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Updated April 11, 2024·
If budget is your primary concern and you need something portable for casual listening, the JBL Live Free NC+ would suit you as they are less expensive, have good noise isolation, and are suitable for exercise due to being sweatproof. However, if you're looking for a premium listening experience with better sound quality, comfort, including a microphone well-suited for calls, the Sennheiser Accentum Plus would be the better option. They also offer active noise cancelling and a longer battery life, which is great for air travel and long listening sessions. For gaming and TV, the low latency feature of the Sennheisers is especially useful, but keep in mind that they are more expensive. 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 Free NC+
- The JBL Live Free NC+ has no clear advantages over the Sennheiser Accentum Plus.
Advantages of the Sennheiser Accentum Plus
- Good for music
- Excellent for phone calls
- Excellent for gaming
- Very good for TV and video
- Very good for exercise
- Excellent for air travel
- Excellent for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
5.8
7.5
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus is good for music, while the JBL Live Free NC+ is poor.
Gaming
5.0
9.1
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus is excellent for gaming, while the JBL Live Free NC+ is poor.
Phone Calls
7.6
9.2
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus is excellent for phone calls, while the JBL Live Free NC+ is good.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.4
9.3
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus is excellent for podcasts and audiobooks, while the JBL Live Free NC+ is very good.
TV and Video
5.6
8.8
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus is very good for TV and video, while the JBL Live Free NC+ is poor.
Noise Reduction
7.0
8.3
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus is very good for noise reduction, while the JBL Live Free NC+ is good.
Battery
5.0 Hours
50.0 Hours
The JBL Live Free NC+ has 5 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser Accentum Plus has 50 hours of battery life.
Cost
$60
$230
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
The JBL Live Free NC+ has a price of $60 and the Sennheiser Accentum Plus costs $230.
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Key similarities
Build Quality
8.5
8.9
The Sennheiser Accentum Plus and JBL Live Free NC+ both have very good build quality.
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How the JBL Live Free NC+ and the Sennheiser Accentum Plus compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| JBL Live Free NC+ | Sennheiser Accentum Plus |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$60 | $230 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | JBL | Sennheiser | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2021 | February 1, 2024 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 5.9/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 7.6/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5/10 | 9.1/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.6/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 7.7/10 | 8/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 5 Hours | 50 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 1.3 Hours | 2 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5.1 | 5.2 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | 18 | N/A | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 7/10 | 8.4/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | 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 | 7.6/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Large | N/A | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 7 Grams | 227 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | 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."
Get a great deal on the JBL Live Free NC+ 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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