JBL Tune 305C evaluation
If you happen to’re on the hunt for some new earbuds however you’ve not purchased into the entire wi-fi factor, the JBL Tune 305C may very well be an attractive funds possibility. These wired earbuds promise punchy bass, a snug match – not a nasty package deal for £16.75 / AU$24 (about $21). So can the JBL Tune 305C dwell as much as these daring guarantees, or do they as an alternative fall flat?
Effectively, let’s begin the place it issues most – sound. After all, the principle attraction is supposed to be JBL’s “Pure Bass” sound however regardless of offering pleasing heat, this gained’t conjure up the low-end growth that bass heads might want. As an illustration, after I tuned into Black Eye by Allie X, there was a stable quantity of depth to the thumping drum machine, but it surely lacked the affect and prominence within the combine to essentially have my head bopping. When listening to All Evening Lengthy by Chris Stussy, the bouncing bass by no means sounded torpid or unresponsive, however once more, it wasn’t as hard-hitting as I’d hoped.
You will be assured, nevertheless, that bass gained’t sound nasty and distorted. Equally, I didn’t expertise a lot by way of tinniness within the treble vary or overly skinny mids – one thing that every one our picks of the best wired earbuds are able to circumventing. However clear audio isn’t at all times a given with funds buds – the Belkin SoundForm Wired Earbuds with USB-C Connector, for example, are very low-cost… they usually sound it. The JBL really feel like good worth as compared.
One other optimistic is that the JBL Tune 305C can play hi-res music recordsdata due to the inclusion of a built-in digital to analog converter (DAC) – fairly spectacular for some buds that are available at £16.75 / AU$24 (about $21). However though general audio is definitely clear, it doesn’t actually sound massively detailed.
As an illustration, I tuned into Clair de Lune by Kamasi Washington and piano notes hovering up and sinking down sounded barely clumped – the place they’d sound extra individualized and outlined utilizing extra premium buds such because the Sennheiser IE 200. Piano was additionally given much more respiration area with the IE 200, whereas it sounded extra muddied with the Tune 305C – however to not a level that it was completely misplaced within the combine.
One purpose that I didn’t get a massively nuanced, informative pay attention from the Tune 305C was their in-ear match. Just like the Apple EarPods USB-C, they’re fairly loose-fitting, with an ‘open-ear’ design. They don’t embody eartips, just like the SoundMagic E11D, for instance, which means sound is much less concentrated into the ear canal. Some might choose the looser really feel of those – I can’t deny that they had been simple to maintain in for longer listening classes.
However nonetheless, they’d often really feel as in the event that they had been falling out, particularly after I was on the go. Not perfect for those who’re on a run or understanding. This design selection additionally limits noise isolation, so you could have to place up with the sound of that wailing child in your four-hour flight… uh oh.
However once more, some might choose the extra relaxed really feel of the Tune 305C. On high of that, these are fairly light-weight and didn’t topic me to all an excessive amount of cable noise – spectacular for buds at this price-point.
And that’s not all – you additionally get a neat controller, which has quantity, play/pause and mic controls built-in. Firstly, I’ve to say I used to be very impressed with mic high quality. There was some very slight tinniness on a telephone name, however my voice was good and clear. In the meantime, a voice recording got here by way of with restricted background static and well-defined vocals – uncommon for plenty of wired earbuds.
You’re not going to imagine me, however the enjoyable doesn’t cease there both. If you happen to maintain down the amount up button for 2 seconds, you may even swap between Normal, Bass and Voice modes. EQ settings are fairly uncommon for affordable wired earbuds, so I used to be delighted to seek out this right here. Actually, the one draw back practicality-wise is the shortage of waterproofing, which might be perfect for listening within the rain or when exercising.
One other barely disappointing facet of those earbuds is their design. The buds every have a raised piece of plastic with the JBL brand on which appears to be like somewhat clumsy, and the flat wire won’t be to everybody’s style both. Don’t get me mistaken, my eyes didn’t burn simply wanting on the Tune 305C, however I used to be hardly swooning over them. The controller appears to be like respectable, nevertheless, and is positioned close to your cheek for straightforward entry, to not point out that the wire – regardless of not being too fairly – is tangle-resistant, which is helpful if you could slide these into your pocket.
All in all, the JBL Tune 305C are a stable pair of in-ear buds. They’ve usually clear audio with commendable bass and quantity, EQ choices and a surprisingly good mic. The unfastened match does include sacrifices within the audio and noise isolation departments and it is a disgrace to not see waterproofing too. However at £16.75 / AU$24 (about $21), there’s nonetheless lots to love right here.
In order for you a step-up USB-C possibility, the SoundMagic E80D will outperform the Tune 305C in most departments, however there are some good cheaper choices too, such because the Skullcandy Set USB-C.
JBL Tune 305C evaluation: Worth and launch date
- £16.75 / AU$24 (about $21)
- Launched in 2024
The JBL Tune 305C launched in 2024 – the identical yr that the audio specialists dropped the Tune 310C mannequin, which makes use of ear suggestions for a extra comfortable, noise-isolating listening expertise.
These in-ears are usually priced at £16.75 / AU$24, making them a really budget-friendly possibility. They’re additionally out there in quite a lot of enticing shade variants together with: Black, Blue, Crimson and White – I examined the latter for this evaluation.
JBL Tune 305C evaluation: Specs
Drivers |
12.5mm dynamic |
Weight |
15.3g |
Frequency vary |
20Hz-40kHz |
Waterproof score |
Not acknowledged |
Ought to I purchase the JBL Tune 305C?
Attributes |
Notes |
Ranking |
---|---|---|
Options |
Good controller with EQ choices, surprisingly adept mic, restricted noise isolation. |
4/5 |
Sound high quality |
Decently clear audio with built-in DAC however unfastened match reduces enjoyment. |
3.5/5 |
Design |
Relaxed match comes with professionals and cons, not the prettiest. |
3/5 |
Worth |
Nice value for some respectable, albeit flawed wired earbuds. |
4/5 |
Purchase them if…
Do not buy them if…
JBL Tune 305C evaluation: Additionally think about
Header Cell – Column 0 |
JBL Tune 305C |
Skullcandy Set USB-C |
SoundMagic E80D |
---|---|---|---|
Worth |
£16.75 / AU$24 (about $21) |
$31.99 / £29.99 (about AU$50) |
$44 / £39.98 / AU$66 |
Drivers |
12.5mm dynamic |
9mm dynamic |
10mm dynamic |
Weight |
15.3g |
15g |
16g |
Frequency vary |
20Hz-40kHz |
20Hz-20kHz |
15Hz – 22kHz |
Waterproof score |
Not acknowledged |
IPX4 |
Not acknowledged |
JBL Tune 305C evaluation: How I examined
- Examined for one week
- Used within the workplace and on public transport
- Predominantly examined utilizing Tidal
I examined the JBL Tune 305C over the course of 1 week. After I used these buds for music listening, I primarily used Tidal on the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, however I additionally tried them out with YouTube and Spotify on my Home windows Laptop computer.
Not solely that, however I made certain to run by way of tracks within the TechRadar testing playlist, which accommodates songs from a wide range of genres – learn our information on how we test earbuds for extra. I did, nevertheless, additionally spend hours tuning into songs from my private library. And I took the 305C with me in all places for this evaluation. I examined them at a busy London prepare station, on walks by way of my native city centre and within the workplace.
- First reviewed: February 2025
- Learn extra about how we test