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Updated April 11, 2024·
The JBL 510BT are wireless on-ear headphones, better suited for casual music listening and air travel with their good build-in controls and decent battery life, but they might not be as comfortable for long periods. The JBL Quantum 100 are wired over-ear headphones with excellent mic quality, making them more suitable for gaming and TV where mic performance and sound isolation is important. They do not offer wireless convenience. Neither pair excel in exercise or noise isolation, so if those are priorities, you may need to consider other options. Both are budget-friendly and offer fair overall sound quality. 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 JBL 510BT
Good for air travel
Advantages of the JBL Quantum 100
Good for music
Very good for gaming
Good for TV and video
Key differences
Music
6.2/10
7.0/10
The JBL Quantum 100 is good for music, while the JBL 510BT is only fair.
Gaming
5.4/10
8.5/10
The JBL Quantum 100 is very good for gaming, while the JBL 510BT is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.6/10
4.5/10
The JBL 510BT and JBL Quantum 100 are both poor for podcasts and audiobooks, though the JBL 510BT is somewhat better.
TV and Video
5.5/10
7.1/10
The JBL Quantum 100 is good for TV and video, while the JBL 510BT is poor.
Battery
38.0 Hours
N/A
The JBL 510BT has 38 hours of battery life. The JBL Quantum 100 does not have a battery.
Cost
$30
$20
$0
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
The JBL 510BT has a price of $30 and the JBL Quantum 100 costs $20.
"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."
"I appreciate a functional piece of tech as much as I do gear on the bleeding edge, and the JBL Quantum 100 certainly falls in the former category. The sound is reasonably good, the built-in microphone is surprisingly reliable and it has a thoughtful design for the price. It lacks the convenience of Bluetooth, sure, but sometimes it’s nice not to have to worry about the finicky nature of wireless communication and go with good old hard-wired tech."
Get a great deal on the JBL 510BT or the JBL Quantum 100
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.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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