The JBL Tune 305C are a cheap way of streaming hi-res audio — but they have crucial flaws that are hard to ignore

I think I’ve just found the cheapest way to treat your ears to hi-res audio: the JBL Tune 305C wired earbuds. They’re great for anyone who isn’t fussed about wireless connectivity and doesn’t want to spend too much money on the best wireless earbuds. I love that they have a built-in DAC, an anti-tangle design, and a wide soundstage that makes a range of genres sound very pleasing to my ears.

But I don’t think they’re perfect. The lackluster and loose-fitting design means they tend to keep falling out of ears, and I couldn’t fully appreciate hi-res audio. They also sound scratchy at high volumes, making for an unpleasant listening experience.

For all the details, read my full JBL Tune 305C wired earbuds review.

JBL Tune 305C review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A pair of wired earbuds with a USB-C connection and built-in DAC
• Who is it for? For people who want very cheap wired earbuds
• How much does it cost? $21 / £16
• What do we like? The cheap price tag, anti-tangle design, wide soundstage and built-in DAC
• What don’t we like? The loose fit, scratchiness at high volumes, and not being able to appreciate hi-res audio

JBL Tune 305C review: Specs

JBL Tune 305C review: Price & availability

The JBL Tune 305C wired earbuds are ridiculously cheap. At $21 / £16, they cost less than the average takeout. The Tune 305Cs are the cheapest earbuds we’ve ever tested at Tom’s Guide. The earbuds come in a variety of colors: black, blue, red or white.

So what do the Tune 305Cs compete against? Other cheap earbuds include the Google Pixel USB-C Earbuds ($30), the Final VR500 ($34) and the SoundMagic E80D ($45) — but these are all still nearly double the price of the Tune 305Cs. JBL’s offering is a (very) inexpensive way of streaming hi-res audio.

JBL Tune 305C review: Design & comfort

• Lackluster looks
• Anti-tangle design
• Loose fit

The JBL Tune 305Cs won’t win any awards at Paris Fashion Week for their looks. These are simple-looking earbuds that have a very plasticky feel to them. You may want to consider other options, like the Final VR500 and the SoundMagic E80D, if you want aesthetically pleasing earbuds.

I love the anti-tangle design, though. The flat cable doesn’t tie itself into knots when thrown into a bag or jeans’ pocket. I carried them around in my cargo pants’ pocket — which also included keys and my wallet — and when I took them out? No tangles. I wish all the wired earbuds I used as a teenager had this feature. You wouldn’t believe how much time I’ve spent unknotting wired earbuds in my life.

Sporting a look similar to Apple EarPods, the Tune 305Cs are loose-fitting, and they don’t come with eartips to help negate that issue. You’ll need to get the JBL Tune 310Cs ($24) if you want eartips. While I didn’t experience the Tune 305Cs falling out of my ears when sitting stationery at my desk, this quickly became a big issue while walking.

The loose fit also means that you can’t fully appreciate the earbuds’ soundstage as the sound isn’t concentrated enough in the ear canal, which I’ll get into in the sound quality section below.

JBL Tune 305C review: Connectivity

• USB-C connection
• Built-in DAC

The JBL Tune 305Cs launched in 2024, so it’s only right that they have a USB-C port to connect to most modern smartphones. If you have an older iPhone, though, you’ll need to get a USB-C to lightning adapter, which costs as little as $9 / £7 at Amazon. I used the earbuds with my Google Pixel 7 Pro (with the case on) and my MacBook Air M2 without any hiccups.

One of the Tune 305Cs’ biggest selling points is the built-in digital-to-analog converter (DAC), housed with the USB-C jack. This allows for hi-res streaming when listening to music on one of the best music streaming services, therefore improving the overall sound quality.

JBL Tune 305C review: Controls & app

• Volume, play/pause, EQ and mic controls
• No app

The JBL Tune 305Cs come with a neat little controller located on the wire emerging from the right earbud. You get volume buttons that double as EQ buttons. If you keep both pressed for two seconds, you’ll be able to swap between bass, standard and vocal modes. It’s quite rare for wired earbuds to have EQ settings — neither the SoundMagic E80D nor the Final VR500 have these — so it’s nice to see that JBL includes a few.

There’s also a circular button that triples as a play/pause button and to answer calls or hang up. And unlike the SoundMagic E80Ds, the buttons on the Tune 305Cs are easy to press too. They seem small, but I had no problem using them. They give good tactile feedback as well.

Unlike most other JBL products, there’s no app support for further customization, which isn’t uncommon for wired earbuds — and I wouldn’t expect that at such a low price point, anyway. I’m grateful that you can at least change the EQ because that’s what matters to me most of all.

JBL Tune 305C review: Sound & performance

• Surprisingly good bass
• Clean, clear vocals
• Scratchy at high volumes

As someone who usually uses over-ear headphones, I was pleasantly surprised by the JBL Tune 305Cs’ wide soundstage. The earbuds have a great frequency response (20Hz-40KHz) so they can reproduce most sounds accurately.

To test the Tune 305Cs, I listened to my usual testing songs (including a variety of genres such as rock, dance, indie, etc.) on Qobuz which is the best music streaming service for hi-res audio. For the most part, the Tune 305Cs make music sound lovely and you can get lost in the tunes, but they have a glaring flaw when it comes to pushing the volume past the halfway point. Let’s get into it.

Bass

Bass-heavy tracks sound fantastic through the Tune 305Cs, thanks to JBL’s signature Pure Bass technology. The earbuds don’t reproduce the heaviest of basslines, but keep in mind that these are very cheap, so sub-bass gets lost. But overall, it’s great. The bass line in Porcupine Tree’s ‘Haridan’ had solid depth. It didn’t overpower the vocals either.

I could appreciate every single note in the bass line in Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’ especially when I switched to the bass EQ. As opposed to the default standard EQ, the bass EQ provides a lovely warmth to the heavier notes.

I also like that, even with the bass boosted, it never sounds too loud or distorted over the other instruments in the track, like the saxophone solo. But a problem arises due to the Tune 305Cs’ loose fit. As the earbuds don’t create a seal in your ear canals, there’s audio leakage and the hi-res aspect is lost.

Vocals

Listening to vocals-first tracks through the Tune 305Cs is enjoyable. Paris Paloma’s vocals in ‘Labour’ sound as powerful as the artist intended. Her high notes are balanced well against the guitar and subtle bass line.

To test how the earbuds handled very high notes, I listened to ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ by Pink Floyd. Clare Torry’s voice sounds beautiful and her high notes never once pierced my ears, even when I switched to the vocal EQ.

I listened to all of these songs at 50% volume, which is when they sounded their best, but pushing above revealed some problems.

The bad parts

I never thought I’d see the day when a Linkin Park song made me remove my earbuds and stop listening. But that’s exactly what happened when I listened to ‘Casualty’ at a high volume. I usually listen to music loud enough that my coworkers have to wave frantically to get my attention. The volume was at 75% when I noticed Emily Armstrong’s vocals sounding extremely scratchy through the Tune 305Cs.

I then tried listening to a softer, acoustic song at 75%-90% volume, so I gave Lana Del Rey’s ‘A&W’ a spin. And I experienced the same issue. Lana’s voice sounded too pitchy while the guitar in the second half of the song sounded too distorted, making for an unpleasant listening experience.

You shouldn’t really be listening to music past the 90% volume mark as that isn’t good for ear health, but when music sounds distorted at even 75% volume, that isn’t a great indication of a pair’s sound quality.

JBL Tune 305C review: Verdict

If you want a cheap pair of wired earbuds and you don’t mind sacrificing some aspect of the sound, then the JBL Tune 305Cs could be perfect. They cost less than a takeout on a Friday night, and they have a built-in DAC for hi-res streaming. They also feature an anti-tangle flat design, so you don’t need to worry about them getting knotted up in your pocket.

These earbuds have surprisingly good bass that impressed me, and vocals sound clean and clear too. But listening to music at high volumes makes it sound scratchy and unpleasant. Also, because these earbuds have a loose fit, you can’t fully appreciate hi-res audio as sound isn’t concentrated enough.

The loose fit also means that they tend to fall out when you’re walking. Having removable eartips would have solved this problem.

If you want excellent sound throughout the volume range, however, you’ll likely want to look at the Final VR500 which earned a perfect score from us for having practically no flaws.

Overall, the Tune 305Cs are a decent pair of earbuds that don’t break the bank. If you aren’t too fussed about the loose fit, lackluster design and scratchy sound at high volumes, then these are the buds for you.