In the past few years we’ve seen companies including Bose and Amazon build speakers into eyeglass frames. But the $250 price tags might be a bit off-putting at a time when you can find true wireless earbuds selling for a small fraction of that price.
Still like the idea of speakers that are near your ears, but not in them? That’s where the new JLab JBuds come in.
They’re basically a set of Bluetooth speakers that clip onto your existing glasses. They’ll be available this spring for $50.
The JBuds are basically a pair of tiny speakers with a 16mm driver that directs sound downward toward your ear so that it won’t be audible to other folks in the vicinity. Since the speakers don’t actually cover your ears, you’ll still be able to hear sounds around you, which could make these a good choice for use while going for a walk, riding a bicycle, or any other activity where you might get hit by a car if you don’t notice it approaching.
JLab says multiple clip sizes will be available, so while there’s no getting around the fact that it’ll look like you’ve attached something to your glasses (because you have), you should hopefully be able to find the least obtrusive and best-fitting option.
The JBuds feature IPX4 water resistance which should be enough to withstand a bit of sweat or rain. And there are buttons that you can use to adjust volume, take a phone call, or perform a few other actions without reaching for your phone or other connected device.
Rather than a charging case like the ones you typically get with true wireless earbuds, the JBuds will come with a funky looking charging cable featuring a USB-A connector on one end and two magnetic charging connectors on the other end(s).
Horrible, horrible idea
Or, if you want to have this setup but don’t need to wear glasses, there are several companies making cheap headphones in sunglasses frames. You can find at least five brands of these cheap models on Amazon.
The main benefit is that they will look like normal sunglasses, possibly slightly thicker stems. The downside is that the cheap versions are the typical affair where quality can best be determined after you buy them. I’ve had success with some brands, but undoubtedly there are some bad ones out there. Also, since these are built into sunglasses, you can’t use most or all of them with other glasses or lenses.
I’d be interested to see how these compare to bone conduction headsets in practice.