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Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're on a budget and value wireless convenience with good exercise compatibility, opt for the JBL Tune Buds—they're less expensive and feature qualities like sweatproof certification and good noise isolation for air travel. However, if you prioritize sound quality above all and don't mind a wired connection, the Sennheiser IE600 offers best-in-class audio and build quality but comes with a premium price. It's not ideal for use during physically active situations or calls and meetings due to a lack of features tailored for those scenarios. The JBL's are more versatile for everyday use and mobile activities, while the Sennheisers cater to audiophiles and are better suited for focused listening sessions. 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 Tune Buds
Good for exercise
Very good for air travel
Advantages of the Sennheiser IE600
Very good for music
Excellent for TV and video
Key differences
Music
6.2/10
8.3/10
The Sennheiser IE600 is very good for music, while the JBL Tune Buds is only fair.
Gaming
5.4/10
6.7/10
The Sennheiser IE600 is only fair for gaming, while the JBL Tune Buds is poor.
Phone Calls
4.9/10
3.5/10
The JBL Tune Buds and Sennheiser IE600 are both poor for phone calls, though the JBL Tune Buds is somewhat better.
TV and Video
6.1/10
9.3/10
The Sennheiser IE600 is excellent for TV and video, while the JBL Tune Buds is only fair.
Battery
10.4 Hours
N/A
The JBL Tune Buds has 10.4 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser IE600 does not have a battery.
Cost
$50
$600
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
The JBL Tune Buds has a price of $50 and the Sennheiser IE600 costs $600.
Build Quality
8.5/10
9.0/10
The Sennheiser IE600 has excellent build quality, while the JBL Tune Buds has very good build quality.
"JBL’s Tune Buds stick with the company’s signature bass-heavy sound by default, but a quality in-app EQ lets you sculpt the audio to taste. These noise-cancelling true wireless earphones also mitigate environmental distractions fairly well for the price and offer good battery life. If you're specifically seeking bold, bass-tuned audio out of the box, the Tune Buds are worth a listen."
"If you've got the bucks, the Sennheiser IE 600 is a nice, upscale set of in-ear monitors made of a lightweight metal with an unusual texture. It comes with a suite of extras, and performs well at virtually every task."
Get a great deal on the JBL Tune Buds or the Sennheiser IE600
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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