Between the Live Beam 3 and Liberty 5, the Live Beam 3 comes out ahead in spatial audio, while the Liberty 5 wins on weight per bud. Overall, the Live Beam 3 scores 76.1 and the Liberty 5 scores 76.1 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are evenly matched on the broad strokes, with the decision sitting on which individual spec advantages weigh more for your use.
Pick the Live Beam 3 if audio quality and feature breadth (ANC, codecs, multipoint) are the lead criteria for your purchase. The biggest gaps in its favor are spatial audio.
Pick the Liberty 5 if you care most about weight per bud. Its strongest claims are weight per bud.
Both ship with comparable battery — buds, battery — with case, active noise cancellation, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why JBL - Live Beam 3 wins
- ▲Has Spatial audio.
Why Anker - Liberty 5 wins
- ▲Weight per bud — 0.90 g less. 4.5 vs 5.4.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | JBL - Live Beam 3 | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | stemlead | in-ear |
| Weight per bud | 5.4 g | 4.5 glead |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP55 | IP55 |
Audio
| Spec | JBL - Live Beam 3 | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 10 mm | 10 mm |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | true | true |
| Transparency mode | true | true |
| Spatial audioⓘ | truelead | false |
Battery
| Spec | JBL - Live Beam 3 | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery — buds | 12 h | 12 h |
| Battery — with case | 48 h | 48 h |
| Wireless case chargingⓘ | true | true |
Connectivity
| Spec | JBL - Live Beam 3 | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.3 | 5.4lead |
| Codecs | LE Audio,LC3,AAC,SBC | LDAC,AAC,SBC |
| Multipointⓘ | true | true |
| In-ear detection | true | true |
Frequently asked
Which has longer battery, Live Beam 3 or Liberty 5?+
Liberty 5 lasts 12h per charge vs 12h.
Do Live Beam 3 or Liberty 5 support multipoint?+
Both support multipoint pairing.
Which has ANC, Live Beam 3 or Liberty 5?+
Both have active noise cancellation.
Spec-level deep dives
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