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Updated April 10, 2024·
If you're on a budget and prefer on-ear headphones for home use or commuting, the JBL 510BT are suitable and they fold for easy storage. They're not ideal for exercise or noisy environments due to poor noise isolation. For a little more investment, the Soundcore Space A40 earbuds may be better if you seek excellent noise isolation, especially during air travel or workouts, thanks to their sweatproof certification. The A40 also supports a high-quality LDAC codec for better sound via compatible devices, and they provide a very good overall sound quality. The A40's stemless design is compact, and they come with a case that offers extended battery life and wireless charging, but they might not be as comfortable as JBL's on-ear design for long periods. 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
The JBL 510BT has no clear advantages over the Soundcore Space A40.
Advantages of the Soundcore Space A40
Good for music
Very good for air travel
Key differences
Music
6.2/10
7.7/10
The Soundcore Space A40 is good for music, while the JBL 510BT is only fair.
Gaming
5.4/10
4.9/10
The JBL 510BT and Soundcore Space A40 are both poor for gaming, though the JBL 510BT is somewhat better.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.6/10
4.9/10
The JBL 510BT and Soundcore Space A40 are both poor for podcasts and audiobooks, though the JBL 510BT is somewhat better.
Noise Reduction
5.3/10
9.1/10
The Soundcore Space A40 is excellent for noise reduction, while the JBL 510BT is poor.
Battery
38.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The JBL 510BT has 38 hours of battery life. The Soundcore Space A40 has 8 hours of battery life.
Cost
$30
$80
$0
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
The JBL 510BT has a price of $30 and the Soundcore Space A40 costs $80.
Build Quality
6.5/10
8.5/10
The Soundcore Space A40 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."
"The Anker Soundcore Space A40 is an excellent deal if you want affordable noise canceling earbuds with great sound. The baseline frequency response is enjoyable, and the many EQ presets to choose from plus the ability to customize your sound profile makes it good for pretty much anyone. The noise canceling is quite good, and the many ear tips to choose from ensure a good fit for the noise canceling and isolation to do its job."
Get a great deal on the JBL 510BT or the Soundcore Space A40
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 Soundcore
Soundcore is a sub-brand belonging to Anker Innovations. Starting in 2014, initially marketing wireless, Bluetooth, speakers, Anker now offers an array of, budget-friendly, wireless earbuds and headphones that directly compete, especially in the Active Noise Canceling field, with other brands several times as expensive.
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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
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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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Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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