JLab Go Air Sport Review
A great pair of sports earbuds on a budget
Verdict
The JLab Go Air Sport are proof that you don’t have to spend big to get a solid sounding pair of true wireless earbuds. Plus, they stay put and offer strong battery life, too.
Pros
- Light, secure fit
- Pleasing sound for exercise
- Charging cable built into case
Cons
- Build quality feels a tad cheap
- Touch controls can be hit and miss
- Small set of additional buds included
Key Features
- Water and dust-resistanceIP55 rated resistance protects it from sprays of water and limited ingress of dust
- EQ3 soundCustomise the audio with equaliser options
Introduction
The JLab Go Air Sport are true wireless earbuds aimed at those in need of an audio boost in the gym or out on a run, but without having to spend big on a pair of Beats, or models from the likes of Bose, Jaybird and Jabra.
I was pretty impressed by JLab’s offering. These buds promise a similar sound profile and battery performance as the cheaper Go Air Pop, in a design that’s better built for exercise.
So it appears the Go Air Sport have all the necessary ingredients to make them a great set of cheap sports buds – but do they deliver? Let’s find out.
Availability
- USARRP: $39.99
- EuropeTBC
- CanadaTBC
- AustraliaTBC
The JLab Go Air Sport are available in the UK from retailers including Currys, Argos and John Lewis priced at £29.99. In the US, they’re priced at $30. That’s £10 / $10 more than what you’ll pay for JLab’s Go Air Pop earbuds.
Design
- Available in six colours
- Case includes built-in charging cable
- IP55 sweat-resistant rating
The first thing I noticed about the Go Air Sport is their weight. With each bud weighing just 6.2g, they didn’t weigh heavy on my ears, even with extended periods of use. I’ve used the Go Air Sport for runs lasting well over an hour and in the gym for long workouts, and were it not for the music playing through them, you can forget the units are in your ears.
JLab offers the Go Air Sport in six colours; but I definitely had the most boring colour option of the bunch. My criticism here would be that the Sport do look cheap, which probably isn’t surprising when you consider their price. Nevertheless, the Go Air Pop buds actually feel a more sleek and polished in comparison.
The secureness of the fit Sport’s fit is strong. Unlike JLab’s cheaper Go Air Pop earbuds, the Sport use an ear hook design that’s better for more rigorous use, keeping the buds in place. Whether you use the buds together or independently (which you can do), together with one of the three sets of gel tips supplied, it should be easy to achieve a fit that works for you.
An IP55 sweat- and dust-resistance delivers some added protection against the rigours of a workout – but note it’s for the buds only; not the case. While this doesn’t guard against a dunking in the pool, but for seeing you through a tough HIIT class or for a long session on Zwift, for example, these buds will handle any sweat just fine. In my experience, performance and connectivity remained excellent through many a sweaty session.
The outside surface of both buds is home to a set of touch controls that work in a similar fashion to those on JLab’s Go Air Pop buds. You can adjust volume, play/pause music, skip back or forward a song, launch your smart assistant, answer calls via built-in MEMS microphones, and toggle between the three EQ modes.
Unfortunately, you can’t customise controls – one my main gripes with the Sport.
On the move, the touch controls can be fiddly to operate. Like the Pop, trying to turn the volume up is often mistaken for skipping back or forward a song. On most occasions while running or using the buds for more energetic workouts, those touch controls proved unreliable. Slow things down, and they’re easier to use.
When the buds aren’t in use, they clip magnetically in their charging case. It’s a pocket-friendly size and there’s no separate charging cable required, since JLab builds a USB one into the case. It isn’t the longest, however, which means the case will be better plugged into a laptop than left hanging from a wall plug socket. A battery indicator light sits up-front and, as already mentioned, sweat- and dust-resistance -doesn’t unfortunately extend to the case.
Features
- One mic set-up for calls
- Total 24 hours of battery life
The Go Air Sport don’t offer features such as active noise cancellation or a transparency mode. However, they do come with a microphone on each bud, allowing you to call up your phone’s smart assistant and take calls.
I found call quality excellent indoors; but outdoors, in moderately louder environments, it felt like call quality dropped as a result of battling against wind and other exterior noise. If you’re looking for a great set of buds for sports and taking calls outside, these probably aren’t the best option.
For battery life, JLab states around eight hours from each earbud and an additional 24 hours from the case. There’s no quick charge support here, though; but the Go Air Sport certainly have the capacity to deliver a good week’s worth of workout time.
I started running a half marathon with the Sport at 100%. This dropped to 90% following 1hr 30mins of running, which is a decent outing. The volume of the buds was up pretty high, plus they were in the Signature EQ mode – and that battery performance didn’t raise any alarm bells for me.
As already mentioned, the charging setup is convenient but annoying because of the short length of the built-in cable. Having the ability to also plug in a cable would have been welcome.
Sound Quality
- Bassy sound
- EQ presets for changing sound
If there’s one department in which you’d probably expect the Go Air Sport to be compromised, it’s sound. Thankfully, these buds are by no means a disaster here. Particularly, if you like your workout soundtrack bassy.
JLab employs 6mm drivers and a 20Hz – 20kHz frequency response range to deliver that bass. In addition, you get a choice of three EQ modes: Signature, Balanced and Bass Boost.
Bass Boost is self-explanatory, bringing the bass, of course, while Signature is described as the best option for most music. Balanced is the EQ mode of choice for content that’s less up-tempo – gentle, classical sounds, or podcasts and audiobooks, for example.
Having listened through the Go Air Pop, I found the Sport audio performance near-identical. While these buds aren’t going to dazzle you across the entire audio spectrum, they do a decent job overall – and definitely perform well when you factor in that price.
The emphasis on bass is clear, so if you’re like me and prefer the soundtrack to your workout powerful and bassy, then the Go Air Sport will deliver for you. That bass doesn’t overpower, mind, but neither is it free of a little muddiness in places. I’ve definitely experienced worst offenders at this price, though – and even from pricier buds.
Delving into the other EQ modes, Balanced offers a stronger emphasis on instruments and vocal ranges, with a surprising level of detail and separation present. Signature delivers warm bass, smooth mids and not a lot of harshness in the treble department, until you start hitting louder volumes.
Overall, though, the Go Air Sport’s sound profile is solid. True, these buds don’t sparkle in all departments; but if you want bass, power, a surprising level of detail, and customisation you’d rarely find on budget earbuds, there’s plenty to like here.
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Should you buy it?
You want trule wireless sports earbuds with bassy sound on a budget Don’t be fooled by their price – these cheap buds made specifically for exercise deliver a solid performance across the board.
You want sports earbuds with audiophile-quality sound and a high-grade design It’s probably no surprise to hear that the Go Air Sport aren’t going to please those expecting truly stellar sound across the audio spectrum.
Final Thoughts
While I still believe the JLab Go Air Pop are the real bargain in JLab’s collection of affordable headphones, for those looking for similarly good sound, long battery life plus a more reliable and secure fit for exercise, the Go Air Sport are a good choice for not much more money. If you can live without the ear-hook design, grab the Go Air Pop instead.
How we test
We test every headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Tested for more than a week
Tested with real world use
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FAQs
No, these wireless earbuds don’t support ANC nor do they appear to support a transparency mode.
Full specs
Jargon buster
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a method of wireless transmission that allows for the exchange of data between devices over short distances.IP rating
An abbreviation for ‘Ingress Protection Code’, which lets you know to what extent a device might be waterproof or dustproof.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
