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Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're frequently on calls or in meetings, the Sennheiser Accentum Plus offers excellent mic quality whereas the JBL Live Beam 3 is rated poorly for this use. For gaming, TV, or when listening to books or podcasts, the Sennheisers again provide a superior experience. However, if you exercise a lot or travel in noisy environments, the JBL earbuds have better sweat and dust resistance, active noise cancelling, and are more portable and suited for such activities. While both support advanced audio codecs, only the JBL has low latency which is preferable for watching videos or gaming. The JBL also offers wireless charging and unique smart charging case features, but Sennheiser provides a longer battery life for extended use without charging. 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 Live Beam 3
The JBL Live Beam 3 has no clear advantages over the Sennheiser Accentum Plus.
Advantages of the Sennheiser Accentum Plus
Excellent for phone calls
Excellent for gaming
Very good for TV and video
Excellent for air travel
Excellent for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Gaming
5.4/10
9.1/10
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus is excellent for gaming, while the JBL Live Beam 3 is poor.
Phone Calls
5.2/10
9.2/10
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus is excellent for phone calls, while the JBL Live Beam 3 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.9/10
9.3/10
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus is excellent for podcasts and audiobooks, while the JBL Live Beam 3 is poor.
TV and Video
5.6/10
8.8/10
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus is very good for TV and video, while the JBL Live Beam 3 is poor.
Battery
12.0 Hours
50.0 Hours
The JBL Live Beam 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser Accentum Plus has 50 hours of battery life.
Cost
$216
$230
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
The JBL Live Beam 3 has a price of $216 and the Sennheiser Accentum Plus costs $230.
The JBL Live Beam 3 and Sennheiser Accentum Plus are both good for music.
Noise Reduction
8.3/10
8.3/10
The JBL Live Beam 3 and Sennheiser Accentum Plus are both very good for noise reduction.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.9/10
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus and JBL Live Beam 3 both have very good build quality.
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How the JBL Live Beam 3 and the Sennheiser Accentum Plus compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
JBL Live Beam 3
Sennheiser Accentum Plus
GENERAL
Price
Price
$216
$230
Brand
Brand
JBL
Sennheiser
Release Date
Release Date
June 1, 2024
February 1, 2024
Form Factor
Form Factor
Earbuds
Headphones
Connectivity
Connectivity
Wireless
Wired + Wireless
SOUND
Music Score
Music Score
7.9/10
7.5/10
Phone Calls Score
Phone Calls Score
5.3/10
9.3/10
Gaming Score
Gaming Score
5.4/10
9.1/10
TV and Video Score
TV and Video Score
5.7/10
8.8/10
Exercise Score
Exercise Score
8.4/10
8/10
Air Travel Score
Air Travel Score
8.5/10
9.3/10
Podcasts and Audiobooks Score
Podcasts and Audiobooks Score
5.9/10
9.4/10
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Bass, Treble
Neutral
PERFORMANCE
Battery life
Battery life
12 Hours
50 Hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging
Yes
No
Charging time
Charging time
2 Hours
2 Hours
Bluetooth version
Bluetooth version
5.3
5.2
Case Battery Life
Case Battery Life
36
N/A
FEATURES
Active Noise Cancelling
Active Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Noise Reduction Score
Noise Reduction Score
8.4/10
8.4/10
Virtual Surround
Virtual Surround
Yes
No
Android App
Android App
Yes
Yes
iOS App
iOS App
Yes
Yes
Mic Quality
Mic Quality
7/10
8.5/10
BUILD AND DESIGN
Build Quality
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.9/10
Comfort score
Comfort score
7/10
7.6/10
Size
Size
Large
N/A
Weight (headset or single earbud)
Weight (headset or single earbud)
8.8 Grams
227 Grams
Microphone style
Microphone style
Integrated
Integrated
Waterproof Rating
Waterproof Rating
5
0
Dustproof Rating
Dustproof Rating
5
0
Eartip sizes included
Eartip sizes included
XS, S, M, L
N/A
Color variations
Color variations
Black
Black
Low Latency
Low Latency
No
AptX Adaptive
Lossless Codec
Lossless Codec
LDAC
AptX Adaptive
Cable length
Cable length
N/A
3.9 feet
Get a great deal on the JBL Live Beam 3 or the Sennheiser Accentum Plus
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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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.
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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.
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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.