JLAB Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds review: Customizable EQ settings and touch controls for the win

Whether you're listening to music on your phone, playing your Nintendo Switch, or using another Bluetooth-enabled device, it helps to have one of the best earbuds handy. However, finding some that are reasonably priced while also providing excellent sound and a good fit is a hard task. That's why I'm always eager to test a new set of earbuds when I can.

Over the last few weeks, I've been testing the JLAB Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds. They're nothing mindblowing. However, they do provide really good sound and plenty of conveniences without costing a fortune.

JLAB Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds review: What I like

These earbuds come with six pairs of ear tips ranging from large, medium, and small. There's also a tall variant for both the medium and large sizes. The blue foam tips only come in medium and have a spongier, form-fitting feel to them than the rest, but as someone with really small ear canals, they're too big for me to use comfortably.

I was happy to find that the JLAB Epic Air earbuds are comfortable for me to wear with the ridged design on the backside, which allows them to stay in my ears better than many other options I've tried. This also allowed them to seal off and provide better sound for me to hear.

While on the subject, these earbuds handle Bass tones and higher tones really well considering how little they cost. Additionally, they never once dropped the connection or came through crackly during my time spent using them.

The charging case

As with the best earbuds these days, these come with a charging case that magnetically holds them in place for a sleek look and feel. I was surprised to find that it uses a standard USB that's designed in such a way that it can be plugged into a port either way and still work. It also supports wireless charging so you can simply place it on a charging pad instead of fumbling with ports.

When you open the case, the three lights on the front will glow white and indicate how much of a charge remains in the case. Then the lights will switch to blue to indicate whether the right and left earbuds are at a full charge or not. The case itself is plastic with a thin leather layer around the exterior, which feels protective but also nice to the touch.

App & Touch Controls

During the weeks I spent testing these earbuds, the touch controls responded well to my finger taps and worked as they should. I was initially a little baffled to find that while there was a quick control for skipping forward a track, there wasn't one for going back a track. However, I was able to easily customize finger tap controls in the app and rectify that.

The app also allows you to create and customize four EQ settings so you can get the perfect sound balance for whatever you're listening to. Noise Canceling and Be Aware settings can also be adjusted within the app as well, but I didn't find that it changed the functionality for the better.

JLAB Epic Air offers a wear detect sensor, which allows it to sense when the earbuds are separated from each other and then pauses the music. This makes it so that when you remove an earbud from one of your ears the music automatically stops. While it was helpful in some instances, it isn't ideal all of the time. Fortunately, I found that it could be turned off in the app.

JLAB Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds review: What I don't like

If your music is at a low volume you'll easily be able to use the Be Aware to hear friends and family talking to you. However, if the music is loud enough, Be Aware functions inconsistently. In my experience, the voices of anyone trying to talk to me usually didn't come through at all when the sound was between a medium to high volume.

Additionally, while there is Noice Cancelling, it isn't anything amazing. It did dampen the sound a bit, but I could still hear people talking and my robot vacuums running while listening to my music. Unfortunately, the same applies to those listening to you. There's a decent amount of sound leak so anyone sitting near you on a plane or bus will definitely hear your music.

JLAB Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds review: The competition

If you're a loyal Apple lover then obviously you should look into the Airpods Pro. They're quite a bit more expensive, but they also offer ANC, Siri support, and automatically connect to all Apple devices.

Want earbuds but don't need anything as fancy as EQ controls and ANC? You might want to consider the ENACFIRE E60 Wireless Earbuds. They're less than half the cost of the JLAB Epic Air earbuds and provide good sound quality.

Another excellent choice is the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro. They come with multiple ear tips and work for up to 20 hours while supporting Advanced Hybrid ANC.

JLAB Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds review: Should you buy it?

I wouldn't go as far as to say that the JLAB Epic Air ANC True Wireless Earbuds are the best earbuds out there. However, they do provide a number of conveniences and produce really good sound considering how much they cost. I love that the app gives you customizable EQ settings and the ability to change the touch control settings to match your specific preferences.

If you're looking for a decent set of earbuds that provides good sounds quality without putting too much strain on your wallet, these are definitely ones to consider.