JBL Soundgear SOUNDGEAR-CLIPS-COPPER

The JBL Soundgear Clips are open-ear buds that nail call quality and battery life, making them perfect for all-day wear when you need to hear your surroundings. Sound is just average, and the build feels a bit cheap, but the mic performance is best-in-class. Pricing is all over the place, so hunt for a deal near $120 to make them a great value. Skip these if you want deep bass or noise isolation.

That 11mm dynamic driver paired with the Adaptive Bass Boost algorithm does some heavy lifting. In our database, the sound quality lands in the 56th percentile, which is about average for the broader headphone market. But for open-ear buds, it's actually quite good. The bass has more body than you'd expect from something not sealed in your ear canal, though it won't rattle your skull like a pair of over-ears. The soundstage feels wide and airy, which makes sense since you're also hearing your actual environment. Just don't expect to pick out subtle details in a noisy coffee shop. The outside world will win that fight.

The microphone setup is where these things genuinely surprise. Four beamforming mics with an AI noise reduction algorithm put call quality in the 92nd percentile. That's best-in-class territory. Wind and background chatter get squashed effectively, making you sound clear even on a blustery day. Battery life is another standout, landing in the 85th percentile. You get 8 hours in the buds and another 24 in the case, and that 10-minute quick charge for 3 hours of playback is a lifesaver when you forget to top up.

Stacked against the Sony WF-1000XM6 or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, the JBLs play a completely different sport. Those are noise-canceling in-ears built to seal you off from the world. They'll demolish the Soundgear Clips in sound quality and bass depth, no contest. But they can't match the JBL's natural awareness or the comfort of not having something jammed in your ear canal for hours. The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro also offer a more refined audio experience with a stemmed design, but again, they're in-ears.

The Technics EAH-AZ100 is an interesting comparison because it also focuses heavily on call quality. The Technics might edge out the JBL in overall sound fidelity, but the JBL's open-ear design is a fundamentally different experience. If you're taking calls all day in a home office and want to hear your kids or the doorbell, the JBL is the more practical choice. The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are the default for iPhone users, but they're in-ears with ANC. The JBLs are a niche pick for those who actively reject that sealed-off feeling, and they execute that niche well enough to be a real alternative.

Pricing on these is a bit of a rollercoaster, with a spread from $120 to $230 across vendors. At the low end of that range, you're getting a very solid deal for the call quality and battery life on offer. At the high end, you're creeping into territory occupied by some seriously impressive traditional earbuds with much better sound and active noise cancellation. The sweet spot is clearly finding a deal closer to that $120 mark. Newegg currently has them listed with fast shipping, so that's a good place to start your hunt.

For what you get, the value proposition hinges entirely on how much you value the open-ear design. If you need it, this is one of the better implementations out there, especially for calls. If you're just looking for the best possible audio quality for your dollar, you can do much better with a sealed in-ear design at this price.

JBL's Soundgear Clips are for people who refuse to choose between staying aware of their surroundings and having a solid soundtrack to their day. These aren't earbuds in the traditional sense. They're open-ear clips that rest outside your ear canal, using air conduction to pipe in audio while letting the world bleed through naturally. If you're a runner who needs to hear traffic, an office worker who can't miss a desk-side drive-by, or just someone who finds silicone tips deeply uncomfortable, this form factor is a breath of fresh air.

The hook here is JBL's OpenSound Technology. The angled 11mm drivers and what they call a SonicArc design aim to solve the biggest problem with open-ear buds: thin, leaky sound. JBL promises punchy bass without distortion and minimal sound leakage, so you're not broadcasting your podcast to the entire bus. Pair that with a surprisingly robust 32-hour total battery life and an IP54 rating that can handle sweat and a little rain, and you've got a compelling package for all-day wear.

But let's be real about what these are. Our scoring puts them at a 55.9 overall, which is solidly middle of the pack. They shine for calls and battery life but stumble on raw sound quality and build feel compared to traditional in-ears at this price. You're trading acoustic isolation and deep bass rumble for situational awareness and a barely-there fit. For the right person, that's a brilliant trade. For everyone else, it's a compromise you need to understand before you buy.

Bass heads and music purists should look the other way. The open-ear design simply can't deliver the deep, isolated low-end or detailed soundstage of a sealed in-ear or over-ear headphone. If you want to feel your music, grab a pair of Sony WF-1000XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra instead. They'll give you the rumble and immersion these JBLs lack.

Also, if you need a dedicated fitness bud that won't budge during burpees or box jumps, this probably isn't it. The low fitness score hints at stability issues during intense movement. For hardcore workouts, a pair with ear hooks or a wing tip design from a brand like Beats or Jaybird would be a safer bet.

If you're an all-day caller who needs to stay present in your environment, buy these without hesitation. The microphone performance is genuinely top-tier, and the comfort is there for marathon wear. They're also a fantastic pick for anyone who simply hates the feeling of in-ear tips. The open design is liberating, and the battery life means you're not constantly hunting for a charger.

But if your main goal is getting lost in music, look elsewhere. The sound quality is fine for podcasts and background tunes, but it won't satisfy critical listening. And if you need a rock-solid fit for intense workouts, the low fitness score suggests these might not be the best gym partner. For pure audio immersion, grab a pair of traditional in-ears with ANC. For aware, all-day connectivity, the Soundgear Clips are a smart buy.