If you work from home and find headphones uncomfortable to wear for extended periods of time, consider an over-ear Bluetooth headset. The JLab JBuds Work is an affordable headset-headphone hybrid that lets you listen to music in stereo and make video calls thanks to a retractable boom microphone.
The headset, which comes in a black eggshell look, looks like a regular over-ear headset except for the retractable boom microphone. The ear cushions are generously padded, and the bottom of the headband is also made of memory foam with a black fabric cover. The inside of the ear cups is covered in a blue fabric with a large separation on the left and right sides. The ear cups fit comfortably and are easy to adjust; you can slide each one up or down the headband as you prefer.
The internal 40mm dynamic drivers deliver a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz. The headset is Bluetooth 5.0 compatible and supports AAC and SBC codecs, but not AptX. A handy feature is that the headset can be paired with up to two devices simultaneously. This means that you can answer calls on your phone and participate in video conferences on your computer without having to disconnect and re-pair each time.
On the side of the right earcup are plus and minus buttons that are responsible for both volume and track navigation. We’re not fans of combining these functions, as it’s too easy to accidentally skip a track when trying to adjust the volume. You can also press the up and down buttons simultaneously to switch between the Voice and Music EQ modes. These modes make a significant difference.
A multifunction button is used for power on, playback, managing calls, Bluetooth pairing, and the Hear Yourself function. In testing, the Hear Yourself function, which is supposedly activated by pressing the multifunctional button three times, did not seem to do anything. However, all other functions worked flawlessly. In addition, the JLab logo on the right ear serves as a mute button when pressed, an LED at the end of the microphone lights up red, and you hear a voice prompt.