I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to audio products. I find that if my earbuds/headphones/speaker/soundbar falls short of expectations, I can't ignore it. When I'm listening to music I want to be immersed in that music. That's why I'm on a mission to find the best wireless earbuds — although so far, there's a clear winner, and it's the $249 Apple AirPods Pro 2.
But still, I'm yearning for the best budget earbuds. Why must all semi-decent earbuds be so pricey, I thought, while testing pair after pair of cheap buds, slowly losing hope. I was beginning to think that good inexpensive earbuds were a myth.
But then, I tested the JLab Go Pods ANC. Without a shadow of a doubt, these are the #1 top budget earbuds money can buy right now. That's the whole article — you don't need to read any further. If you want the best cheap earbuds, it's the JLab Go Pods ANC or bust.
If you want a little more information, though, please do keep reading.
The sound quality is unbeatable for the price
As a professional audio reviewer, I've tested my fair share of earbuds now. I've tested $30 pairs, $50 pairs, $80 pairs, $100 pairs, $150 pairs... you get the picture. I've tested a lot of earbuds. And the truth? More often than not, the sound quality is disappointing.
Some of the best sounding earbuds I've tested are the $129 Skullcandy x Bose Method 360 ANC and the $70 EarFun Air 2 NC. But these are rare diamonds in the rough, and trust me when I say there's a lot of rough.
I've been impressed by JLab gear in the past (the JLab JBuds Lux ANC are, to date, the only budget over-ear headphones I've ever recommended), but the JLab Go Pods ANC seemed too good to be true. Why? Because they're literally $36.
So it's fair to say that I didn't have high hopes — but boy, was I wrong. The JLab Go Pods ANC sound awesome.
Thanks to the fully-configurable 10-band EQ in the JLab app (which I'll discuss in full later), the sound style can be adjusted to suit your tastes. Listen to bass-heavy electronic? Up the bass. Want to get the most out of your singer-songwriter's voice? Up the treble.
I found an EQ that suited most genres of music and I stuck to that. I enjoyed a balanced yet complete soundscape, with loud and infectious bass and strong, clear treble without a smidge of tinniness. Truly, for $36, the sound quality is unmatched. No other cheap earbuds come close to the JLab Go Pods ANC — not even other JLab earbuds.
These earbuds literally have me tearing my hair out and screaming, "Why? How?" How are they so cheap? Why do they sound so good for $36? I don't get it. These earbuds are truly a miracle.
A companion app for $36 is almost unbelievable
But you best believe it. Most budget earbuds I test have a companion app, but sometimes it either doesn't work (Mixx StreamBuds Ultra Mini, $69) or is only available on one pair of earbuds (Belkin).
The JLab app has a huge range of functions: the aforementioned 10-band EQ customization; a range of ambient soundscapes like bird noises and waves; volume limiter to protect your hearing; touch control customization; interval timer for HIIT workouts; activate music or movie mode.
As you can see from the image above, the JLab app is absolutely stuffed full of features. I had a blast customizing my EQ one band at a time, finding the optimal setting, cycling through the ambient noise soundscapes, and playing with the touch controls to find my ideal setup.
I absolutely adore this app, and made my experience with the JLab Go Pods ANC even more enjoyable.
Here, I will give an honorable mention to the EarFun app, which I think it just as great as the JLab app. EarFun also makes affordable earbuds, but none are quite as affordable as the $36 Go Pods ANC.
$36! Let me say that again: Thirty. Six. Dollars.
I can't really do much else now but let the numbers speak for me. These earbuds are the same price as an entree at a nice restaurant, a week's worth of gas, just a couple days of groceries.
It's very rare to get earbuds of this quality at this price. I'd expect the JLab Go Pods ANC to cost at least $70 — and that's still cheap.
Some of our highest-rated budget earbuds so far are as follows: EarFun Air 2 ($49), EarFun Air 2 NC ($69), EarFun Air Pro 4 ($99), Soundpeats Air5 Pro ($79), and the Soundcore Liberty 5 ($129). But what do all of these earbuds have in common?
They're not as cheap as the JLab Go Pods ANC. Some of them are three times the price, actually.
Seeing as the JLab Go Pods ANC have an IP rating of IP66, they have a companion app, a 2 year warranty, excellent sound quality for the price, 3 ANC modes, 26 hour battery life (better than AirPods Pro 2), and the case isn't flimsy... I'm just lost for words. And I write for a living.
As I said above, I just don't get how these earbuds are so cheap. I can't wrap my head around it. It's unfathomable, unbelievable, inconceivable... And yet, the earbuds exist. They are sitting on my desk next to me as I write this.
At just $36, these are — realistically — a pair of earbuds that everyone could have as a backup pair. Obviously they're good enough to be your only pair, but in a pinch, the JLab Go Pods ANC won't let you down. They didn't let me down.
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