We're actually big fans of JLab...we've had, or still have, their Studio Wireless on-ears, JBUD Air True Wireless Earbuds, JBUD Air ANC Wireless Earbuds, and a few of their kid-friendly headsets lying around for workouts, casual listening, and travel. All have proven to be surprisingly good performers, especially for the price. That's why it was with even greater surprise that we ended up so disappointed with the the Studio Pro ANC...arguably positioned as one of JLab's top-tier offerings based on price-point alone. But whether these will end up disappointing you, or end up being the right fit, will ultimately depend on just what you're after from a value-oriented set of ANC headphones.POSITIVES:It's certainly not all bad--JLab is usually a pretty safe bet as a ... MoreWe're actually big fans of JLab...we've had, or still have, their Studio Wireless on-ears, JBUD Air True Wireless Earbuds, JBUD Air ANC Wireless Earbuds, and a few of their kid-friendly headsets lying around for workouts, casual listening, and travel. All have proven to be surprisingly good performers, especially for the price. That's why it was with even greater surprise that we ended up so disappointed with the the Studio Pro ANC...arguably positioned as one of JLab's top-tier offerings based on price-point alone. But whether these will end up disappointing you, or end up being the right fit, will ultimately depend on just what you're after from a value-oriented set of ANC headphones.POSITIVES:It's certainly not all bad--JLab is usually a pretty safe bet as a value leader in headphones and earbuds and these are, in many ways, no exception. The headphones collapse into a more travel-friendly size thanks to a hinge joint above each earcup--this allows them to slip neatly into the provided neoprene drawstring bag along with the included USB-A to USB-C charging cable and the USB-C to 3.5mm aux cable. The bag won't provide any impact protection, but it's a nice pack-in to help keep everything together. Battery life is simply outstanding--I went more than 4 days of regular use WITH ANC running before needing my first recharge.The Studio Pros are absurdly light, clocking in at just over 220 grams, with ultra-generous padding on the headband and earcups that make for an almost dreamy fit. The pleather covering is actually some of the softest, most supple synthetic leather material I've ever felt on a headphone--time will tell how well it holds up before flaking or cracking; but to the touch, it's almost decadently soft and stupid-comfortable. Although side-to-side pivot is minimal, the vertical pivot and vertical adjustments are very generous and the clamping force--something that has caused me to abandon some top-of-the-line headphones costing in excess of $1-2K--is thankfully quite low. The earcups are "ear-shaped" as opposed to being round or ovals--this helps with over-ear comfort to a degree; but in truth, they're probably only large enough to fully enclose the ears of a child or someone with VERY small features. On my ears, I was able to tuck most of my earlobe inside the rear of the earcup while the remainder of the earpads kind of dribbled over the edges of the upper and lower portions of my ear--but again, because the padding is so generous and so soft, and the clamping force was so low, I never developed any discomfort or hotspots during extended listening. If you're looking for something that you could easily wear for hours on end without fatigue (like for silencing a noisy office throughout the day), look no further.Operation is reasonably simple with only 4 main controls to contend with: the volume rocker, a round power button, and a large JLab icon button on the right earcup...KUDOS to JLab for making each control distinct and uniquely shaped so you will NEVER mistake one control for another while fumbling around blind. In another gift of fine usability for those who appreciate it, JLab included many plain-English spoken audio prompts to indicate headphone status or function, i.e. Hello, You are connected, Battery full, Be aware, etc. Similar to many BT headsets on the market, function and playback controls were a combination of quick button presses and holds; but by-and-large, most of the controls feel a bit more intuitive than some of the odd-ball control schemes I've seen on other headsets. Volume up--just tap the top of the volume rocker...advance to the next track--hold that same button down for a few seconds. The power button serves multiple duties depending on press or hold, and whether there's an incoming call, but it's not that complex at all--the button will toggle play/pause, pickup/reject calls, or activate a digital assistant like Siri or Google.Active noise cancelling can be invoked for both BT and AUX connections through a press of the big JLab button on the right earcup. The Studio Pro features a pass-thru mode so you can hear the world around you, High and Low ANC levels, and ANC off. ANC performance, especially in HIGH, was surprisingly good as it effectively attenuated the sounds of office fans, A/C blowers, the hum of a nearby tower PC, and conversations in the next room nearly as well as my Bose QC 35s. Do note that if you're one of those individuals who are sensitive to the sound pressure that is generated by some headphone's ANC solutions, you might notice it here as well. Otherwise, we were pleased with how well the ANC solution worked in practice at reducing background noise.NEGATIVES:Overall, our complaints about the JLab Studio Pros really came down to sound quality as there wasn't much else we honestly DIDN'T like. Frankly, the sound quality in every sound mode was merely serviceable; bass was thin and treble felt a bit "strained"...not screechy--just not very articulate or detailed. I don't think it was a matter of having a poor seal (which can definitely impact sound quality in over-ear designs)--the headphones just didn't sound very full-bodied or dynamic. And regardless of EQ setting, bass simply disappeared in the lower registers making things like kick drums just fade into the mid-bass rather than standing on their own with any kind of authority or "weight." Granted, we didn't expect audiophile quality from a value-oriented set of cans like these, but the audio performance of their other headsets to date have been SO good that I guess we were still expecting a bit more from JLab's top-priced offering. And unlike our experience with JLab's ANC earbuds, the ANC solution in the Studio Pros DID, unfortunately, have a minor, but still noticeable, impact on sound quality while in operation.The results of our auditions were exceedingly surprising as we've always liked JLab's "Signature" sound mode (essentially a U or V-shaped EQ setting) on all of our other JLab headsets and earbuds. Sadly, "Bass Boost" made even more of a mess of things, not because it really helped bass all that much (frankly, it didn't), but because it cut the treble even further making the entire presentation even more dull and "veiled" sounding, but with some extra bloat in the mid-bass that just sounded muddy and unnatural. Speaking of the EQ settings, the Studio Pro offers three: JLab Signature, flat/balanced, and bass boost; however, the pack-in manual did not indicate how to access or change the EQ settings. Once we went online to pull down another JLab manual, we found that you need to press both the volume Up and Down buttons simultaneously. This turned out to be slightly troublesome only because the volume rocker is big enough that you can't really touch the top and bottom (where the Up/Down buttons are located) with one finger--but once you do find a setting you like, it's likely a set-it-and-forget-it affair anyway. Still, this is an odd misfire for JLab who are usually buttoned up much tighter in their control schemes--maybe a separate button positioned at the JLab icon on the left earcup would have been easier?The only other minor quip is that of the AUX input--it requires the use of JLab's included, though somewhat uncommon, passive USB-C to 3.5mm *male* adapter cable (not like a typical phone dongle with a USB-to-3.5mm female port). Hey, I'm all for getting more USB-C out in the wild as it's far more secure and durable than a micro-USB connector, and with so many things going Bluetooth these days, maybe you'll NEVER even care about that 3.5mm port in your car or laptop or older portable music player. But the simple fact is that a passive USB-C to 3.5mm male plug simply isn't a common cable configuration, certainly not as common as say, a simple 3.5mm male to 3.5mm male adapter/extension cable that is included with so many other BT-capable devices--so the likelihood of having another one lying around if you misplace JLab's blue pack-in is probably pretty low. Again, this might not be an issue for you at all, but it seems like adding a female 3.5mm port to the headset would have been a more practical solution for AUX duties.BOTTOM LINE:There's no denying that the Studio Pro ANC is a VERY competitively priced ANC headset with some VERY competitive ANC performance. If all you need is something to drown out the world around you, or maybe you listen primarily to spoken-word selections or podcasts and you're really not all that concerned about musicality and sound quality, this might actually be an ideal headset for you. And don't get me wrong, it's not like the sound quality was horrible--it just wasn't anything at all special; and for me, I was looking for something a bit more than "passable in a pinch." If that's what you expect from a "value-priced" set of ANC headphones, at least these won't break the bank--as for us, we'll give these to our kid to let her use in the car, but for anything we really CARE about listening to, we'll keep looking for another headset.

The JLab - Studio Pro ANC over the ear headphones are a great, fairly priced alternative to high-end headphones! They are feature-filled, sound really good and offer functional 'noise cancelling' all for a great price.With that great price comes a slight compromise in quality, but the price difference between these and the very best noise cancelling headphones is major (you'll pay at least twice as much for other brands--and often quite a bit more).You'll need to charge them out of the box (USB-C, thank goodness, and a charging cable is included, along with a 3.5 mm cord if you need to use them old-school style), but you won't need to charge them often as the battery life is amazing! I used them off and on for a week and still had charge left. I meant to run ... MoreThe JLab - Studio Pro ANC over the ear headphones are a great, fairly priced alternative to high-end headphones! They are feature-filled, sound really good and offer functional 'noise cancelling' all for a great price.With that great price comes a slight compromise in quality, but the price difference between these and the very best noise cancelling headphones is major (you'll pay at least twice as much for other brands--and often quite a bit more).You'll need to charge them out of the box (USB-C, thank goodness, and a charging cable is included, along with a 3.5 mm cord if you need to use them old-school style), but you won't need to charge them often as the battery life is amazing! I used them off and on for a week and still had charge left. I meant to run them down completely to get some kind of idea of total battery life, but my habit of charging things overnight did me in and I plugged them in to charge without thinking about it. If you're the type that runs things out completely before charging them again it will be a looong time between charges.The 'Active noise cancelling' works well--for this price point. Basically you will hear things around you, but they'll be 'quieter' when the ACN is activated. There are actually a few different ANC settings--one of them being a rather odd setting that seems to amplify your own voice--which is admittedly kind of fun if you want to have a karaoke session by yourself!The mic worked great on my test phone calls--no one had any difficulty hearing me. I even traded off with my wife to see if she could hear me and how well I could understand her with her calling and using the headphones and it sounded great--I'd have never known she was using them and not speaking through her phone mic.If you do a lot of work from home these days you can pair these to your laptop and use them for business functions with no issues.The sound quality for games was great, for music it was good. I like a lot of bass and the headphones had a little trouble reproducing bass to my liking. Standard music sounded really good, music with emphasized bass not so much. The EQ settings were okay--it was a little weird trying to adjust them. I have difficulty with any headphones that use touch controls, since my hands are large--I hit things by mistake all the time. I didn't use the EQ settings too often (on purpose, anyway, though I did use it by mistake fairly often while fumbling for the controls) since I often don't care too much for pre-programmed EQ settings. A customizable option would have been nice. Since some of the controls for the EQ weren't available until after a software update and checking the manual perhaps they can add a mode like this in the future?The headphones themselves are comfortable and light-weight, though my over-size head often has issues with headphones fitting correctly I had no trouble with these. I like using noise-canceling headphones while mowing my yard so I gave these a try. They're very comfortable, though the over-the-ear design does tend to make the cups a little 'sweaty' on a hot day. The weight was not an issue at all, as it sometimes is with other sets of over-the-ear type headphones.Overall if you're in need of noise cancelling headphones that can be used as a headset then you can't go wrong with these--particularly if you're on a budget!

As a long time user/lover of Jlabs earbuds, I was really looking forward to seeing what they could do with sound when size wasn't a limiting factor. To my disappointment, I believe these headphones sound worse than my first gen ANC Sport earbuds. They sound more muted and distant, with less bass. Messing with any EQ settings involving the bass cause the upper end to sound even more distant. I'm sad to say that these ones aren't a great deal for what you're paying. Instead of punching above their weight like they do with their earbuds, these are about what I'd expect with other brands 100$ headphones. I will give credit for comfort, the cloud foam is wonderful. But sound quality? Not worth it in my opinion. Would recommend looking into the earbuds before these.