JLab Go Pop+ Review

Our JLab Go Pop+ Experience

The Go Pop+ case is small, lightweight, and easy to open. It has a matte finish and opens easily with one hand and a thumb-flip lid. The bottom has an attached USB-C charging cord, and the buds have a firm magnet grip in each marked slot. The letter marks for right and left are imprinted in the plastic and hard to read, but the buds only go in one way, so it isn't a big deal. The size and shape of the case mean it is likely to fit almost anywhere.

When we pulled both buds out and put them in our ears, they told us they were “ready to pair.” Pulling the buds out of the case feels like extracting a baby not ready to be born yet, as they fight against the tug. They are easy enough to pair, but can only be paired with one device at a time. Once paired with one device, there's no way to initiate pairing mode again from the buds or case. You must manually unpair them from the connected device before switching.

The JLab comes with three ear tip sizes. The smallest tips take far too much effort to snap on the nozzle, and we worried we'd break them. It almost feels like they weren't made for the buds. Once in place, they still felt too big for smaller ears, and the discomfort was apparent immediately after putting them in. We could still phantomly “feel” them after removing them after only ten minutes of use. While more comfortable than some, they wouldn't be our top choice to wear for hours at a stretch.

The silicone ear tips effectively seal your ear canal, which helps block sound. On the downside, that seal creates a slight suction, which can lead to a strange feeling of internal pressure. It's not painful, but it can cause discomfort after several hours. We wore them for a solid four hours before our ears gave up. They also breathe pretty well, but hold onto sweat during workouts.

The JLabs are pretty sophisticated for the price, with an impressively useful app, transparency mode, and a safe hearing feature. They are a pleasure to use, with effective touch control commands for playback, calls, and volume on the buds.

The below-average battery life of under 8 hours didn't get us from home through work and back home again without some recharging, but 10 minutes in the case provided the extra hour we needed to commute, and the case has four full recharges. With some planning, we were able to make it through work and a workout with only a little bit of downtime.

With these buds, we can hear people talking, but not well enough to understand them, and keyboard sounds are a faint clicking. They block enough ambient sound that we appreciate the Be Aware Mode (transparency mode), which records ambient sounds and plays them through the speakers. It is a wildly sophisticated feature for affordable buds. The sound that comes through feels artificial, but the music maintains its quality. We like the increased awareness and ability to maintain a conversation over the music.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Sound Quality

The JLab Go Pop+ earbuds offer a pleasant listening experience for the price. The rich mids shine with impressive texture, but the treble lacks sparkle and detail, and the bass can be inconsistent. We felt it is a pleasant audio experience that neither offends nor impresses, though we didn't hear as much detail as we'd like.

These earbuds present a narrow soundstage that can feel crowded and stuffy, yet it's roomy enough to hear each instrument and vocal clearly. There is some height, like a very narrow concert hall, which we appreciated.

The frequency mix is enjoyable but inconsistent. The emphasis across the bass, mid, and treble ranges feels nicely balanced, but the bass line occasionally booms and overpowers the mix, becoming distorted and competing with vocals.

In Kameron Marlowe's “Tequila Talkin',” the bass is so loud that it sounds like a duet between the bassline and the lyrics. In “Everything is Everything” by Lauryn Hill, the bassline is pushed to the forefront, somewhat competing with the vocals. We don't know why it only happens with some songs.

The bass is generally subtle, sounding neutral or even slightly washed out. Instead of sounding consistently powerful, it swings between hitting too hard and pulling back too far. However, it never feels sloppy and is expressive enough to maintain a strong presence, even if it's less detailed. Overall, it's good but never great.

The mids stand out, offering a rich texture that captures vocal and instrumental nuance. The vocals occasionally sound a bit recessed or veiled, and clarity feels just out of reach. Still, there's a strong sense of space and an accurate, human timbre. The treble range is nicely developed and present, but lacks detail and vibrancy, with occasional, mild vocal distortion across genres. While the high notes never felt piercing, some listeners might feel fatigued after longer listening.

We measured the JLab Go Pop+ earbuds' frequency response and compared the results to the GearLab House Curve. Much of the bass range is elevated above our curve, and some of the treble range also spikes above.

Comfort and Fit

These earbuds have a classic design that is more inoffensive than comfortable. They don't create hotspots, but it's hard to forget they are there, and smaller ear canals could struggle to wear them for hours.

While they don't sit deeply in the ear canal, the silicone tips provide enough grip to keep them in place, even during box jumps and head-banging. An IPX4 rating means they can handle light splashes and sweat without issue, but they might struggle in truly wet conditions or running in the rain without protection.

Noise Cancellation

The JLabs don't include active noise cancellation (ANC), but the snug ear-tip seal creates passive cancellation, which works pretty well to lower the level of background sounds.

The earbuds block high-frequency sounds much better than lower frequencies. The noise isolation effectively blocks nearly 40 decibels (dB) in the treble ranges and around 20 to 35 dB in the mid-tones.

App Features

The Go Pop+ offers a surprisingly robust suite of customization features. A no-frills companion app available on Apple and Android devices provides access to adjustable EQ settings and a handful of presets. The app includes a “Safe Hearing” feature that caps the max volume at 85 or 95 dB, which is great for long-term ear health or younger listeners.

Battery Life

Our measured battery life is only 7.8 hours of continuous use. This is less than the manufacturer claims of nine hours; eight is usually enough for those who use them on and off throughout the day, from commuting to work, the gym, and home again.

A charged case provides four additional charges, and 10 minutes on the charger buys an extra hour of listening. While there's no wireless charging, the built-in USB charging cable is convenient, and it's the only one we saw like it.

Call Quality

The JLabs are slightly better than average at isolating voices from background noises during calls. They work well enough for occasional calls, even in loud environments, but wouldn't be our top choice if frequent calls or online meetings fill your day.

The voices in a quiet room are relatively clear, but quieter. The quality is generally smooth and understandable, but there is a softness around the edges. Syllables aren't especially crisp, and there's some word bleeding, but the tone remains pleasant.

In an office, the JLabs struggled to separate voices from ambient sounds. Voices are clearly audible in the foreground, but the gentle hum of office noise competes for attention, resulting in a somewhat cluttered and distracting experience.