Detailed Test Results
Design and features:
The earphones have integrated microphones and touch sensitive volume, music player, and call connect/disconnect controls for paired Bluetooth devices. Additional features include a monitor function that makes ambient sounds easier to hear while wearing the earphones, three switchable EQ modes that change the tonal balance of the headphones, support for Apple Siri and Google Assistant voice commands when Bluetooth paired to devices that have those capabilities, and manufacturer claimed water resistance. The JBuds Air Executive comes with four pairs of ear pieces in various types and sizes, one pair of earbowl supports, and a charging/carrying case with integrated USB charging cable that the manufacturer claims can be used to recharge the earphone batteries approximately 3 times between its own charges. The free JLab Audio app provides various signals that are intended to "burn-in" audio devices, but otherwise seems to be a shopping link to other JLab products.
Sound quality:
We found the JBuds Air Executive delivers sound quality that falls in the Good range - it reproduces music and voice reasonably well despite the obvious shortcomings in its sound. The overall sound can be summarized as very bassy but otherwise somewhat thin. Bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) goes deep, but is very prominent and boomy and has excessive impact. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is a somewhat thin, grainy, hazy, and etched (a bit more sharply outlined then it should be), and, depending on the program material, can be somewhat overwhelmed by the bass. The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is fairly extended but is prominent, smeared (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer sound blurred), and the upper end is sizzly (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer have a sound reminiscent of bacon frying). While the sound has a decent sense of liveliness, it is closed (sound-wise it's obvious you have something plugging your ears) and this model only does a so-so job of recovering the room ambience of a recording (the sense of the acoustic space in which the audio program that's being listened to was recorded). This model would have scored in the Very Good range, but the excessively prominent bass dropped the score to Good. The EQ settings do have an effect on the sound - compared to the Signature setting the Bass Boost setting reduces the treble and makes the sound even more bass-heavy, and the Balanced setting reduces the bass and treble and makes the sound nasal and congested.
Comfort and Fit:
As typical of in-ear models they produce a sense of pressure in the ear canal opening might be uncomfortable for some. Users with small earbowls might find that the earphone body feels a bit bulky in their earbowl, other users will probably find that it fits with no problem. Regardless of earbowl size most users will find that this model stays in place for casual use and that they are very stable even during vigorous head movement. Incidental contact with the touch control pads can cause unintentional track pause, playback, skipping, or volume level changes, or engagement/disengagement of other features.
