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JBL is a company that’s known for its rather affordable headphones and earbuds. However, that doesn’t mean that it can’t dabble in the high-end audio market. The company has its premium Tour Pro line of earbuds that deliver some of its best audio. Well, JBL just announced the new Tour Pro 3 earbuds. These are the earbuds to make you reconsider picking up those AirPods.
What do the JBL Tour Pro 3 have to offer?
Coming in at $299, these earbuds are $50 more expensive than last year’s Tour Pro 2, but the improvements this time around make the price jump worth it. One thing that made the Tour Pro 2 stand out from the competition was the display on the charging case. The display would show you what listening mode you have on (ANC or Ambient sound), the battery status of the buds/case, the time, notifications from your device, settings, incoming calls, etc. This made the case much more versatile.
Well, JBL didn’t walk back the display on the case this year. In fact, the company doubled down on it. The display is now 30% larger this time around, and it will show information like track names and caller ID. This makes the little screen more usable.
Audio quality
The case is great, but what about the actual earbuds? The JBL Tour 3 Pro come with improved audio drivers this year that enhance the audio quality. They have a set of custom-tuned drivers that offer some crisp and clear audio. These earbuds use a hybrid dual-driver system. There’s a dynamic customized balanced armature driver situated in front of an 11-inch dynamic driver.
What makes this better is the compatibility with the LDAC audio codec. This is a codec that Sony says can decode audio at up to 24-bit/96kHz (compressed) and up to 16-bit 44.1kHz (lossless). If you’re a devout audiophile, these won’t impress you, but these are great numbers for Bluetooth devices. You’re promised to hear CD-quality audio uncompressed.
If you’re looking to have a more immersive listening experience, you’d be glad to know that these earbuds also support spatial audio using JBL’s spatial 360° Head Tracking technology. This will add a whole new dimension to the listening experience. The audio will change compared to where your head is pointing.
Noise cancelation
It’s not only about the audio going into your ears, it’s also about what doesn’t make it to your ears. The JBL Tour 3 Pro come with improved noise cancelation compared to last year’s model. They use Adaptive Noise Cancelation to block ambient noise.
The noise cancelation seamlessly adapts to the amount of ambient noise. This means that it will kick up when you go into a noisier environment. Also, if you walk into a quieter environment, the noise cancelation will lower. This could actually save you some battery life.
The noise cancelation is made possible by the six-microphone setup (three microphones on each earbud). This also makes these earbuds great for voice calls.
Battery
When it comes to battery life, these deliver some serious mileage. If you have the ANC turned on, you’re looking at up to 8 hours of listening time on a single charge. With the ANC off, that gets a boost to up to 11 hours. With the included charging case, you’ll be getting up to 40 hours of battery life with the ANC off.
Additional connectivity
These are Bluetooth earbuds, but there’s a way for you to connect to other audio sources. You’re able to plug the charging case into an airplane entertainment system. The case will transmit the signal to your earbuds.
Also, these earbuds are compatible with Auracast. So, you’ll be able to seamlessly connect them to any Auracast-enabled device.
Specs
Drivers: 10.2 mm/ 0.402” Dynamic Driver + 5.1 mm x 2.8 mm Balanced Armature
Frequency response: 20 Hz – 40 kHz
Impedance: 32 ohm
Sensitivity: 104 dB SPL@1 kHz Maximum SPL: 95 dB
Microphone sensitivity: -38 dBV/Pa@1 kHz
Bluetooth profile version: A2DP V1.4, AVRCP V1.6.2, HFP V1.8
Bluetooth transmitter frequency range: 2.4 GHz – 2.4835 GHz
The JBL Tour Pro 3 are the best earbuds that the company has put out, and their audio quality will speak for itself. They’re well worth the price, and they might make you reconsider picking up the AirPods Pro or the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.