- The JLab Go Air Pop are proving
that $20 can bring you tons of value
in the true wireless earbud market.
Strong bass, EQ presets, long battery,
and available in five color options
to suit your personal taste.
In this video, I'll be giving you my complete review
along with a quick comparison
against the Skullcandy Dime.
For transparency and for full disclosure,
JLab Audio sent out the Go Air Pop
for my honest opinion and review.
The means by which I received these products
is not coloring my review or comparisons in any way.
No other compensation was involved and no one was able
to see this video prior to it being published.
So in other words, the brands will be seeing this video
at the exact same time that you are.
I've also included links in the video description
for you to check out any and all of the products
that are mentioned within this video.
So now let's not waste any more time.
So first up, let's talk about that Bluetooth connection.
So these are running Bluetooth 5.1,
and they're using AAC and SBC as their connection codex.
This makes them fully compatible
with both iOS and Android devices
with quick and easy pairing.
As far as Bluetooth range,
I managed to pull 39 feet or just about 11.8 meters.
Now, obviously this is going to vary depending
on how many walls or obstructions you put in
between the earbuds and the device
that they're connected to.
On top of that, these are also featuring dual connect
or independent usage mode.
And this is where you can use each earbud individually
while the other one is charging in its case.
And I know some people like to use one earbud
and then halfway through the day,
they'll switch out to the other one.
If you're that person,
then they're going to totally have you covered.
Now, when it comes to watching video,
Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube, any of that stuff,
there's little to no latency to be experienced
with these earbuds, both on Android and on iOS devices.
Now that we're on the topic of latency,
let's move over to some mobile gaming.
Now, when it comes to gaming,
these are excellent for casual games,
Asphalt 9, Boom Beach, 1945, things like that.
Totally going to be fine for that sort of stuff.
Unfortunately, these are not so good
for competitive first person shooters
like Call of Duty, Fortnite, or PUBG.
There is going to be some noticeable lag
and latency going on there when you're doing that.
I played a couple of rounds of Call of Duty,
and I could definitely notice that latency.
Now mind you, I was still able to handle business
in the game, but it's just something
that people who are much more competitive than I am,
would complain about.
So just want to make you aware of that.
Sadly, there is no gaming or low latency mode
with these earbuds,
but that is to be expected considering the low price
of just 20 bucks.
On a good note, gaming modes do have a negative effect
on battery life.
So I guess not having it could be considered a plus
by some people, it all comes down to your personal needs.
Speaking of the battery,
they were claiming eight plus hours with these earbuds.
In my own personal testing,
I managed to get seven hours and 26 minutes at 75% volume.
And that was what the signature EQ applied
to these earbuds.
Now you're also going to get an additional 24 hours
with the case, or basically three additional recharges.
Now, both the buds and the case take right
about two hours to charge.
Sadly, there doesn't seem to be any sort
of a fast charging function on these earbuds.
Nothing is mentioned in the writing
or any of that sort of stuff,
but I also didn't expect it.
For 20 bucks, we are going to see a couple
of things cut out.
As far as charging the case itself,
they're still using their own integrated USB-A cable.
Now I know some people don't like it
and would prefer just a standard USB-C port,
but JLab is sticking to their guns
and they are still using their own integrated cable.
Overall, the case itself has a very slim design.
And like I said before,
it is available in five different colors.
It's very pocketable, very small
and overall I'm really digging it.
The previous version did not have a lid on it,
it was just open earbuds.
And sometimes if they happen to drop,
those earbuds would tend to pop out.
So now you actually have a lid that snaps shut,
can keep your stuff secure and also keeps lint
and other stuff from getting inside there
and kind of dirtying up the charging pins.
So overall a much better design in my personal opinion.
And then last but not least,
these are also IPX4 sweat and water resistant.
So if you want to work out and doing anything like that,
they're going to have you covered,
but I would definitely not submerge these in the water.
So no swimming and no showering in these earbuds.
Now that's going to bring us over
to the question of the day.
Do you feel that more companies like Sony, Samsung,
or even Apple should offer barebone products
at rock bottom prices?
And I mean, no extra features, no app support,
just straight up wireless ear buds,
that get the job done for a low price.
Let me know what you think down in the comment section.
So let's move over to the comfort and the controls.
So these are very comfortable
with no noticeable ear fatigue.
These have a very small design,
similar to the JLab Go Air, very, very small.
So overall they are highly compatible with large ears,
medium ears, and possibly some small ears,
if you're one of those people that have smaller ears.
Now they do include three different tip sizes
so you can find that perfect fit.
And they also use a standard stem design.
So if you want to use some aftermarket tips,
that is going to be an option.
I personally recommend going with the SpinFit CP360.
They do fit inside the case as well.
So if you want to roll that way,
those are available as well.
And then as far as controls,
these are using full touch control.
So you can control everything, volume, skip track,
play/pause, answer and phone calls,
and triple tapping will also give you the ability
to switch between the three EQ modes.
So overall the controls are very responsive,
probably one of the better ones from JLab
and overall gets the job done very easily.
So now, before we move into the performance section
of this video, if you're into wireless earbuds,
headphones, and things like that,
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So now let's move into the performance.
So first up, let's talk about that volume.
These are getting an 8.5 out of 10 on my own personal scale.
So coming in very loud.
For me, comfortable listening with to these guys comes
in right around 65% to about 80% at max.
So you still have some overhead there
if maybe you have quiet dialogue in an audio book
or something of that nature.
So overall the volume definitely has me covered.
So let's move over to the sound quality.
Now, if you're, if you were expecting
like Audiophile level sounds or anything like that,
this ain't it.
20 bucks, we're gonna get
that dynamic V-shaped type of sound.
So boosted bass and boosted treble.
That's sort of where this hits.
So let's break it down.
So first up, let's talk about that bass.
So these have strong bass response
with very good sub-bass extension,
not the greatest that I've ever heard,
but still brings that rumble that we're looking for,
especially on some of those bouncy tracks
that some of us like to listen to.
Now, it can get a little bit boomy on certain tracks.
That's definitely something you want to keep in mind.
As far as a test song recommendation,
I was using Pray For Me by The Weeknd,
featuring Kendrick Lamar.
Now they've got multiple bass layers in that track
and it really slams.
So that's something you definitely want to try out
and maybe add it to your own playlist.
Now, when it comes to the mids,
the mids are very neutral, bordering on recessed.
So they're right there, they're like,
they're not very forward,
but they're just kind of right there.
So it's an overall a very warm sound.
There's decent vocal clarity if you're going
to be listening to male or female artists,
you can definitely hear them clearly.
It's nothing too insane.
There's actually some pretty good stereo imaging here.
So you get that left and right separation,
but soundstage is very minimal.
It is a very closed in type of sound.
Doesn't surprise me.
I'm not expecting anything too crazy out of these.
So overall it's still very satisfying.
Now, as far as the test song that I use for the mids,
I was using a brand new track from Silk Sonic called Skate.
That's Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak.
And this song it's got that same seventies vibe.
And if you haven't heard it, you need to,
you really need to get on that, like right now.
So let's move on the treble.
Now for the treble, it's good, but it's not too bright.
It definitely rolls off very early.
So there's no chance of it ever getting a harsh
or piercing or anything along those lines.
So overall it definitely gets the job done.
There's even a hint of airiness in there
with some live recordings,
if you're using some good source audio.
Now, as far as the test song that I used for the treble,
it was Bright Lights by Gary Clark, Jr.
Those drum snares in there, man, I mean,
when you hear that live band recording,
when you hear his voice,
you can really enjoy it and it does not get overwhelming.
So it's definitely something to think about.
Very good overall though.
Now, as I mentioned before,
these do feature three built-in EQ modes.
You've got your JLab signature.
So that is the standard V-shape, boosted bass,
neutral mids, and boosted treble.
Overall very satisfying, nice and bouncy.
That dynamic sound that we're accustomed
to getting from JLab.
Now, second, you've got their balanced EQ
and the balanced EQ on these is the best implementation
of their balance mode that I've heard.
It is surprisingly clear and it reduces the bass,
but it doesn't like hurt the mid-range or the vocal clarity.
Kind of, sort of amplifies the other two.
So if you want less boomy bass,
but more clarity out of these, this is really the way to go.
That balanced EQ actually caught me by surprise.
And then lastly, you've got the bass boost,
so you're going to get much more bass response,
a much darker overall sound,
but it does get muddy very, very quickly.
So the bass boost on these is kind of not my cup of tea.
If I want bass, I'll just leave them
in their signature mode.
Now, if I'm gonna have to give them any drawbacks
or any feedback or cons of these, a little nitpicky here,
but we got to do it.
There's no gaming mode.
Now, it wasn't expected,
but it would have been cool if it would have been included,
but maybe I'm asking for too much.
Also the integrated charging cable.
Now, while that's not a problem for me,
this is one of the complaints that I heard most often
on all of my reviews of JLab earbuds.
So it would be kind of cool at some point
to see them transition over to USB-C or even include both.
But at this price range, it's really tough for me
to complain about that.
So now let's get into the comparison portion
and we've got the Skullcandy Dimes on deck here.
Now, overall, the JLabs are going to win
in pretty much every category.
Where they kind of tie up is going
to be when it comes to the volume.
Overall volume on both of these is equivalent
in my personal opinion.
Aside from that, the Dime themselves are not a bad earbud.
They have a lot of potential, but you know,
they can definitely be improved with some easy fixes,
adding touch controls because the button control
on the Dimes are just, it's just not good.
It's kinda tough to press.
So that's one of the things where you kind of have
to be careful with those.
They still use micro USB, which is just like it's 2021.
Why do we have micro USB on these earbuds?
So USB-C would definitely be an improvement.
And then also adding some EQ presets,
the way that JLab has them implemented on theirs.
That would be pretty cool.
Now ranking them, volume, it's a tie.
So both tied for first place on volume.
When it comes to sound quality, the Go Air Pop,
it's a definite difference in sound quality here.
You can really hear it.
And that's just using their signature mode,
but if you switched to balanced
that's another noticeable difference.
These have more bass.
These have better overall sound, better mids even.
So for me, if it was my money,
I'd spend the $20 on the JLab Go Air Pop,
instead of 25 for the Skullcandy Dime.
But that's just me.
So just some quick thoughts before we move
into the mic quality samples.
We're living in an amazing time
for true wireless earbud technology.
What JLab has given us right here for 20 bucks
is nothing short of outstanding.
Three years ago we couldn't dream of getting this level
of quality for such a low price.
So let's not forget to be grateful
for all the competition in this market.
Competition like this breeds innovation
and also forces a race to drive prices down
while giving us consumers more value.
It's a win-win for all of us
and JLab they've hit a home run here with these earbuds.
So let's make sure to give credit where credit is due
Kudos to JLab for these earbuds.
So now let's move into the mic quality tests.
This way you can sort of hear what they sound like
and determine whether or not they're gonna work for you.
All right, so here we have the microphone quality test
for the JLab Go Air Pop.
So testing, testing 1, 2, 3.
This is what you can expect from these
in a semi-quiet indoor environment.
So testing, testing 1, 2, 3.
All right, so here we have the microphone quality tests
for the Skullcandy Dime.
So testing, testing 1, 2, 3,
this is what you can expect
in a semi-quiet indoor environment
from the Skullcandy Dime True Wireless Earbuds.
And here we have the JLab Go Air Pop
in a simulated crowd noise environment.
So like a busy restaurant, busy cafe, crowded bar,
something along those lines.
So testing, testing, 1, 2, 3.
This is what you can expect from the Jlab Go Air Pop
in a simulated crowd noise environment.
And here you have the Skullcandy Dime
in a simulated crowd noise environment,
like a crowded cafe, maybe a busy train station,
something along those lines.
So this is what you can expect from the Skullcandy Dime
in a crowded situation.
As always, you're gonna have to be the judge
of the call quality down in the comment section.
So with all that said,
if you're interested in some other earbuds coming in
for under 30 bucks, check out the video,
I'm gonna leave right up here on the screen.
If you want to see my top five under 50,
check out this other video, right up here.
With all that said, I'm outta here.
Peace.