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JBL Tour One Wireless Headphones Review

The JBL Tour One Wireless are high-end over-ears with active noise cancelling (ANC). These headphones offer a versatile performance with a comfortable fit and well-built design. However, their ANC offers a mediocre overall performance, and they're prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery. Luckily, if you prefer something more neutral than their default bass-heavy sound profile, their companion app offers a parametric EQ and presets to help you adjust them to your liking.

Our Verdict

The JBL Tour One are decent for neutral sound. Out of the box, they have a slightly bass-heavy sound profile. Luckily, you can tweak them to your liking using their companion app's parametric EQ and presets. On the downside, they're very prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery. Their passive soundstage is also poor and feels like it's coming from inside your head.

• Comfortable, well-built design.
• Parametric EQ and presets available.
• Prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery.
• Disappointing passive soundstage.

The JBL Tour One are satisfactory for commute and travel. While they have a comfortable, well-built fit, they're also bulky, which can make them hard to take with you on the go, and their ear cups can trap heat. Their ANC also struggles to block out bus or plane engine noise. On the upside, their over 33 hours of continuous playback time should get you through long days on the road.

• Excellent battery performance.
• Mediocre overall noise isolation.
• Not very breathable.

The JBL Tour One are satisfactory for sports and fitness. They're comfortable and well-built. However, they can fall off your head with moderate head movements, and heat can get trapped inside the ear cups, which may make you sweat more than normal. They also lack an IP rating for water resistance, although we don't currently test for this.

The JBL Tour One are decent for office use. They have a comfortable fit, and you can pair them with up to two devices at a time. They also have over 33 hours of continuous battery life, which is excellent, and their ANC can help block out ambient chatter around you. However, their ear cups can trap heat, which may be uncomfortable during long shifts at the office.

The JBL Tour One aren't recommended for wireless gaming. While you can connect them to a Bluetooth-enabled PC, the latency is likely to be too high for gaming. They also aren't compatible with Xbox or PlayStation consoles.

The JBL Tour One are good for wired gaming. Using their 1/16" to 1/8" TRS cable, you can connect to consoles with an AUX port. However, you can only receive audio and can't use their mic. That said, they have a slightly bass-heavy sound profile that can help bring out the intensity of sound effects in your games. They also have a comfortable fit, although they can trap in heat, which can be uncomfortable.

The JBL Tour One are fair for phone calls. Their microphone can record your voice clearly, although it sounds a bit bass-heavy. However, if you have an important call to take, it's better to do so from a quieter environment since the mic struggles to separate speech from ambient noise. Although the headphones have active noise cancelling, the system does a mediocre job blocking out background sounds.

• 7.4 Neutral Sound
• 7.1 Commute/Travel
• 7.1 Sports/Fitness
• 5.8 Wireless Gaming
• 7.5 Wired Gaming
• 6.8 Phone Calls
• Updated Jul 29, 2021: Review published.
• Updated Jul 26, 2021: Early access published.
• Updated Jul 12, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
• Updated Jun 29, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
• Updated Jun 19, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

The JBL Tour One only come in one color variant: 'Black'. You can see our model's label here . If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.

Compared To Other Headphones

The JBL Tour One are premium over-ear headphones with an adaptive ANC system. However, the ANC does a mediocre job of blocking out ambient noise around you and is especially poor at reducing the low rumble of bus or plane engines. On the upside, just like most JBL headphones like the JBL Tour Pro+ TWS Truly Wireless , they have a customizable sound profile, thanks to their companion app's parametric EQ and presets.

See our recommendations for the best noise cancelling headphones , the best over-ear headphones , and the best wireless Bluetooth headphones .

The JBL CLUB ONE Wireless and the JBL Tour One Wireless are somewhat similar headphones, although the CLUB ONE have a slight advantage. The CLUB ONE are better built, and their ANC can block out more ambient noise. However, both headphones are comfortable, and their sound profile is customizable, thanks to their companion app.

The  Sony WH-1000XM4  Wireless are better over-ears than the JBL Tour One Wireless. The Sony are more comfortable, are better built, and can deliver audio more consistently. They have a significantly better noise isolation performance.

The JBL Live 660NC Wireless and the JBL Tour One Wireless are similarly performing over-ear headphones. The Tour One are more comfortable and have a better battery performance. However, the Live have a better noise isolation performance and can deliver audio more consistently.

The Bose 700 Headphones Wireless are better headphones than the JBL Tour One Wireless. The Bose are more comfortable, feel better-built, and have a significantly better noise isolation performance. They also have a better overall microphone performance. However, the JBL have a longer continuous battery life. 

The  AKG N700NC M2 Wireless  are better over-ears than the JBL Tour One Wireless. While both headphones are equally comfortable and well-built, the AKG have a more neutral default sound profile, which some users may prefer, are less prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery, and have a significantly better noise isolation performance. However, the JBL have much longer continuous battery life.

The Beats Solo Pro Wireless and the JBL Tour One Wireless are similarly performing headphones and depending on your usage, you may prefer either one. The Beats are on-ear headphones that are better-built and have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer. They also have a better noise isolation performance and have an H1 chip, so you can seamlessly pair them with your Apple devices. In contrast, the JBL are over-ears that are more comfortable and have a longer continuous battery life. They also support multi-device pairing, and have a companion app that offers a parametric EQ and presets to help you adjust their sound.

The JBL Tour Pro+ TWS True Wireless are better overall headphones than the JBL Tour One Wireless. The Tour Pro+ are in-ears that are better built, have more consistent audio delivery, and have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer. Their ANC also does a significantly better job of blocking out background noise. However, the Tour One support multi-device pairing and longer continuous battery life.

Test Results

The JBL Tour One have a fairly non-descript look. They have the manufacturer's logo embossed on each ear cup and only come in one color variant: 'Black'.

The JBL Tour One are comfortable over-ears. They're lightweight, and they don't clamp on your head too tightly. The padding on the ear cups and headband also feels nice against the skin. However, if you have larger ears, they may touch the inner padding on the cup. Your ears may also feel hot when you wear the headphones for long periods.

The JBL Tour One have great controls. They have a mix of touch and physical controls. The right ear cup has a power button that you can slide down and hold to enter pairing mode. You can also adjust the volume by using the '+' and '-' buttons, but it can be hard to tell which button is which when you're wearing the headphones. On the center of the right ear cup, you can tap once to play and pause, tap twice to skip a track forward or end a call, and tap three times to skip a track backward. You can also touch and hold while in a call to mute or unmute the microphone and touch and hold for voice assistant.

The touch panel provides feedback for the number of taps you make and is responsive. There are also voice prompts for noise cancelling on/off, 'Ambient Aware', which allows you to hear background sounds around you, and Bluetooth pairing. Although the volume buttons feel a bit mushy, they make a slight clicking sound. Unfortunately, it's easy to accidentally activate a touch command when you're adjusting the headphones on your head.

The JBL Tour One have sub-par breathability. They trap in a lot of heat and don't allow for much airflow. Your ears could feel hot, even if you're not wearing them for long periods. If you're wearing them during physical exercise, you may sweat more than normal.

These headphones have mediocre portability. They're bulky, although they can fold into a slightly more compact shape to fit into their carrying case.

The JBL Tour One have a good carrying case. There's a mesh pocket on the outside, and a clip fabric handle, so it's easy to carry with you. The hard case also has a zipper that completely closes. While it can be tricky to put the headphones into the case, there's a removable cardboard diagram inside to indicate the position the headphones should fold in. There's also fabric to help hold the position of the headphones.

The JBL Tour One Wireless have a good build quality. They have faux leather padding on the ear cups and headband, while the rest of the headphones are mostly plastic. There's a metal strap inside the headband that has lines so that you can evenly adjust them on both sides. Overall, they feel like they could survive some accidental impacts without taking too much damage. However, although we don't currently test for it, they lack an IP rating for dust and water resistance.

These headphones have decent stability. They should stay on your head while you're working at your desk. However, they can fall off your head with more high-intensity head movements, so they're not the best choice for use during physical activity.

• JBL Tour One headphones
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• 1/16" TRS to 1/8" TRS audio cable
• Carrying case
• Flight adapter

The JBL Tour One have a bass-heavy sound profile that delivers extra boom and warmth to your mixes. Vocals and lead instruments also reproduce clearly and accurately. If you prefer a different sound, their companion app offers a parametric EQ and presets to help you customize their sound to suit your tastes.

Note: We normally test our headphones with the ANC on. The JBL have an adaptive noise cancelling system, which automatically adjusts its level depending on your environment. During human testing, the ANC seemed like it was switching between being on and 'Ambient Aware' mode, which allows you to hear background noise around you, during the sweep. Without moving the headphones, we received a different audio curve each time we did a sweep. Turning the ANC off seemed to solve the inconsistency issue between sweeps, and the headphones seemed to stop switching to Ambient Aware. As a result, we tested these headphones with their ANC off for all sound tests except for Noise Isolation.

The JBL Tour One have sub-par frequency response consistency. They're very prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery as they perform differently depending on their fit, seal, and positioning. You may especially notice a drop in bass if you have thick hair or glasses.

The JBL Tour One's bass accuracy is very good. It's overemphasized across the range, which some users may prefer. Mixes have a lot more thump, rumble, and boom.

These headphones are very prone to inconsistencies in bass delivery. Our results represent the average response, and your experience may vary.

The mid accuracy is excellent. They have a fairly neutral response, although there's a small bump in the low-mid which can slightly muddy vocals and lead instruments. However, vocals and lead instruments still sound clear, accurate, and detailed.

The JBL Tour One have good treble accuracy. The low-treble is underemphasized, which can slightly veil vocals and lead instruments. The bump in the mid-treble can also make sibilants like S and T sounds piercing.

These headphones are very prone to inconsistencies in treble delivery and are sensitive to fit and positioning. Our results represent the average response, and your experience may vary.

The JBL Tour One's peaks and dips performance is good. A small dip in the low-bass reduces thump and rumble, while an extended peak across the high-bass to low-mid adds a bit of boom and muddiness to your mixes. A dip in the mid-mid nudges vocals and lead instruments to the back of your mixes, while another dip in the low-treble veils the upper harmonics of these sounds. A large peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like cymbals piercing.

The JBL Tour One's imaging performance is good. The weighted group delay falls mostly below the audibility threshold, resulting fairly tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. However, there are some peaks in the phase response's treble range, and they're audible when listening to real-life content. The peak in the bass range shouldn't be audible for most users, though. While the L/R drivers are well-matched in amplitude, there's also a slight mismatch between the drivers in frequency response, which could result in holes in the stereo image. Imaging is important for the accurate localization of objects like footsteps in the stereo image. Note that our results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.

The passive soundstage performance is disappointing. While the soundstage seems somewhat wide, it's perceived as a bit unnatural and as if coming from inside your head rather than from speakers placed in the room around you. Since they have a closed-back design, their soundstage also seems closed-off.

The JBL Tour One have a good weighted harmonic distortion performance. There are a few peaks, particularly in the bass and treble range. However, the frequencies fall within good limits at moderate and high volumes, resulting in clear and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test the JBL Tour One, and our results are only valid using these settings.

Note: All of our sound testing except for Noise Isolation was conducted with the ANC off as the headphones weren't providing accurate and consistent results.

The noise isolation performance is mediocre. Even with their ANC on, they still struggle to block out the low rumble of bus and plane engines and reduce less noise from this range than the AKG N700NC M2 Wireless . They do a better job of cutting ambient chatter, though. However, they're able to passively reduce high-pitched noise like the hum of an AC unit better than with their ANC on.

The JBL Tour One's leakage performance is satisfactory. A wide band of their leakage is across the mid to treble range, which sounds a bit thin. That said, if you're listening to audio at a high volume in a moderately loud environment like an office, people shouldn't be able to hear it.

These headphones have an integrated mic.

Note: We experienced difficulties testing the headphones' mic. We normally test the mic at 95dB. However, the mic could only reach 75dB. As our software requires a minimum level of 85dB, we tried connecting it to our Avantree BT 5.0 audio transmitter to see if we could obtain a higher volume, but the mic could only reach 72dB. We also performed a recording on an iPhone, which was low and sounded similar to our original PC recording.

We experienced issues testing the performance of the JBL Tour One's mic, and we couldn't run the tests necessary to measure its performance. We decided to use a subjective comparison to assess its performance. Due to these unique conditions, we have decided not to score this test.

The mic offers a satisfactory recording quality. Recorded speech sounds similar to the Razer BlackShark V2 , and your voice sounds natural and clear. However, it's a bit more bass-heavy than the Razer. You can hear a recording of the mic from our phone here . We also did an average of five passes for the mic's frequency response, and you can see our graph here . However, keep in mind that we process more data than what's represented in this graph.

The mic's noise handling performance is okay. The mic struggles to separate your voice from moderate ambient noise like a busy street. If you need to make an important call, it's best to do so from a quiet environment.

The JBL Tour One have an excellent battery performance. They're advertised to last 25 hours with their ANC on, but we measured over 33 hours. However, battery performance can vary depending on usage, so your real-world experience may vary. That said, they have an adjustable auto-off timer to help conserve battery life when not in use, and you can use them passively with their audio cable in a pinch.

The JBL Headphones app is great. It offers a parametric EQ and presets so that you can adjust their sound to your liking. You can also customize their controls like swapping the function button to trigger voice assistant or changing touch and hold to toggle between ANC, ambient, and off. You can also adjust the auto-off timer, switch voice assistants, and see the headphones' battery life. You can access 'Smart Audio & Video' mode too, which helps lower latency for movies and songs.

The JBL Tour One have great Bluetooth connectivity. They support multi-device pairing so that you can connect them with up to two devices at a time. They have somewhat high latency on PC and iOS. However, their latency on Android is a bit less, which makes them suitable for streaming video. However, some apps and devices compensate for latency differently, so your experience may vary.

The JBL Tour One come with a 1/16" TRS to 1/8" TRS cable. You can't use the USB-A to USB-C cable to receive audio.

These headphones can connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs. You can also use their 1/16" to 1/8" TRS cable to connect to PCs, but you can only receive audio and won't be able to use their mic.

The JBL Tour One can only receive audio when using their audio cable on PS4 or PS5 cables.

These headphones can connect to Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S consoles when using their TRS cable. However, you can only receive audio and can't use their mic.

JBL Tour One Wireless review

Jbl gets a number of things right with these over-ears, except for one important aspect.

TechRadar Verdict

JBL is trying to compete with big players with the Tour One Wireless and their sound, while good, isn’t exceptional. Similarly, while the functionality is fine as well, we’re left thinking these could have hit a higher note.

Punchy bass, with custom EQ

Pretty comfortable fit

Solid battery life

Ambient Aware needs work

Sound quality has its limits

Adaptive NC needs tweaking

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

One-minute review

Over-ear headphones have two jobs: fit comfortably and play audio well enough to truly enjoy the content. Sprinkled within those basic tenets are additional features that are supposed to enhance the experience. You could easily describe any over-ear pair that way, but the JBL Tour One Wireless are an interesting case because they’re designed to cater to a larger audience. 

JBL can be hit or miss on its audio products, and the same could be said about the Tour One: the sound, while good, isn’t exceptional, and while the functionality is fine, we’re left thinking these could have hit a higher note. 

There is potential for JBL to release improvements by way of a firmware update through the app, and had already done so once while we tested them. If the company keeps doing that, it may have enough to push them up the ladder as tougher competitors. For now, however, we'd still recommend a pair of cans from Sony or Bose if you want top-tier noise cancellation.

Price and release date

The JBL Tour One were released in May 2021 and come in at $300 / £279 (around AU$450). The challenge is that ballpark price has plenty of other headphones that can compete or play better, and that’s where things get complicated here. 

For starters, that's just a little bit less money than the stellar Sony WH-1000XM4 , what we consider to be the best noise-cancelling headphones on the market, and the Bose QuietComfort 35 II , which comes in a close second. Because ANC isn't the JBL Tour One's strong suit, both feel like better values despite their higher price.

The Tour One Wireless don’t have any special design treatments to stand out in a crowded field. Look at them straight on and they resemble so many others. Gaze at them from the side and the neutral look also doesn’t particularly stand out. The gunmetal and black color scheme is old hat by now, but it still works, so these will fit right in if you’re not looking for anything too conspicuous. 

The faux leather headband is soft enough to sink in without feeling like it pinches after a while, whereas the earcups have little wiggle room once you put them on. That’s great for stability, but perhaps not so much if you want your ears to breathe a little. JBL may have done this by design to better trap in the bass and avoid leakage that would otherwise dilute it. 

Whatever the case, the fit may be divisive because, unlike the headband, you have little recourse to adjust the earcups. They do swivel, which helps contour to the shape if your head and ears, but if you don’t like the thinner padding or how they sit, there’s not much you can do about it. Plus, they do trap in heat, though we didn’t find it to be stifling enough to take them off for a breather all that often.

JBL did try to allocate controls in a symmetrical way. The right earpiece has a power switch that also doubles as the Bluetooth pairing button. Volume controls sit nearby, including a 2.5mm headphone jack when you want to use the Tour One Wireless in a wired form. The USB-C charging port is on the left cup, along with a solitary button to trigger your native voice assistant.

Interestingly, the right earcup’s entire outer surface is touch-sensitive, housing a number of controls. Play or pause with a simple tap, or double tap to skip a track. Unfortunately, there’s no way to repeat one. We tried triple tapping and got nothing. Tap and hold and you can cycle through active noise cancellation (ANC) and Ambient Aware. JBL’s Headphones app does offer some ways to customize those controls, like allocating voice assistants — Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri or Bixby — to the panel instead. In turn, you could apply the Ambient Aware mode to the button on the left earcup as well.

While we didn’t like not being able to repeat a track, we did appreciate how effective the overall controls were. We rarely made a wrong move, and that’s not always the case with every pair of over-ear headphones.

JBL includes a very nice case to go with the Tour One Wireless, complete with pouches for the cables that come with them. To carry and transport these felt like a pleasure based on how snugly everything fit inside.

It was easy enough to pair the Tour One Wireless, especially with Pixel smartphones because JBL supports Google’s fast pairing protocols. We had already downloaded the JBL Headphones app from previous reviews, so were able to also get that connection going in short order. 

Within the app is a set of options that do come in handy. We liked the auto play/pause when removing or putting the Tour One on, as well as an alarm in case we ever felt like taking a nap while listening to music or spoken word content. And then there’s the equalizer, which is necessary to tinker with because of the way these headphones sound. 

By default, they play with a balanced, though subdued, sound profile. The EQ has a few presets, including one for bass, but we went ahead and created our own to see what we could get. 

Performance

We tried the Tour One Wireless in varying conditions and situations to gauge their sound. For the most part, we left ANC on, especially because JBL designed it to be somewhat adaptive, but also kept Ambient Aware on often to see how well that feature worked.

The gist is that the Tour One Wireless are steady enough not to go over any proverbial audio cliff, but those guardrails also force you to be more aggressive with the EQ. For example, at regular levels, these headphones feel restrained. Unleash the bass, and they punch through with more of a thump that makes them come alive. We noticed that right away when playing Friend by KastomariN and the live version of Maxwell’s Ascension . With current hip hop and EDM tracks, you feel the rumble even more. On the flip side, play rock or jazz and the treble can rip through a track with verve, like Jimi Hendrix’s All Along the Watchtower . Thing is, the treble can sometimes feel piercing, and that’s where the EQ can help level off the worst excesses of the highs in the audio spectrum. It helps, but can’t always stave off the harsher elements, especially when you find that the headphones treat quieter portions of a song the same way they do the louder ones. 

We also had to consider how the noise features applied. JBL’s True Adaptive NC regulates ANC by raising or lowering the effect based on what’s happening around you. The problem with it is that it makes an audible difference, so if you’re walking down the street, it’s adjusting a lot to compensate for the variances in both low and high frequencies. We opted to keep ANC at Everyday mode for a more consistent approach. 

Ambient Aware was a mixed bag, not because we couldn’t hear our surroundings, but because they were sometimes muddled. The mode did better with others’ voices than with various sounds, making the mode something to use when necessary, rather than a reliable feature to trust. 

We found phone calls were generally okay, particularly when ANC was on to block out other sounds. Despite that, we noticed much better results in quieter settings, so these may not be the best for conversations when things are loud around you. 

Battery life

JBL rates the Tour One Wireless at up to 24 hours per charge at the standard default volume. We actually hit that number quite easily going a notch above that level, hitting closer to 28-30 hours. We also took advantage of the auto-off setting to have them turn off after 15 minutes when we left them idle. 

Battery life is solid during wired playback, including with game consoles using the TRS cable. It’s just that you lose out on the microphones, since only audio passes through, meaning you won’t be able to communicate in multiplayer games.

Should you buy the JBL Tour One?

Buy them if...

You're looking for easy, intuitive controls We did appreciate how effective the overall controls were. We rarely made a wrong move, and that’s not always the case with every pair of over-ear headphones.

You want fun, bassy sound JBL is known for having a fun sound signature and these are no different. Unleash the bass, and they punch through with more of a thump that makes your music come alive.

You need extra-long battery life over-ear headphones We easily hit 28-30 hours of battery life on a single charge with these at medium volume, which should make them great travel companions for people who are always on the move.

Don't buy them if...

Your ears run hot If you've felt overheated by over-ear headphones in the past, you might want to avoid the Tour One.

You like to take phone calls on your headphones The JBL Tour One sound great, but they don't make you sound great, unfortunately. They can be useful if you take calls in quieter settings, but we wouldn't recommend them if you take calls in a crowded office space or walking down the street.

You're big on features like Ambient Aware and Adaptive ANC It's nice that the Tour One have active noise cancellation, but the accompanying features like Ambient Aware and Adaptive ANC could use some more work.

• Looking for the ultimate over-ears? Check out our guide to the best over-ear headphones

Ted Kritsonis is the Freelance Tech Journalist. He is a Tech journalist contributing to a dozen publications: Globe and Mail, MobileSyrup, Futurithmic, Android Central, TechRadar, and WhatsYourTech.ca, among others.

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JBL Tour One review: Noise-canceling cans for frequent callers

“A big battery and sweet call quality make these cans ideal for work or travel.”

• Effective ANC
• Good sound quality
• Excellent call quality
• Great battery life
• No sidetone for calls
• No aptX/aptX HD/LDAC codecs

Right now, Sony’s $350 WH-1000XM4 are the best noise-canceling headphones you can buy. We like them so much, they also top our lists of best wireless headphones and best headphones overall. Sony’s success hasn’t gone unnoticed by its competitors, which has led to several attempts to mimic the XM4, including JBL’s $300 Tour One.

• What’s in the box?

Comfort, controls, and connections

Sound quality, noise cancellation and transparency, call quality, battery life.

• Can a lower price and the Grammys save one of 2023’s most controversial products?
• JBL upgrades its 2024 wireless headphones with massive battery life
• Your next noise-canceling earbuds may use Navy sonar tech

The Tour One aren’t just a little like the XM4. From their size, weight, shape, and materials to their controls and features, it’s almost as if JBL used the XM4 as its blueprint for the Tour One and then figured out how to sell it for $50 less.

The question you’re probably asking yourself is, should I go ahead and buy the Tour One and save that $50, or did JBL cut too many features in its attempt to slide in under the XM4’s price? I think the Sony headphones are still the ones to buy, but JBL has still managed to make the Tour One worth your consideration thanks to a few things it does really well. Let’s get into it.

What’s in the box?

JBL still has a thing or two to learn about sustainable packaging. The Tour One box contains lots of foam padding and coated cardboard, making it tricky to recycle.

Open up the box and you’ll find the Tour One nestled in their own semi-hardshell, zippered carrying case. This is your first clue that JBL took its inspiration from Sony. Not only is the case almost exactly the same size and shape as the one Sony uses for both the WH-1000XM3 and XM4, but it also has the same mesh pocket sewn to one side, which can be used for small accessories or perhaps a credit card and ID if you took it to the gym.

Inside the case, the Tour One are folded into exactly the same position as the Sony cans and there’s a paper insert with a diagram to remind you how to insert the headphones so they fit, again, just like Sony does.

If you find Sony’s designs too conservative, the Tour One add just enough bling to avoid looking boring.

The similarities continue right down to the small compartment that houses the included accessories: A USB-A to USB-C charging cable, a 3.5mm to 2.5mm analog cable, and a double-prong flight adapter.

Unlike Sony, JBL’s charging cable is actually a usable length (40 inches versus Sony’s ludicrously short 9 inches). The USB-A side is reversible for guess-free usage — a nice touch.

Given how closely the Tour One resemble the WH-1000XM4, it’s hard to quibble with their overall design. It’s a compact shape that keeps the earcups and headband close to your head, so you don’t look like you just walked off the set of a Daft Punk video.

The earcups smoothly pivot, fold, and articulate themselves to match the shape of your head. The headband is well-padded and the sliders move with a precise “notchiness” that is both easy to adjust and secure once adjusted.

The Tour One are still very light and very comfortable.

JBL has graced the Tour One with a slightly satin finish on the plastics and added some black chrome accents that give the cans a decidedly premium look. If you find Sony’s designs too conservative, the Tour One add just enough bling to avoid looking boring.

Controls-wise, JBL actually improves on Sony’s design. JBL keeps things simple by ditching Sony’s swipe gestures for a combination of simple taps on the right earcup for playback control and a dedicated set of buttons for volume.  A combo power/Bluetooth pairing switch on the right earcup and a single multifunction button on the left earcup round out the Tour One’s controls.

Though not quite as light as the WH-1000XM4 (9.45 ounces vs. 8.95 ounces), the Tour One are still very light and very comfortable. There’s generous padding on the ear cushions and headband, and I was able to wear them for three hours continuously without any fatigue, even while wearing glasses. One thing that did start to bother me toward the end of that time was the depth of the earcups. My ears stick out quite a bit — maybe a little more than average — and their outer edges make contact with the inside lining. Eventually, that pressure point needed some relief.

If your ears are like mine, both the Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 offer deeper earcups.

The fold-flat hinges on the Tour One are great for when you want to wear them around your neck, and they fold the right way, meaning that the earcups point down, with the ear cushions against your collar bones. Sony does this too, but Bose makes the peculiar decision to rest the far-less cushy headband sliders against your clavicles.

Despite their comfy fit, the Tour One have a greater tendency to shift around on your head than either the Bose or the Sony. It’s not a deal-breaker by any means, but if you want a set of full-size cans for the gym as well as the office or airplane cabin, you should keep this in mind.

The Tour One’s controls are very easy to use. The single, double-, and triple-tap touches on the right earcup register every time (as long as you tap in the center) and I like having a power switch that instantly powers the headphones on. The Bose 700 power on instantly as well, but the Sony XM4s require more patience, with a press-and-hold gesture on the power button.

Using the JBL Headphones app provides some control customizations. Both the multifunction button as well as the tap-and-hold gesture on the touch panel can be set to control the active noise cancellation (ANC)/TalkThru modes or to trigger your voice assistant.

Bluetooth connectivity is excellent.

The auto-pause option works really well. Pulling the earcups away from your head instantly halts the tunes, then resumes them just as quickly when they are snapped back into place. You can disable the feature in the Headphones app if you want.

Bluetooth connectivity is excellent. Though not considered a class 1 Bluetooth device like the Beats Studio 3 headphones , I was still able to leave my phone at my desk and walk all the way to my garage (about 60 feet, one story, and several walls in terms of distance) and the signal stayed strong. You can also connect the Tour One to two Bluetooth devices simultaneously, though on one occasion this created a static sound that was resolved by disconnecting my phone and reconnecting it.

Out of the box, the Tour One have a relatively neutral EQ. There’s nice definition across frequencies, and excellent clarity in the upper midranges and highs. Bass response is snappy and not overbearing. You can tell that JBL has tuned these cans to be as genre-agnostic as possible, which stands in contrast to headphones that lean toward the low-end.

When compared to the Sony XM4, the Tour One don’t exhibit as much warmth or as wide a soundstage, but the difference isn’t huge. Curiously, just like JBL’s other flagship wireless cans, the Club One , the Tour One aren’t equipped with any high-quality Bluetooth codecs like aptX, aptX HD, or LDAC. So despite being capable of reproducing frequencies from 20Hz to 40kHz (and thus being considered hi-res audio compatible), you’ll never come close to experiencing this when using the headphones wirelessly. The XM4 give you LDAC, which won’t do much for iPhone owners, but will provide better sound quality for those with Android phones.

Listening via Bluetooth lets you appreciate the song’s bones, but going wired lets you hear its soul.

And that’s a shame because when you plug the Tour One into a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) with the included analog cable, they deliver much better depth and resonance.

One of my favorite test tracks is Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy . Not only does it have incredibly deep bass, but it also layers Eilish’s whispery voice on top, creating a torture chamber for audio devices. It’s also a deceptively complex recording. Listening via Bluetooth lets you appreciate the song’s bones, but going wired lets you hear its soul. Suddenly, Eilish isn’t just whispering her way through the lyrics, she’s whispering directly into your ears — it’s a goosebumps-inducing ASMR-level experience .

I don’t want to dump on the wireless performance too much as it’s actually very good, and I really like the fact you can access EQ presets and manual EQ adjustments within the app. Doing so can radically alter the Tour One’s sound signature, so if you’re not a fan of the so-called flat EQ, you don’t have to put up with it.

The Tour One does a decent job of canceling external sounds, but its performance can be a bit uneven. Unlike the Sony XM4 and Bose 700, the Tour One seems to struggle to create a nice, even cancellation effect. I have a fan under my desk that produces both consistent sound and consistent wind. JBL’s ANC blocks it well enough but it can’t quite decide which of the fan’s frequencies to block, so you can actually hear it hunting around and the result can be a bit unpleasant.

This mostly happens when you use JBL’s True Adaptive ANC mode, which attempts to respond to your listening conditions in real time. Turning that feature off helped a lot. In fairness, my desk fan situation is a bit of an anomaly — I wasn’t aware of the problem at all at other times — but both the Sony XM4 and Bose 700 handled it flawlessly, with the Bose being easily the best of the three.

The Silent Now mode is handy for when you just want quiet: It activates ANC but keeps Bluetooth communication turned off, saving the battery for when you need it.

In short, I’ve never tested a set of wireless headphones with better call quality than the Tour One.

JBL gives you two distinct transparency modes to choose from, and both have their advantages. For better general awareness of your surroundings, you can pick Ambient Aware — which lets in a lot of external sounds without altering your music. Or, if you need to actually speak to someone, you can engage TalkThru mode, which is just like Ambient Aware, but it also drops the volume of your audio to the point where it’s barely detectable.

Strangely, you can flip back and forth between full ANC mode and TalkThru by double-clicking the multifunction button, but if you want to switch between ANC and Ambient Aware, you’re forced to switch between three modes: ANC >,  Ambient Aware >, Ambient Aware off  > ANC .

So far, most of the JBL Tour One’s qualities put them more or less where you’d expect in comparing them to the Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. But one area where the Tour One blow these other headphones away is their call quality.

I was able to walk down a very busy street, with varying kinds of traffic noise including loud buses and some construction machinery, and yet when you listen to the recording I made, you’d swear I was sitting in a quiet park by myself — that’s how little external noise was picked up by the Tour One’s mics.

Not only is your voice uninterrupted by these competing sounds, but it sounds really good too. The Tour One capture and preserve your voice’s deeper tones, the ones that give it depth and resonance, which stands in sharp contrast to most other headphones and earbuds.

The only caveat here is that JBL has dedicated all of the Tour One’s mics to canceling noise and optimizing voice quality, which means there’s no sidetone, and no way to stay in Ambient Aware mode or TalkThru mode while on a call. So while your callers will love the way you sound, you won’t be able to hear your own voice as clearly.

JBL claims you’ll get 50 hours of battery life from the Tour One if you disable ANC, and about half that amount if you keep it on. I did not run them for a full charge/discharge cycle, but after about 10 hours of playing music at 50% volume with ANC on, the JBL Headphones app gave me a battery reading of 55% which seems pretty close to JBL’s claims.

These are great numbers. Better than Sony, better than Bose, and even a tiny bit better than the Marshall Monitor ANC II , our previous best premium cans for battery life.

It takes two hours to charge them fully from empty, but you can get three hours of play time from a 10-minute quick charge.

JBL’s Tour series which includes the Tour One headphones and the Tour Pro+ true wireless earbuds , are one of the few on the market that offer hands-free access to your choice of Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.

Once you pick your assistant, you can say “Hey Google,” or “Alexa” and then ask for whatever you need — including controlling playback, call answer, and volume. Using this option frees up one of the Multifunction button’s gestures, giving you more control over other headphone functions.

I only tested Amazon’s Alexa, but it worked flawlessly. JBL hasn’t indicated if using hands-free access reduces battery life (and I wasn’t able to determine if it does), but it’s highly likely that it will.

You also get JBL’s My Alarm feature, which lets you select from a variety of soothing sounds, combined with a customizable sleep timer.

For those who want a premium set of noise-canceling headphones, the JBL Tour One offer an excellent (and cheaper) alternative to Sony and Bose, with very few sacrifices made for their more affordable price. And they’re killer for phone calls.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes, overall, the Sony WH-1000XM4 are still a better set of noise-canceling headphones, beating the Tour One in sound quality, ANC, comfort, and wireless hi-res audio. But unless you can find them on sale, they’re a good bit more expensive than the JBL Tour One. If you don’t mind the trade-offs, I see no reason not to buy the Tour One instead of the Sonys.

How long will they last?

From what I can tell, the build quality and materials on the Tour One are both excellent, and I suspect they will fare about the same as models from Sony and Bose in terms of longevity. They may even have an edge thanks to their bigger battery life, as batteries are usually the first part to degrade in a set of wireless headphones.

JBL backs the Tour One with a one-year warranty.

Should you buy them?

Yes. They’re a solid option for those looking for comfortable noise-canceling headphones with good sound quality, great battery life, and excellent call quality

Editors' Recommendations

• Best wireless earbuds for 2024: Sony, Bose, Soundcore, and more
• The 11 best noise-canceling headphones for 2024
• JBL’s $200 Live 3 earbuds get the Tour Pro 2’s touchscreen charging case
• Best noise-canceling earbuds for 2023: from Sony, Soundcore, Jabra, and more
• What is ANC and how do noise-cancelling headphones work?
• Entertainment
• Headphone Reviews
• Product Reviews

Marshall's second-gen Motif ANC wireless earbuds -- appropriately called the Marshall Motif II ANC -- look exactly like the first-gen Motif, but under the hood are some welcome enhancements like better battery life, better active noise cancellation (ANC) performance, and support for Bluetooth LE Audio. The price, on the other hand, remains the same: you can buy them staring August 29 for $199 on Marshall's website. The company expects them to ship on September 12.

Marshall has a talent for understatement. Its press release for the Marshall Motif II ANC talks about the improved battery life twice -- the new earbuds now get six hours of ANC playtime on a charge and a total of 30 hours with the case (versus 4.5 and 20 on the first-gen) -- but never mentions that the new Motif now have Bluetooth Multipoint for connecting two devices simultaneously.

While most of the attention these days is on true wireless earbuds, it's easy to forget that some folks much prefer the older neckband style for its simple convenience and longer battery life. Beyerdynamic clearly hasn't forgotten. Despite launching its first true wireless earbuds in 2022 -- the Free Byrd -- the company is continuing to develop its original Blue Byrd neckband-style buds with the introduction of the second-gen Blue Byrd ANC ($149).

As the name suggests, the new earbuds have active noise cancellation (ANC), a feature that remains fairly rare in the neckband earbuds category. You can buy them now from Beyerdynamic or Amazon.

Sony has announced its latest wireless earbuds, and they bring the cost of the company's excellent active noise cancellation (ANC) technology to a new low price. At $120, the WF-C700N are a step up from the entry-level $100 WF-C500, which lack ANC, yet they're considerably more affordable than the $200 Sony LinkBuds S or the $279 WF-1000XM4, the company's only other ANC models.

The WF-C700N can be preordered immediately in one of four colors (black, white, lavender, and sage green), with an expected delivery date of April 17 to April 18.

JBL Tour One review

Jbl’s premium wireless noise-cancelling headphones struggle to impress tested at £279 / $299 / au$369.

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

JBL’s classy headphones certainly look the part, they just lack dynamic and rhythmic finesse when compared to the class leaders

Energetic presentation

Reliable touch controls

Classy build and finish

Beaten for dynamics and subtlety

Coarse and unrefined upper mids

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

At first glance, the Tour One over-ears look and feel far too minimalist and monochrome for JBL. Where are bright colours? Where’s the white branding to emphasise the JBL exclamation mark? In JBL’s own words, the Tour One over-ears (and their counterpart, the Tour Pro+ in-ear model) have been “designed for business professionals”, and we can see that. For starters, these wireless noise-cancelling headphones boast up to 50 hours of music playback from a single charge and can access virtual voice assistants from Amazon and Google – all very business-like.

Although JBL’s two-strong Tour headphone series was first unveiled in January 2021, the US audio giant only let them loose on the general public in May. So are they worth the wait? And crucially, can they challenge class-leaders Sony, Bose and Sennheiser in this dog-eat-dog category?

At £279 ($299), JBL’s Tour One headphones aren’t cheap, but they do undercut the Apple AirPods Max (£549) by a considerable margin. 

They’re more in the ballpark of the now regularly discounted, Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM4 (currently around £279/$399/AU$395), also-reduced Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless (roughly £233/$270/AU$380) and Bose’s talented Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 (£250/$379/AU$395) at the time of writing). 

These are among the most popular options at this price level, and that’s before you look at models that sit just below their level. Plenty of competition for JBL, then.

Build and comfort 

Unbox the Tour One and the first thing you see is a premium moulded black travel case with a useful snap-fastener on the zip. Inside, the earcups are rotated 90 degrees to lie flat, with the left one folded up towards the headband for greater portability. The smell of classy faux leather from the padded cups and top portion of the headband puts us in mind of much pricier studio over-ears – and we can’t help but notice the similarities between these cans and the Sony WH-1000XM4, which look almost identical in their travel case.

The rest of the Tour One are finished in black plastic (black is the only colour available), but it covers a durable metal frame. The metal extension strap within the headband features etched lines, so you can extend them evenly on each side. They aren’t the most aesthetically original headphones on the market and there’s no IP rating for water or dust ingress, but the high standard of finish we’d expect from an established and trusted name such as JBL has certainly been met. 

Finishes x1 

Battery life up to 25 hours (ANC on), up to 50 hours (ANC off)

Driver size 40mm

Weight 268g

Bluetooth 5.0

Features TalkThru, Ambient Aware and Adaptive Noise Cancellation/everyday ANC profiles, Wearer-detection

As we don them, the clamping force is practically perfect and also well weighted so that they stay put across the course of our listening sessions. The Tour One features 40mm drivers behind the oval, slightly angled earcups plus a four-mic array for taking calls, which are remarkably clear during our testing. 

On the right earpiece, the power/pairing switch and physical volume controls sit on the back edge of the earcup, closest to your neck. The entire top surface of this earcup is touch-sensitive and reacts quickly with a demure beep to stop playback, start it, skip tracks or scroll through noise-cancelling ambient sound control profiles with a long-press – but this can be customised in the JBL Headphones app. 

The left earcup has just one physical button, also towards the back edge of the earcup, which can be customised either to access Alexa or the Google Assistant, or scroll through ambient sound profiles. It’s a neat solution and it works very well indeed. Having tested countless models that have iffy or unreliable touch controls, it is refreshing to find a reliable solution that means we rarely need to dig out our phone. 

Bluetooth 5.0 is at the helm, and battery life is 25 hours with Bluetooth and noise-cancelling switched on, and around 50 hours using just Bluetooth. Thanks to Speed Charging, a quick 10-minute stint at the power socket (via USB-C on the left earcup) should be enough for two hours of playback. Want to get wired? Fine – there’s a 2.5mm jack on the right earcup and a 2.5mm-to-3.5mm cable supplied. 

To set up the JBL Tour One after initial Bluetooth pairing, the JBL Headphones app first sends us to the Alexa or Google Assistant app to add them as an accessory, then slickly redirects us back to our JBL Headphones in-app control centre. Here, under the Noise Cancelling tab, you can select between True Adaptive ANC (which monitors your environment in real-time and alters the level of noise-cancelling automatically) or ‘everyday mode’, underneath which is written the somewhat blasé explanation “Block out the noise of everyday life” – but essentially it just means that ANC is on.

We find the True Adaptive ANC a little distracting because we can hear the levels of isolation audibly change, occasionally creating a disconcerting wind-tunnel effect when out and about, and while the everyday mode is easier on our ears and perfectly sufficient for cutting low-level noise, it isn’t the most effective performance we’ve ever heard at this level. It’s also worth noting that it is impossible to tweak or customise these profiles further than ‘on’ or ‘off’. 

You’ve also got an Ambient Sound Control tab, to locate Ambient Aware or TalkThru profiles (where Ambient Aware filters external sounds in, and TalkThru mutes playback in addition to this), and lastly, an interesting new tab called Smart Audio and Video. By selecting one of the three profiles under this tab, JBL allows you to optimise the Bluetooth connection for normal listening, switch up the quality in “music mode” or switch to the low-latency “video mode” to get your picture and sound in perfect sync – although we’re still unsure why you can’t watch videos and listen in the best quality, particularly as multi-point connection is supported to a maximum of two devices. We try switching between the two while watching a YouTube video on our phone and are unable to detect notable differences or benefits in either mode, but it’s an interesting idea nonetheless. 

At the bottom of the app’s intuitive home screen is an EQ tab, to select from five presets, or you can create your own unique line on a frequency stave to emphasise certain frequencies or lower others – and it works very well. 

You can also turn wearer-detection off to stop playback automatically pausing when you remove them. 

All in all, the app is easy to navigate and well-designed. Is the feature set good enough to take on the class-leading Sony XM4 when coupled with the sound? Sony’s cans are 14g lighter, which isn’t much, but they are slightly more comfortable and cooler during the course of our listening. So, let’s see how the JBL Tour One fares sonically...

Turning all EQ optimisation off to facilitate a neutral listen, we stream Invisible Touch by Genesis on Apple Music and note the considerable onboard oomph from the Tour One. As the track continues, Phil Collins’ driving drum beat and vocals are delivered with an extra dollop of zeal and energy alongside the separate and distinct canon backing vocals. Throughout Land Of Confusion the vocal is central alongside a grippy bass and treble key progressions as JBL proves the Tour One are at home when handling rock tracks. 

We switch to the challenging progressive rock track Thick As A Brick (Pt. 1) by Jethro Tull. The flute feels three-dimensional and the strummed guitar sounds emotive, in as cohesive a mix as the Blackpool prog outfit could have possibly intended. However, it’s here that we start to notice a few shortfalls: the Tour One doesn’t seem to know when to ease off. Through the Sony WH-1000XM4 we hear more dynamic detail in the quieter nuances of the track as it continues to build; the lyrical guitar passages are more sensitively placed in the soundstage so that the surprise power chords, tambourines and trumpets can crash in with extra edginess and impact.

For hip-hop and grime fans, you might assume that the verve and zeal with which J Hus’ Lean & Bop is delivered would mean a huge tick for the Tour One, but the JBL headphones also suffer from a coarse upper midrange, which can become tiring even during short listening sessions. There’s a lack of refinement and subtlety present in both the vocals and instruments across the board, which really detracts from the whole listening experience. It isn’t terrible, it’s just that when you’re up against the Sony Award-winners (and surrounded by a multitude of capable rivals at the money), the differences quickly reveal themselves. 

JBL’s Tour One headphones certainly look the part and the firm has offered a fresh and compelling feature set in a bid to become a true player in the over-ear noise-cancelling headphones sector. There are some things to like here, but you’ll get extra features and, more importantly, better sound quality if you shop around and look at rival pairs from the likes of Bose, Sennheiser and Sony.

Read our Sony WH-1000XM4 review

Read our Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 review

Read our round up of the best over-ear headphones 2021

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

Read more about how we test

JBL Tour One M2 review

The pro-audio dna is strong in these stylish noise cancelling headphones from jbl.

Louder Verdict

The JBL Tour One M2 can be considered a sensational update on an already winning design. Thanks to those big 40mm drivers, they’re beautifully dynamic and are as at home with nu metal as they are classic rock. Sumptuously finished, and supremely comfortable to wear, they come highly recommended.

Exciting, dynamic audio performance

Insanely comfortable

Bass isn’t subterranean

Takes time to master physical controls

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

• The alternatives

The JBL Tour One M2 headphones offer advanced noise cancelling and reassuringly dynamic audio thanks to big 40mm dynamic drivers. Suited to guitar-led indie rock, melodious prog and grinding nu-metal, they’re versatile crowd pleasers.

The black or silver design is understated for JBL and the cups pivot so they’re easy to stow - although it takes a bit of practice to master the body controls. The right has a power/pairing switch and volume control rockers and is touch sensitive for playback or voice control, while the left has a customisable button for Active Noise Cancellation and related modes.

The headphones run Bluetooth 5.3 LE and support two device multipoint connections while battery life is up there with the best at around 30 hours with ANC on and 50 hours when it’s off.

JBL Tour One M2: Design

A second generation iteration of JBL's flagship over-ear headphones, the Tour One M2 are handsome in a minimalist way, with matte ear cups offset by a gloss trim. There’s a choice of two colours: stealthy-black or glam rock silver. The headphones fold and the cups pivot, making them compact enough to stow in a bag or deep pocket. 

The right cup has a power and pairing switch plus volume control rockers and is touch sensitive for simple playback control or voice control; the left offers ANC modes. Like their predecessor, these headphones are supremely comfortable to wear. Tipping the the scales at just 268g, they don’t over clamp and the faux leather padding used in the headband and earmuffs is marshmallow soft.

The JBL Tour One M2 also come with a carry case, 3.5mm cable, USB-C cable and airline adapter.

JBL Tour One M2: Features

The feature roster is the right side of smart on the JBL Tour One M2. The noise cancelling headphones react to your voice, pausing music and enabling Ambient Aware mode, so you can carry on a conversation. An alternative Smart Talk mode lowers the volume of music so that you can hold a quick conversation. 

The JBL Tour One M2 also feature an updated version of the brand’s True Adaptive ANC noise cancelling tech which is generally impressive. In ANC mode they hide intrusive noise, effectively cloaking even high volume distractions. I wore the JBL Tour One M2 on a flight to New York and they made short work of aeroplane engine noise to the point where it was undetectable when using British Airways' inflight entertainment system. A Man Called Otto barely had to raise his voice.

If you want to take advantage of noise cancelling without draining Bluetooth, there’s also a SilentNow feature. This disconnects your smartphone and activates ANC which is good for both short and long commutes.

Thanks to Bluetooth 5.3 LE, the battery life on the JBL Tour One M2 is generous. These headphones run for 30 hours with ANC activated and 50 if you turn ANC off. That’s more than enough for several days ear-wear without worrying about charging.

Helpfully, they’ll also fast charge if you’re caught short. Ten minutes on the juice translates to around five hours of playtime - and there’s also support for Google Assistant and Alexa.

JBL Tour One M2: Sound

I think the JBL Tour One M2 offer an exhilarating listen thanks to the pair of large 40mm dynamic drivers which do the sonic lifting, tuned with JBL pro-sound pixie dust. They sound fast and dynamic, with excellent fine detail.

There’s a variety of sound profiles on the partnering JBL app (Club, Bass, Vocal, Jazz), but Studio is the only one you need. It offers loads of detail and a balanced mid-range which is delivered with a bourbon-sweet musical edge.

This tonality perfectly fits the indie rock of Sydney-based three-piece Middle Kids. The stabby guitar riff of Highlands doesn’t get in the way of the silky euphoric vocals.

These headphones also support JBL Spatial Sound, a novel post-processing mode that creates a more immersive sound stage. There are three presets: Movie, Music and Game but results are variable. The Music setting's spatial treatment works a treat on the live cut of American Beat by the Headcats, effectively putting you stage front and the live atmosphere wraps around you. 

I’m not so convinced it adds much to the studio release of Motorhead's Ace Of Spades though. The standard Studio EQ when cranked up is rewardingly raw and rowdy enough.

Bass delivery can be considered clean and agile and perfectly showcases Roger Waters ' propulsion bass riff on Pink Floyd ’s Money , although I can see some might hanker for more exaggerated weight. 

The crunching opening to Muse ’s Hysteria could perhaps slam harder but this is a minor niggle for such a fine pair of hard rockin’ headphones.

The bottom line is the JBL Tour One M2 sound great. Consider me satisfied.

JBL Tour One M2: The alternatives

There’s no shortage of competing quality noise cancelling headphones. One obvious alternative to the JBL Tour One M2 are the Sony WH-1000XM5 . Similarly minimalistic in style, they come in slightly more expensive but boast slightly better noise cancelling and a host of smart features, including Speak-to-Chat and 360 Reality Audio support. But the drivers are smaller at just 30mm.

A budget big brand alternative would be the Sennheiser HD 450BT over-ear headphones . These also offer Active Noise Cancelling, a 30 hour battery life and lightweight design (238g).

Steve is a home entertainment technology specialist who contributes to a variety of UK websites and mags, including Louder Sound, Yahoo UK, Trusted Reviews, T3, The Luxe Review and Home Cinema Choice. Steve began his career as a music journo, writing for legendary rock weekly Sounds, under the nom de plume Steve Keaton. His coverage of post punk music was cited in the 2015 British Library exhibition Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination, as a seminal influence on the Goth music scene.

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The JBL Tour One Review: Stunning Pair of Commuter Headphones, But Are They Worth $300?

JBL's Tour One headphones offer exceptional comfort, crisp sound, and an upscale look. All for around $300.

JBL Tour One

Known best for youthful, bright-colored beach speakers, JBL shows its grown-up side with its new Tour One headphones. They're sleek, stylish, and sound fantastic---all for just a hair under $300.

• Ambient Aware mode
• True Adaptive Noise Cancelling
• 50-hour battery life
• JBL Pro Sound, hi-res certified
• 4-mic technology for voice calling
• Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Siri support
• Hands-free control
• 40 mm driver
• JBL Headphones app
• Battery Life: 50 hours (ANC on) /25 Hours (passive mode)
• Material: Plastic and Metal
• Bluetooth: 5.0
• Noise Cancellation: True Adaptive Noise Cancelling, Ambient Aware mode
• Stylish and subdued
• Excellent sound-staging
• Bluetooth pairing was easy
• Lightweight
• Calls sound phenomenal
• Slightly uncomfortable after long listening sessions
• Can't charge and use wireless at the same time
• Noise cancelling feature doesn't block out louder sounds
• Midrange dominates at higher volumes
• Extremely sensitive touch panel

For some people, Bluetooth headphones are only important when isolating themselves from grunting gym-goers or noisy subway cars. For these purposes, a pair of cheapies will do the trick just fine. True music aficionados, however, want a little more.

Enter JBL’s new Tour One. These over-the-ear, closed-back headphones are designed for the discerning mobile audiophile that wants Bluetooth flexibility but isn’t satisfied with “just fine.” Offering a 40mm driver, True Adaptive Noise Cancelling, TalkThru, and certified hi-res audio, the Tour One makes some big promises.

But can these classy cans measure up? Read on to find out.

What’s in the Box?

Opening the foam-lined box on these $300 headphones reveals a hardshell zipper case with everything tucked snugly inside. The ear cups are protected by a couple of plastic inserts, which keep the foam earpads from deforming during shipping.

In the case with the Tour Ones are an airplane adapter, a flat USB-C cable, and a 2.5mm to 3.5mm headphone cable.

Removing the protective case from the box reveals a rectangular package, that houses JBL’s quick-start guide, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant set up guides, the warranty information booklet, and a safety booklet.

Technical Specifications

• Headphone style: Over-the-ear
• Driver size: 40mm
• Driver sensitivity @ 1kHz/1mW (dB): 95 db SPL @ 1kHz
• Dynamic freq response range: 10 Hz — 40K Hz (in passive mode), 10Hz ~ 22kHz (in active NC mode)
• Impedance (ohms): 32
• Weight: .59 lbs (268 g)
• Battery: Li-ion (920 mAh / 3.7 V)
• Max play time (ANC on): 25 hours
• Max play time (ANC off): 50 hours

Initial Impressions

The first thing you'll notice about the Tour Ones is how understated they are. Like the Bose QuietComfort35 and Sony WH-1000XM4 models in the same class, JBL’s flat-black offering doesn’t shout “look at me.” This flat-black also avoids all but the greasiest fingerprints. That said, the majority of the Tour One’s components are plastic.

They feel light and a bit—shall we say—delicate. Not terrible, mind you, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable tossing them in my work bag without their protective case.

On the outside of the headphones, the JBL logo is tastefully engraved into each of the earcups. In addition, the headband is adorned with a discrete Tour One logo printed on a glossy black accent. On each of the earcups, you’ll find another glossy accent with the word TOUR.

Everything on these headphones is pleasingly symmetrical, save for the volume buttons on the right earcup. On that same side is the on/off/Bluetooth button, the audio input jack, and a tiny microphone grille with a tell-tale “R” printed on it.

The left side of the headphones has the customizable function button and the USB-C charging port. Next to the port is a nearly invisible LED that will let you know when the headphones are charging or when the battery is about to die. There’s also another speaker grille like the one on the right.

The inner portion of the headband is metal, the center of which JBL wrapped with marshmallow-y memory foam and faux leather. The padding for each earcup is the same foam and the same faux leather.

There is also a 12-step adjustment in the band to fit both larger and smaller-sized heads. Additionally, the headphones swivel inward if you need to pop them onto your collar temporarily.

As I said, the understatement of these headphones is striking. At first glance, the Tour Ones don’t scream expensive, but once you start digging into the details, you can see why they command a $300 MSRP.

Related: What Is a DAC and Do You Need One?

Sound Quality

Despite how nice a pair of ‘phones looks the true test of quality is how they sound. These headphones carry JBL’s Pro Sound designation and are hi-res certified, so they should sound fantastic. But do they?

For the Tour One’s, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. These cans sound balanced to my ears—with only a tickle of mid-range dominating the mix.

Because this pair comes with a wired option, I chose to evaluate both wireless performance via my iPhone Xs, and my 2018 iPad Pro, and wired performance through two Fiido DACs that I own.

Compared to my favorite pairs of wired headphones—the ATH-M50 and the Sennheiser HD598—the JBLs performed well. When wired and run through both my Fiido K1 and my Fiido E17K Alpen 2, the Tour One’s sound-staging was impressive, and it was easy to pick out sparkling cymbals and layered harmonies.

While not quite as powerful when using wireless, instrumental separation on the Tour Ones was still remarkable.

James Blake’s “Limit to Your Love” is one of my favorite bass test tracks because the wobbling lows can’t be reproduced well on sub-par audio equipment. Queueing up the track on the Tour Ones resulted in the intended bass response, though it wasn’t quite the earthquake I believe Blake was going for.

On the other hand, switching to hip-hop allowed these headphones to shine. The bass on both Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Llif3” and J.Cole’s “pride.is.the.devil” was head-knockingly satisfying. It didn’t overwhelm the other elements, however.

To mix it up a bit, I also tried the Tour Ones with a more rock-inspired favorite—Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” Despite being produced in 1982, both Jackson and Quincy Jones outdid themselves on this track.

It’s full of layered musical bliss in the form of Jackson’s ad-libs and harmonies, an ethereal synthesizer, an iconic bassline, and a bright buzzsaw of a guitar solo. Each of these elements was easy to distinguish on the JBLs, whether wired or wireless, and Jackson’s tongue rolls and other eccentricities came through with grinning clarity.

The playful violin of Beethoven’s “String Trio in C Minor, Op. 9,” and the introspective cellos of Hans Zimmer’s “Time” was also enjoyable when piped through the Tour Ones.

Overall, I would rate the sound quality of these headphones as excellent, with the mids displaying slightly more prominence. For all but the most well-tuned ear, the Tour Ones will be a significant step-up over something like the AirPods Pro.

Related: What Equipment Do You Need to Enjoy Lossless Audio?

If you’re wearing your headphones for long periods, you want to ensure that they won’t give you a sore neck. The feathery weight of the Tour Ones is fantastic here, though they do start to get a bit cumbersome after four or five hours.

I noticed this much more when wearing my glasses, as the earcups pressed the temples into the bony area behind my ears. However, the padding does a lot to mitigate the ultra-light clamping force, so it is possible to wear these headphones for most of the day. But, if you’re planning on wearing them for more than a few hours, you’ll want to take breaks.

Speaking of clamping force, it falls squarely in the Goldilocks range as it’s not so tight you feel constricted, but not loose enough that the headphones fall off when you’re dancing in the living room. As for using these babies in the gym, you could toss them on for exercise if you’d like, though getting them sweaty might not be best for longevity.

The generous earcups also stand out. I have slightly larger than average ears, so tucking them into headphones isn’t always easy. But, with the Tour Ones, I didn’t have any trouble.

From a comfort perspective, these cans are decently comfortable, though I wouldn’t give them the absolute highest marks. In my experience, however, headphones can take a bit to break in, and perhaps they’ll become more comfortable as time passes.

Pairing and Controls

Bluetooth pairing.

Bluetooth pairing consists of toggling the switch on the right earphone and holding it down. Once in pairing mode, you can connect to most devices with Bluetooth support. My iPhone, iPad, Mac mini M1, and Macbook Air laptop all paired perfectly.

JBL designed the Tour One to switch between two devices, so if you have a computer and a smartphone, you can use the headphones with both. Switching is as simple as toggling the button downward for a moment. To pair new devices, just hold down the button for a bit longer.

Once you’ve completed pairing a few times, the act of switching devices becomes second nature.

There are a minimalistic amount of controls on the headphones themselves. The off/on and Bluetooth switch are on the right earphone. Below this switch are the volume buttons, which allow you to adjust volume without taking your phone out of your pocket.

There’s also a touch sensor outside the right earcup that responds to single, double, and triple taps as well as touch-and-hold input. Like many headphone controls, a single tap plays and pauses audio, a double skips forward, and a triple skips backward.

Touching and holding can be customized to toggle TalkThru, Ambient Sound Control, or the voice assistant. On the left earphone is a customizable function button that you can also use to summon your voice assistant or toggle noise cancellation modes.

For the most part, these controls work swimmingly, save for the play/pause touch function. Given the sensitivity of the touch sensor, sometimes lifting your arms overhead will inadvertently tap the touch panel, which pauses your music.

While not quite a dealbreaker, I wish there was a way to adjust the sensitivity of this sensor so that it wasn’t prone to so many false activations. Touch and hold would also get confused at times, which required me to turn the headphones off and back on again. Again, not a huge deal, though slightly annoying.

Ambient Aware, TalkThru, and True Adaptive Noise Canceling

Ambient aware.

Ambient Aware mode allows you to hear outside sounds while using your Tour Ones. The benefit of this mode is that you can still hear when someone says something to you, but your music will also play at normal volume.

This mode is excellent if you still need to pay attention to your surroundings—but don’t want to miss out on your tunes. It’s also fantastic for gaming, as you can still pick out in-game sounds while staying alert to what’s going on in the house.

A unique feature of the Tour One is TalkThru which lowers music volume and allows you to converse as though you weren’t wearing headphones. To activate the TalkThru feature, tap and hold on the outside of the right earcup.

This particular mode functions like Ambient Aware mode, but where Ambient Aware doesn’t lower music volume, TalkThru will—drastically. The mode also uses the built-in microphones for a more natural-sounding conversation.

I found TalkThru to be ideal for when I needed to pay close attention to my conversations, though I feel like sliding the JBLs off of my ears and onto my shoulders was slightly more polite. Doing so also automatically paused my music.

True Adaptive Noise Canceling

JBL’s flavor of noise cancellation is called "True Adaptive Noise Canceling." While this designation may sound exciting, the general principle of using a microphone to filter out ambient noise is common.

However, with True Adaptive, the Tour One headphones will automatically adjust the amount of noise cancellation based on the noise level in your environment.

The wizardry that makes active noise-canceling work is still somewhat foreign to me, and True Adaptive, even more so, but what I do know is that noise-canceling works well. While listening to music or watching movies, the room sounds were almost completely filtered out.

The good news is that the Tour Ones did filter out almost everything when music was playing, save for a reversing garbage truck and my dog’s aggressive barking at said garbage truck.

JBL states that you can turn this feature on when nothing is playing to eliminate outside distractions. That’s ideal for those who need a little quiet time in busy social spaces or who want to drown out distractions without playing music. Snapping my fingers with nothing playing was still slightly audible, though alternating between the ‘phones being on and taking them off was noticeably different.

Related: Offline Apps to Keep You Entertained During Your Commute

Charging and Battery Life

Two of the best features for the Tour Ones are the quick charge time and the extended battery life. Plugging the headphones in for just 10 minutes yields three hours of playtime. Perfect for situations where you only have a few minutes to charge.

Two hours on the charger will top up the headphones to full. Once there, you have around 50 hours of playtime without True Adaptive Noise Canceling active and 25 with the feature enabled.

In the JBL app, there is also the ability to shut the headphones off after a certain amount of time. If you’re chasing the maximum battery life, then I’d recommend you use this feature. I have mine set to 15 minutes which allowed the first charge to last a whole week despite almost constant use.

I have to say that battery life has impressed me, and having to charge these headphones only once or twice a week saves a bit of hassle. The automatic off function also ensures that I’m not leaving the Tour Ones drained when I forgetfully set them down without turning them off, which I often do.

Microphones and Call Quality

JBL has equipped the Tour Ones with four microphones for phone calls: two voice mics, a voice feedback mic, and a noise cancelation mic. These four microphones do a phenomenal job of picking up sound, and it’s difficult for callers to tell you’re talking through a set of headphones.

It is slightly awkward to make calls with the noise cancelation feature enabled, though, as it filters everything outside of the headphones, including your voice. Not hearing your voice results in feeling a bit like someone stuffed you into a compression chamber. This won’t be an issue for some people.

Voice Assistant Support

Given the popularity of Amazon Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant, JBL has included support for these voice assistants in the Tour One headphones. To activate your preferred assistant, you’ll first need to set things up in the JBL app. From there, you can assign the assistant to a button press with the function button or to a tap-and-hold with the touch sensor.

I tried both Siri and Alexa and was able to control each assistant easily. No hiccups, no glitches, just a quick setup, and the voice assistant capabilities are available. Of course, if you have Android 6.0 or higher, you’ll have access to a much wider range of features, but even with iOS, I was able to adjust the volume and ask Siri stupid questions.

Related: How to Make Spotify Sound Better

The JBL Headphones App

Everything seems to have an app these days, and the JBL Tour Ones are no exception. The JBL Headphones app allows users to customize controls, manipulate EQ settings, set up voice assistants, and wirelessly toggle feature settings.

I found the app easy to work with, though it’s nothing out of the ordinary. The EQ settings do offer a bit more of a tailored sound for those who want to tweak their music even more. Additionally, the customization controls allow you to change what the touch surface and the left function button do.

Download: JBL Headphones for Android | iOS (Free)

Warranty and Repairability

Warranty coverage on these headphones is one year from the date of purchase. Unfortunately, there are no user-serviceable components inside. That means if you have a problem, then you’ll need to contact JBL directly.

I also feel I should mention the customer service experience briefly. I had a bit of trouble getting these headphones at first, but the customer service representative I dealt with was extremely helpful in sorting everything out. They were polite, kept in contact, and emailed me with updates. For that, JBL gets an A+ from me in the customer service department.

Are the JBL Tour One Headphones Worth It?

Absolutely. For a $300 set of headphones , these things—excuse the cliché—rock. They’re comfortable, light, good-looking, and, man, do they sound fantastic. If you’re in the market for a good set of wireless headphones and $300 is your cost ceiling, then the JBL Tour Ones are well worth a look.

At $50 cheaper than the Sony WH-1000XM4, and $249 less than the AirPods Max, these puppies are pretty enticing. That’s why, for most people, the Tour Ones are going to be money well spent.

What’s Not to Love?

As previously noted, these cans tend to become uncomfortable after long periods of use. Additionally, they made my ears a bit warm as they aren’t exceptionally breathable.

You also can’t use the Tour Ones while charging unless you have them plugged in via the 3.5mm headphone cable. That isn’t too bad when using the headphones on a computer, but it’s not so much fun when you’re using them with a device lacking a headphone jack.

Additionally, as good as the True Adaptive Noise Cancelling is, it doesn’t block out extremely loud noise. Dogs barks, loud subway cars, and noisy airplanes are going to get through the noise cancellation. That might be an issue for someone searching for that “sealed-in-a-glass-jar” feeling of serenity.

Our Verdict: Should You Buy the JBL Tour One?

Even though headphones will be individually subjective, the Tour Ones are a superior choice for a noise-canceling model in the $300 price range. They’re sleek, stylish, and subdued while also offering enhanced audio fidelity. They’ve seriously impressed us, even if they do possess a few slight annoyances. Overall, JBL’s new Tour Ones are a wonderful way to enjoy your favorite ear candy, and we think that they're pretty sweet.

BUY NOW: JBL TOUR ONE

JBL Tour One Headphones Review

Jbl's latest travel cans give sony's best a run for their money.

Updated July 14, 2021

Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.

About the JBL Tour One

What we like, what we don’t like, should you buy it.

Great sound

Solid noise cancelling

Huge battery life

Software is occasionally finicky

All in all, I love JBL’s Tour One headphones. They’re comfortable, stuffed with useful features, do a great job canceling noise, and sound excellent. Apart from some minor complaints about the software defaults and a small issue with the included 3.5mm cable, these headphones are nearly flawless.

The Tour One fit into a particular headphone niche: wireless travel cans that boast just about every feature you could ask for, whether you need them for long trips, working from home, or anything in between. In keeping with the competition, they land in the $300 price range.

Here are the specs you’ll want to know about:

• Price: $299.95
• Style: Over-ear
• Noise-canceling: True Adaptive Noise Canceling
• Battery life: Up to 50 hours (depending on usage)
• Passive operation: Yes (3.5mm cable included)
• Voice assistant: Yes (Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant)
• Weight: 268 g/0.59 lbs. (headphones only)
• Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 5.0
• Colors: Black
• Additional features: Ambient Aware, TalkThru, Smart Audio/Smart Video, Auto Off, Auto-Pause, Hands-free Voice Control, custom EQ

In the box, you're getting the Tour One headphones, a USB-C charging cable, a 3.5mm cable, an airplane adapter, and a zip-up carry case.

Alongside the headphones, you’ll get a USB-C charging cable, a sturdy zip-up carrying case, a 3.5mm audio cable, and an airplane adapter.

Lightweight, comfy, and intuitive

From a design perspective, the cups take up a decent amount of space, rather than molding tight or very flat around your ears. These substantial (yet still quite compact) cups are what make possible the various functions you’re getting here, including voice microphones, an outer microphone array, a big battery, and a few control buttons. The latter present a deviation from the fully touch-capacitive design on the XM4, allowing you to adjust volume, enable Bluetooth, and jump between ANC and transparency modes with actual physical buttons.

However, the Tour One also features a single touch-capacitive function on the right cup that allows for play/pause (with a single tap) or you can tap-and-hold to activate your phone’s voice assistant. This is OS-dependent by default (so Samsung phones will use Bixby, for example), but can be assigned specifically to Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant if you so choose.

You're getting mostly tactile buttons for controls, but you can also tap the right ear cup for play/pause.

While I don’t mind exclusively touch-capacitive controls (once I have a day or two to learn them), I appreciate the certainty presented by real buttons. Within minutes of plopping the Tour One on my head, I was adjusting volume and jumping through playback modes without a single misfire. And with only one touch-capacitive surface to remember, the Tour One’s semi-hybrid approach is easy to get “under your fingers,” so to speak.

The gunmetal/black coloring on the Tour One is bound not to offend any sensibilities, though I wouldn’t mind having at least one other color option here. But as it stands, the Tour One presents a polished, professional look befitting the price point.

Solid accessories

At $300, you expect some nice accessories, and the Tour One deliver there. In general, these headphones are quite compact: they collapse into a fairly tight ball and fold flat to lay over your clavicles when around your neck, but I wouldn’t want to risk throwing them in a satchel or backpack without the carrying case. The case is sturdy enough to keep them safe from bag-related incidentals and compact enough for easy travel. It’s a good middle ground.

The included USB-C charging cable and 3.5mm cable are of equal length, allowing you to charge while listening passively with ease.

I also love that the USB-C charging cable is roughly the same length as the included 3.5mm cable: it means while seated in front of a laptop, for example, you can charge the headphones while continuing to listen to analog audio. This isn’t possible with the shorter USB-C cables you get with a lot of headphones these days.

Great sound quality

When you’re paying this much for headphones, they’d better sound great—fortunately, the Tour One are no slouch. The first thing I did (after getting the JBL app installed on my phone) was boot up one of my favorite “chillwave” Spotify playlists. I was immediately impressed by the Tour One’s presentation of deep synth bass, lush keyboards, and impactful electronic drum beats and snares.

As sound quality goes, I’m hard-pressed to find anything lacking here. Every listening session so far, whether over Bluetooth or passively via the 3.5mm cable, has left me feeling pleased. The entire frequency range—from deep sub-bass to bright treble—is presented evenly along a mostly flat curve, nailing a balance of emphasis that isn’t always easy to find in a pair of “consumer” headphones.

These cups don't just cradle your temples: they deliver excellent sound quality, with plenty of detail and impact.

Many modern headphones seem to embark on one of two paths: either delivering a high-impact experience by placing more emphasis on harder-hitting frequencies at the expense of detail, or maintaining expansive detail that sometimes feels kind of wimpy in its presentation. The Tour One manage to again strike a good hybrid ground here, suffusing the full spectrum of sound with detail while still being impactful and loud enough to satisfy listeners who want their eardrums to rumble a bit.

If you’re really picky about sound quality, you'll want to employ the JBL My Headphones app. Among other features (more detail on those in the next section), there’s a fully customizable EQ (equalizer) to manually adjust frequencies (i.e., more bass, less treble, etc), save your EQ setting and save it within the app, or select from a few preset EQs like Bass and Jazz.

The second piece of good news is that most listeners probably won’t need to mess with the EQ. The default sound is excellent.

Truly useful features

In JBL's My Headphones app, once you’re connected to the Tour One headphones, you’re greeted with a panoply of (mostly) useful features.

At a glance, the main screen clues you into your remaining battery life, as well as whether any firmware updates are available. Chiefly, you’ll want to use the app to do things like toggling noise cancelling on or off and selecting the intensity: “True Adaptive NC” claims to automatically compensate Noise Cancelling performance in real time, while “Everyday mode” is non-adaptive, meaning it applies the same degree of cancelling across environments.

The JBL My Headphones app is an almost indispensable part of the full Tour One experience.

You can also toggle Ambient Sound Control on or off. By default, turning on Ambient Sound Control triggers the Ambient Aware setting, which is tuned to help you stay aware of your surroundings while outdoors. This mode seems to key in on isolated sounds, like sudden squealing brakes or the bleats of traffic horns. It doesn’t work perfectly all the time, but most of the time it’s effective.

TalkThru, the other Ambient Sound Control setting, is a much more drastic and noticeable shift. Playback audio is reduced greatly in volume, while the exterior microphones switch on to amplify the outside world. True to the name, TalkThru makes it very easy to talk right through whatever’s playing: I had a whole conversation with my fiancee while music continued lightly in the background. It’s not the most elegant version of this feature I’ve experienced—the level to which exterior sounds are amplified is almost jarring at times—but it works as it should.

Naturally, you can only have either Noise Cancelling or Ambient Sound Control modes active at one time, since both are using the Tour One’s exterior microphones.

You can also adjust the Bluetooth quality. There are three settings: one for a “congested” environment (such as when you’re commuting in a city, or sitting on an airplane); one that prioritizes audio quality; and one that prioritizes audio and video synchronization for when you’re watching content on your phone.

Taking the Tour One off your ears automatically pauses music, and it picks right up again when you put them back on.

There’s also a rather clever way to integrate the Tour One into your alarm function, which I admittedly did not try, as the intention is to fall asleep with the headphones on your head with noise canceling creating a “silence bubble” ideal for repose. The My Alarm feature allows you to customize the length of time that music plays and the length of time for a “SilentNow” session before your alarm goes off. This could be great for busy travelers.

You can also use the app to do things like adjusting the function button (located on the back of the left earcup) so that it activates your voice assistant instead of jumping between sound modes, adjust your native voice assistant, or even enable multi-language voice prompts, among other features. The auto Play/Pause function also works marvelously: the Tour One have never failed to stop or start playback when I took them off or put them back on.

Effective noise reduction

Since moving cross country to San Diego, I’ve discovered it can be a noisy place during the summer: from construction and delivery trucks to my fiancee's zoom calls and the scream of our robot vacuum as it auto-empties, it's a great environment for testing noise canceling.

In the default mode, True Adaptive NC, the Tour One do an excellent job of dampening ambient noise. The bulk of repetitive background noise fades off, replaced by a peaceful quiet that, especially with music playing, really does seem to shut out the outside world.

While not the best noise cancelers you can buy, the Tour One nevertheless do an excellent job quashing ambient noise.

Terrific battery life

JBL claims that the Tour One deliver a 50-hour battery life, but using features like ANC, ambient sound mode, or tweaking other settings will net you closer to 40 or 45 hours depending on the amount of adjusting you end up doing.

Naturally, this effect was more extreme during the course of the review than it might be for the average person, but here’s the good news: even on the lower end of the scale, this is still terrific battery life for wireless over-ear headphones. The pricier Sony WH-1000XM4 only net you around 30 hours per charge on average, putting the Tour One a step ahead—even if you obsessively alter playback modes and EQ presets.

Some 3.5mm glitches

One of the first things I did after unboxing the Tour One was listen to it passively (using the included 3.5mm cable) my laptop while I charged it up via USB connection to my laptop. Within the first half-hour or so of listening, I noticed some cutting between stereo and mono happening when the 3.5mm cable was jostled. This didn’t leave me with the strongest first impression, though it also may be an isolated incident.

The issue has been intermittent. It’s possible the presence of dust on the connecting pins created this issue, but it’s also possible the thin 3.5mm cable that comes in the box just isn’t terribly reinforced, and may need replacing if you do find yourself using it a lot.

This obviously isn’t a huge issue for headphones that most people are primarily going to use in a wireless/Bluetooth capacity, but it’s still worth mentioning.

Software could be smarter

The only other thing I wish JBL would change is the “memory” of these headphones for software. You can do a lot with the My Headphones app, but it doesn’t always play nice with the headphones themselves: changing your Ambient Sound Control from “Ambient Aware” to “TalkThru,” for example, doesn’t hold over between certain other functions. Changing the quality of the Bluetooth connection will sometimes swap all of the settings for ANC and transparency mode back to their defaults.

This is another minor issue, and it might be easy to fix with a firmware update.

Yes, these are blue-ribbon cans

The Tour One check off all the right boxes: they’re comfortable in the short and long term, deliver high-quality sound, cancel noise very effectively, and are stuffed with useful features. While $300 is not a price tag you’d sneeze at, I would definitely recommend these if they’re in your price range.

While they're not without competition, the Tour One offer a truly valuable collection of strengths for the price.

The JBL Tour One are excellent all-rounders. If you want an equal emphasis on sound quality, ANC, features, and comfort for $300, these are some of the best headphones around.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

Meet the tester

Lee Neikirk

Former Editor, Home Theater

Lee was Reviewed's point person for most television and home theater products from 2012 until early 2022. Lee received Level II certification in TV calibration from the Imaging Science Foundation in 2013. As Editor of the Home Theater vertical, Lee oversaw reviews of TVs, monitors, soundbars, and Bluetooth speakers. He also reviewed headphones, and has a background in music performance.

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JBL Tour One M2 Review

Over-ear headphones brimming with features

JBL’s flagship wireless over-ears offer an enormous number of features to make the commute more enjoyable, with fine sound, effective noise cancellation and an excellent wireless performance. But the competition they’re up against is tough.

• Lightweight design
• Excellent wireless performance
• Great call quality
• Effective noise cancellation
• Clear, balanced sound
• Unremarkable looks
• Beaten for bass depth and extension
• Tough competition

Availability

• UK RRP: £279.99
• Europe RRP: €299
• Australia TBC

Key Features

• SilentNow Wakes you up from your noise cancelling slumber
• Voice control Supports both Google and Amazon’s voice assistants
• Multi-Point Can be connected to two devices at once

Introduction

JBL makes a gazillion headphones and speakers each year. Just recently it announced it had sold 200 million headphones, making the company the numero uno brand in the overall headphone market.

The JBL Tour One M2 are the company’s latest flagship over-ears, and in its own words, outperforms its previous headphones. Ticking the requisite boxes for a headphone in 2023, there is adaptive noise cancellation, personalized sound, spatial audio support and long battery life provided in a lightweight design.

We’ve come across a few headphones that are jack of many trades but master of only a few. Could that same description apply to the Tour One M2?

• Lightweight and comfy design
• Good controls

There’s a definite lack of flash to the Tour One M2’s appearance, their only real indulgence to style are the glossy highlights on the earcups and headband. Otherwise, these headphones are here to do a job, which is to sit on your head without causing discomfort.

And it’s mission accomplished, as they’re light on the head, causing very little bother. That’s unlike the previous JBL over-ears I tested in the Club One , which had a tight clamping force and bulky size. The Tour One M2 is positively light by comparison.

They’re comfortable in the right places, the padding on the underside of the headband and earcups is nice and supple, the earcups are spacious and the clamping force is nice and snug. I can’t find anything to complain about. I haven’t noticed wind noise to be a factor in disrupting the ANC performance .

Controls are a mixture of physical buttons (power/Bluetooth, noise cancelling and volume) and touch controls (playback). Power button is a slider, a slightly flimsy one that you might accidentally swipe down on it as I did when grabbing the headphones. It can also be a little difficult to turn them off with the headphones on the head; I had to dig my fingernails in to ease the slider up.

Touch controls are well implemented: one tap to pause, another to skip forward and three to skip back. The noise cancelling button is on the left earcup and that allows for toggling between ANC on and pass-through modes. This is another aspect of the headphones I can’t find much to grumble with.

The headphones are also collapsible, which is a change from 2022’s trend of non-foldable headphones, which means you can pack them easily into a bag or put them into the carry case, which also has a pouch for storing cables/accessories (a 3.5mm cable, USB-C charging and airplane adapter). They also come in a more fetching silver finish (at least from the promotional photos).

• Effective rather than resounding ANC
• Pretty faultless call quality
• Features in abundance

JBL does like to pack headphones with as many features as possible, and the Tour One M2 are no different. The adaptive noise cancelling is the highlight, and the performance is respectable, if not quite emphatic.

They do clear out a lot of surrounding noise, from people walking past on a late night in Shoreditch (voices effectively subdued) to cars, buses and vans going by, but there’s still some noise peeking through.

I did notice the level of the adaptive noise cancelling was not always consistent, which you would expect since it’s adaptive , but oftentimes it let through more noise than the ‘standard’ ANC mode.

Compared to the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort 45 , the Tour One M2 can’t match both pair’s eerie sense of calm.

They’re also not too effective at dealing with the noise on the Tube when it starts to get ‘loud’. I’ve used these headphones on the Northern, District and Jubilee lines and as soon as the howl of the wind picks up, music tends to take a background seat until it dies down. You can, obviously, raise the volume to combat it, so it’s not all doom and gloom.

It does, at least, exercise its noise cancelling cleanly, with none of that ‘whooshing’ sound as cars go by or that ANC whine. It also doesn’t noticeably alter the tone of audio being played, so I’d describe the noise cancelling as effective, but you can get better around the £300 mark.

The transparency is another effective feature, amplifying surrounding sounds so I can hear announcements on the train easily. As is the case with JBL headphones, the Tour One M2 has two different versions in Ambient Aware and TalkThru.

The former sounds clearer and adopts a more natural tone – it’s the standard ambient mode that grants greater transparency to sounds around you, the strength of which can be altered in the app. The response sliding from low to high ambience is instant.

TalkThru mutes music and focuses on people’s voices, and it does this very well. Used on the train, the headphones fixed their focus on people’s voices across the carriage, including the rustling of a bag which was amplified so much I felt it was happening right beside me.

For calls the JBL uses a 4-mic set-up with JBL’s Voice Aware technology, and the performance was excellent. The person I called commented they could hear me clearly and that background noise was kept to a minimum. They could hear people nearby but not to the point where he could make out what they were saying. That’s a very effective performance in my book.

Battery life is stated as 30 hours with noise cancelling on and 50 hours with it off. There’s no mention of fast charging but filling up the battery from dead reportedly takes two hours.

Delve into the JBL Headphones app and there’s a choice between enabling Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or accessing a mobile device’s native voice assistant. The Equalizer comes with five presets and the option to make a 10-band custom EQ.

Or you could rely on the Personi-Fi to craft your own personalized audio profile. It achieves this by conducting a test that measures how well you hear a series of receding blips for your left and right ear. The Low Volume Dynamic EQ boosts highs and lows when listening at lower volumes.

There is JBL’s take on Spatial Sound with Movie, Music and Game profiles, and you can modify controls for the Action Button (left earcup) and the touch panel, though that only refers to disabling it.

Smart Talk is like Sony’s Speak to Chat, automatically enabling the TalkThru mode when it senses you’re speaking and lowering music volume. It not only reacts quickly when I start talking but is prompt to return to music. The speed at which music resumes can be set in the app.

The Smart Audio & Video feature presents the best audio quality with music (in what way it doesn’t specify) as well as improving lip-sync performance with video. Switching between them necessitates the JBL headphones re-connecting with the source device, and I must admit that watching videos on Prime Video and YouTube, I couldn’t tell if there was a pronounced difference between the two modes. What I did notice was a couple more dropouts on YouTube with Video mode than I did in the Audio mode.

The SilentNow feature disconnects the Bluetooth connection and turns on the noise cancelling, so you can catch 40 winks and not be disturbed. You can set when it starts, how long it goes for and whether you want a notification to wake you up.

The Personal Sound Amplification seems to achieve a similar objective as the Ambient Aware feature, which makes me ponder why it’s included. At least it offers a different set of customisations by changing the balance from left ear to right.

Elsewhere there’s Auto Power Off, Auto Play & Pause (which is speedy) and a Max Volume Limiter that protects your hearing. All the way at the bottom of the app is the means to update the firmware.

The headphones support Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC and AAC codecs supported. Connectivity has been excellent, there hasn’t been any dropout, significant or otherwise, whether walking through populated areas like Soho or in busy transport hubs such as Victoria train station.

Sound Quality

• Good treble performance
• Not for bass addicts
• Clear, balanced tone to music

In a similar vein to JBL’s Live Pro 2 wireless earbud, the Tour One M2 take a balanced approach to audio that may strike some as bland. On the default volume they do sound reticent, the soundstage is rendered small and its sense of energy lacks ‘fizz’. But just two nudges on the volume control and the JBL gives a much better account of itself.

With GoGoPenguin’s Erased by Sunlight there’s clarity to the headphones’ treble performance and good tonal variation of the piano notes throughout the song. You can sense how much pressure is applied to each piano note, the sound of the trailing edge as it lingers; the brightness of each note is an improvement on the Club One’s dulled performance.

I wouldn’t say the JBL offers the biggest bass performance. There’s weight provided to the drum hits in the Smashing Pumpkins’ Bullet with Butterfly Wings, but a headphone such as Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 Wireless expresses it with more depth and heft.

You get with the JBL a spacious, slightly wider and clearer performance, but the sense of energy and drive half-way through the track in its frenzied guitar section isn’t as intense on the JBL as it is with the Sennheiser or even the Club One.

Dynamically, the headphones feel broad in terms of describing the difference between a track’s highs and lows, a shade less sprightly in conveying the nuances of singers. The stereo image it offers of Tune-Yards’ Hypnotized is also not as vividly realized as on the Sony WH-1000XM4 , I sense more depth to the Sony’s performance than the JBL can offer.

With vocals there’s a clarity that’s possibly better than either the Sennheiser or Sony’s smoother approach takes. The difference with the Spinners’ Could It Be I’m Falling in Love is hard to judge, but I think there’s more character and a smidge more presence to the lead vocals on the Sony.

It matches up to what I think of the JBL’s mid-range performance, which is clear and detailed, but the other headphones dig out more definition of instruments for a more musical performance.

That said, the JBL holds up well to both the Sennheiser and Sony. Its more neutral, perhaps even clinical approach doesn’t have the richness of either the Momentum or WH-1000XM4, but some listeners may prefer that approach.

The JBL also offers spatial sound within the JBL Headphones app and that amounts to a wider soundstage with vocals recessed to create a sense of depth. I’d stick with the default audio as all this really does is make the soundstage bigger rather than the sense of sounds being around you.

The Personi-Fi personalized audio is something that will differ with each person. I preferred to have it off than on, the slight emphasis on the midrange that I heard came across as too processed and giving voices a tone that felt artificial.

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Should you buy it.

If you prefer clear, balanced audio to a richer-sounding headphones Everybody has their preference when it comes to audio. There are many ways to serve a track to your ears, and if you prefer a balanced, more neutral approach to audio that’s what the Tour One M2 offer.

The competition is fierce You’ve got efforts from Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, and Shure, all around the same price and they range from being pretty good to excellent. There’s lots of options to choose from, especially for better noise cancelling.

Final Thoughts

The JBL Tour One M2 are a pair of headphones that score 8/10 in many categories and 9/10 in a few, which made deciding on a score a tad more difficult than expected.

As an overall package, they’re very competitive with regards to the competition. Their wireless performance is pretty faultless, as is their call quality performance. They sound very good but not brilliant, and perhaps the lack of any high-res audio codecs goes against them. But for those who prefer a balanced sound then they’re a pair to seek below the £300 mark.

Their noise cancelling is not class-leading – the Bose QuietComfort 45 are better in this instance – but they’re good for the commute and travel, and the levels of comfort the headphones offer is finely tuned. The list of features is extensive, and some will probably never use half of them, but there’s something for everyone who enjoy music, games or TV on-the-go.

I’ve found the Tour One M2 have been a very reliable pair of headphones in the two weeks I’ve used them, and while they’re short of the very best, for those who want headphones that cover a wide range of features and boast a very good performance (and who wouldn’t want that?), this flagship effort from JBL are well worth checking out. But the competition is decidedly tough.

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As far as we can tell, the Tour One M2 do not have any fast-charging abilities

The the Tour One M2 does carry support for Bluetooth multi-point, and they’re able to connect to two devices simultaneously.

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• Buy Authentic

JBL Tour One

Wireless over-ear noise cancelling headphones

True Adaptive Noise Cancelling

Struggle to find "your" space? Create your ideal environment with JBL Tour One True Adaptive Noise Cancelling. Immerse yourself in music, block out unwanted noises and focus on your goals. The Noise Cancelling level adjusts to the change of environment in real time, should you decide to go for a walk.

JBL Pro Sound, hi-res certified

From rich, punchy bass to thrilling top notes, your music will always sound amazing thanks to the dynamic 40mm dynamic drivers. JBL Tour One headphones are hi-res audio certified, supporting frequencies up to 40kHz, to ensure that your music always sounds the best that it possibly can.

4-mic Technology for Accurate and clear voice call

Enhance your voice, eliminate the noise. The JBL Tour One is equipped with 4 mics on the earcups to offer superior call quality. 2 adaptive beamforming mics ensure that the voice reproduction is clear and accurate; acoustic echo cancellation technology suppresses any echoes and cancels noises. Feel the pleasure of a face-to-face conversation, in every meeting or call. With VoiceAware you can control the amount of mic input routed back into your earbuds and choose how much to hear of your own voice.

Ambient Aware & TalkThru

Stay alert to the sounds of the world around you while enjoying your music with Smart Ambient technology. Or have a quick chat with a friend or colleague without having to turn off your tunes with TalkThru. Control these features with a simple touch of a button and fine-tune them via the App.

Boost your productivity

JBL Tour One can help you create an ideal world where you can fully focus on your tasks. In need of a quiet space? Create a silence bubble with SilentNow where NC is activated but music is off. This also helps you saving battery time, as does Auto Off, that switches off your headphones after a period of time set by you. Or get help in waking up with My Alarm, fine-tune the sound output with Smart Audio & Video and automatically pause your headphones when taking them off with Auto-Pause. All these features are controlled via the My JBL Headphones App.

Up to 50 Hours of Music Playback

Your JBL Tour One headphones keep you connected all day long, boasting 25 hours of playback with Noise Cancelling technology engaged and a whopping 50 hours with Bluetooth only.

Hands-free Voice Control

Activate Hey Google (*) or Alexa (**) with just a simple tap or hotword for easy access to your digital world as accurate voice call technology ensures your commands are crystal clear. Voice prompts are available in multiple languages. (*) Only supported on Android (**) Android 6.0 or higher is required for full access to Alexa features when using this device.

Make the most out of your headphones with the free JBL App

My JBL Headphones App personalizes the soundtrack of your life: set up custom EQ, switch on your Adaptive Noise Cancelling or adjust your Ambient Sound Control settings. Download the App for free on your App store.

Personalize How You Listen

With the JBL Headphones App

Specs & Downloads

Item# JBLTOURONEBLK

Product Description

Control your environment, power your productivity., general specifications, audio specifications, control and connection specifications, what's in the box.

• 1 x JBL Tour One headphones
• 1 x Type-C USB charging cable
• 1 x Audio Cable
• 1 x Flight Adaptor
• 1 x Carrying case
• 1 x Quick Start Guide
• 1 x Google Assistant set up guide
• 1 x Amazon Alexa set up guide
• 1 x Warranty / Warning (W / !)
• 1 x Safety Sheet (S / i)

Documents & Downloads

The latest owner's manuals, quick start guides, and documents.

Declaration of Conformity

Quick start guide (multilingual), jbl headphones app, jbl global warranty card, spec sheet (english).

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• © 2024 Harman International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

• Electronics
• Headphones, Earbuds & Accessories

1 Year Extended Warranty

• EMAIL DELIVERY ONLY: Download your extended warranty certificate by sharing your device details. The link is available under buyer/seller messages at www.amazon.in/msg and is also sent to your Amazon registered email ID.
• REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT GUARANTEE: We will either repair your device or give a replacement. The replacement device or gift vouchers will be provided at the discretion of Onsitego on the basis of the depreciated value of your device.
• HASSLE-FREE SERVICE: ‘No Questions Asked’ Repair Policy | Zero-Paperwork Claims Process | Free Pick & Drop or At-Home Service.
• LIMIT OF LIABILITY: Onsitego liability is limited to the depreciated value of the device as detailed in our T&C document.
• HIGH-QUALITY REPAIRS: Service by Onsitego authorized service engineers with high-quality spare parts every single time.
• EASY TO REQUEST SERVICE: Download the Onsitego app to raise a repair request within 10 seconds or visit our website. You can also call us on our toll-free number 99205 99206.
• COVERAGE: The plan covers all defects & malfunctions under the original manufacturer’s warranty. The plan starts the day after the manufacturer’s warranty ends. It does not cover physical or liquid damage, accessories, consumables or parts that are not covered under the standard manufacturer’s warranty.
• ELIGIBILITY: The plan can be purchased only for new devices bought on the Amazon platform and WITHIN 9 MONTHS of device purchase. You can purchase this plan only for devices which have AT LEAST 1-YEAR manufacturer's warranty valid in India. The sum of manufacturer’s warranty and extended warranty CANNOT EXCEED 5 YEARS. This plan does not cover products or devices purchased or used for COMMERCIAL purposes.

2 Years Extended Warranty Plan

• Validity : Extended Warranty will start after the Brand warranty ends & continues for 1 year/ 2 years as per plan. What's covered : The plan covers all defects & electric malfunctions as covered under the original Brand warranty.
• For your comfort : '- Digital Delivery of the plan in your registered e-mail within 24 hours -2-step plan activation process - Free pick-up and drop - Hassle-free claim process - Completely Digital journey
• Remain stress free : '- Authorised Service Centre - Qualified Service Experts - Genuine Spare Parts only - Repair in 10 days or Refund - 100% cashless - No hidden fees - Unlimited claims till invoice value
• How to claim : Option 1: Download the OneAssist app from App store or Play store or Visit our website www.oneassist.in or Call our 24x7 toll-free number: 1800-123-3330 Option2: Option 1: Go to Your Orders >> Get Product Support >> File Claim
• What's not covered : (a) any Accidental or Liquid damage (b) Damage caused by unauthorized repairs (c) Accessories, Consumables or parts that are not covered under the standard Brand warranty
• Plan is valid up to 1 years post manufacturer comprehensive warranty ends.
• Plan is email delivered and auto activated if purchased along with appliance on Amazon.
• Plan must be bought on the same day as the appliance and is only valid with new appliance.
• Wear and tear, theft, accessories, intentional damages and brand warranty exclusions are not covered; plan is not valid if purchased standalone.
• How to claim: Option A: Go to Acko.com >> Enter your mobile number >> file repair request. Option B: Download Acko mobile app >> Enter your mobile number >> file repair request. Option C: Go to Your Orders on Amazon app >> Get Product Support >> Schedule a repair. Option D: Call 1800-266-2256.

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JBL Tour One M2 Adaptive Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones, Spatial Sound, Smart Ambient, 50Hrs Playtime, BT 5.3 Le, Quick Charge, Multi Point Conectivity, Built-in Alexa, 2 Years Warranty (Black)

No Cost EMI

Partner offers, 7 days service centre replacement.

• Free Delivery
• 2 Year Warranty
• Pay on Delivery
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• Amazon may provide support via self-help guides or on call or at doorstep, as applicable.
• If this issue is not resolved, please contact JBL or visit the Service Centre.
• JBL will repair the product or provide a replacement or Defective certificate, as applicable. The time taken for resolution will be as per JBL warranty policies.
• Please check for nearest Brand service center in your location. For details click here
• Returns will not be accepted if it is an Open Box Delivery order
• Remote verification by image/video will be done by Amazon

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Tour One M2

Purchase options and add-ons

About this item.

• ✅ 2 Years Brand Warranty (1+1 Year of Extended Warranty)
• ✅ LEGENDARY PRO SOUND WITH HI-RES CERTIFICATION: JBL's Tour One M2 40mm drivers deliver precise, accurate audio and less distortion with any frequency or volume. They are Hi-Res audio certified and support frequencies up to 40kHz, ensuring your music always sounds the best it can
• ✅ TRUE ADAPTIVE NOISE CANCELLING: True Adaptive Noise Cancelling technology uses mics to adjust external noise 50000 times per second to minimize distractions when you need to focus
• ✅ UP TO 50 HOURS OF PLAYTIME: The JBL Tour One M2 provides up to 50 hours of playtime with Noise Cancellation OFF and 30 hours when NC is ON. 10 Min of Charging provides up to 5 hours of playtime. It also comes with an Aux Cable for wired listening
• ✅ 4-MIC SUPERIOR CALLS WITH VOICE CONTROL: The JBL Tour One M2 has a 4-mic crystal call algorithm and VoiceAware, allowing you to control how much of your own voice is heard
• ✅ AMBIENT AWARE, SMART TALK & SILENTNOW: JBL Tour One M2 features Smart Ambient and TalkThru, which allow for quick conversations while listening to music. SilentNow can be activated to create a silence cocoon, which turns on Noise Cancellation while the music is off
• ✅ IMMERSIVE JBL SPATIAL SOUND: JBL Spatial Sound allows you to fully immerse yourself in music, while Personi-Fi 2.0 helps you shape the audio to match your listening profile with interactive customization tools
• ✅ GOOGLE FAST PAIR AND MICROSOFT SWIFT PAIR WITH VA SUPPORT: Connect JBL Tour One M2 to compatible Bluetooth devices, with Google Fast Pair & Microsoft swift pair. Use Voice Assistants to get the most out of your digital world

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What is in the box?

• 1 x JBL Tour One M2 Headphones; 1 x Carrying case; 1 x 3.5 mm audio cable; 1 x Flight adaptor; 1 x USB Type-C charging cable; 1 x Warranty / Warning (W / !); 1 x QSG / Safety Sheet (S / i)

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From the manufacturer.

JBL Tour One M2

Best of anc from jbl, candid review by geeky ranjit.

SMART AMBIENT TECHNOLOGY

Stay alert to the sounds of the world around you while enjoying your music. You can control the ambient sound levels and turning the Personal Sound Amplification button on through the JBL Headphones App to boost the conversations’ volume with +15-20dB and adjust the L/R balance

SMART TALK AND SILENT NOW

Smart Talk: Advanced voice recognition technology reacts to your voice and pauses the music to enable quick conversations via TalkThru

Silent Now: Activate Silent Now, and let the headphone's Noise Cancellation allow you to focus

JBL SPATIAL SOUND

Immerse yourself in JBL Spatial Sound and feel like being in a theatre, at a concert or in the studio with your favorite artist. Thanks to this proprietary technology, sound comes from virtually anywhere around you, no matter the source or the device you are playing from

PERSONI-FI 2.0

Shape your audio to match your personal listening profile. Interactive customization tools use precise information about you and your preferences, to provide the exact sound curve that suits you best

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Product information, technical details, additional information, customer reviews, customers say.

Customers like the build quality, battery life, appearance and comfort of the headphones. They mention that it's a very nice product, with outstanding ANC that effectively eliminates sharp noises. That said, opinions are mixed on sound quality and comfort.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers are satisfied with the build quality of the headphones. They mention that it has an outstanding ANC that effectively eliminates sharp noises, and the case is good. They also appreciate the premium looking design and the fact that it's highly underrated.

"These headphones are, in my opinion, highly underrated . Having used them for a month, here's my review:Pros:1...." Read more

"...App experience: Sony has really good app but there's a learning curve to it...." Read more

"...-has mute unmute option for office callsCons:- ANC is decent but cannot compete xm5-Lacks bass punch-..." Read more

"... build quality and design is premium looking.2) good battery life.3) call quality is good." Read more

Customers are satisfied with the battery life of the headphones. For example, they mention it has a good battery backup.

"...2. Impressive battery life , offering 27 hours with ANC enabled and 60% volume and mixed use of music & calling.3...." Read more

"...easily foldable.-airplane adapter provided- battery is good -has mute unmute option for office callsCons:..." Read more

"...build quality and design is premium looking.2) good battery life .3) call quality is good." Read more

"...call quality is awesome2) music 🎶3) battery back up ..." Read more

Customers are satisfied with the appearance of the headphones. They mention that the build quality and design are premium looking.

"Pros: -looks very premium -Packaging box presentation and case is good-..." Read more

"...build quality and design is premium looking .2) good battery life.3) call quality is good." Read more

"quality sound, nice looks , long battery what else needed." Read more

Customers are mixed about the sound quality of the headphones. Some mention that the sound is as expected, has a different sound signature, and can adjust audio to their liking. However, others say that the product is defective, the sound dull, and lacks bass punch. The loudness is average and the audio goes off sometimes.

"...7. A special feature for those with hearing issues , calibrating and adjusting the volume for each ear individually to ensure balanced loudness...." Read more

"...One thing in favor of JBL is that it has a personalized sound setting - it can't be a deciding factor but it boosts frequencies basis your..." Read more

" Volume is extremely slow cannot enjoy the song played performance is not up to the mark" Read more

"...The noice cancellation is great also the call quality is good . The customization options available in the app makes it sound better." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the comfort of the headphones. Some mention that it has good comfort, and is soft and light weight while wearing, while others say that it's not comfortable for wearing long time and causes too much pressure on the ears and pain on the ear drums.

"...8. Extremely comfortable ear cups . They have used memory foam on it. And your ears will not touch the inside base...." Read more

"...made in china jan 2023- not comfortable for wearing long time .- padding feels delicate...." Read more

"First impressions is just wow, soo soft and light weight while wearing" Read more

"Clear sound quality with good comfort . I recommend to those who want to listen for long hours." Read more

Customers are dissatisfied with the value of the headphones. They mention that it's not worth the price.

"...Jbl app is useless. Not makes sense. Overall this is not a value for money product ." Read more

"Totally overrated & brashly overpriced ..." Read more

" Not worth the price ......" Read more

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JBL Tour One Wireless Over-Ear Noise Cancelling Headphone - Black (Renewed)

Sustainability features.

This product has sustainability features recognized by trusted certifications.

Products are inspected, cleaned and (if applicable) repaired to excellent functional standards. Buying Pre-owned extends a product's life, reducing e-waste and raw material extraction.

Pre-owned Certified products are inspected, cleaned and (if applicable) repaired to excellent functional standards. By purchasing Pre-owned Certified rather than new, customers can extend the life of the product, reduce electronic waste, and reduce the extraction of raw materials. These products are backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee. Pre-owned Certified is part of the Climate Pledge Friendly program that helps you discover and shop for more-sustainable products.

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This product is inspected, tested, and refurbished, as necessary to be fully functional according to Amazon Renewed standards.

About this item.

• JBL PRO SOUND: From rich, punchy bass to thrilling top notes, your music will always sound amazing thanks to the dynamic 40mm dynamic drivers. JBL Tour One headphones are hi-res audio certified, supporting frequencies up to 40kHz, to ensure that your music always sounds the best that it possibly can, wireless.
• TRUE ADAPTIVE NOISE CANCELLING: Struggle to find "your" space. Create your ideal environment with JBL Tour One True Adaptive Noise Cancelling. Immerse yourself in music, block out unwanted noises and focus on your goals. The Noise Cancelling level of these BT headphones adjusts to the change of environment in real time. With Ambient Aware and TalkThru you can hear environmental noises or have quick chats.
• 4 MICROPHONE FOR AMAZING VOICE CLARITY Enhance your voice, eliminate the noise. The JBL Tour One is equipped with 4 mics on the earcups to offer superior call quality. 2 adaptive beamforming mics ensure that the voice reproduction is clear and accurate; acoustic echo cancellation technology suppresses any echoes and cancels noises. Feel the pleasure of a face-to-face conversation, in every meeting or call.
• UP TO 50H OF BATTERY: Your JBL Tour One headphones keep you connected all day long, boasting 25 hours of playback with Noise Cancelling technology engaged and a whopping 50 hours with Bluetooth only.
• Android 6.0 or higher is required for full access to Alexa features when using this device

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What should i expect to receive with my amazon renewed purchase, in what condition can i expect my amazon renewed product to be, product description.

This pre-owned or refurbished product has been professionally inspected and tested to work and look like new. How a product becomes part of Amazon Renewed, your destination for pre-owned, refurbished products: A customer buys a new product and returns it or trades it in for a newer or different model. That product is inspected and tested to work and look like new by Amazon-qualified suppliers. Then, the product is sold as an Amazon Renewed product on Amazon. If not satisfied with the purchase, renewed products are eligible for replacement or refund under the Amazon Renewed Guarantee.

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Android phones finally get their first AirTag-style trackers – here's how they work

• The first trackers for Google's new Find My Device network have launched
• Chipolo and Pebblebee's Bluetooth trackers help you find lost valuables
• They work with Android's Find My Device app and can emit loud sounds

Google's rebooted Find My Device network has finally landed after a year-long wait –and now the service's first AirTag-style trackers have arrived to help you track down lost valuables with your Android phone.

The big benefit of Chipolo and Pebblebee's new trackers – which come in tag and card form – is that you can attach them to valuables that have no Bluetooth connectivity and track them in various ways using Google's new Find My Device app.

This new network anonymously uses Bluetooth proximity data from millions of Android devices worldwide (starting in the US and Canada), which means you can find your item's precise location on a map using Google's Find My Device app. If it's lost somewhere nearby, you'll also be able to tap 'play sounds' in the app to trigger a sound or get it to emit an LED light flash.

Chipolo has launched the One Point tracker ($28 / £30 / AU$49) for keys and its flatter Card Point tracker ($35 / £35 / AU$49). Both use Fast Pair to quickly connect to your Android phone and have an IPX5 rating to make them splashproof against rain and drizzle. Chipolo says these will start shipping on May 27, though the first batch has now sold out and the second batch won't ship until June 10.

Similarly, Pebblebee has Clip and Card trackers that support the new Android Find My Device network. The Clip ($30 / £25 / AU$47) for keeping track of your keys and Card ($30 / £25 / AU$47) for wallets are available to pre-order now. 

But Pebblebee is also offering a tiny tracker called the Tag ($35 / £29 / AU$55) that weighs only 6.5g and promises up to eight months of battery life from its rechargeable battery. This is where Pebblebee's trackers differ from their Chipolo rivals, which instead offer a replaceable battery that promises to last up to a year.

These won't be the only devices (outside Android phones) that you'll be able to track using the new Find My Device network. The Eufy Smart Track Link and Smart tag Card are also coming soon for Android, while the Sony WH-1000XM5 , JBL Tour Pro 2 , and JBL Tour One M2 headphones will also soon get support in software updates. Google has also said that its Pixel Buds Pro will be added to the network soon, too.

If you're worried about privacy, the Find My Device network (and these new trackers) also supports unwanted tracking alerts on both Android and iOS devices, which should (in theory) curb some of the previous issues we've seen with AirTag stalking .

What about Tile trackers?

Tile was one of the pioneers of smartphone-based trackers and an early rival for Apple's AirTags and Samsung's Galaxy SmartTags, but it seemingly won't be making any for Google's new Find My Device network – for now, at least.

Despite being on Google's list of brands that would make trackers for the network when it was originally announced in 2023, Tile has told Android Authority that its focus currently lies elsewhere, notably with Life360 (which acquired it in 2021). Life360 bills itself as a "family locator app", which means it's broader than Google's device-finding network.

Rather than making trackers for Google's Find My Device, Tile said that its "focus lies in delivering our vision of a cross-platform solution that enables location-based finding of people, pets, and things".

Still, as Chipolo and Pebblebee have shown, Android fans won't be short of tracker options as the Find My Device network rolls out worldwide – and lots more are likely to follow in the coming months.

You might also like

• Confused about Google's new Find My Device network? Here are 7 things you need to know
• Google's Find My Device network has finally launched – and the Pixel 8 gets special tracking powers
• Android Find My Device: what is the new tracker network and how does it work?

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