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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless vs Skullcandy Smokin' Buds/Buds XT True Wireless
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless
Skullcandy Smokin' Buds/Buds XT True Wireless
Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Dec 05, 2024 09:35 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.5
Updated Oct 29, 2024 02:21 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- Vibe Beam (Beige)
- Vibe Beam (Black)
- Vibe Beam (Blue)
- Vibe Beam (Mint)
- Vibe Beam (White)
- Smokin' Buds (Black)
- Smokin' Buds XT (Black)
- Smokin' Buds (Bone/Orange Glow)
- Smokin' Buds (Matcha)
Our Verdict
JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless
Skullcandy Smokin' Buds/Buds XT True Wireless
The JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless are better headphones for most purposes than the Skullcandy Smokin' Buds/Buds XT True Wireless. The JBL have a better build quality, a companion app that lets you customize their sound to your liking, and a slightly longer continuous and total battery life. That said, those who need a pair of earphones for fitness purposes will likely prefer the more comfortable, stable fit of the Skullcandy. However, the JBL have useful features for those who like to stay aware of their surroundings, whether running on a busy street or working in a collaborative office. The AmbientAware function allows you to integrate some background noise into your audio, and TalkThru lets you hear what your coworkers are saying without removing your buds.
Notice: 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
Neutral Sound
7.7
6.9
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.6
7.8
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.6
7.0
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
6.5
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.02 lbs
0.02 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0 lbs
Controls
7.5
6.4
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Okay
Feedback
Decent
Decent
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
Mute/Unmute
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
No
No
Talk-Through
Adjustable
No
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
EQ Mode Change
Breathability
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
Portability
9.5
9.5
Portability Picture
L
1.3" (3.3 cm)
1.4" (3.5 cm)
W
1.0" (2.6 cm)
1.2" (3.0 cm)
H
0.9" (2.4 cm)
0.7" (1.7 cm)
Volume
1.26 in³ (20.59 cm³)
1.09 in³ (17.90 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
7.5
7.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
1.9" (4.8 cm)
2.4" (6.0 cm)
W
2.5" (6.4 cm)
1.9" (4.7 cm)
H
0.9" (2.4 cm)
1.1" (2.8 cm)
Volume
4.50 in³ (73.70 cm³)
4.82 in³ (79.00 cm³)
Build Quality
7.5
7.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
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
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
650 Hz
Bass Amount
1.0 dB
0.74 dB
Treble Amount
-0.2 dB
0.7 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
8.1
8.6
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.38 dB
0.29 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.6
7.8
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.7 dB
3.26 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
10 Hz
Low Bass
2.19 dB
2.66 dB
Mid Bass
1.11 dB
3.26 dB
High Bass
-0.74 dB
4.51 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
8.3
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.35 dB
2.26 dB
Low Mid
-1.84 dB
2.86 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.7 dB
0.01 dB
High Mid
0.96 dB
2.06 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.6
7.0
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.17 dB
4.47 dB
Low Treble
-0.1 dB
2.12 dB
Mid Treble
-0.4 dB
5.01 dB
High Treble
-5.22 dB
2.17 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.6
7.8
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.36 dB
1.5 dB
Dips
1.63 dB
0.92 dB
Imaging
8.4
8.8
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.19
0.11
Weighted Phase Mismatch
3.05
2.53
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.73
0.89
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.45
1.55
Passive Soundstage
1.0
0.8
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Openness
3.6
2.9
Acoustic Space Excitation
1.0
0.7
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
No
No
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No
No
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
8.1
8.0
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.216
0.197
WHD @ 100
0.089
0.106
Test Settings
Firmware
1.9.0
No Firmware
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.2
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Off
Music (Default)
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Silicone (small)
Silicone (medium)
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
6.4
7.1
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Overall Attenuation
-16.38 dB
-20.49 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
-3.29 dB
-8.57 dB
Mid
-18.65 dB
-20.43 dB
Treble
-29.73 dB
-33.64 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
5.4
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-12.69 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-12.75 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-14.37 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
Leakage
9.1
9.4
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
26.41 dB
24.53 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
7.8
7.4
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
281 Hz
250.34 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.46 dB
2.61 dB
HFE
7,034.64 Hz
3,417.19 Hz
Weighted THD
0.12
0.039
Gain
33.1 dB
33.41 dB
Noise Handling
6.5
5.9
SpNR
9.14 dB
13.15 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.5
6.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
6.5
5.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
7.7
6.6
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
8.3 hrs
8 hrs
Additional Charges
2.0
1.5
Total Battery Life
24.9 hrs
20 hrs
Charge Time
1.1 hrs
0.75 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
No
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
8.5
0.0
App Picture
App Name
JBL Headphones
No App
iOS
Yes
No
Android
Yes
No
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
Parametric + Presets
No
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
Yes
No
Surround Support
No
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
0.0
0.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
No
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
No
Length
N/A
N/A
Connector
No Wired Option
No Wired Option
Latency - Analog
N/A
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
Bluetooth Connection
7.4
7.1
Bluetooth Version
5.2
5.2
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
NFC Pairing
No
Quick Pair (Android)
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
Line Of Sight Range
242.78 ft (74.00 m)
298.56 ft (91.00 m)
Latency - SBC
188 ms
224 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
AAC Support
Yes
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
75 ms
Android Latency
149 ms
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
No
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
No
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
No
No
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S 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-C
USB-C
JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless
Skullcandy Smokin' Buds/Buds XT True Wireless
Comments
JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless vs Skullcandy Smokin' Buds/Buds XT True Wireless: Main Discussion
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