JLab JBuds Sport ANC 4 EBJBSPTANCRGPH84

The JBuds Sport ANC 4 brings 93rd percentile ANC and 60 hours of battery life to a sub-$70 price tag. That's the good news. The bad news is the sound quality sits in the 7th percentile, which is one of the worst we've tested. Buy them for workouts and podcasts, not for music.

Let's start with the good stuff. The hybrid ANC is a standout, landing in the 93rd percentile. For a budget pair of earbuds, that's impressive. It won't beat a $300 Sony flagship, but it punches way above its price class. Battery life is also a strong point at the 89th percentile, with 60 hours from the case when ANC is off. That's nearly a week of daily workouts without touching a charger. The Bluetooth 5.3 connection is solid too, sitting in the 83rd percentile, so dropouts during a run shouldn't be a regular annoyance.

The sound, though. The 8mm dynamic drivers produce audio that lands in the 7th percentile of our database. That's a real letdown. The frequency response covers 20Hz to 20kHz on paper, but the tuning is muddy and lacks detail. If you're coming from a pair of wired earbuds from 2015, you might not notice. If you've heard anything decent in the last few years, you will. The mic is also mediocre at the 40th percentile, so don't expect great call quality.

Against the competition, the JBuds Sport ANC 4 is a mixed bag. The Soundcore P31i and Anker Space A40 both offer better overall sound quality, with the Space A40 being a particularly strong alternative if you care about music. The Sony WF-C700N beats the JLab on build quality and comfort, though you'll pay more for it. The EarFun Air Pro 4+ is a closer match on price and also brings solid ANC, but with better audio tuning. Where the JLab wins is pure battery endurance and ANC performance per dollar. The Beats Powerbeats Fit is the workout-focused rival, and while it has better build quality and fit, it costs significantly more. If your priority is drowning out gym noise for as long as possible on a budget, the JLab makes a case. If you want to actually enjoy your music, look elsewhere.

The price spread on these is wild. You'll find them anywhere from $36 to $70 across US listings, which is a $34 gap for the exact same product. At the low end, you're getting 93rd percentile ANC and 89th percentile battery life for under $40. That's a ridiculous value if you can live with the sound. At $70, the math gets harder. The renewed listings on Amazon tend to hit the lower end of that range, while Best Buy's everyday pricing sits higher. If you're buying these, shop around. The $36 price point makes the weak sound quality a lot easier to forgive.

The JLab JBuds Sport ANC 4 nails the two things workout earbuds need most: battery life and noise cancellation. You get 60 hours of total playtime with ANC off and 40 with it on, and the ANC itself sits in the 93rd percentile of our database. That's best-in-class territory for a pair of buds that regularly sells for under $70. The IP66 rating means sweat and splashes won't kill them, and the 10-minute quick charge giving you 2 hours back is genuinely useful when you forget to top up before a run.

But here's the catch: the sound quality is rough. It lands in the 7th percentile, which is one of the worst we've seen. If you're mostly listening to podcasts or using these as background noise while you lift, you might not care. If you actually enjoy music, the 8mm dynamic drivers will leave you wanting more. The build quality also feels cheap, sitting in the 34th percentile, and several owners mention the hard plastic gets uncomfortable after a while.

If you care about music quality, skip these. The 7th percentile sound ranking isn't just below average, it's one of the worst we've seen. The 8mm drivers produce muddy, uninspiring audio that will frustrate anyone with decent ears. You should also look elsewhere if build quality matters to you. The 34th percentile build score reflects the cheap-feeling hard plastic that several owners have complained about. And if you take a lot of calls, the 40th percentile mic quality means your voice won't come through clearly. The Sony WF-C700N or Anker Space A40 are better picks for anyone who wants decent sound and build quality, even if you'll pay a bit more.

The JLab JBuds Sport ANC 4 is a specialist, not an all-rounder. It does two things exceptionally well: canceling noise and lasting forever on a charge. The 93rd percentile ANC and 60-hour battery are legitimately impressive at this price. But the 7th percentile sound quality is a dealbreaker if music matters to you. For gym use, podcasts, and blocking out the world during a commute, these are a solid buy, especially if you can snag them near the $36 end of the price range. For anything involving actual music enjoyment, spend your money elsewhere.