JLab Audio J Buds Air | The Best Bang For Your Buck Gym Headphones

Have you been wanting to get yourself a pair of earbuds for running, at the gym, or working out, but didn't want to shell out hundreds of dollars for Apple Earpods or Samsung Earbuds? But you also knew it was pointless buying a $15 pair of no brand "Earbuds" from the gas station counter or Amazon. Then you're in luck as we've found the best high quality earbuds with a price tag under $40, and in some cases even less than $30.

Meet the J Lab Audio J Buds Air true wireless earbuds. When I saw these on a shelf at MicroCenter I figured they had to be crap quality after having tried some cheap Amazon and Ali Express earbuds. I decided to roll the dice however and picked up a pair for $49.99, though today on Amazon you can sometimes find them even under $30.

I didn't have super high expectations, but the J Lab Audio J Buds soared past my expectations. So these are true wireless ear buds with a carrying case and a built in charger. Now the J Buds Air in some areas aren't going to match up to your $150 Apple Earbuds, but many have said the sound actually rivals them.

The J Lab J Bud Air's 14+ hour playtime, auto connect feature, IP55 water resistance meaning you can't swim in these things, but you can job in the rain or seat on them. I actually regularly wear mine while in the shower and have never had issues with them. 

The 14 hour playtime may be a little exagerated, it's a couple hours on the actual pods, and then another say 8-10 hours from the charging carrying case. One feature that's really great about these is the USB charging cable is built into the case which eliminates the need to carry around a charging cable that may or may not be the same as your actual phone.

The kit also comes with three different sized rubber tips for your ears and an optional rubber sleeve that goes around the pods for a tighter fit.

The J Bud Air's are quite a bit bulkier than Apple Earpods or even the Samsung counterparts, some people do report "fatigue" from wearing them longer than a half hour or hour, I find them to be quite comfortable however. 

The rigth earpod is the master pod and has the microphone meaning you cannot wear the left while the right charges, however you can wear the right alone while the left charges. There are features to change songs and answer calls as well as to raise and lower volume on the actual pods, it's an actual button and requires you to jam the pod in your ear in the process of pressing the button so I don't use them often. 

Oh, yeah there's a microphone so you can also use your Google Assistant or Siri, or can have phone calls as well. Despite the microphone not being super close to your mouth, the sound is surprisingly decent even while driving in a car with the window open or running, though on a windy day it can be less than idea.

The music or audio sound is actually very good quality as well. These are the types of pods that jam into your ear blocking out outside sound as opposed to some others where you can still somewhat hear your surroundings. This is a nice feature to have at times and others makes you feel somewhat disconnected from everything else going on around you. I have heard many users say they prefer the sound of these over Apple Earpods.

So what's the verdict though, are they worth buying? Like I said, I picked up a set for $49.99 and thought it was a steal and an amazing bang for the buck. These days I see them on Amazon for $34.95 to $39.99 and occasionally will catch a listing for some at under $30.