This helps with the impression of being spoiled. The Tour Range, which is at the high end, has over-ear headphones that are really good for the money. You want them, which are among the top rivals in this market when you look at their qualities. Bose, Sony, and Sennheiser are all excellent options for over-ear, noise-canceling headphones with excellent sound. However, JBL also stays in its own lane, so rather than being a direct rival to companies already established in the ANC space, these are actually a step up for many people considering those features.
JBL Tour One review: Design
The Tour One Wireless are a basic wireless earbuds that lack any distinguishing features that would make them stand out in a crowded market. Straight on, they resemble so many other things. When viewed from the side, the neutral expression also doesn’t draw much attention. If you’re not looking for anything too noticeable, these will blend in because of their classic gunmetal and black color combination. The earcups have little room for movement once you put them on, in contrast to the faux leather headband, which is soft enough to sink in without feeling like it pinches after a while.
The JBL Xtreme is a great option for people who want a stable headset with good sound quality. However, some people may not like the fit because there are few options for adjusting the earcups and they can be hot. ..
JBL made an effort to distribute controls symmetrically. The power switch on the right earpiece also serves as the Bluetooth connecting button. When using the Tour One Wireless in its wired form, a 2.5mm headphone jack and volume controls are located nearby. On the left cup, there is a single button that activates your default voice assistant in addition to the USB-C charging port. Interestingly, the entire exterior of the right earcup, which houses a variety of settings, is touch-sensitive. ..
To control the playback, users can simply tap or double-tap the earcup to play or pause, and triple-tap to skip a track. Unfortunately, one cannot be repeated. Users can also change between Ambient Aware and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) by tapping and holding. The JBL Headphones app does provide some ways to alter those controls, such as assigning voice assistants like Siri, Bixby, Google Assistant, or Alexa to the panel in their place. The button on the left earcup could then also use the Ambient Aware mode. ..
Comfort
The Tour Ones’ light weight is wonderful here. We became much more aware of this while wearing our glasses since they forced our temples into the bony protrusions behind our ears. However, the padding significantly reduces the ultra-light clamping force, allowing these headphones to be worn for the most of the day. However, you should take breaks if you intend to wear them for longer than a few hours.
The JBL Tour ONE headphones are just the right size, not too loose that they fall off when you’re dancing and not too tight that they feel constricting. They’re perfect for using at the gym, and their sweat-resistant design means you can wear them even when they get sweaty. ..
The earcups are large and comfortable. We found the Tour Ones to be the most comfortable headphones we’ve ever worn, but they may take some time to get used to.
JBL Tour One review: Connectivity
The auto-pause feature is great. The music stops as soon as you pull the earcups away from your head, and it starts playing again as soon as you snap them back in. If you choose, you may turn off the function in the Headphones app. Bluetooth has great connectivity. We were able to leave our phone at our desk and walk all the way to our garage (roughly 60 feet, one story, and several walls away) while the signal remained strong, despite the fact that it’s not a class 1 Bluetooth device like the Beats Studio 3 headphones. The Tour One can also connect to two Bluetooth devices at once, but on one occasion this resulted in static noise that was fixed by disconnecting and re-connecting our phone.
Noise canceling
The Tour One is a good noise cancelling headset, but it can be a little erratic in its cancellation. The fan on the desk makes a constant sound, which can be a bit unpleasant. However, JBL’s ANC blocks it well enough.
When you use JBL’s True Adaptive ANC mode, which aims to react to your listening environment in real time, this typically occurs. That function being disabled greatly aided. The Sony XM4 and Bose 700 handled it flawlessly, with the Bose being by far the best of the three. To be fair, our desk fan situation is a bit of an anomaly — we weren’t aware of the problem at all at other times. When you simply want peace and quiet, the Silent Now mode comes in handy. It turns on ANC while keeping Bluetooth communication off, conserving battery for when you need it.
Audio performance
We disable all EQ optimization on the Genesis Tour One to create a listening experience that is both neutral and revealing of the audio capabilities of the device. By doing so, we are able to hear the significant onboard oomph that the Tour One possesses. As the song progresses, we can also hear Phil Collins’ driving drum beat and vocals with an added dash of passion and intensity, as well as the vocal in Land of Confusion which is prominent and accompanied by grippy bass and treble key progressions.
The song starts with a fast riff and builds up to a powerful chorus. However, the song then slows down for a few minutes, which can be confusing for some listeners. The band could have used more of an emotional impact in the song’s second half.
The sound of this album is amazing. The lyrical guitar passages are more delicately placed in the soundstage so that the surprise power chords, tambourines, and trumpets can crash in with extra edginess and impact. As the track builds, we hear more dynamic detail through the Sony WH-1000XM4.
The JBL headphones are great for fans of hip-hop and grime, but they can be a little too coarse for some people.
The vocals and instruments in this album are weak and lack nuance. This makes the listening experience less enjoyable.
JBL Tour One review: Call performance
The JBL Tour Ones provide four microphones: two voice microphones, a voice feedback microphone, and a noise cancelling microphone. These microphones are great for making phone calls because they are able to capture sound very well. This makes it difficult for callers to tell if you are speaking through a pair of headphones, which makes the conversation more immersive. ..
If you’re looking for a phone that can cancel out noise, it may not be the best option. Some people find it difficult to hear their voice when using this feature, and it can also be a little awkward.
Battery and charging
The Tour One Wireless can last up to 24 hours at its preset volume, and we were able to hit that target quite comfortably. Additionally, we used the auto-off setting to set them to shut off after 15 minutes when they were left idle.
Wired playback on gaming consoles using the TRS connector is reliable. Audio only gets through, so you lose out on the microphones and can’t interact with other players in multiplayer games.
Price and availability
The JBL Tour One headphones are significantly less expensive than the Apple AirPods Max (£549). They are more comparable to the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless, which is currently on sale for about £233/$270/AU$380, the award-winning Sony WH-1000XM4 (currently around £279/$399/AU$395), and the skilled Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 from Bose.
Conclusion
Active noise cancellation (ANC) is a feature found on high-end over-ear headphones, like the JBL Tour One Wireless. These headphones have a flexible performance, a secure fit, and a sturdy construction. ..
The ANC of the ANC-companion app is parametric, which means that it can be adjusted to provide a more neutral sound profile. This is helpful if you want to avoid the ANC’s standard bass-heavy sound. ..
