Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
Big Spring Sale Deal: The Anker Soundcore Space A40 Truly Wireless has dropped by 45% on Amazon.com. See all Headphones Big Spring Sale deals.
The audio team will be at Montreal's Audiofest March 28-30! Come visit our booth in the Marketplace where we'll be measuring your headphones on our B&K rig!
The audio team will be at Montreal's Audiofest March 28-30! Come visit our booth in the Marketplace where we'll be measuring your headphones on our B&K rig!
- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Jaybird Run Truly Wireless vs JBL Free Truly Wireless 2018
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Jaybird Run Truly Wireless
JBL Free Truly Wireless 2018
Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Updated Jan 15, 2024 09:04 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.4
Updated Jan 15, 2024 02:42 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeIn-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
Noise CancellingNo
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeIn-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
Noise CancellingNo
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- Run (Drift)
- Run (Jet)
- Free (Black)
- Free (White)
Our Verdict
Jaybird Run Truly Wireless
JBL Free Truly Wireless 2018
The JBL Free Truly Wireless 2018 are slightly better truly wireless headphones than the Jaybird Run Truly Wireless, but have a lot more flaws with their wireless connection, which may be a deal-breaker for some. The Jaybird have a customizable sound, so you can adjust them to match what you're listening to. They also have a bit more tip options and sizes, which make them slightly more comfortable than the JBL. On the other hand, the JBL have a better-balanced default sound quality. They also come with a better case that's slightly more portable overall and provides a longer battery life than the Run.
Check Price
Drift
Run
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack
Free
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comJet
Run
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
Free
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comNotice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.
Main Differences for
Threshold
Mixed Usage
7.1
7.2
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
In-ear
In-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.0
7.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.03 lbs
0.04 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0 lbs
Controls
5.2
5.5
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
N/A
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Mediocre
Great
Feedback
Decent
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
No
No
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
N/A
No
Noise Cancelling Control
N/A
No
Talk-Through
N/A
No
Additional Controls
Voice enabled controls
Voice Assistant
Breathability
9.2
9.0
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
0.8 °C
1 °C
Portability
9.5
9.6
Portability Picture
L
0.7"
1.1"
W
1.3"
1.2"
H
1.3"
0.7"
Volume
1.2 in³
0.9 in³
Transmitter Required
N/A
No
Case
7.0
7.5
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
2.7"
2.7"
W
1.3"
2.7"
H
1.3"
1.1"
Volume
4 in³
8 in³
Build Quality
7.5
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
8.0
7.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Frequency Response
Frequency Response
Bass Amount
1.2 dB
2.46 dB
Treble Amount
-2.78 dB
-1.75 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
9.1
9.1
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.18 dB
0.18 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Raw FR L
Raw FR L
Raw FR R
Raw FR R
Bass Accuracy
8.4
8.0
Std. Err.
2.26 dB
2.86 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
10 Hz
Low-Bass
1.39 dB
2.79 dB
Mid-Bass
1.55 dB
3.66 dB
High-Bass
3.67 dB
2.88 dB
Mid Accuracy
8.6
9.0
Std. Err.
1.89 dB
1.34 dB
Low-Mid
1.47 dB
1.46 dB
Mid-Mid
-2.14 dB
-1.13 dB
High-Mid
0.82 dB
-0.1 dB
Treble Accuracy
6.4
7.5
Treble
Treble
Std. Err.
4.78 dB
3.29 dB
Low-Treble
-0.56 dB
-1.81 dB
Mid-Treble
1.55 dB
-2.15 dB
High-Treble
-8.55 dB
-1.81 dB
Peaks/Dips
6.4
8.6
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
2.53 dB
0.81 dB
Dips
1.71 dB
1.2 dB
Imaging
8.8
8.7
Phase Response
Weighted Group Delay
0.1
0.14
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.37
1.4
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.07
1.15
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.86
2.22
Passive Soundstage
0.7
0.7
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Openness
2.3
2.1
Acoustic Space Excitation
1.1
0.9
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
Speaker Modeling
No
Room Ambience
No
Head Tracking
No
Virtual Surround
No App
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.2
7.6
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.422
0.253
WHD @ 100
0.195
0.165
Test Settings
Firmware
Unknown
Power
On
Connection
Unknown
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
EQ
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Silicone (small)
Microphone
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation
7.7
7.9
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-22.98 dB
-24.17 dB
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Bass
-8.5 dB
-9.73 dB
Mid
-19.32 dB
-20.78 dB
Treble
-42.01 dB
-42.93 dB
Leakage
9.1
9.2
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
26.69 dB
25.65 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
N/A
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
6.6
6.5
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
257.68 Hz
257.68 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.14 dB
3.72 dB
HFE
3,319.91 Hz
3,417.19 Hz
Weighted THD
3.972
3.731
Gain
41.29 dB
37.96 dB
Noise Handling
6.1
6.0
Speech + Pink Noise
Speech + Subway Noise
SpNR
13.31 dB
12.06 dB
Active Features
Battery
6.0
5.9
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
3.8 hrs
3.1 hrs
Additional Charges
2
5.0
Total Battery Life
11.4 hrs
18.6 hrs
Charge Time
1.1 hrs
1.4 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
No
No
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
micro-USB
micro-USB
App Support
8.0
0.0
App Picture
App Name
Jaybird MySound
No App
iOS
Yes
No
Android
Yes
No
macOS
N/A
No
Windows
N/A
No
Equalizer
Parametric + Presets
No
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
Yes
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Sound
N/A
Surround Support
No
Connectivity
Bluetooth
6.9
6.3
Bluetooth Version
4.1
4.2
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
NFC Pairing
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
80 ft
74 ft
PC Latency (SBC)
220 ms
375 ms
PC Latency (aptX)
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
N/A
iOS Latency
409 ms
Android Latency
102 ms
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
0.0
0.0
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
N/A
Wired
0.0
0.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
N/A
No
USB Audio
N/A
No
Detachable
N/A
No
Length
N/A
N/A
Connection
N/A
No Wired Option
Wired Latency
N/A
Analog/USB Audio Latency
N/A
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC/PS4 Analog
No
No
PC/PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
2.2
2.2
Type
Charging Case
Charging Case
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
Yes
Power Supply
USB
USB
Check Price
Drift
Run
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack
Free
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comJet
Run
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
Free
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Jaybird Run Truly Wireless
JBL Free Truly Wireless 2018
Comments
Jaybird Run Truly Wireless vs JBL Free Truly Wireless 2018: Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.