Finding a great pair of earbuds that pack great sound quality, fit, comfort, and looks with a decent price tag that isn’t just a pair of Apple’s AirPods can be a tricky task. Across the market there are many which specialize in one particular area, but don’t do it all.

With the Epic Lab Edition, JLab is hoping to change that, offering a suite of features, a premium build and lots of promise for a still steep $200 price tag. So do the JLab buds do enough to earn a place in your ears?

Headphone sound quality

Software and bass is a shining star

I’ve used JLab earbuds in the past, and while I’ve been impressed by their features, the sound quality has never really had that “wow” factor. However, JLab seems self-aware of the “wow” factor lacking, and true to form, it has taken a kitchen sink approach to high-end audio, starting with software support. There’s spatial audio compatibility, High Res audio, LDAC support and more, all good and nice to see, although dependent on specific devices and inputs to achieve the best results.

Using an iPhone 13 Pro as a test device, I didn’t have access to some of these features, but on the whole, I enjoyed the sonic experience. Bass is particularly warm and energetic, making the buds a solid gym companion, especially if, like me, you like to train listening to dance and EDM music, which sounded particularly great.

Things begin to fall down a bit when it comes to soundstage, which gives a bit too much separation between voices & instruments. Though there’s enough to keep more complex songs interesting and fun, it isn’t up there with the best on offer. Especially if you like to listen to classical music, there’s better options available elsewhere.

On the whole, I was quite happy with the sound quality of the JLabs, even for the price. While they don’t hit the heights of Sony and some others, they offer a mostly solid and balanced listening experience.

Active Noise Cancellation technology

As with most buds, and definitely at the price point, the JLabs come with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) as standard, including a pass-through mode, too. The dream of any kind of ANC is the promise of a bubble, a cocoon away from the world where you can enjoy your music in peace, no matter the situation. Against this metric, the JLabs are only a partial success.

Walking down a busy street, they dulled the noise of traffic for me, but they didn’t remove it entirely. Likewise, on public transport, they took the full roar of an aging bus engine to more of a groaning grumble, but didn’t remove it. Ultimately, the ANC is adequate, but only that. The best options provide total silence, where the JLabs offer a few (welcome) decibels of reduction.

Pass through mode, however, is a big success. When coming off a busy street and into a shop, with a swipe it allows you to listen to the real world before diving back into your music. One issue l found which is almost universal among TWS buds is touch control implementation. No matter what I did, I almost always seemed to activate the wrong setting or press the wrong button. In this situation, physical controls on the case would have helped.

Design, comfort, materials

Making the case bigger isn’t always better

When it comes to using wireless earbuds over the wired headphone renaissance, it’s fair to say one advantage arises first — that of convenience. That’s to say, a pair of buds that are easy to remove from their holder, which don’t fall out of your ears and which have a case small enough to stuff in a skinny jean pocket.

The JLabs therefore have a clear, if difficult, brief to fulfill. Starting with the case, it’s fashioned from a matte, sober metal which doesn’t showcase personality of any kind, but which feels and looks mostly premium.

An issue I found with it is the length. While the width didn’t prove to be an issue, fitting the case into a pair of skinny jeans — especially a more form-fitting pair — was more of a challenge than expected.

In large part, the length is down to two key factors; the large battery inside, and the included USB-C dongle. The former is welcome, the latter more difficult to assess. Though the dongle made it easier to connect quickly to a USB-C equipped smartphone, when used with a laptop the dongle itself is so wide it makes other adjacent ports impossible to use. On some machines, that might mean you can’t charge while you listen to music.

Beyond these niggles, the buds themselves are comfortable in the ear and snug too, staying put despite vigorous head shakes.

Bonus features & more

Bluetooth Multipoint, charging, and IP rating

Beyond sound quality, design and ANC, the buds also offer multipoint Bluetooth. This allows you to connect to multiple devices simultaneously and to switch between them seamlessly. It worked well in practice, and it proved to be one of the high points of the buds for me.

Then there’s battery life, with up to 56 hours of listening time promised between charging from the case and using those built into the buds. What that meant is that in two weeks of testing, with relatively heavy use, the case only needed to be charged one time. When it then comes to charging, you can either use the USB-C port or do so wirelessly, a nice quality of life feature to have included.

Lastly, really solidifying these as a pair of exercise buds, there’s IPX55 water and dust resistance, meaning they won’t survive a dunk in the pool, but they’ll be able to tough out a run in the rain.

Verdict: Are JLab’s Epic Lab Edition earbuds worth $200?

On the whole, they are a feature-packed set of buds which offer good enough sound quality, a premium, and an attractive design. But, there’s a “but.” Sound quality is decent overall, but the relative lack of soundstage and detail means that the JLabs are much better suited to the likes of Dance and EDM than to classical.

While their design is comfortable, the case is too long to fit in many pockets and the included dongle is too wide and interferes with other ports when plugged into a laptop. Lastly, the ANC doesn’t do enough to remove you from the outside world as some may like, working to remove low-level rumble but not higher pitched sounds. So, if you are a runner and want a premium pair of buds which sound and look good enough for most situations, the JLabs will be a good fit for you, as they will for most people.