The JLab Epic Lux Lab Edition is a high-end headphone surprise
Style, battery life and ANC ability to give Bose and Sony a shock
I think it’s fair to say JLab is best known for its affordable audio gear – but this year’s CES sees the firm head into uncharted premium territory for the first time. The JLab Epic Lux Lab Edition noise cancelling headphones are due imminently with the sort of features and battery life claims that should give ANC headliners pause for thought.
The Epic Lux Lab Edition are JLab’s first over-ear cans with adaptive noise cancellation, and the first to get a transparency mode. Four mics (two in each ear cup) aim to strip out as much as 35dB of background chatter, while adapting to different noise levels as you move between locations. 32mm dynamic drivers then deliver hi-res certified sound, with head-tracking spatial audio upmixing just a button press or app toggle away.
LDAC Bluetooth is on board for high quality streaming, and a bespoke LabShare mode lets you share your music directly with another pair of Lux headphones, for cable-free silent discos.
These are one of just a few pairs of over-ear cans I’ve seen with wireless charging built-in, and JLab even includes a charging puck that gives you somewhere to rest the headphones while they’re refuelling. With a full battery, you should be looking at a generous 60 hours with ANC enables – or as much as 90 hours with it switched off, which is up there with the class leaders.
Design-wise they look rather spiffy with soft-touch materials, metal arms and a plushly padded headband. There’s a mix of touch-sensitive and physical buttons for controlling playback, and multipoint Bluetooth lets you quickly jump between two devices without re-pairing first. JLab even throws in a hard shell carry case to keep ’em safe while on the move.
That’s pretty much everything you’d expect from a pair of top-tier ANC headphones, then – and seeing as it’s JLAB, the price won’t make you wince either. At $199/£199 they’re definitely in premium territory for the firm, but they’re significantly easier on the wallet than either the Sony XM5 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra. A full review will reveal if they can compete on sound and noise cancelling ability.
They’ll be available directly from the JLab website from February onwards.
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Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
