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Updated April 11, 2024·
If your primary concern is budget and you need wireless functionality with a good battery life for exercise or travel, then the JLab Go Air Pop earbuds are suitable. They offer decent sound quality for music and are sweatproof, which is great for active use. However, if you prioritize the highest sound quality and can handle a wired connection, the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II earbuds are superior, especially for music and TV. They also have a detachable cable and support different driver types, suggesting a more tailored listening experience. Keep in mind that the Monarch Mk II is not optimized for calls and gaming, nor are they convenient for exercise due to lack of wireless connectivity and sweat resistance. 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 JLab Go Air Pop
Good for exercise
Very good for air travel
Advantages of the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II
Best in class for music
Very good for TV and video
Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
7.1/10
9.5/10
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is best in class for music, while the JLab Go Air Pop is good.
Gaming
5.5/10
6.7/10
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is only fair for gaming, while the JLab Go Air Pop is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.7/10
7.9/10
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the JLab Go Air Pop is poor.
TV and Video
6.1/10
8.8/10
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is very good for TV and video, while the JLab Go Air Pop is only fair.
Noise Reduction
6.5/10
6.0/10
The JLab Go Air Pop and Thieaudio Monarch Mk II are both only fair for noise reduction, though the JLab Go Air Pop is somewhat better.
Battery
9.0 Hours
N/A
The JLab Go Air Pop has 9 hours of battery life. The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II does not have a battery.
Cost
$25
$999
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
The JLab Go Air Pop has a price of $25 and the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II costs $999.
"The JLab GO Air POP is a great option for anyone on a tight budget. This pair of true wireless earbuds checks all the boxes for earbud essentials, and performs pretty well in most areas. The microphone isn't great, but that's to be expected for something this inexpensive."
"No other earphone I have listened to in the past 12 months has given me as much joy as the Thieaduio Monarch MKII. One of those IEMs will make you question where we can go from here. The sound is jaw-dropping, leaving you wanting more and more. It makes you want to run through your entire music library and reevaluate. It makes you not feel bad about paying full price for them, especially in a hobby where buyers' remorse is genuine. For me, it's top tier, rivaled by a few but not surpassed."
Get a great deal on the JLab Go Air Pop or the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II
About Thieaudio
Thieaudio is the in-house brand of Linsoul Audio, a Chinese earbud and headphone retailer specializing in what the community lovingly calls Chi-fi, that is high fidelity brands out of China. Thieaudio was established in 2019 as the creative engineering branch of Linsoul. As of today, they market three different lines of earbuds, Voyager, Legacy and the extremely well-received Monarch.
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