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Live Free NC+
Company ProductName Specs




HD 250BT
Company ProductName Specs




What we think

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The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

If you prioritize portability and use during exercise, the JBL Live Free NC+ earbuds with their sweatproof design and compact size would be preferable. They also have active noise cancelling, making them a good option for noisy environments and air travel. However, if your focus is on sound quality, especially for music and video content, the Sennheiser HD 250BT headphones would be a better fit due to their superior soundstage and audio reproduction. They are also more comfortable for long listening sessions and have longer battery life, but they lack the JBL's sweat and water resistance and are bulkier, which may not suit an active lifestyle as well. 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+
  • Good for exercise
Advantages of the Sennheiser HD 250BT
  • Very good for gaming
  • Very good for TV and video

Key differences

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Music

5.8
Live Free NC+
HD 250BT
6.5
The Sennheiser HD 250BT is only fair for music, while the JBL Live Free NC+ is poor.

Gaming

5.0
Live Free NC+
HD 250BT
8.8
The Sennheiser HD 250BT is very good for gaming, while the JBL Live Free NC+ is poor.

TV and Video

5.6
Live Free NC+
HD 250BT
8.4
The Sennheiser HD 250BT is very good for TV and video, while the JBL Live Free NC+ is poor.

Noise Reduction

7.0
Live Free NC+
HD 250BT
6.0
The JBL Live Free NC+ is good for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser HD 250BT is only fair.

Battery

5.0 Hours
Live Free NC+
HD 250BT
25.0 Hours
The JBL Live Free NC+ has 5 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser HD 250BT has 25 hours of battery life.

Cost

$60
Live Free NC+
HD 250BT
$68
Product image
Product image

$50

$60

$70

$80

$90

$100

The JBL Live Free NC+ has a price of $60 and the Sennheiser HD 250BT costs $68.

Build Quality

8.5
Live Free NC+
HD 250BT
9.0
The Sennheiser HD 250BT has excellent build quality, while the JBL Live Free NC+ has very good build quality.
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Key similarities

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Phone Calls

7.6
Live Free NC+
HD 250BT
7.2
The JBL Live Free NC+ and Sennheiser HD 250BT are both good for phone calls.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

8.4
Live Free NC+
HD 250BT
8.1
The JBL Live Free NC+ and Sennheiser HD 250BT are both very good for podcasts and audiobooks.

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How the JBL Live Free NC+ and the Sennheiser HD 250BT compare to other earbuds and headphones

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Spec Comparison

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JBL Live Free NC+Sennheiser HD 250BT
JBL Live Free NC+Sennheiser HD 250BT

GENERAL

Price
$60
$68
Brand
JBLSennheiser
Release Date
March 1, 2021May 1, 2021
Form Factor
EarbudsHeadphones
Connectivity
WirelessWireless

SOUND

Music Score
5.9/106.6/10
Phone Calls Score
7.6/107.2/10
Gaming Score
5/108.9/10
TV and Video Score
5.6/108.5/10
Exercise Score
7.7/106.2/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
5 Hours25 Hours
Wireless charging
YesNo
Charging time
1.3 Hours3 Hours
Bluetooth version
5.15
Case Battery Life
18N/A

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
YesNo
Noise Reduction Score
7/106/10
Virtual Surround
NoNo
Android App
YesYes
iOS App
YesYes
Mic Quality
7/108.5/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
8.5/109/10
Comfort score
7.6/107/10
Size
LargeN/A
Weight (headset or single earbud)
7 Grams125 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedIntegrated

Shopping

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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."

Sennheiser HD 250BT

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Dig into reviews and images

Headphone Check

Pete Scholßnagel | 2020
"As a lightweight, robust audio provider with a long battery life, the Sennheiser HD 250BT offer a lot for their price: very good Bluetooth codecs, an app connection and an extremely understated design. These headphones may not be among the most comfortable, but they deliver adequate sound – without overdriving or distortion."

Get a great deal on the JBL Live Free NC+ or the Sennheiser HD 250BT

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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Why trust us

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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.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
113,900
Recommendations made
17,085
Consumer hours saved

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.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

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.

Luis Torres

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.

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