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Updated April 11, 2024·
If you value portability, wireless convenience, and features like sweat resistance and active noise cancelling for exercise or travel, the JBL Live Buds 3 would serve you well. However, if your priority is the highest sound quality for critical listening, especially in a quiet environment like a home office, and you don't mind spending more, the Sennheiser HD800S with its superior soundstage and audio fidelity, would be a better choice. Keep in mind, the Sennheisers require a wired connection and potentially an additional amplifier for optimal performance, which could be a downside if you prefer the flexibility of wireless earbuds. 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 Buds 3
Very good for exercise
Very good for air travel
Advantages of the Sennheiser HD800S
Best in class for music
Good for gaming
Best in class for TV and video
Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
7.8/10
9.9/10
The Sennheiser HD800S is best in class for music, while the JBL Live Buds 3 is good.
Gaming
5.4/10
7.5/10
The Sennheiser HD800S is good for gaming, while the JBL Live Buds 3 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.9/10
8.1/10
The Sennheiser HD800S is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the JBL Live Buds 3 is poor.
TV and Video
5.6/10
9.7/10
The Sennheiser HD800S is best in class for TV and video, while the JBL Live Buds 3 is poor.
Noise Reduction
8.3/10
2.5/10
The JBL Live Buds 3 is very good for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser HD800S is poor.
Battery
10.0 Hours
N/A
The JBL Live Buds 3 has 10 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser HD800S does not have a battery.
Cost
$216
$1,390
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The JBL Live Buds 3 has a price of $216 and the Sennheiser HD800S costs $1,390.
Build Quality
8.5/10
9.0/10
The Sennheiser HD800S has excellent build quality, while the JBL Live Buds 3 has very good build quality.
"The cans offer stellar sound quality, comfort, and good maintenance options—so they're an easy recommendation if you have the cash and the need for the last headphones you'll buy for years."
Get a great deal on the JBL Live Buds 3 or the Sennheiser HD800S
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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