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Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're on a tight budget and need wireless convenience for short commutes or casual use, the JBL 510BT would be a suitable choice, though they offer fair overall sound quality and poor comfort. For audiophiles seeking the best sound for music listening at home, the Sennheiser 560S delivers superior performance, especially with a very good soundstage and excellent audio for TV and video. However, they're wired and not optimal for exercise or travel due to their open-back design and lack of active noise cancelling. Additionally, the Sennheisers are less portable and don't support wireless connectivity. 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 Sennheiser 560S
Best in class for music
Excellent for TV and video
Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
6.2/10
9.5/10
The Sennheiser 560S is best in class for music, while the JBL 510BT is only fair.
Gaming
5.4/10
6.9/10
The Sennheiser 560S is only fair for gaming, while the JBL 510BT is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.6/10
8.1/10
The Sennheiser 560S is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the JBL 510BT is poor.
TV and Video
5.5/10
9.1/10
The Sennheiser 560S is excellent for TV and video, while the JBL 510BT is poor.
Noise Reduction
5.3/10
2.5/10
The JBL 510BT and Sennheiser 560S are both poor for noise reduction, though the JBL 510BT is somewhat better.
Battery
38.0 Hours
N/A
The JBL 510BT has 38 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser 560S does not have a battery.
Cost
$30
$180
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
The JBL 510BT has a price of $30 and the Sennheiser 560S costs $180.
Build Quality
6.5/10
8.0/10
The Sennheiser 560S has very good build quality, while the JBL 510BT has only fair build quality.
"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."
"Sennheiser made a near perfect pair of studio monitors with the HD 560S. Flat bass response? Check. Neutral and uncolored midrange? Check. Extended treble with a bit of lower-treble emphasis to highlight mastering flaws? Check. Fairly easy to drive? Check. Good soundstage and imaging? Check, and check."
Get a great deal on the JBL 510BT or the Sennheiser 560S
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.
About Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
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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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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.