Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | JBL - Live Beam 3 | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Spatial audio | true | false |
| Weight per bud | 5.4 g | 4.5 g |
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 85.2 and the Liberty 5 scores 85.8 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (85.2 vs 85.8). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is about which specific trade-offs fit 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. The single most decisive one: Has Spatial audio.
Pick the Liberty 5 if you care most about weight per bud. Its strongest claims are weight per bud. The single most decisive one: Weight per bud — 0.90 g less. 4.5 vs 5.4.
Both ship with comparable battery — buds, battery — with case, active noise cancellation, so those specs do not 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 says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: JBL - Live Beam 3 or Anker - Liberty 5?
Anker - Liberty 5 leads the current Mars Score by 0.6 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare weight per bud against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose JBL - Live Beam 3 if…
JBL - Live Beam 3 has the measurable edge on has spatial audio.
Choose Anker - Liberty 5 if…
Anker - Liberty 5 has the measurable edge on weight per bud g.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
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 models have active noise cancellation.