JBL Endurance Race 2: problems, parts and running costs
Checked: 2026-10-18
Summary
The Endurance Race 2 is a budget sport-first true wireless earbud with an IP68 rating, 48-hour total battery and Bluetooth 5.3 multipoint, built for runners and gym-goers who want a secure fit. Its weak points are noise cancelling that only takes the edge off traffic, an ambient mode too quiet for road safety, touch controls that miss with gloves or sweat, and a large charging case rated only IPX2. There is no subscription and no scheduled consumable, so the recurring cost beyond electricity is $0. It is strong value at $50 or less, good at $50–70, fair at $70–80 and weak above $80.
Common problems and fixes
- Ambient mode is too quiet and does not filter wind — it lets through too little sound to hear passing cars well and does not filter wind, so it is not safe for outdoor traffic and makes conversations hard. The only workaround is to remove an earbud. [1]
- Volume can be too quiet outdoors — Tom’s Guide found it not always loud enough during outdoor workouts even with the outdoor run mode engaged. Check that outdoor run mode is switched on in the JBL Headphones app. [1]
- Touch controls miss with gloves or sweaty fingers — the panels were unreliable with gloves or sweaty fingers, and controls are grouped by function rather than individually assignable, so ambient, volume and playback cannot all be changed at once. Use the app or the phone as a fallback. [1]
Parts and consumables
- Charging case — no first-party spare-parts or service channel was found for this model. [2]
- No replaceable battery, filter or pad — no scheduled consumable applies, and no subscription is needed for ordinary playback. [1][2]
Yearly running cost
There is no mandatory subscription and no scheduled consumable such as a filter, cartridge or replaceable battery, so the recurring cost beyond electricity is $0. Electricity use was not measured in the sources, and no power-consumption figure was published, so there is not enough data for a yearly electricity figure. The optional cost is hardware replacement: at these prices the case and earbuds are the parts owners replace, and no repair quote was found. [1][2]
When it is a good buy
Observed prices were $67.00 at JBL’s US store, a $79.95 March 2025 US launch price, a $49.95 deal price tracked by Tom’s Guide, $50 for the purple variant in a Best Buy one-day deal in January 2026, $89.95 at JBL Puerto Rico and $118.00 at JBL Singapore. At $50 or less it is strong value for sport use, at $50–70 it is good, at $70–80 it is fair because sound and noise cancelling trail premium options, and above $80 it is weak. [1][2][3][4][5][6]
The Bose QC Earbuds are the better choice if you want stronger noise cancelling and better sound and are willing to pay more. The Jabra Elite 8 Active are the better choice if you want a durable, water-resistant sport earbud with a trackable support organisation. [1]