Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

JLab jumps into hi-res and Bluetooth LE audio with $200 Epic Lab Edition earbuds

Tech Of The Week
This story is part of our Tech of the Week series

Tech of the Week LogoJLab has a reputation for making very affordable headphones and earbuds that also deliver good sound quality and features. But today, the company has decided to try its hand at satisfying a more upscale buyer — its JLab Epic Lab Edition are its first wireless earbuds to promise hi-res audio, as well as its first earbuds to use a hybrid dual-driver architecture. Preorders , with the first orders getting shipped about 12 days later.

JLab Epic Lab Edition wireless earbuds.
JLab

The $200 Epic Lab Edition use a dynamic driver along with a Knowles balanced armature driver and are among the first wireless earbuds to be tuned using the Knowles Preferred Listening Response Curve — a sound signature that places a greater emphasis on boosted treble, something that Knowles claims listeners across age ranges and hearing abilities prefer.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Any Android user will be able to take advantage of hi-res audio on the Epic Lab Edition as long as they have access to a source of hi-res music — the earbuds use Sony’s LDAC Bluetooth codec which has been included with Android since version 8 of the software.

Woman wearing JLab Epic Lab Edition wireless earbuds.
JLab

The earbuds are also compatible with the new Bluetooth LE Audio specification, which can deliver lower latency audio for gaming applications. Most smartphones and computers aren’t yet ready to deliver LE Audio natively, so JLab has included an LE Audio USB-C dongle inside the Epic Lab Edition’s charging case, so you can enjoy the benefits of LE Audio immediately.

In typical JLab fashion, the Epic Lab Edition possess many additional features including:

  • Wireless charging
  • Bluetooth multipoint
  • A claimed 13+ hours of playtime per charge with a total of 56+ hours when you include the case
  • IP55 protection from dust, sweat, and water
  • Smart active noise cancellation (ANC) that can be tuned using the JLab app

Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…
Bose revamps QuietComfort headphones and earbuds with lossless, hi-res, and spatial audio
Man wearing Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones in white.

Bose has debuted its latest QuietComfort wireless headphones and earbuds -- the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones ($429) and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds ($299). They feature new designs, new materials, and in keeping with the industry's recent obsession with spatial audio, the new models are equipped with Bose Immersive Audio, Bose's version of the 3D audio experience that Apple helped to popularize with its AirPods Pro. The Ultra models also have Qualcomm's Snapdragon Sound platform, which enables hi-res or lossless CD-quality audio via the aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec when used with compatible Android smartphones.

The new Ultra models replace the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II (QCE II) as the company's wireless audio flagships. Bose has also introduced a successor to the Bose QuietComfort 45 Headphones, known simply as the Bose QuietComfort Headphones ($349). All three models will be available in black or white, with an additional limited-edition green color for the QuietComfort Headphones. The Ultra models start shipping in October, with the QuietComfort Headphones arriving a little earlier, on September 21. Preorders for all three models start September 14 on bose.com.
Bose Immersive Audio
Bose says its immersive audio system creates a wider, more spacious soundstage for all kinds of content. And similar to the Dolby Audio spatial option on the recently released Jabra Elite 10 wireless earbuds, Bose's system uses sensors to enable optional head tracking.

Read more
Jabra’s latest wireless earbuds have Dolby spatial audio
Jabra Elite 10.

Jabra Elite 10. Jabra

Jabra has launched two new models of wireless earbuds -- it's new flagship, the Jabra Elite 10 ($249), and a new ultra-rugged model, the Elite 8 Active ($199) -- targeted at those with active lifestyles. Each is equipped active noise cancellation (ANC) and Dolby audio -- the Elite 8 Active get Dolby spatial sound, while the Elite 10 get Dolby Atmos with head tracking for an even more immersive listening experience.

Read more
Nothing might launch new hi-res earbuds at CES under the XO brand
Particles by XO leaked render.

With two models under its belt -- the Ear 1 and the Ear Stick -- Carl Pei's Nothing brand is no stranger to wireless earbuds. But the maverick smartphone company might be planning something a little different for 2023. It seems as though it's readying its third model of wireless earbuds, according to a tweet from developer Kuba Wojciechowski that was reported by 91mobiles.com. Wojciechowski claims to have found references within Nothing's firmware and also managed to unearth what are claimed to be renders of the as-yet-unannounced product.

Known as "Particles by XO," the wireless earbuds have a unique, peanut-like shape reminiscent of the Sony LinkBuds. Though unlike the LinkBuds, which use a doughnut-shaped driver that allows external sounds to be heard clearly, the Particles use a traditional ear canal-sealing design. The report suggests that these will be active noise-canceling buds, which is consistent with the silicone-tipped design.

Read more