JLab JBuds Open Headphones Review: How Open Is Too Open?

"If open-ear audio were a house party, then most wireless headphones would be gazing in longingly at the jubilation, hands pressed to the window, glass fogged, a single tear trickling down their theoretical, closed-audio cheek. That's because it's been mostly earbud-style form factors that have enjoyed the fruits of that ecosystem, like Bose's Ultra Open Earbuds, Nothing's Ear Open, or the fantastic Soundpeats Clip1."

"Open-back headphones are already a thing and have been for some time. In case you're unfamiliar, they have a grille that lets sound pass through from the outside. That may seem like a weird choice on the surface if you're thinking about noise cancellation, but that design brings some benefits. For one, it opens up the soundstage, which is shorthand in audio lingo for describing the set of characteristics for sound."

"While the JBuds Open Headphones come from that tree of headphone design, they take the idea of open-backed headphones a bit further. While most open-backed headphones have a grille providing a degree of separation between your ears and the outside world, the JBuds Open Headphones grille can be removed entirely by twisting the earcups off and pulling them out. Once that grille is removed, the headphones let you hear your surroundings a lot more than similar open-backed competitors."

JLab's JBuds Open Headphones combine a wireless headphone form factor with an open-back, open-ear approach and cost $99. Open-back designs use a grille to let sound pass through, widening the soundstage and making headphones more breathable and lighter. Those designs reduce isolation and perform worse in noisy environments because they allow ambient sound. The JBuds Open take open-back design further by offering a removable grille that detaches when users twist off and pull the earcups. With the grille removed, the JBuds let users hear surroundings much more than similar open-backed competitors. The product targets listeners who want ambient awareness without earbuds.

Read at gizmodo.com