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 Sport comes with four pairs of ear pieces in various types and sizes, and a charging/carrying case with integrated USB charging cable that the manufacturer claims can be used to recharge the earphone batteries approximately 5-2/3 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 Sport 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 sizzly and very bassy. Bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has good impact and goes deep, but is very prominent and boomy and, depending on the program material, can somewhat overwhelm the midrange. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is generally a bit dark (there is an opaqueness that covers up fine detail), hazy, and grainy, while the upper midrange sounds slightly etched (a bit more sharply outlined then it should be). 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). This model does a decent 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). While the sound has a decent sense of liveliness, it is closed (sound-wise it's obvious you have something plugging your ears). 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. Most users will find that this model fits and stays in place with no problems for casual use and that they are very stable even during vigorous head movement, but they will have to fiddle a bit to find the position that provides the best sound quality. Some uses might find tapping the control pads to actuate some functions drives the earphone further into the ear canal and causes ear discomfort. Incidental contact with the touch control pads can cause unintentional track pause, playback, skipping, or volume level changes, or engagement/disengagement of other features.
