I tested JBL's newest premium headphones - Bose and Sony should watch out

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• JBL's refreshed flagship headphones amended connected halfway features portion introducing an innovative sidekick for $400.
• The Tour One M3 are packed with utile features, person a marathon battery, and present a capable noise-canceling and audio performance.
• The Smart Tx is simply a clever idea, but galore radical astir apt won't usage it to its afloat potential.

Wireless headphones are a dime a dozen, truthful manufacturers indispensable springiness america thing caller and innovative to support our attraction beyond improving sound cancellation and dependable quality. In January, JBL announced the latest procreation of its flagship headphones, the Tour One M3, and the pièce de résistance was a tiny Auracast-enabled Bluetooth transmitter.

The Smart Tx transmitter is included with purchase, and it's expected to interruption down connectivity barriers truthful you tin link your headphones to virtually immoderate audio source. It's an absorbing gadget, but its inclusion bumps the terms of M3 headphones to $400. 

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I tested the JBL Tour One M3 with the Smart Tx transmitter for 2 weeks. Despite the novelty, are a brace of JBL headphones worthy residing successful the aforesaid terms scope of premium offerings from Sony, Bose, and Sonos? 

Starting with sound, the Tour One M3 headphones are impressive; they're surely the astir premium-sounding headphones from JBL. The M3's 40mm dynamic drivers wonderfully reproduce heavy lows and agleam highs, though the mids aren't arsenic clear. 

The EQ settings successful the JBL headphones app tin rectify your dislike of the out-of-the-box sound, which is not moving oregon inspiring. You tin take from preset EQ modes oregon make your ain utilizing a 10-band equalizer. If the preset EQ modes don't suit your benignant oregon you can't get the customized EQ to your taste, you tin instrumentality the upgraded Personi-Fi proceeding trial to assistance the headphones make a personalized proceeding illustration based connected which frequencies you perceive best.

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My Personi-Fi trial concluded that I needed a flimsy bass, mids, and treble bump successful my near receptor and a bump of lone mids and treble successful my right. This personalized adjustment, positive a small other bass (I can't assistance myself), truly made these headphones travel to life.

The bass and funk of Justin Timberlake's "Let the Groove Get In"were bumping, portion the vocals and harmonies were creaseless and contiguous without immoderate sizzle oregon piercing. The M3 did Tate McRae's "bloodonmyhands" overmuch justice, showcasing the champion parts of the sultry popular ballad portion keeping the bass punchy and choky capable to marque you privation to groove.

JBL implemented its proprietary spatial audio format into the M3, allowing you to perceive to thing successful spatial audio. The Spatial Sound opens up the M3's soundstage, and similar each songs successful spatial audio, immoderate dependable amended than others. Still, the diagnostic offers caput tracking, truthful your audio tin determination with you. It's a neat effect that works reliably and with the close media, tin beryllium highly enjoyable.

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The M3 promises 70 hours of audio playback, 20 much hours than its predecessor. In perspective, the M3 pledge 30 hours much than Sony's XM5, 40 much than Sonos' Ace, 46 much than Bose's QC Ultra, and 50 much than Apple's AirPods Max.

The Tour One M3 is loaded with bundle features, including the usuals similar TalkThru mode, which lowers the measurement erstwhile the headphones consciousness you're trying to person a conversation, interaction controls, and multifunction fastener gestures, each of which tin beryllium manipulated successful the JBL Headphones app.

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The companion app besides lets you tweak the headphones' left/right balance, sidetone erstwhile taking telephone calls, and ANC and transparency mode levels. The M3's noise-canceling capabilities diagnostic an awesome 8 microphones to assistance successful detecting and canceling noises. 

The noise-canceling show volition bash for commuting and quieting sound successful the office, but it's not arsenic bully arsenic what Sony and Bose tin offer. Still, these headphones connection much noise-canceling customization than their arsenic priced competitors, allowing you to set sound cancellation levels and toggle betwixt progressive and adaptive sound cancellation.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

Four beamforming microphones are liable for keeping your dependable wide erstwhile participating successful telephone and video calls portion wearing the M3. During my testing, I took plentifulness of telephone and video calls and didn't get immoderate complaints astir my dependable clarity. Compared to headphones similar the Sonos Ace with much luxury marketing, the M3 outperformed successful this category.

Design-wise, the Tour One M3's $400 terms tag whitethorn confuse you. The M3's plan is astir identical to its predecessor, but the measurement buttons moved to the near earcup, and determination is nary 3.5mm headphone jack. Additionally, the M3 are wholly plastic, omitting immoderate heavier and much luxurious-looking metals to elevate the plan oregon adhd stylish flare.

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Still, the M3's integrative physique keeps them airy and comfy connected your caput for hours. The faux leather receptor pads are heavy and plushy, offering capable padding to curb receptor fatigue. Although there's nary 3.5mm jack, JBL asserts you won't request 1 erstwhile you person the Smart Tx transmitter. Connect the transmitter to your M3 headphones, plug the transmitter into your 3.5mm jack-equipped audio source, and you're rocking and rolling.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

The M3 headphones travel with a USB-C-to-3.5mm cord for plugging into sources similar an in-flight amusement strategy oregon gym equipment. The Smart Tx has Bluetooth Auracast, which allows you to usage it arsenic a Bluetooth transmitter (Tx) oregon Auracast receiver (Rx). 

In transmitter mode, you tin plug the Smart Tx into an audio root to stock the audio with idiosyncratic adjacent with an Auracast-enabled smartphone and headphones. In receiver mode, you tin link the Smart Tx to an Auracast watercourse to perceive the audio done the M3 headphones.

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Because Auracast is inactive aiming for wide adoption, the Smart Tx's main diagnostic whitethorn beryllium constricted for immoderate people, peculiarly those with iPhones. However, the audio-sharing diagnostic is simply a immense win. If you're watching a movie connected your MacBook and your person has a compatible Google Pixel telephone and headphones, you tin plug the Smart Tx into the laptop and stock the audio with your friend.

ZDNET's buying advice

The JBL Tour One M3 are a superb brace of reliable, mundane headphones. They committedness up to 70 hours of use, supply endless personalization options, and present applicable usage successful mundane situations, similar commuting oregon working. The M3's predecessor was released conscionable 2 years ago, which isn't a batch of clip to dramatically amended the M3 compared to the M2. So, if you ain the Tour One M2, I suggest holding onto them.

If your headphones are owed for an upgrade and you privation a brace of high-performing headphones, I urge the Tour One M3. However, paying a premium for the Smart Tx erstwhile its astir innovative usage cases with Auracast are inactive successful their infancy seems similar a miss. Hopefully, JBL volition connection consumers an enactment to acquisition the M3 separately from the Smart Tx.

Many JBL headphones connection effectual sound cancellation, audio personalization, and intuitive bundle features. If you privation entree to those features for hundreds little than the Tour One M3, see the JBL Tour One M2or the JBL Live 770NC.