Jam Audio knock it out of the park, yet again, with an affordable alternative to Apple AirPods - the Jam TWS ANC earbuds! Each TWS ANC earbud is designed to provide a runtime of 7 hours with anc turned off and 50% volume and 6 hours runtime with anc turned on. The included charging case can store up to 17 hours of power, giving you the ability to recharge the earbuds at least four times over.
The anc microphones are located on the touch control area, which is located on the outer shell of the earbud where the Jam logo is etched on. The anc microphone has a feedforward setup (mic on the outside); hence it's liable to picking up wind noises. Overall though, the active noise cancellation microphones work well at blocking out most ambient noise and buzzing type noises (i.e. desk fans), as well as muting and muffling television volume.
The touch controls have superb sensitivity, which is responsive, requiring only subtle touches without any tapping whatsoever. Control functions include all the basic ones skip tracks (next and previous), voice assistant and play/pause but no volume control. Calls and anc/ambient sound are enabled via the right earbud, making it easy to remember. When enabling anc mode and ambient sound, you hear one audible beep (anc) and two audible beeps for ambient sound, which works just like transparency mode, letting outside sounds into the earbuds.
The Jam TWS ANC earbuds weigh 5 grams each, making them very light, although not as ultra light as the Live Loud earbuds. The TWS ANC stem measures 3cm long with a total length of 45mm, 7mm wide and 6mm thick. The driver housing has an unusually long nozzle neck, which helps fit the earbuds very snugly inside the ears. The TWS ANC charging case weighs 46 grams and has a beveled shape so, the top part is slightly wider (6cm) than the bottom. The charging case measures 6cm high and 2.5cm thick, making small and compact to slide into a small narrow pocket.
Bluetooth pairing requires taking the earbuds out of the charging case to trigger automatic bluetooth pairing. The TWS ANC earbuds pair as one unit, allowing you to alternate between them when using only one earbud. Switching between mono and stereo is seamless since the earbuds do not disconnect and/or pause the music like some true wireless earbuds do. That said, there is a 3-second re-connection delay when taking the earbuds, which is not ideal when wanting to promptly answer an incoming call. If you're someone who takes calls regularly, you may want to go with a pair of earbuds with instant re-connection like the TWS Exec.
The microphone for calls is located at the end of the stem but on the outer side of the stem rather than at the very tip of it, aiming at the mouth like with most stem style earbuds. That said, this doesn't seem to impact the microphone performance, which is loud and clear sounding with some background noise being picked up during calls since the microphone isn't noise cancelling like the dual microphones in the TWS Exec.
The TWS Exec true wireless earbuds have a similar stem style but, the TWS ANC earbuds are much easier to remove from the charging case because they protrude over the charging dock. The charging case has a flat base, which allows the charging case to stand tall, although the charging case can tip over when charging due to the location of the charging port at the bottom the charging case. The TWS ANC earbuds can be manually powered off, allowing you to pair them individually with separate devices independently.
There is no IPX rating listed on the specs so, the TWS ANC earbuds are likely to have a low IPX rating (i.e. IPX4) similar to the TWS Exec version, which isn't ideal for exercise or running outdoors in the rain. Earphones with ear hooks such as the TWS Athlete earbuds are more suited for more demanding wear.
The TWS ANC earbuds integrate single 10mm dynamic drivers so, the TWS ANC earbuds have the largest true wireless drivers in the current Jam Audio lineup. The TWS ANC put out a decent amount of volume and bass with slightly more emphasis on the vocals and treble. The status is bright and does blink during audio playback but, it's not noticeable, thanks to its side-facing location, which gets concealed by the ear. The Bluetooth 5.0 chip does not support aptX, AAC or SBC codec, other than standard Bluetooth.
The included ear tips have a standard bowl shape but they are thinner and softer in construction, which is nice in terms of comfort, although thicker ear tips do help retain the bass frequencies better. The Jam TWS ANC charging case is fitted with a 430 mAh battery capacity (1.591 watt-hour x 3.7 volts), which takes 1 hour to fully charge via 5V/430mA maximum input. The TWS ANC earbuds charging time is 2 hours. Included also is a JAM-branded USB-A to USB-C charging cable and spare ear tips. You can buy them from Jam Audio and amazon when they become available.