It ’s not every twenty-four hour period that a manufacturer launches a product that deal every criticism and prompting that I had take down at its premature model . And yet , that seems to be the case with theJBL Tour Pro 3 .
well call calibre , betterspatial audio , the availability of a howdy - reticuloendothelial system codec , and being capable to use the vitrine as a sender — I require for all of these improvements in my review of theJBL Tour Pro 2 . The $ 300 Tour Pro 3 have them all and more : dual drivers , Auracastsupport , and a surprising feature that audiophiles and gamers will love .
It feel like JBL defy me to find a problem with the Tour Pro 3 , so I spend two weeks trying . pillager alert : I fail .
Here ’s what you demand to know about JBL ’s recent flagship .
Bigger and smaller
The Tour Pro 2 ’s most eye - catching feature was the color touchscreen on the charging case . It returns on the Pro 3 , but now it ’s 30 % bigger , while the case itself is a little smaller . It ’s still a act bulky and clayey when compare to something as svelte as theApple AirPods Pro . But given what the Tour Pro 3 ’s shell can do , that ’s like say an SUV is bulky and heavy compared to a sports car .
You still get wireless or USB - C charging . But if you calculate close at the USB - C interface area , you ’ll notice a small-scale hole that was n’t there on the Tour Pro 2 . JBL tells me that ’s a speaker opening for the as - yet - unreleased happen My locator lineament , which is planned for a future firmware update .
At first glance , the earbuds appear unchanged . But attend a little nigher and they ’re in reality a piece thicker ( probable to make way for the new drivers ) and now let in an extra external mic grille . They ’re also more robust , with anIP55 ratingfor dust and water system resistivity . JBL recognise that not everyone got a good fit with the Tour Pro 2 ’s three size of eartips , so there are now six size , and the largest exercise set is made of memory foam .
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
The specs
Tons of utility
The Tour Pro 3 ’s grammatical case is unprecedented in terms of functionality — it ’s like Batman ’s utility belt . The lean is huge : playback control ( play / suspension , track skipping ) , volume control , ANC / transparence style , restraint over spatial audio configurations , the ability to choose EQ presets , and detect My bud — and those are just six of the 18 feature you’re able to control . That ’s a vast step-up over the lineament on the Tour Pro 2 , so I was relieved to discover that you’re able to reorder them ( and wrench some of them off ) in the JBL Headphones app .
Most of what you may do on the case can be accomplished via your telephone , the JBL Headphones app , or the earbuds ’ soupcon controls , which lead me to be a spot questioning of the touchscreen ’s time value on the Tour Pro 2 .
But the Tour Pro 3 are a dissimilar brute . When connected to a pumped source of audio , the case takes over communicating with the earbuds , severing the app ’s Bluetooth liaison . In these scenario , the voguish case becomes the only way to line up sure configurations — unless you utilize the compositor’s case ’s audio source screen to alternate back to the Bluetooth connexion .
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
The future is Auracast
As BluetoothAuracastbecomes more common , using the casing to find and hear to Auracasts ( or deal wired sources via Auracast ) will be very handy .
I tried both of these activities using the Tour Pro 3 and aSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra(one of the few smartphones that can currently transmit and experience Auracasts ) and they work seamlessly . This is safe news show for Auracast as a technology — if it ’s not easy , no one will want to use it .
The showcase can receive Auracasts if the broadcast has n’t been password - protected . Accessing protected streams must be done with the app . However , when transmitting Auracasts from the vitrine , you may do it both mode : free of restriction or with a four - dactyl PIN .
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
Two new codecs
With the addition of Sony ’s LDAC howdy - res codec , the Tour Pro 3 can stream high - quality audio recording from compatible Android machine . The iPhone , meanwhile , does n’t keep going LDAC or anyhi - res audiocodecs . The dispute can be quite noticeable . AAC , the default codec for iPhones , be given to punctuate lows and high at the expense of midrange item . With LDAC , the Tour Pro 3 speech sound more relaxed and balanced . increase the volume lets you hear more item without increasing harshness .
LDAC is n’t the only hi - res codec that JBL has integrated . The Tour Pro 3 are also LC3plus - compatible . That ’s the newestBluetooth codecon the block and ( on paper at least ) , it offers all of the benefits of LDAC , with lower rotational latency and better computer error correction .
On its own , LC3plus is n’t very useful . Very few phones presently support it . However , the Tour Pro 3 ’s case expend LC3plus when communicating with the earbuds . And that means if you plug the shell into a figurer or speech sound , you automatically get the benefit of LC3plus . This even works on elder Lightning - equipped iPhones , but you ’ll require to purchase your ownOTG Lightning - to - USB - C transmission line .
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
Supercharged calling
The Tour Pro 3 are much improved over the secondly - gen when it come to cry . Your voice will still wobble a spot when the earbuds seek to squelch sounds around you , but it ’s no longer a deal - circuit breaker . Thanks to improvement in JBL ’s VoiceAware ( also known as sidetone ) you’re able to now hear your own voice as clear as your caller can .
The vainglorious top to calls on the Tour Pro 3 once again is driven by the case . Plugging it into a USB - C source like a laptop lets the buds communicate using the sheath ’s radical - low - latency radiocommunication link . Along with LC3plus ’ gamy - lineament sound recording , this make the Tour Pro 3 superb for things like Microsoft Teams send for . In fact , they ’re alsoZoom - certifiedwhen used with the display case . The only drawback is that the wireless compass can be quite forgetful . In my testing , I could only get about 10 to 15 feet away from the fount before my voice drop out alone .
Better ANC
I had no complaints about noise cancellation on the Tour Pro 2 , and the third generation offers subtle , but noticeable improvement . They effortlessly pop a variety of distraction , from lumbering hand truck to the strait of our vacuum cleaner . The real betterment , as I advert to in the calling section , is the transparency portion . Being able-bodied to hear your own spokesperson more clearly makes a lineament like TalkThru ( which dip the volume of your sound when you enroll transparency mode ) more pleasurable .
JBL has also sum Smart Talk , which switch into transparency fashion and pause your audio automatically when you start talking — it ’s one of my favorite new features . I ’m also a fan of how tight you may switch between ANC and transparency modes . It ’s almost insistent , while other earbuds can take 2 seconds or more .
Transparency still is n’t as well as on the Apple AirPods Pro 2 , which is a bit thwarting at this price . Still , in my experience , only theSony WF-1000XM5andBose QuietComfort Ultra Earbudscome close to Apple on transparency .
Personal Sound Amplification ( a hearing enhancer for busy environments ) returns on the Tour Pro 3 , and it also profit from improved transparence execution .
Silky sound
Switching to a dual - machine driver transcription in the Tour Pro 3 has given these earbuds upright carrying into action than their forerunner . But like many audio refinements in flagship products , this is all about subtleties and details . If you ’re on public transit or working out at a gymnasium , it ’s improbable you ’ll point out much difference of opinion .
The point of using a dynamic number one wood for mid and low absolute frequency and a balanced armature for the high is to give each absolute frequency range its own optimized signal path . In the character of the Tour Pro 3 , this involve the digital - to - analogue convertor ( DAC ) and the amplifier — there are two in each earbud .
In a quiet location , you may get wind the extra clarity this architecture allows . It was most detectable on tracks that commingle cryptical bass hits with vocals , like Billie Eilish’sbad guy . I could get a line Elish ’s whispery lyric float above the throb bass origin , or else of getting smear by it .
Out of the box , with the equalizer turned off , the Tour Pro 3 have a slightly bass - forward well-grounded signature that is otherwise quite neutral . If that does n’t suit you , the available EQ presets and the 10 - band equalizer give you tons of control to get the counterbalance dialed into your preferences . There ’s also JBL ’s Personi - Fi customs tuning prick , which attempts to adjust EQ based on a listening test . I did n’t care the results ( it created a form of hollow sound ) , but the test is only a few mo long , so it ’s deserving trying .
I like that the app lets you pull through your own EQ formulas , but alas , these are n’t uploaded to the smart pillow slip , so you ca n’t access them when connected to a pumped author .
Speaking of wired sources , the case ’s low - latency connexion is corking for keep an eye on video — I did n’t notice any sass - sync delay at all . I did n’t sample it with any video game , but LC3plus has a depleted latency than AAC , LDAC , or even aptX Low Latency , so it should be bully for gaming too .
Quality - heady , using USB - C easily surpass using the analog connexion , which is n’t surprising . parallel sources must be convert to digital before being compressed for wireless streaming — a gradation the typesetter’s case does n’t need to take with digital sources .
New spatial audio
On the Tour Pro 2 , I noted that JBL ’s spacial audio frequency setting did n’t impress me as much as listening to a trueDolby Atmos Musicmix from a inspection and repair like Apple Music . Perhaps it ’s the newfangled driver setup , but I ’ve changed my mind on the Tour Pro 3 .
Enabling spatial sound recording using the Music mode ( as oppose to Movie or Game ) create a greatly boom soundstage . On some course , like Charlie Mingus’Things Ai n’t What They Used to Be , it gives the performance more quad , while simultaneously advance the low ending a bit , tally groovy resonance to Mingus ’ bass work . But it can be unpredictable . I would have expected Dave Brubeck’sTake Five , another bass - full-bodied jazz criterion , to benefit from spatial in the same way , however , it surcharge that track of much of its soft textures . In other dustup , your milage may vary .
Head tracking ( new on the Pro 3 ) does exactly what you would expect , keep major song component situate in place as you turn your top dog left and proper . It also make for well when watching video content , as it keeps voice anchor to the screen ’s location instead of moving with your psyche .
This can be a spate of merriment when using the example to transmit a source like your telly ’s earphone turnout , except for one pain in the neck : the case ’s spatial controls are disabled when connect to wired sources . If you want spatial sound , you need to enable it when in Bluetooth style and then switch to your telegraph reference ( and vice versa ) .
unhappily , spatial sound , whether fixed or head - tracked , is n’t compatible with the LDAC codec .
Controls
I have complained loudly about JBL ’s odd control options in the past tense . But the company remain stiff . you may operate ANC , volume , and playback , but only two can be active at the same clip . Want to ascertain volume and playback ? You ’ll misplace ANC . Like ANC and playback ? No loudness control for you .
Given how many companies have figured out how to give customers control over everything ( plus the freedom to assign gestures as they see fit ) , I ’m not sure what ’s defend JBL back .
Still , the earbuds are very responsive to spigot , and the wear sensors do a neat job of car - pausing your tunes when you dispatch one .
Battery life
That big charge case gives the Tour Pro 3 excellent stamina , with three full recharges for the earbuds . When using ANC , JBL says you ’ll get up to 8 minute of playday , which goes up to 11 hours when ANC is off . That intend a total time of between 32 and 44 time of day , which should be plenty , even for the longest flights .
JBL does n’t give separate numbers for battery life when using the case as a sender , but it may end up being a washing : the earbuds will likely ingest less shelling living because the LC3plus codec is very might efficient , and yet the case may use up more since it ’s being ask to send and receive audio signals , a task that is commonly handled by the phone .
What I can tell you is that LDAC always reduces barrage life , sometimes by as much as 2 to 3 hour , because it ’s very index - hungry when compared to other codecs .
Even more …
Yes , there ’s even more I could say about the Tour Pro 3 , but in the interestingness of space ( and your attention span ) , I ’ll just number a few of the extras I have n’t touch on :
certain , $ 300 is certainly on the higher end of the wireless earbuds price spectrum , but the JBL Tour Pro 3 offer so many features that they ’re an excellent note value . They hit all of the authoritative areas like sound quality , haphazardness canceling , call quality , and battery life , and then they go even further with a passel of useful features like the case ’s wire author connexion , plus Auracast support .
If there ’s a downside to the Tour Pro 3 , it ’s that they ’ve got too much locomote on . The app ( and the smart case ) have a dizzying turn of configurations and features , which might plainly put some hoi polloi off . In many ways , the Tour Pro 3 are the antithesis of the Apple AirPods Pro , favoring a kitchen sink approach over Apple ’s much more limited set of capabilities .
They are n’t for everyone , but if you like what they offer , they ’re unbeatable .
