JBL Live Free NC+
JBL Live Free NC+
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MUSIC: Poor—5.8/10
CALLS: Good—7.6/10
GAMING: Poor—5.0/10
TV: Poor—5.6/10
PODCASTS & AUDIOBOOKS: Very Good—8.4/10
EXERCISE: Good—7.7/10
AIR TRAVEL: Very Good—8.3/10
NOISE REDUCTION: Good—7.0/10
BUILD QUALITY: Very Good—8.5/10
BATTERY: Good—7.0/10
The JBL Live Free NC+ are a lower mid-range priced pair of stemless earbuds with a closed enclosure design, offering very good build quality and overall sound. They boast good comfort, mic quality, and active noise cancelling, making them suitable for calls and meetings as well as listening to music and audiobooks. Their earbud size is large, which may affect fit for some users. They support AAC codec for optimized audio with Apple devices, are sweatproof, and have a battery life of 5 hours with an additional 18 hours provided by the wireless charging case. They are a solid choice for exercise, air travel, and on-the-go use, but their soundstage is rated poorly, suggesting they may not be the best for immersive, spatial audio experiences. Keep in mind, they are not recommended for gaming or TV and video due to their likely latency issues. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- Very good overall sound quality
- Good comfort and mic quality
- Very good build and control scores
- Active noise cancelling included
- Sweatproof for exercise use
Cons
- Poor soundstage and imaging
- Limited gaming and TV performance
- Not optimized for high-fidelity codecs
- No detachable cable or low-latency feature
Ratings by Category
Air Travel:4.5
This score evaluates the product for use on airplanes and other similar kinds of travel. It takes into account noise reduction and portability, including case shape, case size, and weight. It also incorporates the battery life of the product, long-haul comfort, noise reduction (both active and passive), and sound quality. We generally consider wireless products to be more suitable for air travel.
Podcasts & Audiobooks:4.5
This score evaluates the product when used solely to listen to podcasts or audiobooks. It takes into account sound quality and sound signature, to be able to keep voices clear and intelligible. It also considers battery life, when available, and comfort.
Exercise:4.3
This score evaluates the product when used for exercise and physical activity. It mainly takes into account comfort, whether or not the products are sweatproof and how secure are the earbuds or headphones while wearing them. We also consider products with wireless capabilities to be more suitable for this particular scenario
Calls:4.2
This evaluates the product when used solely to make and receive calls. It takes into account how well the products are able to clearly reproduce the human voice, the quality of the integrated microphones and the battery life, when available, to be able to use them for longer sessions or conferences.
Battery Life:4.0
The Battery Life rating is based on hours of typical, actual usage.
Portability:3.0
The Portability score is based on an overall assessment that includes volume and maximum dimension of the product (and case, if relevant), and its weight. Special features like foldability for headphones are also taken into account.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $60 | ||
Brand | JBL | ||
Release Date | March 1, 2021 | ||
Form Factor | Earbuds | ||
Connectivity | Wireless | ||
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score  | 5.9/10 | ||
Phone Calls Score | 7.6/10 | ||
Gaming Score | 5/10 | ||
TV and Video Score | 5.6/10 | ||
Exercise Score | 7.7/10 | ||
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | 5 Hours | ||
Wireless charging | Yes | ||
Charging time | 1.3 Hours | ||
Bluetooth version | 5.1 | ||
Case Battery Life | 18 | ||
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | ||
Noise Reduction Score | 7/10 | ||
Virtual Surround | No | ||
Android App | Yes | ||
iOS App | Yes | ||
Mic Quality | 7/10 | ||
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | 8.5/10 | ||
Comfort score | 7.6/10 | ||
Size | Large | ||
Weight of single earbud | 7 Grams | ||
Microphone style | Integrated | ||
Shopping
JBL Live Free NC+
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Dig into reviews and images
HeadphoneCheck
Maike Paeßens | 2020
"JBL has added great-sounding, rock-solid all-rounders with a pleasant, warm sound character to their range. They are equipped with a high level of functionality that can be customised via the app. Some compromises have to be made with the active noise cancellation, which has a discreet effect, while the ambient mode and the Talkthru function proved to be powerful despite a perceptible background noise."
Comparison charts
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Why trust us
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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