Summary
For a very budget-friendly price, JLab packs a lot of notable features into theJLab Go Lux ANC headphones. While they won’t provide you with perfect, audiophile-worthy listening, they will deliver on all-day comfort, long-lasting battery life, and decent ANC for the price point.
JLab Go Lux ANC
The JLab Go Lux ANC headphones offer comfortable, all-day wear and hybrid active noise cancellation for a cheap price. Other features, like customizable EQ in the JLab App, make these a good budget option for daily listening.
Price and Availability
The JLab Go Lux ANC on-ear headphones are available now from Amazon and JLab for $49.99. Although JLab lists the retail price at $59.99, they’re currently selling for $10 less. They’re available in four nice color options—cloud white, graphite, mauve, and sage.
On-Ear Headphones That Feel Ridiculously Comfortable
If I were rating the JLab Go Lux ANC headphones on comfort alone, I’d give them a full 10 out of 10 rating. That’s how comfortable they were. JLab calls these earcups “FormFit,” and while I’m not positive these would be as comfortable for someone with larger ears than me, they felt like just the right fit when I wore them. Because they’re on-ear headphones, they didn’t cup my ears but instead sat on top of them, which I’ve never found that comfortable when using other models.
However, the Go Lux blew my expectations out of the water with their comfortable design, which features 1-inch-thick “Cloud Foam” cushions. I could slightly adjust the hinges as well, so the earcups sat exactly where I wanted them. I also appreciated the foam padding on the headband, and the lightweight build (a mere 8 ounces that didn’t feel terribly weighty). The faux leather covering was also quite comfortable—even when I got a bit sweaty at the gym. These stayed nicely in place on my head, whether I was running on a treadmill, doing housework, or working at my desk. My caveat here is that they have no IP rating, so I wouldn’t recommend them for ultra-heavy workouts.
The rest of the Go Lux headphones were blissfully simple. On the right earcup, there’s a power button, a plus and minus button for volume, and a Noise Control button for toggling between ANC and Stay-Aware modes. I found the placement of these buttons a tad bit awkward, and they took getting used to.
While wearing them, I often pushed the NC button accidentally instead of the Power button to answer a call or pause a song. Not a biggie, and with enough time, I adapted without having to look.
Good Performance for the Price
I knew the JLab Go Lux ANC headphones wouldn’t compare to a far more expensive pair of headphones. But they provided me with enjoyable enough sound, whether I was listening to music, streaming shows, or watching YouTube videos.
Generally, using the standard sound settings, I got a nicely balanced mix of treble, mids, and lows for casual listening. I emphasize that these are for everyday users looking for decent sound quality at a low price—and I will add that I’ve seen less impressive sound from some slightly higher-priced options, such as theRaycon Everyday Headphones Pro. That said, I found the bass (pretty much as usual for this price point) a little lackluster, but not so bad to keep me from listening throughout the day.
Tracks with heavier bass, likeAwakenby Breaking Benjamin, were a little less enjoyable on these. But mostly, the music sounded pretty well-balanced despite the less-than-impressive bass. I enjoyed listening to everything from Sleep Token’sEmergenceto classic 40s tunes to YouTube podcasts to audiobooks.
I mostly preferred JLab’s “Signature Sound” mode, which felt more balanced than any of the other presets.
One cool feature of the JLab Go Lux ANC headphones was the LabShare setting, which allowed me to share my audio with my second pair of Lux ANC headphones. The instructions were simple, and it worked on my first try. I love the feature for friends or family who have the same headphones and want to listen to the same media, and can see regularly using them for hangouts or late-night streaming when other people are asleep.
Audio Modes and Presets in the JLab App
Using theJLab app(available on Android, Windows, and iOS devices), I was able to customize my sound easily. The app was uncluttered, straightforward, and a cinch to use.
The best audio mode on the JLab Go Lux headphones is undoubtedly the active noise cancellation (ANC mode), which performed very well. When turned on, I couldn’t hear most noises, including myself typing on a relatively noisy keyboard. I could, however, still hear louder sounds like a cabinet slamming or a bathroom fan.
Be Aware mode, however, was difficult to enjoy. I still couldn’t hear what was going on around me unless the headphones were propped so they didn’t completely cover my ears. If someone tried to talk to me while I was listening to music, I could hear them speaking but couldn’t make out what they were saying, even when the music was at a low volume. This mode was only really effective when I was listening to audiobooks or YouTube videos.
The Spatial Audio setting was a major plus for these, in my opinion, as it performed quite well, directing sounds for a more immersive experience when listening to music, movies, videos, and other media.
As for JLab’s preset EQ settings, Signature worked best for music and other media. The other options were Balanced and Bass Boost. Balanced made most music tracks sound a bit squelched (especially in mids and treble), while Bass Boost merely gave the bass more oomph and obliterated the overall balance of sound.
I will say that Balanced EQ was great for audiobooks (with spatial audio off), and made it easier to listen to a book like Charlotte McConaghy’sWild Dark Shorefor hours on end. I also enjoyed the Custom EQ setting, where I could curtail the sound to my liking.
Good Microphones for Most Calls
I had several phone conversations on the JLab Go Lux ANC headphones, and when asked if they heard me clearly, the answer was always yes. I attributed this to the multi-mic setup and the environmental noise cancellation, which worked fairly well even when I cranked music up at high volumes.
My voice came through clearly, even in a noisy microphone test, despite the slight warble. Again, for the price, these headphones do well.
Long-Lasting Battery Life
The JLab Go Lux ANC headphones lasted me through two weeks of listening for at least an hour a day, often more like four hours per day. During my testing, I used ANC, Be Aware mode, and Spatial Audio. I tallied about 50 to 56 hours of listening over 14 days, which falls in line with JLab’s quoted 40+ hours with ANC on and 70+ with ANC off. I never hit 70 hours on a single charge, but I believe I would have had I kept ANC off those full 14 days.
Should You Buy the JLab Go Lux ANC Headphones?
TheJLab Go Lux ANC headphonesaren’t perfect, but they’re a great pair of budget-friendly headphones with good ANC, custom and preset EQ settings, and a ridiculously comfortable fit. I thoroughly enjoyed using these in my daily routine. The faults, however, include lackluster bass and poor awareness mode.
However, if you’re looking for a decent pair of ANC headphones for a low price, these faults may well be overlooked.
