These utterly bizarre open-back headphones look like something out of a sci-fi movie — and I'm obsessed

I'm over at the IFA 2025 tech show in Berlin right now, which means I'm seeing some of the coolest future tech firsthand. I've seen a speaker that's also a cassette player, some of the world's first dual hybrid driver earbuds, earbuds with live AI translation, and, of course, the par-for-the-course "realistic" robots that look like something out of a horror movie.

But as someone who's obsessed with music — and, consequently, the best headphones and best wireless earbuds — I knew I needed to head to JLab to find out what the audio brand has been cooking up.

The JLab JBuds Lux ANC are, to this day, the only budget headphones I've ever recommended, so I had high hopes for JLab's newest innovation. I wasn't disappointed. Let me introduce the brand new JLab JBuds Open Headphones. And, yes, they really look like that.

The future is now

If you can't tell from my headline, I think these headphones look like something out of the 2100s. Forget IFA 2025, are we at IFA 2125?

The mesh casing is removable, so you can listen with or without. I think the headphones look über cool without the mesh, and the first time I saw them in real life, I had to stop and mutter a, "Huh? How can it be?"

So the JLab JBuds Open Headphones have a 12mm + 35mm dynamic driver setup for top-of-the-range sound quality (for $99 headphones, of course). On top of that, these headphones also have a proprietary sound steering system, which basically drives the sound waves towards your ear canal to prevent sound bleeding.

Yep — even though these headphones are completely open-backed, people around you can't hear the music at all. I can attest to this — I sat beside others as they tested them out, too, and I couldn't hear a thing.

Truly impressive sound

Despite no hi-res support (which isn't a major con if you only use Spotify anyway), the JBuds Open Headphones sound utterly decadent. While I only got five minutes to listen to the headphones at IFA, those five minutes were incredibly satisfying.

I listened to 'Uprising' by Muse (one of my favorite songs anyway), and the groovy, futuristic bass was powerful and loud without overpowering the rest of the track. The synth riff was electric, and I couldn't believe how well these $99 headphones handled the sound profile.

Not only does the sound impress me, but the weirdest part? I could hear precisely what was going on around me. I could continue my conversation as if I wasn't wearing headphones — as if I wasn't listening to music at all.

Of course, the Open Headphones will be compatible with JLab's app so you'll be able to customize EQ even further. And to top it off? The JBuds Open Headphones will come with USB-C wired playback for serious listening sessions.

And to top it off, the JLab JBuds Open Headphones will be just $99

Although the JLab JBuds Open Headphones have just been announced, they won't be available to buy until November. While that means you'll have to wait a couple of months or so until you can actually get your hands on these open-ear headphones, you can sign up to learn more on JLab's website.

I do have some excellent news, though: the JBuds Open Headphones will be just $99/£99. This is an incredibly low price for such an impressive pair of headphones (in both looks and sound), and I'm constantly impressed by how JLab manages to keep its products affordable for customers.

Anecdotally, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC are, to this day, the only pair of affordable headphones I've ever recommended here on Tom's Guide, so if that doesn't say something, I don't know what will.

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