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Zen Air
510BT
Lowest price for this product:
$30 at JBL

What we think

The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024· Prices updated 24 hours ago

If you are on a tight budget and prefer earbuds with better overall sound quality, lightweight design, and active noise cancellation for quieter listening environments, the Creative Labs Zen Air would suit you. They also offer wireless charging and are sweatproof, making them a convenient option for exercise. However, if long battery life is crucial and you prefer the stability and immersive experience of on-ear headphones, the JBL 510BT may be your choice, even though they lack active noise cancellation and are not sweatproof. Neither are particularly suitable for gaming or TV due to poor scores in those areas. Give Feedback

At the time of writing the Creative Labs Zen Air cost $20 and the JBL 510BT cost $40. The JBL 510BT has dropped in price by $10.

Advantages of the Creative Labs Zen Air
  • Very good for air travel
Advantages of the JBL 510BT
  • The JBL 510BT has no clear advantages over the Creative Labs Zen Air.

Key differences

Music

6.8
Zen Air
510BT
6.2
The Creative Labs Zen Air and JBL 510BT are both only fair for music, though the Creative Labs Zen Air is somewhat better.

Noise Reduction

7.0
Zen Air
510BT
5.3
The Creative Labs Zen Air is good for noise reduction, while the JBL 510BT is poor.

Battery

5.0 Hours
Zen Air
510BT
38.0 Hours
The Creative Labs Zen Air has 5 hours of battery life. The JBL 510BT has 38 hours of battery life.

Build Quality

9.0
Zen Air
510BT
6.5
The Creative Labs Zen Air has excellent build quality, while the JBL 510BT has only fair build quality.
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Key similarities

Gaming

5.1
Zen Air
510BT
5.4
The JBL 510BT and Creative Labs Zen Air are both poor for gaming.

Phone Calls

5.1
Zen Air
510BT
5.1
The JBL 510BT and Creative Labs Zen Air are both poor for phone calls.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

5.4
Zen Air
510BT
5.6
The JBL 510BT and Creative Labs Zen Air are both poor for podcasts and audiobooks.

TV and Video

5.6
Zen Air
510BT
5.5
The Creative Labs Zen Air and JBL 510BT are both poor for TV and video.

Cost

$30
Zen Air
510BT
$30

$0

$10

$20

$30

$40

$50

The Creative Labs Zen Air has a price of $30 and the JBL 510BT costs $30.

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How the Creative Labs Zen Air and the JBL 510BT compare to other earbuds and headphones

VS

Spec Comparison

Creative Labs Zen AirJBL 510BT

GENERAL

Price
$30
$30
Brand
Creative LabsJBL
Release Date
December 1, 2022February 1, 2021
Form Factor
EarbudsHeadphones
Connectivity
WirelessWireless

SOUND

Music Score
6.9/106.2/10
Phone Calls Score
5.1/105.2/10
Gaming Score
5.1/105.5/10
TV and Video Score
5.7/105.6/10
Exercise Score
6.9/105.8/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
5 Hours38 Hours
Wireless charging
YesNo
Charging time
2 Hours2 Hours
Bluetooth version
55
Case Battery Life
12N/A

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
YesNo
Noise Reduction Score
7/105.3/10
Virtual Surround
YesNo
Android App
YesN/A
iOS App
YesN/A
Mic Quality
7/107/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
9/106.5/10
Comfort score
7/105.5/10
Size
MediumN/A
Weight (headset or single earbud)
5 Grams158.7 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedIntegrated

Shopping

Creative Labs Zen Air

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Dig into reviews and images

Headphone Check

Maike Paeßens | February 2023
"The Creative Zen Air’s weak points are its low battery life and rather short Bluetooth range. On the other hand, the strengths of these weatherproof True Wireless in-Ears are the sound and the wide attenuation of the Active Noise Cancellation. Considering the price range, the speech intelligibility during calls is also exceptionally good."

JBL 510BT

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Pricing last updated 24 hours ago |

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Dig into reviews and images

SoundGuys

Sam Smart | September 2023
"The JBL Tune 510BT is affordable and compact, making it a great companion for a commute, so long as you don't need active noise canceling. If you wear glasses or have ear piercings, the on-ear design might not be comfortable, since the ear cups will squish your ears."

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About Creative Labs

Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.

About JBL

JBL is an American audio equipment manufacturer. Owned by Harman International which is, itself, owned by Samsung Electronics. JBL markets a wide array of monitoring speakers, professional headphones and consumer market headphones and earbuds. It was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing (whose initials give the company its name) and has become one of the most prolific audio companies ever. Their products were responsible for audio during the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
162,500
Recommendations made
24,375
Consumer hours saved

About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.

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