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Updated April 11, 2024·
If you prioritize sound quality for music and immersive experiences, especially at home, consider the HifiMan Edition XS, as they offer excellent overall sound and a best-in-class soundstage. However, they do lack a microphone, have no wireless capabilities, and are not suited for exercise or travel due to their size and open-back design. In contrast, the JBL Live Buds 3 are more versatile for everyday use, feature good sound quality, active noise cancelling, they're sweatproof, and designed for use during exercise and air travel. They're also more portable, offer a built-in microphone for calls, and have a convenient wireless charging case, but may not match the HifiMan's sound quality for critical listening. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the HifiMan Edition XS
Very good for music
Good for gaming
Best in class for TV and video
Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the JBL Live Buds 3
Very good for exercise
Very good for air travel
Key differences
Music
8.8/10
7.8/10
The HifiMan Edition XS is very good for music, while the JBL Live Buds 3 is good.
Gaming
7.4/10
5.4/10
The HifiMan Edition XS is good for gaming, while the JBL Live Buds 3 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
7.9/10
5.9/10
The HifiMan Edition XS is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the JBL Live Buds 3 is poor.
TV and Video
9.5/10
5.6/10
The HifiMan Edition XS is best in class for TV and video, while the JBL Live Buds 3 is poor.
Noise Reduction
2.5/10
8.3/10
The JBL Live Buds 3 is very good for noise reduction, while the HifiMan Edition XS is poor.
Battery
N/A
10.0 Hours
The HifiMan Edition XS does not have a battery. The JBL Live Buds 3 has 10 hours of battery life.
Cost
$269
$216
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The HifiMan Edition XS has a price of $269 and the JBL Live Buds 3 costs $216.
"The Edition XS easily compete with headphones in their price range with a very high price-to-performance ratio. The XS are an amazing value and offer performance not far off from headphones more than twice their cost. These will be a mind-blowing revelation for enthusiasts and music lovers who have only heard standard big-brand mainstream headphones."
Get a great deal on the HifiMan Edition XS or the JBL Live Buds 3
About HifiMan
HiFiMAN is a Chinese, high-end, audio product manufacturer, with 20 years of experience, that specializes in amplifiers, digital audio players and planar magnetic headphones, some of which have become a staple in the audiophile community such as the entry-level Sundara, the midrange Edition X, and the very well-regarded, high-end, Arya.
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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