JLab JBuds Frames are open headphones that you attach to your glasses

JLab is introducing a new Bluetooth audio device designed to be attached to your existing glasses or sunglasses. The JBuds Frames are two modules with down-firing speakers that you place outside your ears. They are part of a resurgent trend in open-ear audio that has generally been the domain of Bluetooth sunglasses and bone-conducting bands.

They’re selling for just $ 50, which fits into another trend: JLab’s story of offering surprisingly cheap headsets. Sometimes, these headphones outweigh their price, so the company hopes to be able to perform this trick again, lowering Bose, Amazon, Aftershokz and others. However, so far, there is a fairly low ceiling on audio quality for open headphones – so don’t expect audiophile quality anyway.

JBuds frames are two larger modules that attach to the eyeglass rods you already own. Unlike integrated solutions, there is no attempt to hide the fact that you have headphones on your glasses. They are supplied with various sizes of clips so that they can fit in more sizes of glasses.

For audio, each unit has a 16 mm driver that JLab says will not be “heard by those around”. This is the basic premise of open-ear audio: although audio is played out of your ears, it is targeted so that only you can hear it. You may not get the greatest fidelity, but your ears will not be blocked so that you can pay attention to the world around you if you are exercising.

JBuds structures have an IPX4 water resistance rating, so they should be good for rain or sweat. They have buttons to control the volume, accept or reject calls and change the equalization settings. JLab says they can be used as a pair or independently, if you just want to attach and use one.

The battery life is estimated at more than eight hours of audio playback – and it should be good, given the size of these modules. Instead of coming with a charging case, they are shipped with a special cable that divides into two magnetic charging points.

I recently reviewed Amazon Echo Frames and found that having open ear access to audio during the day is really convenient. In theory, JLab frames would offer the same convenience without asking me to change my glasses. However, there is competition in the form of the recently announced (and much more expensive) Bose Sport Open Headphones, which stay in the ears instead of the glasses.

Both will be available in early spring 2021, so we will have a chance to try them out soon.