on the equalizer. If you want heavy bass in excess, there is a Bass setting for that. And an Extreme Bass setting if it’s still not bassy enough. I didn’t feel the need for it, but you can have it any way you want. And it’s also possible to create your own personalised equalizer curves.

The fact that I have no complaints about the sound of the JBL Live Buds 3 does not mean that they are the ultimate music reproducers and that all future endeavours for naturalness will cease. I’ve certainly heard wireless headphones that revealed more technical details in the recording, but for a pair of affordable earbuds to provide entertainment and peace from the outside world on the road, everything is as it should be.

Compared to the other two versions of the JBL Live 3, the Live Buds 3 is probably the one that suits most people’s needs.

Compared to competitors, the selection is huge and you get better noise cancellation with, for example, the slightly more expensive Sony WF-1000XM5. For a third more, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 has better sound. However, none of these have the really handy touchscreen on the charging case that JBL has.

Conclusion

The JBL Live Buds 3 are an excellent choice for mid-range, completely wireless earbuds. The sound is impeccable if you’re not willing to go to financial extremes. The app is among the best and most comprehensive on the market. And the charging case, which doubles as a remote control, takes the cake. Whether it’s these or one of the other two versions of the Live 3 buds is a matter of taste, but Live Buds 3 will probably meet most people’s needs.