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JBL Tour Pro 2 Review – Objective Perfection

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JBL’s Tour Pro 2 boast a pretty graph that masks the sheer lack of dynamism in the sound.

Score Breakdown

Click the label to navigate to the section.

• Battery ⓘ 98% good
• UX ⓘ 100% outstanding
• Design ⓘ 100% outstanding
• Portability ⓘ 50% average
• Battery ⓘ 100% outstanding
• Design ⓘ 80% good
• Mic ⓘ 75% good
• Sound ⓘ 41% substandard
• Connectivity ⓘ 90% good
• Waterproof ⓘ 75% good
• Carrying case allows a lot of customization without opening up the app
• Very good battery life
• Comfortable to wear for longer periods
• Good microphone performance
• Very good ANC performance
• BT multipoint
• Academically “well” tuned with no harshness
• No LDAC/AptX support; L3 support is still scarce
• Display on the case ends up being a party-trick
• Heavy, bulky carrying case
• Compression in the microphone
• Sound lacks dynamics
• Severely falls behind in terms of resolution, imaging, and staging

Unboxing and First Impression

Where to buy.

JBL has a long history attached to its name, with the legendary L-series of speakers being a mainstay of many households and recording studios during the 70s and 80s. Since then, JBL has transitioned into the mainstream and has lately been mostly focused on portable speakers.

The Tour Pro 2 are somewhat of an oddball offering from JBL. These flagship TWS IEMs intend to differentiate themselves through an interactive carrying case display. It’s a novel idea that might border on ridiculous for some, but let’s not be too rash to judge.

However, more than having a novelty is needed in this cut-throat market, as sound quality is the prime parameter – one where the Tour Pro 2 have to prove their worth.

Battery 98% ⓘ

• Battery Life: 30 hours (no ANC), 24 hours (ANC)
• Connector: USB Type-C
• Wireless Charging: Yes
• Battery Capacity: 850 mAh

Battery life is outstanding, with the case holding 24 hours of extra charge. This takes the total battery life to about 32 hours (with ANC on). I have to charge the JBL Tour Pro 2 once a week.

The Tour Pro 2 support Qi wireless charging . So, the type-C port is not the only option for a quick top-up.

• Can be opened easily with one hand: Yes
• Pass the shake test: Yes
• Display: Shows detailed battery levels, customized functions

The case can be easily opened with one hand. The earbuds themselves are held with strong magnets.

The front capacitive touch display is the star of the show here.

The screen indicates detailed charging stats about the case and each earbud. Moreover, you can choose ANC modes, select EQ presets, and enable/disable a litany of other features without ever opening the app. Nifty indeed.

Design 100% ⓘ

• Shape of the case: Rectangular with rounded edges
• Material: Plastic
• Build Quality: Premium

The case is built really well. The lid shows no creak or wobble. The added weight makes the case feel denser, resulting in a sense of robustness rarely found in TWS cases.

Portability 50% ⓘ

• Weight: 73g (case only), 97g (with earbuds)
• Volume: 6 cm x 6 cm x 3 cm = 108 cm cu
• Portability: Average

The carrying case has noticeable weight, and it’s not one to disappear in your pocket. I am not a big fan of such bulk, but given the large battery and the front display, the extra weight is understandable.

Earbuds 74% ⓘ

Battery 100% ⓘ.

• Battery Life: 8 hrs (with ANC), 10 hrs (without ANC)
• Charge Time (15 mins): 240 mins playback time

The earbuds last about 8 hours before they run dry (with ANC on). You can turn off the ANC and get 10 hrs on a single charge.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 need about 2 hours to charge fully (with the case), but you can get up to 240 minutes of playback time with just 15 minutes of charge.

• Control Mechanism: Touch
• Touch Accuracy: Reliable
• Control Symmetry on both earbuds: Yes
• Mono Use: Yes, both sides

The stem has a fairly responsive touch-sensitive panel built-in. Accidental taps and activations are minimal. The various touch controls can be remapped to whatever you prefer via the app.

Design 80% ⓘ

• Profile: Low
• Comfort: Outstanding
• Fit: Outstanding

The JBL Tour Pro 2 have a bland, unremarkable design language.

The build is all plastic, resulting in a look that doesn’t befit the price tag. There is also a wear-detection sensor on the inside, which works well in practice. At the bottom, there are the charging pins.

Fortunately, the fit is great. The earpieces fit snugly and are stable even when working out.

There is one vent near the nozzle. I did not notice any pressure buildup when wearing the Tour Pro 2.

• Noise Cancellation: Good
• Voice Pick-up: Outstanding

Thanks to six dedicated microphones, the mic has exceptional voice pickup in a quiet environment.

In very noisy environments, the very aggressive noise cancellation results in some break-up. However, such extreme cases should not arise in a day-to-day situation.

The VoiceAware feature allows you to reroute your voice back to the earpiece for a more natural sound during calls.

• Jbl tour pro 2 quiet
• Jbl tour pro 2 noisy

Sound 41% ⓘ

• Driver : 10mm single dynamic driver
• Sound Signature: Neutral with sub-bass boost
• Bass: Average
• Mids: Average
• Treble: Substandard
• Sound Detail: Substandard

The JBL Tour Pro 2 utilize a single dynamic driver. Unfortunately, that’s all the details about the internals from the promotional materials.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 follow the Harman target closely, with some deviations in the treble region.

Taken in isolation, the graph is excellent if you are one of those “academically inclined” listeners who prefer their IEMs to hit a specific “target” curve.

Unfortunately, the sound is only “good” on paper. During actual listening, the Tour Pro 2 turn out to be dull, lacking in texture, detail, and dynamics.

The bass is slow and nebulous, with the strong sub-bass rumble being the only saving grace. Fast basslines are not rendered well, as the bass notes bleed into each other.

The mids sound correct for the most part, though there is some haziness in the lower-mids. The upper-mids are not shouty and mostly pushed to the front, resulting in well-articulated female vocals.

The treble is elevated more than the Harman target, but tends to sound very compressed and “low resolution.” Given the otherwise “perfect” frequency response, it’s a strange phenomenon. The upper-treble extension is also lacking, furthering the lack of overall resolution.

Staging is intimate, while imaging is mostly left and right with no sense of frontal projection or ordinal placement of instruments.

The macrodynamic punch is decent in the bass region but sounds compressed overall. Microdynamic shifts are imperceptible, resulting in subtle changes in volume not being picked up at all.

Overall, the sheer lack of resolution and other “technical” parameters make the Tour Pro 2 a severe letdown, especially at the given price point. They do not sound “bad” in terms of tuning, far from it, but there is no engaging factor in the sound. A shame, really.

ANC performance is very good overall as it reduces low-frequency noise drastically, whereas high-frequency sounds are dampened to a degree.

Connectivity 90% ⓘ

• Audio Codec : AAC
• Bluetooth Version: 5.3
• Bluetooth Chip: N/A
• Auto-connect when: Case lid opened
• Average drop-outs in an hour: 0-3 times
• Multi-point connection: Yes

Multipoint support is present, and it is seamless to switch between an Android phone and a Windows PC. The latest Bluetooth 5.3 and class 1 support is here, resulting in a long connection range and exceptional stability.

Waterproof 75% ⓘ

• IP Rating: IPX5

The IPX5 rating means that the JBL Tour Pro 2 are secure from minor splashes and water sprays, but there is no dust protection.

Software 100% ⓘ

• Available on: Android & iOS
• 10-band EQ and Personi-fi 2.0 .
• Spatial sound.
• Customizable gesture and ANC modes.
• Auto-Pause: Yes.

The ANC can be customized with specific levels of “feedback” from the environment that the user can dial in via settings. Many of the app functionalities can be accessed via the display on the case, so you don’t have to pick up your smartphone for a quick EQ preset change, for example.

The EQ is fairly comprehensive, offering 10 bands of adjustment. The Personi-Fi feature is a variation of the “sound personalization” feature that many competing TWS IEMs offer. It tended to boost bass consistently for me, so it’s probably not a good audiophile solution, but your mileage may vary.

The Spatial Sound presets worked well, with a convincing expansion of the stereo image without sacrificing details or imaging. The upper-treble was boosted too much at times, so I found myself turning this feature off for music.

In short: class-leading companion app with a dizzying array of customizability.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 get nearly everything right apart from the sound. The ANC performance is excellent, rivaling the best in class. The microphone array is competent, while the app is the most comprehensive I have come across.

Also, let’s not forget that display on the case, though it was nothing short of a gimmick for me in the long run.

Sadly, the Tour Pro 2 sound unrefined, and the lack of resolution for the asking price is a deal breaker. As such, I cannot recommend them since they fail at the most fundamental aspect – sound quality.

The current predicament might be a combination of poor quality driver, sub-optimal acoustic chamber design, and codec compression. I hope JBL can focus on refining the tuning and finding an engaging signature in the next release instead of relying on cool gimmicks.

• JBL official  store

💬 Conversation: 4 comments

Quality good sound

What spinfit eartip model did you manage to fit in the Tour Pro 2? Do they fit snuggly well? Spinfit does not list this buds model on their website.

The Spinfit CP-1025 worked for me (it’s also added as a note in the review). The tips fit well and there were no issues placing the earbuds in the case.

Leave a Reply

Related articles.

JBL Tour Pro 2 review: the screen-toting case is fun, but the sound is just fine

With a touchscreen case and lots of settings these buds are fun to use but not fantastic.

TechRadar Verdict

The JBL Tour Pro 2's touchscreen is a winner. We enjoyed using it and so will most of your train carriage. There are lots of settings on offer here and the JBL app is fun to use. We thought ANC was pretty good and enjoyed listening to them, but they don't feel worth the price tag and some genres definitely sound better than others.

Touchscreen case is great

Various fit tests/EQ profiles add value

Good battery life

Sound could be better for the price

ANC is average

Rivals offer more

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.

• Two-minute review
• Price and release date
• Sound quality
• Should you buy them?

Also consider

Jbl tour pro 2: two-minute review.

JBL is famed for its rock-solid audio products, the kind of shiny but affordable gems which reveal themselves as diamonds in the rough more often than not and almost always, always sound excellent for the money. So what happens when the company veers off its successfully navigated low-cost path to go all-in on a flagship set of all-guns-blazing, active noise-cancelling, uniquely screen-toting earbuds? Is our best noise-cancelling earbuds guide about to welcome a new arrival? 

The JBL Tour Pro 2 sit above (way above) the brand’s other earbuds – including the splendid JBL Live Pro 2 – which feature possibly the best active noise cancellation at the level I've ever experienced. But the huge upgrades are easy to see from the off; there's a whacking great color touch-screen on the front of the case for starters. 

This, dear reader, is a thing of beauty. It is delightful. It's fun, it lets you accept calls with ease (how many times have we tried our best to touch the correct earpiece in the right way, succeeding only in hanging up on our friendly caller?) and it provides simple, scrollable access to ANC profiles, alarms, spatial audio and other perks. During daily use, we find ourselves playing with EQ profiles and useful extras which might have seemed unworthy of the hassle had they been squirrelled away in an app, requiring our phone. Then again, the screen did lose its sparkle, so to speak, after a few days.

Because of said screen, we worried that the battery-life might be a little on the anaemic side. Not so – the total claim of up to 50 hours of playtime (or 30 hours with ANC activated) and a very good 10 in just the buds themselves before they need charging stood up to scrutiny. Fast charge means 10 minutes plugged in will get you five hours of playtime too, which is a smart trick. 

So off they go to our best true wireless earbuds guide then? We love the design; we love all of the sound tests and special customizations – including Personi-fi, which is one of the most thorough audio tests within a set of earbuds we've taken to date. We also think the JBL Tour Pro 2 sound good and ANC works well. But that's it. We didn't find the sound stellar, and we wouldn't rate the ANC as fantastic. 

Listening to music with the JBL Tour Pro 2 is a pleasant experience for the most part. Instrumental music, jazz, easy listening and soulful tracks sounded smooth. But bassy tracks, rock music and even some vocals didn't sit well with us. Vocals, at times, were a little tinny – especially with the built-in EQ profiles, which we didn't enjoy using – and it was hard to pick out the detail in powerful instrumental tracks, making for a muddy listen at times. 

To us it feels a little like JBL nailed it with the JBL Live Pro 2 and tried to go all out with the Tour Pro 2 – slapping a screen on the case, bumping up the specs, improving the sound – when really they're excellent buds and at times it feels like the Tour Pro 2 are a little overcooked somehow.

Don't get us wrong here, the JBL Tour Pro 2 are good. In fact, if you don't have many top-performing buds to compare them to like we do, you might find them great. But are they premium price tag, top-of-the-range great? We're not sure.  

JBL Tour Pro 2: price and release date

• Launched January 2023
• Coming to the US in Spring 2023
• Cost $249.95 / £220 / AU$350 

The JBL Tour Pro 2 launched in January 2023 in most regions and will be coming to the US in Spring 2023. The buds cost $249.95 / £220 / AU$350 in either champagne or black finishes. 

This price puts them slap bang into competition with the likes of Apple's AirPods Pro 2 ($249 / £249 / AU$399) and the Bose QuietComfort 2 ($299 / £279 / AU$429), some of the best true wireless earbuds you can buy today, a category in which the Sony WF-1000XM4 Wireless Earbuds also feature among the best, at $279.99 / £250 / AU$449.95 – although this particular set of earbuds is now available for quite a bit less than the original MSRP. 

In case it needs to be mentioned, this pricing puts the JBL Tour Pro 2 out of contention for our best budget earbuds buying guide, where the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus , Beats Studio Buds and Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 rule the roost (although they aren't as fully featured of course). 

For this money – and toting the smart screen no other audio outfit has offered to date – the JBL Tour Pro 2 are on to a winner, provided the sound is up to snuff. 

JBL Tour Pro 2: features

• Excellent app adds scope to tailor the case
• Sound and fit tests add value
• ANC efficacy is easily beaten by AirPods Pro

You can customize the sound by telling the buds which sonic profile sounds best to you, in the Personi-fi 2.0 software. It starts out with an environment noise check (you need to be in a relatively quiet spot), then a wearing status check (you need to have a good seal betwixt ear canal and earbud). It then plays you nine chirpy sounds per ear, and you remove your finger when the sound is imperceptible. We take this test twice, and receive a different pictorial result each time. That said, the second time, the sound augmentation did feel more to our liking. 

However, other members of the team weren't as impressed and there was no discernible difference in the audio sample that plays after the test, no matter how many times they tried.

Still, we're not done. The Ear Canal Test (which must be done in a noisy environment) plays another music clip. After it, you can relax as the hybrid True Adaptive ANC does the rest. We note a slight hiss after completion, but toggling 'Leakage Compensation' and 'Ear Canal Compensation' within the 'Customize ANC' tab largely nixes it. We sit under an office heater at work and find it is quashed by the Tour Pro 2 ANC, but certain low-level sounds (cars passing outside, heeled footsteps on concrete) do creep in. Switch to the Apple AirPods Pro 2 and it's a different story – the bottom drops out of the room. With the Tour Pro 2, low-level sounds are diminished, but still, we can hear some extraneous background noise. 

The six-mic setup does promote crystal-clear audio during our tests – and the advanced built-in voice recognition can react to your voice, pause music and enable Ambient Aware, then resume the tunes once your conversation is over. This is really good, (it can be set to low, mid or high, depending on how loudly you and your colleagues speak) and we also find call-handling a breeze. But those are just two of a slew of perks, including an EQ tab with five different presets (or create your own), Spatial Sound profiles for music, movies or games, 'smart' audio and video modes, SilentNow (which aims to create a no-music silent bubble by turning on ANC but disconnecting Bluetooth – ideal for naps, because it can be set on a timer with an alarm at the end), Personal Sound Amplification (which can amplify situational sound from your surroundings – and between each ear) adding a volume limit and a Find My Buds feature, if one goes missing. All of this, and we've yet to talk about the features afforded by the case… All in good time. 

Before that, the buds: they feature a capacitive touch panel at the very top of the stem. You can switch noise cancelling on and off with a tap on the left stem, double tap for TalkThru and tap and hold to trigger Siri. All of these are customizable – at least to a point. You can’t decide which gestures do what, but you can select which gets priority on each bud. If you want on-ear volume control (which most of us do) you have to sacrifice either ambient sound control or playback options, which is a shame – but a relatively small gripe. 

We need to stress that the case helps in a big way, but we do think this experience could be subjective. The screen built into it never fails to acquiesce to our taps first time, quickly becoming a joy and a pleasure we wonder how we ever lived without. For example, we find ourselves scrolling straight to the volume tile (you swipe across) to alter volume rather than even attempt to use the buds. It's a brilliant addition – and within the JBL Headphones app, you can alter the screen brightness, choose one of five screensavers, toggle on message notifications and select which of seven further feature shortcuts you'd like to have access to on-screen. We toggle off SilentNow, since it's a feature we'll rarely use (we don't get to sleep on the job!) but for some that may be a priority. It's also very handy that notifications appear on this screen too – it really is like a smartwatch on your charging case – like calls and messages. 

Although we were excited by the case – and do think it could be game-changing for some – it's worth mentioning we did use it less and less once the novelty had worn off. If you find yourself forever opening apps that control your earbuds or headphones, it'll make a big difference. If you don't need to tweak settings much, it may be more of a gimmick.

• Features score: 4.5/5

JBL Tour Pro 2: sound quality

• Easy-listening, jazz and instrumental genres sound good
• Not for those who prioritize detail and dynamic breadth
• Doesn't have the punch or power we were expecting

These buds sound good, they really do. But they're not fantastic and that's what we expected with their price tag. Having said that, with lots of settings we did find a sound we enjoyed and think they definitely suit some genres more than others. 

We experimented with the different EQ profiles on offer and settled on leaving these off in favor of Harman's revered curve (the company's own heavily researched target sound signature, said to produce the best sound quality that most listeners prefer). That's because we found the EQ sound profiles to be a bit of a disappointment, especially vocals which were tinny and studio, which sounded far away. We didn't notice much of a difference in the others. 

We most enjoyed the JBL Tour Pro 2 for easy listening and soulful tracks. Proxima Parada's Musta Been a Ghost was smooth and the balance felt perfect here. The same can be said for instrumental and ambient music, like Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury's score for Devs. We like to listen to that while working and it provided an enjoyable soundtrack to our day. Having said that, instrumental music only sounded good to a point. Hildur Guðnadóttir's Joker soundtrack lacked the detail and the power we're used to from other buds. We had just been using the LG Tone Free T90Q buds so compared the two and the LGs felt more expansive, more powerful and enjoyable to listen with.

It's worth mentioning that spoken word sounded great and, strangely enough, the not-totally-perfect-but-fine ANC coupled with this fact made these good buds to wear outside if you like walking and listening to audiobooks and podcasts. We don't like feeling completely isolated from the world when we're listening on-the-move, so these did seem like the best of both worlds.

Tracks with more bass or rock music didn't sound as rich or powerful as we'd have liked. For example the 2023 Remaster of Iggy & The Stooges' Search and Destroy was a little muddied and we couldn't differentiate between instruments and vocals as much as we'd have liked, meaning there was an overall flat effect. Likewise, the Dead Weather's Treat Me Like Your Mother lacked detail, resulting in a muddied listen that wasn't altogether pleasant. 

Wondering if this was just something to do with rock music than the buds themselves, we listened to BANKS' Waiting Game and found the vocals more tinny than we expected – that's usually such a smooth listen – and the bass was powerful, but it had a fuzzy-sounding effect. Look, all of these examples sounded objectively fine, but we're used to trialling a pair of new earbuds at this level and being blown away by the new things we discover from our favorite tracks, that didn't happen here. Instead, we were underwhelmed.  

If you want buds for music while you're working or podcasts, we like these. If you're after audiophile quality or like powerful tracks – whether that's classical or rock – we think you might be disappointed here.

• Sound quality score: 3.5/5

JBL Tour Pro 2: design

• Smart case is really fun to use
• Battery life is surprisingly good 
• Some will struggle to achieve a seal

As with Apple's AirPods range, the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro , Huawei Freebuds Pro 2 and Nothing Ear (1) to name just a few, the JBL Tour Pro 2 sport little stems. Despite thinking that the driver housings look a little on the bulky side at first glance, some of the team with smaller ears downsize once and find the earpieces fit well very little fiddling. That said, those with larger ears may struggle – only three ear tips are provided, and one of the team couldn't achieve a seal good enough to pass any of the fit tests (more on these in a moment) even with the largest set, despite several minutes of adjusting them. At this level, a few more ear tip size options – and in different materials – is desirable. 

JBL has added its own more angular, look-at-me take on the AirPods' ice-white, no-sharp-edges design though. Here, there are lips and notches in various materials and finishes, including the rubberised driver housings, matte top plate and mirror-finish accents on the stems. There's even a little 'TOUR' embellishment written on the circumference of each bud, as well as JBL's branding on the tails. These are every inch JBL's top-tier offering and the design choices reflect that. 

Let's bypass the touchscreen for a second. The underside of the case hasn't been forgotten. This has a rubberized portion which adds traction and means you won't inadvertently swipe it off your desk – a small detail, but the gestural among us will love it. 

The 10mm dynamic drivers represent a significant leap up from the 6.8mm drivers found in the JBL Tour Pro+, and they're listed as Bluetooth 5.3 LE audio-compatible, too. So, it seems a shame that no higher-resolutions codecs are supported – no LDAC, no aptX (standard, HD, Low Latency or otherwise). 

With up to 50 hours of playtime (or 30 hours with ANC activated) and a very good 10 in just the buds themselves before they need charging, they also trounce most of the competition at the level for stamina. For comparison, the Sony XM4s have 8 hours in each bud, but only 16 in the case, and the latest Apple AirPods Pro 2 offer 6 hours in the buds and a further 30 hours in the case. Fast charge means 10 minutes plugged in will get you five hours of playtime too, but the case can also charge wirelessly. 

The JBL Tour Pro 2 have an IPX5 water and dust-proof rating. Interestingly, the case itself has a rating of IPX2 (just make sure you close it). So the whole package is splash-proof, but not waterproof. Many earbuds at the level offer at least an IPX4 certification (which means they'll survive a sweaty gym session) but certain options go much further. The Jabra Elite 7 Active carry an IP57 rating, which means they're dustproof and can be submerged in water at up to one meter in depth, for up to 30 minutes, and survive.

There’s a feature in the JBL Headphones app called 'Check My Best Fit', which plays a short clip of music to ensure you’ve got a good seal in each ear. It's no slouch either, telling us to alter the bud in our troublesomely-shaped right ear until we're good to go. We pass this test, but some of the team fail time and time again. To speak plainly, this is why we removed a star from the design score – if they don't fit, it's impossible to get the best sound from them. And that's not the end of the story when it comes to aural tests! We'll get to grips with further features below. 

• Design score: 4/5

JBL Tour Pro 2: value

• The screen is currently unique – and thus, hard to quantify
• Myriad extra fit and hearing tests 
• Audio and ANC can be beaten at the level

We don't hate these buds, far from it. If you want that case, you can't currently buy anything like it from anyone else. It's almost akin to adding a smartwatch to the front of an earbuds case. And if you're wondering whether it's fun to use, it is. We really enjoy the unique feature but know this is bound to be a matter of personal taste. The novelty did wear off after a few days. 

Despite some of our issues, the JBL Tour Pro 2 also sound good and we're always singing the praises of JBL's plethora of settings within its user-friendly app. But for us it's a question of value. Are they worth the premium price tag? Unless you're completely swayed by the screen, we think you can find a better sound and fit elsewhere.

Even noise cancellation, which we enjoyed, can be bested. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 , Sony WF-1000XM4 and AirPods Pro 2 outshine the JBL Tour Pro with relative ease – and although those first two options are priced close-to and a little more than the JBL proposition, the Sonys are now quite a bit cheaper.

• Value score: 3/5

JBL Tour Pro 2: should you buy them?

Buy them if….

You want that look-at-me smart screen Rarely have we looked at an earbuds case and been so wowed. You'll love pulling it out of your pocket and amazing your friends. 

You care about calls, especially when commuting The fact that you can just tap the touchscreen on the case to accept phone calls saves a lot of effort (and stress), especially when your phone's in your bag and you struggle with on-ear touch controls. 

You like a whole host of customizations If you like to know for certain whether your buds fit correctly and the hearing tests sound interesting (they certainly are) the JBL Tour Pro 2 remain a compelling option.

Don't buy them if…

You want the best sound money can buy JBL's top-tier buds will not satisfy the audiophile. Want the best sound quality possible for this money? You will find better performances from Apple and Sony (see below for this).

You don’t like a "toothbrush head" design Many wireless earbuds have a stem these days, (thanks to Apple's ubiquitous AirPods) but plenty don’t, so shop around if you want a more rounded or teardrop-shaped style.

You want the ultimate ANC experience The ANC here is acceptable, but look to the AirPods Pro 2 or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 if you want the best noise-nixing earbuds on the market.

If our JBL Tour Pro 2 review has you considering other, non screen-toting true wireless earbuds, then take a look at these three alternatives.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 Own an iPhone? Want the best ANC experience from a set of earbuds? Look to the AirPods Pro 2 – their H1 chip allows you to seamlessly pair them with other Apple devices and the difference in terms of 'blank canvas' active noise nixing is quite startling. 

Sony WF-1000XM4 The Sony XM4s are at the top of our best earbuds list for a reason. Sound performance and noise cancelling here is excellent, as is call quality. And although their launch price was high, they're now available for far less than the JBL Tour Pro 2. 

Bose QuietComfort 2 The master of noise-cancellation tech is back on top here, taking the competition right to Sony – and these second-gen. buds sound even better than before. Battery life is nothing to write home about (at only six hours from the buds) but still, for similar money to the JBL Tour Pro 2, these are arguably the best noise-cancelling true wireless earbuds around right now. 

Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW If you don’t have top-tier JBL kind of money, consider the minimal, cubist look of these Audio-Technica buds that deliver great sound. Unfortunately, there’s no ANC (or screen), but the price is fantastic at only $79/£79/AU$129…

• First reviewed: December 2022
• How we test: explore TechRadar's review guarantee

Becky is a senior staff writer at TechRadar (which she has been assured refers to expertise rather than age) focusing on all things audio. Before joining the team, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.  

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JBL Tour Pro 2 review: these earbuds have a screen

The touchscreen offers quick access to earbud settings along with extras like timers and even a flashlight. it’s not a super compelling addition right now, but this is only the beginning of what’s sure to become a trend..

By Chris Welch , a reviewer specializing in personal audio and home theater. Since 2011, he has published nearly 6,000 articles, from breaking news and reviews to useful how-tos.

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Am I holding the future of wireless earbuds in my hands? Or are JBL’s Tour Pro 2 buds — with a charging case that has its own built-in display — a parlor trick negated by the smartwatch? Do you need these controls directly on the physical product when they’re all easily accessible via an app on your phone? I’ve been testing the new $249.95 noise-canceling earbuds for a couple weeks now, and strangely enough, it’s a difficult question to answer.

The Tour Pro 2 are the first to come to market with an interactive case; HP has announced something similar (albeit focused on enterprise customers), and Apple patent filings suggest that the AirPods maker is at least exploring this concept. But JBL’s earbuds are here now and start shipping today in the US after launching in other markets earlier this year.

Look, I know we’re all in this together for the zany case-with-a-screen experiment. So let’s get the earbuds part of this equation out of the way first. The Tour Pro 2 include an exhaustive, well-rounded list of features. Their adaptive noise-cancellation, which adjusts in real time based on the loudness of your environment, is impressively strong and comparable to the upper tier of competition. Battery life is another highlight and rated at up to eight hours of continuous listening with ANC on or 10 with it off — plus another 24 or 30 hours from the case, respectively. That outlasts the AirPods Pro, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, the Nothing Ear 2, and other premium options. 

According to JBL, the sound signature from these 10-millimeter drivers follows the revered Harman response curve , albeit with some extra bass tacked on. And while the Tour Pro 2 sound perfectly good, I still prefer the audio fidelity from the second-gen AirPods Pro, Samsung’s flagship buds, and Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds. To my ears, those earbuds have more depth, greater dynamic range, and just lend more definition to whatever music is playing. The Tour Pro 2 don’t fully sound like $250 earbuds to me, so yeah, the case is factoring into that price. You get several equalizer settings to pick between, and JBL’s Personi-Fi feature can further tune the audio output frequencies based on your own hearing traits and preferences. 

The company also piles on other tricks like multipoint, proprietary spatial audio profiles (music, movie, games, etc.), an earbuds locator utility, and speech detection for automatically activating ambient sound mode. That transparency / ambient sound mode was where I was least impressed; it just sounds very stuffy, inarticulate, and lags modern competitors quite substantially. Voice call performance is clear and satisfactory, however, and the earbuds are rated IPX5 for water and sweat resistance. 

To sum it all up, the Tour Pro 2 are comfortable, sound good even if not great, and they pack plenty of battery endurance. JBL also notes that the earbuds are ready for LE Audio spec and will be updated to enable it once the spec goes mainstream. That could lead to more efficiency and even better battery performance. For now, Bluetooth codec support is limited to AAC and SBC.

Now for the main attraction: that case. It’s pretty large by today’s standards thanks to the built-in 1.45-inch touchscreen LCD on the front. But there’s support for wireless charging, at least, which isn’t always guaranteed , even for the bulky ones. Do I wish the screen used something cooler like OLED or even E Ink? Sure. As is, you can adjust between three different brightness levels, but even the lowest setting isn’t particularly dim. Unlike the buds inside, the case only offers the slightest amount (IPX2) of water protection, so you’ll want to keep it dry. JBL tells me it might offer standalone replacement cases down the line since “I dropped my earbuds and broke the screen” is a dilemma that now exists, but it will likely replace both earbuds and the case in the event you damage any of them individually.

When you tap on the display, your chosen wallpaper appears. (There are presets, but you can also use custom images. JBL preloaded The Verge’s logo onto our review unit.) Slide your finger to the right, and you’ll start cycling through the different functions. And there are more than you might think:

• Playback controls
• Sound mode (ANC, transparency, etc.)
• Timer: the earbuds will power down after your chosen time elapses
• Spatial audio 
• Screen brightness
• Wallpaper selection
• VoiceAware: this determines how sensitive the voice detection is
• SilentNow: you can enable ANC even without music playing for a preset amount of time
• Automatic play/pause ear detection
• Notifications
• Find My Buds

That’s a lot of widgets to constantly be swiping between. You can (and should) remove the ones you don’t want through JBL’s mobile app for Android or iOS and cut that list down to a more manageable five or six screens.

Track controls and volume adjustments work well enough, although you’re never shown what song is currently playing; it’s just the controls. (You can’t fast forward or rewind by long-pressing the buttons, either.) Other core tasks like switching audio modes or EQ modes also pose no issue. But even here, I’m already questioning whether the display is necessary and how much convenience it adds. You can perform several of these functions through the remappable earbud gesture controls with the case stowed away. And yes, they’re all present in JBL’s app on your phone. 

I’m doing my best to ignore the possibility of ads on an earbuds case someday

But some inherent benefits do come with the screen. For one, there’s never any mistaking whether or not your earbuds are charging or how much battery remains. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve wound up with one fully charged AirPod — insert any earbud brand here, honestly — and the other fully depleted just because the contacts needed cleaning or didn’t align perfectly. But with the Tour Pro 2, that information is always visible in a small font at the top of the display. And since it’s the most pressing data for earbuds, it remains there as you swipe through the other widgets. 

There are even some rudimentary, super basic smartwatch-like features tossed in: the case lets you see and answer / reject incoming calls, and it can show an alert whenever you receive messages on your phone. When I say an alert, it literally just says “new message on mobile device” most of the time, so don’t expect much context. The message notifications disappear so quickly that they’re rarely helpful, so I left them off.

Does the case make life easier overall? …Perhaps ? Technically it’s faster to grab the case and change some random setting than it would be to pull out your phone, unlock it, find and open the JBL app, and go hunting for the same toggle. And it’s nice to have the Find My Buds tool right there if you open the case and discover one or both buds to be missing. 

But all of these “benefits” come with a big assumption: do you really carry your earbuds case on your person at all times? More often than not, I leave mine in my backpack or my coat’s chest pocket. If that’s you, the advantages of this interactive case go out the window unless you change your habits and keep it within reach. 

The earbuds case needs to be within reach often for the display to be useful

I can’t imagine anyone who routinely wears a smartwatch will see much to get excited about with the Tour Pro 2, either. Apple, Samsung, and Google all provide deep controls over their respective earbuds right from their wearables; hell, the Apple Watch can now tell you how much noise the AirPods Pro (or Max) are canceling in real time. There’s only more synergy growing in these walled-off gardens. But JBL doesn’t have a horse in that race. Many companies don’t. So if you think about it that way — a platform-agnostic audio brand trying to stand out — the Tour Pro 2 make a bit more sense. 

Agree to Continue: JBL Tour Pro 2

Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.

By using JBL’s Tour Pro 2 earbuds, you’re agreeing to:

• JBL / Harman terms of use
• Harman privacy policy statement

The final tally is two mandatory agreements.

And they’ve definitely got me pondering what’s to come. How long will it be before earbuds are a fully independent source of entertainment? It’s not hard to imagine some company building flash storage into an earbuds case and letting you sync music to it from your phone. You can already do so with a smartwatch; why not just extend that to the actual listening device? Maybe several years from now, we’ll be using AirPods with an iPod nano crammed into the case. 

I haven’t uncovered any singular compelling reason that will keep me using the JBL Tour Pro 2 in place of my favorite wireless earbuds. The surefire battery status is handy, but I’m too set in my ways to give earbuds valuable pocket space. That’s true for this first try, at least.

This concept isn’t going to begin and end with JBL — or HP, for that matter. I predict we’ll see others try their hand at “smart” earbud cases. Truthfully, no idea has ever struck me as more Samsung, but I suppose the Galaxy Watch lineup covers similar bases. Maybe someone will figure out a brilliant reason for earbuds to have a screen. For now, this feels like one screen too many.

But I can’t knock creativity and an attempt at something new. The Tour Pro 2 don’t measure up to the best earbud contenders when it comes to sound, but they definitely have a unique gimmick. They’re offbeat and weird. Let’s keep getting weird. Something good has to come out of that.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge

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JBL Tour Pro 2 review

Jbl’s flagship wireless earbuds have high ambitions tested at £250 / $250 / au$330.

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

JBL’s Tour Pro 2 are a solid pair of wireless earbuds, but you can find far better sound at this price elsewhere

Fun, innovative on-case display

Well-made and smartly designed

Packed with features

Sound is merely OK

Middling ANC

Serious competition at this level

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.

It’s shameful to admit that we spent much of the time before composing this review trying to think of puns revolving around the word “case”. After all, there’s no escaping the exciting novelty that JBL’s Tour Pro 2 bring to the party with their cute display that gives full touchscreen functionality from the front of the earbuds’ charging case. Gimmick or not, it’s something unique to JBL .

Time will tell if that sort of thing catches on, and while such an innovation may be the first thing to grab your attention, we’re more concerned about high-quality sound than a touchscreen in a place we’ve never seen before. There’s little use in recommending a pair of wireless earbuds for sporting pretty patterns or fun gimmicks if they make your music sound like it was recorded at the local swimming pool.

This is the standard that the JBL Tour Pro 2 must live up to, and it’s a high one. At this price, there’s serious competition from the likes of Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds II , Sony's WF-100XM4 and of course Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 , so a fancy charging case isn’t going to be enough to stave off such heavyweight rivals if JBL can’t deliver genuinely outstanding audio. Let’s find out if the new Tour Pro 2 are up to the task.

Comfort & build

The JBL Tour Pro 2 are as stylish and comfortable as you’d expect at this price. Some of our team had a little more trouble making a full seal, while others found these new earbuds nestled happily in their ears after a little perseverance. If you don’t manage to get a perfect fit first time, you may find yourself limited by the fact that JBL only offers three choices of ear tips to accompany its latest pair of wireless buds.

General build quality, though, is good, and while the earbuds themselves aren’t particularly remarkable to look at, their ridged edge pattern and neat, short stems are far from offensive to the eye. That case is a lovely item, robust and sturdy while never straying into the realm of bulky or obtrusive. The coveted touchscreen, meanwhile, is relatively responsive and usually pretty precise, even if it can take a few attempts to get a reaction from some of the display’s fiddlier commands.

JBL’s latest pair of earbuds are well-furnished in the features department, boasting a large stable of tricks for an impressive wireless experience. The buds themselves are call-enabled, with a substantial 40 hours of total playback (if you’re a very frugal user) with the case. On a single charge on the buds, you'll get eight hours of play with ANC on (or 10 hours with ANC off), while a 15-minute charging session can bolster battery life by around four hours. For comparison, Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II offer around 24 hours in total, whereas Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 manage roughly 30.

As you’d expect, JBL has also brought active noise cancelling (ANC) to the Tour Pro 2 party, with the JBL app and smart case both offering access to the standard Noise Cancelling, Ambient Aware or Talkthru modes, and while there’s certainly a difference between these three options, none of these settings is especially remarkable. Standing next to a moderately busy road with Noise Cancelling activated removes the general rumble of traffic, but the louder wooshes and bumps of individual cars, not to mention other intrusions, still filter through.

Bluetooth 5.3

Codec Support AAC, LC3, LC3+, SBC

Noise-cancelling? Yes 

Battery Life Up to 8 hours (single charge in earbuds with ANC on), up to 10 hours (ANC off); total 40 hours (with charging case)

Finishes x2 (Black, Champagne)

Weight 6.1g (each)

Most of these functions, including spatial audio, ANC and JBL’s onboard equaliser, can be set and adjusted via the charging case screen as well as through the app itself. In a further attempt to justify its own existence, JBL’s novelty display also allows for your smartphone’s notifications and alerts to come through, as well as allowing control of VoiceAware settings to let you choose how much of your own voice you hear on calls, autoplay and a very handy Find My Buds feature. There’s even a case flashlight, but it’s so limited in its brightness that you’d struggle to light up a mouse’s cupboard with it.

The question, though, is whether that display on the case is really needed. Sure, it’s nice to be able to make adjustments on the fly from a new interface, but considering that you’ll likely be playing music from your phone as a source (and therefore always have it handy wherever your buds go), there isn’t much of a necessity to also have a case display in addition to your phone and the detailed JBL app. Maybe we’ll be proved wrong, but this feels more like Google Glass than Google Earth.

All of this agonising over novel charging cases shouldn’t distract us from the main event: sound. Considering the superb sense of refinement and balance offered by Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II, not to mention the effortless dynamic quality of the AirPods Pro 2, there’s some serious competition to be had at this flagship price level. Our expectations, frankly, were high.

Sadly, the Tour Pro 2 don’t quite meet them. There’s nothing actively wrong with JBL’s game effort, but little truly grabs us as we work our way through our favourite tunes. Few tracks are coloured by a predominant or overbearing sonic bias, but whether you’re wanting to groove to Noisette’s Never Forget You or rock out to Wig Wam’s In My Dreams, there’s just a slight lack of dynamism, detail or personality on display throughout.  

Cranking up Kanye West and Jay-Z’s No Church In The Wild should be an invigorating experience, but the Tour Pro 2 always feel as though they’re holding back somewhat. That primal, driving drumbeat just doesn't thump like you feel it should, and there’s a limit to the expression and feeling from the track’s charismatic performers. It’s far from an unpleasant listen, it’s just not quite an essential one, either.

Smoother, more chilled efforts fare a little better. Pick out a softer track from De La Soul’s seminal 3 Feet High And Rising album and you may find the JBL’s more muted presentation better suited to tracks like Eye Know or The Magic Number, even if heavier, punchier offerings just don’t feel as thrilling as you’d like. 

Spatial audio compatibility is one of the Tour Pro 2’s flagship features, adjustable via the JBL app and case to accommodate three different modes: Movie, Music and Game. Setting the Tour Pro 2 to Music before loading up Apple Music and digging out sections of Gorillaz’s Cracker Island sees the technology working respectably, with voices and instruments somewhat separated into their own distinct areas with relative conviction. However, the JBL’s implementation of this spatial audio tech pales in comparison to the AirPods Pro 2’s more assured performance; during the album’s title track, Thundercat’s upper-range vocals envelop you in an echoey fog, while the funky piano on Silent Running has a far more distinct personality all of its own when played on Apple’s wireless buds. The difference is stark.

Ultimately, then, the listening experience offered by the JBL Tour Pro 2 feels a little thin, limited by a lack of excitement and dynamism that rivals are able to offer at this level. The Tour Pro 2 aren’t a bad listen, but they fail to truly thrill on a sonic level. 

JBL had its work cut out if it wanted to muscle in on the action against some seriously impressive rivals. Hovering around this price are some of our favourite earbuds, be they the Award-winning Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II or Apple’s superb AirPods Pro 2, both exceptional performers that would have taken something seriously special to be knocked from such lofty perches. 

JBL’s latest don’t quite have the firepower to dethrone such worthy rivals. Yes, that case is a fun novelty and yes, everything’s well-made, well-designed and easy to use, but there’s something missing from the ensemble when it actually comes time to getting stuck into your catalogue of favourite songs. The Tour Pro 2 buds sound fine, but fine just isn’t going to cut it when you’re coming up against the best in the business. 

Read our review of the Apple AirPods Pro 2

Also consider the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II

Read our Sony WF-1000XM4 review

Best in-ear headphones: budget to premium

JBL’s smart case is a fun innovation – but I can’t see it catching on

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.

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JBL Tour Pro 2 True Wireless Earbuds Review

Jbl’s intriguing new tour pro 2 earbuds face tough competition.

May 5, 2023

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About the JBL Tour Pro 2

What we like, what we don’t like, should you buy the jbl tour pro 2, related content.

Comfortable

Unique charging case with LED screen

Packed with utility

Sound doesn’t stack up to competition

Good, not great ANC

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The JBL Tour Pro 2 are available in both champagne (pictured) and black.

Here’s a look at the earbuds we tested:

• Price: $250
• Battery life: Up to 10 hours, up to 40 hours total with case
• Drivers: two 10mm drivers
• Wireless charging: Yes, Qi-compatible case
• Colors: Black, Champagne
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
• Water-resistance: IPX5
• Ear tips: Small, medium, large
• Weight: Earbuds, 12.2 grams (0.42 ounces), case, 73 grams (2.6 ounces)

They are surprisingly comfortable

Contrary to their bulky look, the Tour Pro 2 are incredibly comfortable and secure, even during workouts.

The reality is quite the opposite. The Tour Pro 2 fit nicely in my ears, bolstered by a feature in the JBL Headphones app that tests the seal of each earbud to help determine optimal positioning and placement. Beyond the pleasantly snug fit (they held up well in both the gym and during jogs around my neighborhood), the Tour Pro 2 stayed comfy for as long as I wore them. Ear fatigue was not a factor whatsoever, which is an expected, but vital perk of this price range of true wireless earbuds.

They feature a unique charging case

The LED display allows for control of a multitude of features.

There isn’t a lot of variation in charging cases these days, but JBL aims to lead the charge in changing that trend. The case is adorned with a 1.45-inch LED display on the front that offers all kinds of control features. You can accept or decline incoming calls, adjust active noise cancellation or spatial sound, enable a Find my Buds feature, access messages, and more. The goal, JBL suggests, is to be able to control earbud settings without having to reach for your phone.

Inherently, I had concerns about how useful this case would actually be. After all, I don’t often carry charging cases with me once I pop in earbuds. Plus, I figured I would instinctively grab my phone to swap a track or tinker with a setting before even pondering the idea of pulling out the charging case. All that said, it was apparent that this case isn’t meant to be a complete replacement for your phone and the JBL Headphones app. Rather, it shines as a nifty second option for accessing the earbuds’ settings, especially when you’re first pulling the buds out of there case and need to quickly toggle something on or off.

They offer solid utility overall

For being high-end earbuds, the Tour Pro 2 are remarkably versatile for everyday use. To start, they have the coveted true wireless trifecta: comfort, good battery life (up to 10 hours per charge, though it’s closer to 7 or 8 with ANC turned on), and great water resistance (IPX5). Earbuds that can nail all three of those features tend to be incredibly functional in tons of different settings, and the Tour Pro 2 are no different.

The JBL Headphones app adds an additional layer to the versatility of it all. On top of the usual headphones features such as Ambient Sound Control options and an adjustable 10-band equalizer, the app has plenty of options for optimizing the Tour Pro 2 to your lifestyle. For instance, the app’s Person-fi feature analyzes information about you and data from sound tests to create a sound profile meant precisely for your ears. There’s also tabs for Spatial Sound settings, choosing which gestures correlate to which controls on the earbuds, separate audio and video modes for further optimizing sound, and even a SilentNow feature that JBL says is meant to help create the ideal setting for catching some sleep on a plane or during travel.

In all, it’s a wonderfully handy app that, when packaged with a pair of earbuds that feel great, last for long periods of time and are water-resistant, you’re met with a final product that excels in a wide variety of situations. The JBL Tour Pro 2 are those earbuds, a stark contrast from expensive earbuds of the past that were predominantly one-trick ponies and relied on their sound quality alone.

Their sound is good, but the competition sounds better

The JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds sound great, but don't measure up to similarly priced options.

Let me be as clear as I can: the Tour Pro 2 sound good, and oftentimes lean towards exceptional. They feature healthy amounts of bass when needed (“White Walls” by Macklemore comes to mind), and are undoubtedly detailed. I spent a lot of time listening to instrumental music while reviewing these buds (wedding stuff), and I was impressed with the clarity that the Tour Pro 2 displayed. They’re even solid on the call quality side of things, thanks to a 6-microphone setup that sets the stage for solid audio on both ends of the call.

Noise cancellation is effective, but not outstanding

The Tour Pro 2 find themselves in a similar boat when it comes to active noise cancellation. They are effective in what they do, blocking out a reasonable amount of noise in loud settings like the gym or the grocery store. Plus, in the JBL Headphones app, you can customize your ANC experience by toggling on things like Leakage Compensation, which monitors the seal the buds have in your ears and adjusts ANC in real time to make up for any noise that is getting through.

The moral of the story is, the Tour Pro 2 don’t do a bad job when it comes to noise cancellation. They just bear the unfortunate burden of living in the same price range as the best noise-canceling earbuds in the game. For $50 more, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II deliver unrivaled levels of ANC. Even at a more even cost, earbuds like the Sony WF-1000XM4 and the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 simply block out more noise.

Yes, if you value well-rounded buds over sound and ANC

If you're looking for a versatile, flexible earbuds, the JBL Tour Pro 2 are worth the look.

The glaring hiccup is that, compared to those three adversaries, the Tour Pro 2 don’t match up when it comes to audio quality and ANC. The Momentum True Wireless 3 are some of the best sounding earbuds you can buy. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are the best noise-canceling earbuds you can buy. It's a harsh competition. But if you’re spending a lot on true wireless earbuds and are after the best in either sound or ANC, the Tour Pro 2 aren’t the move.

The good news is, if the total package is more of a factor to you than world-class sound or ANC, then you’re in luck. The JBL Tour Pro 2 (and their quirky, smart charging case) have a plethora of perks waiting for you to explore.

JBL’s Tour Pro 2 are versatile earbuds that face strong competition from high-end flagship alternatives.

best-right-now

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

Meet the tester

Nick Woodard

Contributor

Nick Woodard is a tech journalist specializing in all things related to home theater and A/V. His background includes a solid foundation as a sports writer for multiple daily newspapers, and he enjoys hiking and mountain biking in his spare time.

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JBL Tour Pro 2 review

Expert's Rating

• Good case display functionality 
• Impressive personalised sound 
• Great ANC 
• Good battery life
• No hi-res audio support 
• Not the best fit 
• Can’t see what’s playing from case

Our Verdict

With the Tour Pro 2, JBL has managed to include a genuinely useful case display and retain the fundamentals of great wireless earbuds. If you can manage without hi-res audio, they’re a great choice.

Best Prices Today: JBL Tour Pro 2

Ever since true wireless earbuds first emerged in 2015, most have retained the same core design. Two small buds (often with a short stem) that sit directly in your ears while in use, then dock into a pillbox-shaped case for charging. 

A few companies have deviated slightly from this blueprint, but none quite as much as JBL on the Tour 2 Pro. While the buds themselves look very familiar, the case is the first to have its own built-in display. 

And it offers an impressive range of functionality, from controlling audio and adjusting key settings to starting timers and even turning into a torch. Fortunately, this hasn’t come at the cost of most other key features, though you will find better value for money elsewhere. Here’s our full review. 

Design & build

• Impressive 1.45in touchscreen on case
• Case slightly bigger than usual
• Earbud fit could be better

There’s only one place to start when it comes to design: that case display. It’s a 1.45in LCD touchscreen, providing just enough room to comfortably swipe across the simple user interface. 

JBL hasn’t quoted a specific resolution for this screen, but it doesn’t really matter. There’s more than enough detail for it to be comfortably visible in almost all lighting conditions, which is the main thing.  You can choose between three levels of brightness (low, mid and high), though even the lowest setting is enough most of the time. 

A simple right swipe unlocks the screen, avoiding the need for a fiddly PIN or password. This lockscreen wallpaper can be customised, using either one of the preset designs or something of your own. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The latter relies on the JBL Headphones app, available on Android and iOS . It’s also where you choose which of the six optional pages are shown on the case display: Ambient Sound Control (for ANC and transparency modes), Spatial Sound, Equalizer, VoiceAware (voice detection sensitivity), Auto Play & Pause and SilentNow (ANC activated without music playing for a set amount of time). 

Alongside core playback and volume controls, timers, a bud finding feature and flashlight, there’s an extensive range of functionality here. You can even use the case to answer calls and display notifications, though the latter often cuts off key information.

Even so, I was surprised by how much I used the case instead of my phone – it can do almost everything you need it for.

I was surprised by how much I used the case instead of my phone – it can do almost everything I need it for

The only exception is telling me what song/podcast is currently playing. I can easily play/pause audio or go back to the previous/next track, but ended up checking my phone to see what was coming up anyway. Controlling music on the case still feels a little too much like you’re using an old iPod Shuffle.

But did JBL really need to include an LCD display? Most of the user interface is black and white, and an e-ink panel would be much easier on your eyes. 

Modern versions can still be responsive, and it may have benefits for battery life. Using the case is preferable to getting distracted on your phone, but squinting at the small colour display still isn’t ideal.

To accommodate this screen, the Tour Pro 2 case is bigger and bulkier than most. At 10 x 16 x 4.6 cm and 73g, it’s not quite as easy to pop in a trouser pocket as most wireless earbuds. It’s a minor change, though, and they’re still extremely portable. 

Aside from glass on and around the screen, the case is all plastic. But a glossy finish helps it look premium, especially on the black model I tested. You can also get the Tour Pro 2 in a beige ‘Champagne’ colour if you’d prefer. 

The USB-C charging port is discreetly hidden at the bottom, while a simple flick up just above the display reveals the buds themselves. 

A short stem design is something we’ve seen many times before, and the exposed metal means they look good in your ears. But the rest of the buds are made from a rather cheap-feeling plastic, and I was hoping for more from such a premium product. 

There are three sizes of silicone eartips included in the box, and the JBL Headphones app includes a simple test to check if you’re getting a good seal. 

However, even after finding the right eartip size for my ears, the buds never felt secure. I was often worried that they might fall out while walking down the street, so anything more strenuous is out of the question.  

Even after finding the right eartip size for my ears, the buds never felt secure

Of course, this is only my personal experience. You might find the Tour Pro 2 to be a much better fit for you, but it’s definitely something to be aware of. 

Sound quality

• Very good sound from 10mm drivers
• Lots of customisation options
• No hi-res audio support

So, how do the JBL Tour Pro 2 actually sound? The short answer is very good, albeit not quite at the level of some competitors. 

Dual 10mm drivers help give the sound a warmth and depth that isn’t always present on wireless earbuds. It’s detailed enough to hear each individual instrument in the background of a song, yet there’s still a satisfying hit of bass when you need it. 

This can be personalised to suit your tastes via the JBL Headphones app, where you’ll find an in-depth hearing test. I didn’t notice any big changes before and after the test, but it’s still a nice feature to have. 

For more in-depth control, an equalizer is also built into the case, allowing you to tweak the bass, mid and treble to your liking. There are five preset profiles – jazz, vocal, bass, club and studio – all of which make a clear difference to the audio you hear. 

But where the Tour Pro 2 loses out to rivals is the lack of support for hi-res codecs: you can only output in the standard AAC or SBC here. It means the likes of Amazon Music’s ‘Best of Ultra HD’ playlist won’t actually be the CD quality Amazon claims, but most songs still sound excellent. 

That includes pop tracks such as Lil Nas X’s ‘Industry Baby’, where a highly produced backing track and thumping vocals still don’t sound overwhelming. ‘As It Was’ is very different in tone and style, but the buds are still able to capture the subtleties of Harry Styles’ voice. 

Even a much more stripped-back song such as ‘Happier Than Ever’ by Billie Eilish is impressive, sounding deeply immersive as it builds to a crescendo. 

Of course, the Buds Pro 2 don’t sound fantastic across all genres. Classic rock such as ‘Dancing In the Dark’ by Bruce Springsteen and Aerosmith’s ‘Dream On’ are a bit muddy and washed out at times, while classical music is a bit of a mixed bag. 

But in general, you can expect a rich, vibrant sound that’s more than good enough for casual listening. If you’re serious about getting the absolute best audio, though, you’ll want buds that support at least one of those hi-res codecs, such as the Sony WF-1000XM4 or the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro .

You can expect a rich, vibrant sound that’s more than good enough for casual listening

This is all far less important for voice-based content, but rest assured that talk radio and podcasts come through loud and clear. That clarity is somewhat lost when speaking, despite the six microphones in total, but you can still be heard comfortably on calls most of the time.

To make sure of this, there’s a slider in the JBL Headphones app called ‘VoiceAware’, which lets you adjust the volume of your own voice. If you worry about speaking too loudly or quietly while using headphones, it can be useful. 

Noise cancelling & smart features

• Effective, personalised ANC
• Impressive spatial sound mode
• On-bud controls could be better

Active noise cancelling (ANC) is a crucial feature on wireless earbuds these days, and JBL has implemented it well here. 

The ANC does a good job of blocking out most external noise, but only when you get a good seal. Without it, quite a lot of sound still reaches your ears, particularly in loud environments. 

You can check this via the JBL Headphones app by performing an ear canal test, which supposedly scans your ear canal and adjusts the level of ANC to best suit it. Like the personalised sound, this doesn’t seem to make a huge difference to how well it works, but it’s still worth doing. 

The ANC does a good job of blocking out most external noise, but only when you get a good seal

There are two other main listening modes available. ‘Ambient Aware’ is JBL’s transparency mode, with an in-app slider allowing you to choose how much sound is let through. At its maximum, this makes it very easy to hear everything that’s going on around you. 

You’ll also find a dedicated ‘TalkThru’ mode, which does a good job of amplifying the sound of voices, allowing you to have a full conversation without removing the earbuds. However, it can’t be used at the same time as either of the other modes. If (like me) ANC is your go-to setting, you won’t get much use out of TalkThru. 

Another key audio feature is ‘Spatial Sound’, where audio seems like it’s coming at you from all directions. Not all songs are designed to be played in this mode, but those that do sound impressive. JBL offers three Spatial Sound modes – Movie, Music and Game – but I didn’t notice any difference between them. 

If you like using ANC just for some peace and quiet, JBL has another mode for you. Known as ‘SilentNow’, it activates ANC but also disconnects Bluetooth, helping to reduce power consumption.

You can choose when it starts, how long it lasts for and if you’d like an alarm to sound at the end. SilentNow feels just that bit more effective than ANC on its own, and is perfect for naps on a train or plane. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

As you might expect, there’s also voice assistant support. This is Google Assistant (Android), Siri (iOS) or Alexa (both). It’s triggered via a simple tap and hold of the right earbud, and works smoothly – provided your phone is connected to the internet. 

However, not all the on-bud controls are quite so seamless. Various taps can be used to control audio, change sound modes and make/manage calls, but it’s very easy to accidentally trigger them when trying to adjust the fit of the buds. 

There’s a significant learning curve here, so most people buying these buds should just use the case instead. 

Battery life & charging

• Up to eight hours with ANC on
• Around three full charges from case
• Supports USB-C or wireless charging

Battery life has been the biggest surprise regarding the Tour Pro 2 – in a good way. I was concerned that having a display within the case would seriously affect how long they lasted, but I needn’t have worried. 

JBL claims you can get up to 10 hours of music playback on a single charge, plus 30 more hours from the case. More realistic figures are eight hours and 24 hours with ANC on, but the adaptive ANC mode drops this to six hours and 18 hours respectively. 

Battery life has been the biggest surprise regarding the Tour Pro 2 – in a good way

While I only tested the Tour Pro 2 for a couple of weeks, that’s roughly in line with my experience. It means most people can use them for a full week without needing to plug in to the power. That’s in keeping with most rivals, but none of those have a case display. 

The USB-C to USB-A cable in the box will be your main charging method, although no power brick has been included. You’re looking at around two hours before the buds and case reach 100%, which is reasonable. 

You also get Qi wireless charging, but at only 5W, this is much slower. 

Price & availability

The Tour Pro 2 are a premium pair of wireless earbuds, so they don’t come cheap. 

In the US, they cost $249.95 direct from JBL and via Amazon or B&H . If you’re in the UK, it’s £249.99 from JBL , Amazon , AO , Very or Currys . 

As the first ever wireless earbuds with a screen built into the case, that feels fair. But the likes of the Sony WF-1000XM4 ($280/£250) and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 ($299/£279.95) are better in most other ways, while there are plenty of cheaper alternatives in our best wireless earbuds chart . 

As good as the JBL Tour Pro 2 are, there’s only one reason to buy them over the competition: that case display. 

It doesn’t revolutionise the way you use wireless earbuds, but many people will prefer it to using a phone or on-bud controls. It only has one real flaw, but it’s a big one – you still can’t see what’s currently playing from the case itself.

But impressively, battery life hasn’t been compromised. Most people will still get a full week of usage from the buds and case combined, even with ANC on. The latter is customisable and very effective, but the lack of hi-res audio means sound quality takes a slight hit. 

Only audiophiles will really miss it, though, and most music still sounds excellent. While the fit and design of the buds aren’t perfect, neither should be a dealbreaker. 

But price may be a sticking point, with the Tour Pro 2 up against some of the best wireless earbuds you can buy. Unless you love the idea of a screen on the case, you’ll find better value elsewhere. 

• Active Noise Cancelling 
• 1.45in LCD touchscreen (on case) 
• 10mm dynamic drivers 
• Six microphones 
• Wireless: Bluetooth 5.3, AAC, SBC 
• Voice control: Yes 
• Touch controls: Yes 
• Battery life: Up to 40 hours (including case charging, ANC off)  
• Wireless charging 
• Ear tips and wing tips: Three sizes 
• IPX5 water resistance (buds) 
• IPX2 water resistance (case) 
• Weight: 6.1g per earbud, 73g case 

Author: Anyron Copeman , Mobile Editor, Tech Advisor

Anyron is Mobile Editor at Tech Advisor, where he’s been a mainstay of the editorial team since 2019. In his current role, Anyron is responsible for all smartphone, tablet and mobile network coverage on the site. A BA Journalism graduate, he has experience with a wide range of consumer tech products and services, including smartphones, tablets, foldables, wearables and more.

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JBL Tour Pro 2 review: pretty much as good as wireless earbuds get

The JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds are futuristic – but that doesn't stop them being some of the best wireless earbuds right now

It would be easy to disregard the JBL Tour Pro 2 as a gimmick. It would also be foolish, and short-sighted. The screen on the case is genuinely useful, and the sound quality is as good or better than 95% of the competition. A top pick for your ANC earbud needs.

Great battery life

Powerful EQ

Strong sound

Spatial sound is hit-and-miss

Screen is sometimes slow

Why you can trust T3 Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

If you're looking for a pair of the best wireless earbuds , it's fair to say competition is fierce. There are a whole host of options out there, from high-end luxury devices, to more affordable units that still boast strong specs.

Even if you narrow it down to a pair of the best noise cancelling headphones , the waters are muddied. That causes brands to try new things in a bid to stand out.

That's evident of the earbuds I'm testing here. The JBL Tour Pro 2 packs a touch screen on the front of the charging case. That allows users to make adjustments on the case itself, without having to grab your phone and go into the app.

But, the question is, is it any good? Let's take a closer look.

JBL Tour Pro 2 review: Price and Availability

The JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds retail for £249.99 in the UK. They currently aren't available on the US JBL website.

You can purchase the JBL Tour Pro 2 from the JBL website. It's also available at other retailers like Currys , Very and AO.com .

JBL Tour Pro 2 review: What's new?

If we compare these buds to the JBL Tour Pro+ TWS which came before it, it's clear this is pretty much all new. The driver is now a whopping 10mm, up from 6.8mm on the previous generation.

The case is slightly heavier than the older one, but – crucially – the buds are lighter. They're 0.42g per bud, shaving off 0.08g compared to the previous generation. The battery life is also given a fairly substantial upgrade. JBL rate the total change time for case and buds at 40 hours, up from 24. The maximum time for with and without ANC also gets boosted, up to 8 and 10 hours, respectively.

Of course, the biggest change here is the screen on the front. It's fully touchscreen and – though no official dimensions are listed – measures just shy of an inch and half across. Users can use it to control playback, EQ and more. It can even display notifications you receive.

JBL Tour Pro 2 review: Design

In order to accommodate the touch screen, the Tour Pro 2 doesn't have the bullet-style case. Instead, it's more squared, with a taller, bulkier profile. It's definitely not the most pocket-friendly pair of earbuds I've ever reviewed.

That being said, it's not unattractive. The case sides are rounded, while the bottom is just about flat enough to stand upright. My review unit comes in a dark grey finish. It's nicely matted, with gentle flecks that give it a metallic appearance. The band of gloss around the catch breaks things up nicely, too.

The buds themselves are nicely designed, too. Sure, they aren't going to take home any prizes, but they're sleek and inoffensive. The stems feature a concave glossy material, with the matte JBL logo set on top. The bud portion features some concentric ridging where it meets the stem. It's a neat little nod, reminiscent of the ribbing on a speaker cone.

JBL Tour Pro 2 review: Performance

Let's start with the performance of the touch screen. It's a lot better than I'd expected. Everything is laid out in a really intuitive way, with large buttons to make selections easy. It is sometime a little janky. There's sometimes a bit of lag when swiping or pressing buttons, which does make it feel less useful. When it works right, though, it's a breeze.

I guess the real question is, would I opt to use that instead of the app on my phone? Personally, I definitely would. Don't get me wrong, the JBL app is one of the better ones I've used. It's effortlessly simple, and clean to look at. But I'd still prefer not to take my phone out at all if I can.

One last thing on the screen. It does give notifications, but don't get your hopes up. You'll get the first ten or so words of the notification and that's about it. You'd probably see more on a smartwatch .

Okay, now let's talk sound. In short, these earbuds sound gorgeous. As stock, you'll find a nicely balanced profile, which lets through a brilliant amount of detail. Sound is nicely spaced, making it easy for more complex audio to sound clear and defined.

If you only run the stock profile, though, you're getting about 30% of what these can do. Dive into the app and you'll find a host of powerful sound-sculpting tools. Chief among them is the Graphic EQ. The stock profiles suit a range of scenarios, and do a fairly good job. You can also add in your own curves for precise, personalised tuning.

It also features spatial sound. This, I found to be a bit hit and miss. It works really nicely on live albums, where the separation between audience noise and artist is welcome. On other tracks though, it just seemed to add an odd EQ setting. Sometimes it works, but most of the time I preferred it switched off.

They're also noise cancelling. It's hard to quantify how good the ANC is, but this is as good as any I've tested yet. Outside noise is capped and you're left to enjoy your own personal bubble of musical goodness. The ambient setting works nicely too, allowing external sounds in without overshadowing the music. Plus, the extra TalkThru setting dips the level of your music so you can have a conversation without having to remove your earbuds.

Battery life is also every bit as good as they say. I was averaging 10 hours from the buds and about 40 with the case, just as the spec sheet suggests. In regular use – around 40 minutes of commuting, plus a few hours at work and the gym – these were easily lasting 10 days before they needed topping up. And when they need a charge, they're pretty snappy. I found it was a shade quicker than the 2 hours rated by JBL – a fine showing, indeed!

JBL Tour Pro 2 review: Verdict

It would be easy to look at this device and think it was just a gimmick. That's not a fair assessment, though. The screen is innovative and it really is useful.

But beyond all of that, these are just a really great pair of earbuds. You're getting great sound quality, powerful sculpting possibilities, and great ANC and ambient sound profiles.

There are only a handful of earbuds that offer better sound than these, and even then it's close. Unless you're a real audiophile on the hunt for studio-quality sound, you're unlikely to spot the difference. 

Online news writer at T3.com, Sam has five years of experience in online and print journalism, with work featured in publications like Metro and Last Word on Sports. After years writing about music and football, Sam now turns his hand to bringing you news about new phones, smart home products, smart watches, laptops and TVs. Sam is a longtime fan and user of Apple products, including iPhones, MacBooks and Apple Watches.He’s also T3’s resident football expert, bringing you everything you need to know about the big games, including how to watch them. In his spare time, Sam is a keen guitarist, watch lover and (very) amateur golfer. 

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Review: JBL’s new Tour Pro 2 ANC earbuds channel iPod vibes with an onboard screen

Earlier this year, JBL came out with some of the most unique pairs of true wireless earbuds on the market. The new JBL Tour Pro 2 don’t set themselves apart with industry-leading battery life or unmatched ANC but, instead, arrive with the headlining feature of an onboard touchscreen display .

Hands-on with the new JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds

While the whole story for the JBL Tour Pro 2 may not be entirely summarized by the unique charging case, it is where the tale starts. It’s the one feature that really does make these stand out from virtually 99% of all other earbuds that have come before them and ultimately what makes these worth considering at all. Even Apple has been toying around with the idea of imbuing its AirPods with an onboard touchscreen, JBL just happened to launch a pair first.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The new JBL Tour Pro 2 arrive in a typically sized charging case . It fits in the palm of your hand and ultimately isn’t that much larger than the likes of some other third-party earbuds out there. Nothing too out of the ordinary. But open up the charging case, and the pint-sized touchscreen display on the front will light up and lure you in with the suggestion to swipe to the right. That’s when you’re greeted with a mini operating system for the earbuds, fully opening the bizarre can of worms that is these earbuds.

The onboard screen, in its simplest use case, can effectively be seen as a more modern take on the inline microphone remote and its controls. There’s the ability to adjust volume and even switch songs, like you’d expect, just with a little extra flare thrown into the mix. But JBL keeps going, adding even more into the interface, like being able to switch between ANC or the other two transparency modes.

The novelty even goes as far as to include an onboard find my earbuds feature, as well as a flashlight that cranks the brightness up to full blast. You can set a listening timer, change the screen’s brightness, and even choose from an assortment of lock screen wallpapers too. Really fascinating stuff.

But circling back to something actually useful, EQ settings are just a few taps away too. I never really found myself switching any of the equalizer preferences once I get things set up with a new pair of buds, but having the option so readily available did have me actually changing settings based on what I was listening to.

Underneath the charging case next to the USB-C charging port is even a little button you can click to manually lock the touchscreen.

Alongside the novel charging case, JBL surprisingly does deliver a robust pair of true wireless earbuds. I really was expecting to pick up the new JBL Tour Pro 2 and largely have all praise begin and end at the fact that there’s a screen on the charging case. But the company goes the extra mile to ensure that there’s more than just the bells and whistles – delivering the core features you’d expect from a pair of $250 earbuds .

Active noise cancelation is another headlining feature that really delivers. I’ve run these through the usual gauntlet of busy city streets and crowded subway trains here in New York City, and the JBL Tour Pro 2 have managed to deliver a very reliable performance. To much the same tune, battery life is also very solid. Not only is monitoring how much juice you have left super easy from the charging case’s screen, but the up to 40 hours of usage really does seem to be in line with my experience so far.

When you do need to recharge, there’s, of course, the wired option of USB-C we mentioned above. But JBL also includes Qi support, so you can drop these into a wireless pad too.

One feature that I thought wouldn’t make use of was wear detection. But once again, JBL has surprised me with the Tour Pro 2. The feature doesn’t work as perfectly as you’ll find on AirPods Pro, but being able to take the earbuds out and have your music automatically stop is a nice inclusion.

Straying from what I love about the earbuds a bit, sound quality is easily the area that suffers the most with the comprises made here. Prior to checking out the JBL Tour Pro 2, I had been spending the past few weeks rocking out with Sony’s new XM5 earbuds – so my hearing is a bit more tuned to the finer side of the market. It isn’t to say that these earbuds sound bad because they certainly don’t! But for the price range, you are looking at some serious competition from other models that do deliver far more balanced sound signatures.

The high end isn’t super crisp, and the lower end of tracks is a bit muddy. Instruments aren’t as distinct as you’ll find on some higher-end listening experiences, either. But I really do have to at least give these credit because the earbuds do ultimately sound a lot better than some other models out there. It’s just that anything in the $250 price point is going to sound noticeably better.

But the worst part about these earbuds for me has to be the silicone that JBL used for the ear tips. Normally, my ears are pretty adaptable when it comes to finding various earbuds comfortable, but these JBL Tour Pro 2 did take a little more getting used to than I’ve found with other models out there. I wouldn’t really say that this changes my overall opinion about the earbuds, but it’s at least worth noting that there is an area JBL phoned it in a bit.

And speaking of low points, the transparency and ambient sound modes also aren’t very good. There’s not a lot to say on that front, other than that these are a long way away from winning away awards for the audio passthrough – even with six onboard microphones.

9to5Toys’ Take

I’ve been using the JBL Tour Pro 2 for the past few weeks now and really have come to one conclusion. It’s nothing shocking by any means, but you really are buying these earbuds for the unique charging case. There is so much to like about the buds in all other facets, but what is really going to justify that steep $250 price tag is the onboard touchscreen.

And to be quite honest, I don’t think you’d be crazy to do that. Maybe my use case has been a little niche, but I have been loving my time with the Tour Pro 2. I wear a lot of skirts and dresses that either have no pockets or some tiny ones, and being able to keep the charging case in hand while commuting has been great for just putting my phone away a bit. Some will say that the last thing that they want is another screen in their life, but I have found that it actually just gives me a chance not to be glued to my iPhone while still having playback controls around.

These really just have me dreaming of what the next step down the JBL Tour Pro 2 path leads us to. It feels like we’re right on the cusp of getting a pair of earbuds that have built-in MP3 player capabilities. Maybe this is as close to that vision. And if that is the case, at least JBL was able to deliver a compelling pair of earbuds that manage to beat the gimmick allegations.

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JBL Tour Pro 2 Review: Is it worth the upgrade?

The JBL Tour Pro 2 are JBL’s latest flagship wireless earbuds that come jammed packed with plenty of features including a novel smart charging case that features a touch-screen display. The touch screen display is the first of its kind from JBL, and gives you to ability to control the earbuds settings, manage calls and playback, and even set a wallpaper picture on the screen. The Tour Pro 2 earbuds also come with active noise cancellation and smart ambient modes, which essentially carries over the active noise cancellation capabilities of its predecessor, the JBL Tour Pro+ wireless earbuds. These earbuds are also capable of taking hands-free calls and come with a 6-mic array which picks up your voice accurately and clearly. Finally, these earbuds also feature JBL’s signature sound curve which delivers crisp highs and good low-end bass with less distortion at max volume levels; they come with newly integrated 10mm dynamic drivers that provide refined sound with a lot of depth and clarity.

Sound Performance

We compared the sound performance of the JBL Tour Pro 2 with other higher-end earbuds such as the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless and Samsung Galaxy Buds. Compared with these earbuds, we felt that the JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds deliver a more V-shaped sound signature with an emphasis on the lows and the highs. The midrange on these earbuds is crisp and detailed, and you can pick up some of the midrange details while listening to EDM or rock music genres with clean vocals. The bass on the JBL Tour Pro 2 is nice and punchy with plenty of depth, and does not sound muddy at higher volume levels. We did find the bass on these earbuds quite well-balanced, with a good depth and bass response without sounding too bloated. These earbuds also come with relatively larger 10mm drivers which can deliver louder sound performance with no distortion at higher volume levels.

Compared with its predecessor, the JBL Tour Pro+ wireless earbuds , we felt that the JBL Tour Pro 2 deliver slightly louder sound performance with enhanced bass response. While the bass on the JBL Tour Pro+ feels tight and punchy, the JBL Tour Pro 2 delivers bass with plenty of depth and goes very deep. The highs and midranges are much more articulate and detailed as compared to the JBL Tour Pro+, and the sound feels cleaner with minimal distortion at max volume levels.

Having said that, we felt that the JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds did not feel as spacious or wide as the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless or the Samsung Galaxy Buds. The soundstage on the Tour Pro 2 earbuds feels slightly constrained and compressed – you don’t get the same level of spaciousness as the Momentum 3 wireless or Galaxy Buds. This makes music sound somewhat less realistic that we had hoped for, and music genres such as jazz and classical music did not have the level of separation and detail that we would have wanted to hear from these earbuds.

Where the JBL Tour Pro 2 excels the adaptive noise cancelling technology – the active noise cancellation works really well and blocks out external noises from coming in, providing a really clean and crisp sound performance with punchy bass. While listening to music, we felt that the details can be more cleanly heard with ANC switched on, and the bass seems more punchy with more depth and clarity with noise cancellation switched on. To get more bass out of these earbuds, you can also adjust the EQ settings on the case or through the JBL app.

Specifications

The JBL Tour Pro 2 comes with plenty of new features including its signature smart case with a display screen which you can use to adjust the EQ settings or even set a display wallpaper image. You can control a surprisingly wide variety of earbud features on the smart case such as the earbuds volume settings, manage calls and playback, and control the EQ settings by touching the screen. We also liked the ability to set your favorite wallpaper image on the smart case which gives it a personalized feel.

Apart from the EQ settings, you can also use the smart case to turn on spatial sound for a wider sound performance, adjust screen brightness, activate noise cancelling and ambient aware modes and active VoiceAware modes for you to listen to conversations around you. The spatial sound performance on the Tour Pro 2 earbuds does make your music sound marginally better with some spatial imaging, although we felt that the sound actually feels much better with spatial sound turned off – the spatial sound feature has the tendency to make music sound more “artificial” rather than natural, and we didn’t really enjoy this feature on the JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds.

We also felt that the touch screen panel rather difficult to navigate as you have to keep swiping to get to the feature that you want to adjust, and this may pose some hassle if you need to adjust a certain setting quickly. We found that you can easily adjust these features using the JBL app which is more intuitive to use, with all the settings and features displayed on a single screen on your smartphone. In essence, you could simply adjust all the features on your smartphone without having to use the smart case and display screen, which we personally found to be rather challenging to navigate.

Where the JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds shine is the true adaptive noise cancellation technology which automatically uses 4 noise sensing microphones to adjust the sound to your surroundings in real-time. You can also easily change the active noise cancelling modes to ambient modes if required using the smart case or app. The active noise cancellation on these earbuds work quite well and are able to block out external noises pretty well, such as the engine noise while listening to music on an airplane or background conversational sounds while studying in a library.

Another feature that we really liked about the Tour Pro 2 earbuds is the voice control feature. These earbuds come with 6-microphones which pickup your voice clearly without any background distractions, allowing you to have crystal clear hands-free calls while on the go. You can also take calls in noisy spaces such as shopping malls and still maintain a clear conversation with the other side with very clean vocal pickup.

In terms of design, the JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds fit snugly inside your ears and feel very comfortable to wear. They are not too large or bulky, and stay inside your ears while doing exercises or workouts. These earbuds also come with multiple ear-tip sizes to choose from which is convenient for getting a better seal inside your ears for improved sound isolation. The JBL Tour Pro 2 provides roughly 10 hours of battery life on a single charge which is quite an improvement over the JBL Tour Pro+ (which has a battery lifespan or 4-5 hours per charge). You also get an additional 30 hours of battery life from the smart case which is pretty good. Furthermore, the JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds are IPX5 water-resistant which makes them suitable for outdoor use and workouts.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds are relatively small in size with short stems – which means that they do not protrude out of your ears or cause any discomfort. Having said that, the smart case is rather large and bulky in comparison due to the additional smart display screen and may be quite bulky to keep inside your pocket. Compared with the Samsung Galaxy Buds case which is small and very portable, the Tour Pro 2’s casing is large and bulky and does not fit inside your pocket easily. This makes it harder to take these earbuds outdoors especially if you are not carrying a backpack as you would have practically no space in your pockets to keep the smart case.

The Verdict?

The JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds deliver well-balanced sound performance with good bass and crystal clear highs, and come with a novel smart case with a display screen that is jammed packed with features. We felt that these earbuds have a V-shaped sound signature that emphasizes the bass and highs nicely, and you do get decent midrange sound performance from these earbuds. Having said that, we felt that the JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds are somewhat lacking in soundstage – music sounded compressed and not as spacious as the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless or Samsung Galaxy Buds, and we did not hear as much separation and spaciousness in the details as we would have liked. You do not get the same level of spaciousness and fidelity as you would get in other higher-end wireless earbuds such as the Sennheisers.

We also felt that the JBL Tour Pro 2 smart case was rather bulky. Even though the display screen looked quite nice and can even display your favorite images as a wallpaper, we felt that most of the functions that you can use on the case could be easily controlled with the JBL app – and it was far more convenient to adjust the settings using the app rather than the display screen. The display screen only shows one individual setting at a time and you need to keep swiping to get to the feature that you want to adjust, and this takes up quite a lot of unnecessary time. The JBL charging case is also bigger than it should be, and we felt this made these earbuds less portable than its predecessor version (or compared to the Sennheiser Momentum 3 wireless). While some may appreciate the new display screen feature, we felt that it was not really practical and more of a design statement – most of the features can be found on the JBL app which is easier and more intuitive to use. That said, the display screen makes the case much bulkier and less portable.

Overall, the JBL Tour Pro 2 comes with certain improved features such as active noise cancellation and extremely clear voice pick-up for hands free calls, but ultimately lacks the portability and practicality that we would expect from a pair of wireless earbuds due to the bulky smart case. Their sound performance is well-balanced and crisp, but we felt that it lacks soundstage and spaciousness that you can get with other high-end wireless earbuds. Ultimately, whether or not you should get the JBL Tour Pro 2 comes down to personal preference – the JBL Tour Pro 2 is no doubt packed with numerous features and a novel display screen on the charging case which makes it a unique pair of earbuds to have.

Review: JBL Tour Pro 2

Big sound from jbl.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 is the pure multi-performer of a pair of wireless earbuds. There's almost nothing they can't do!

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When I tested the Tour Pro+ , I was very excited, especially about the EQ settings. It was possible to adjust the frequency curve just enough to achieve the desired sound.

The ease of use, on the other hand, is so similar on most good earplugs that it was difficult to distinguish the Tour Pro+ from other earplugs on the market. You plugged in and pressed the earbuds to manoeuvre through playlists, answer calls, activate noise cancelling and audio replay, and summon the voice assistant. Nothing new there, in other words.

JBL has thought further with Tour Pro 2

The new Tour Pro 2, on the other hand, takes the user experience to new heights. Often, only minor upgrades are made when a new heir is introduced. A slightly better battery, maybe marginally better sound, and sometimes – but certainly not always – a smaller size of the earbuds themselves.

But JBL has gone a step further with the Tour Pro 2. In addition to longer battery life (up to 10 hours in the earplugs themselves) and also smaller size, JBL has done something completely new. This is the first time I’ve seen a screen on the charging case itself. And even a touch screen.

The touch screen on the case has a function

The screen turns out to be anything but a gimmick. It lets you adjust volume, scroll through music lists in a much more user-friendly way than tapping the little earplugs, and there are more options. You can turn EQ on and off and scroll through several different sound settings. Or turn on 360 audio for movies or games for a more immersive audio experience.

The best thing about the display is that you can access EQ functions even when you don’t have the app within reach. Like when the plugs are connected to a PC or TV.

Multipoint and better audio codec

Tour Pro 2 can connect two devices simultaneously, thanks to Bluetooth with multipoint. This means, for example, that you can be connected to both your phone and PC at the same time and listen to music from one source while answering a Zoom call on the other.

In addition, the earbuds support the new audio codec LC3 (also known as LE), which arrived with Android 13. This will eventually take over from the much inferior SBC codec, and once the standard is more established, the idea is that proprietary codecs like aptX and LDAC will become redundant.

But we’re still in the early stages, and although the JBL apps have been made ready for LC3 and LC3+, the codec wasn’t yet opened up during testing. But JBL promises it’s on the way, and then you’ll be able to get even better Bluetooth audio. For now, I’ve had to test with the AAC codec, which is a good deal better than SBC. If you have an iPhone, you’ll have to rely on the AAC codec anyway.

Personal listening test

In the app, JBL also has a personal listening test that maps your hearing and then adjusts the sound from the earbuds. I have to admit that I never got it to work because I got an error message that the left hearing plug wasn’t sealed well enough. I tried swapping tips, and checked again and again.

I didn’t experience any leakage myself because the sound and bass response felt the same between the left and right ears both when listening to music and when ambient sound was let into the plugs. In the end, I had to give up on the calibration, but at least here you have an option to get better sound tailored to your own hearing.

Noise reduction and sound leakage

The noise reduction now has the option to set the level, and if you select Adaptive ANC, the earbuds will automatically select the strength. They can also compensate for sound leakage in case of poor sealing in the ear. It works well, especially indoors on a train or plane, while wind noise is a challenge as with most others.

The SilentNow feature, by the way, lets you use noise cancellation for as long as you want without music playing.

There are two types of ambient sound: Ambient Aware takes in as much of your surroundings as possible, with a wide frequency range. TalkThru , on the other hand, lets through more midrange and less bass to emphasize human voices in a conversation. This feature works well in most situations, and I personally use it most when I want to hear my surroundings.

The JBL Tour Pro+ supports the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice assistants, and in the app you can choose whether to press the right or left earbud to activate the assistant.

Engaging sound

Right out of the box, JBL Tour Pro 2 delivers an engaging audio experience. The bass in particular is both big and physical, just as I would expect from JBL. If at all costs you want the sound as linear as possible, the bass is probably a bit overdone, although it’s more balanced and tuned than the more bass-oriented earbuds in JBL’s Live range.

The midrange is a bit restrained, meaning the bass drowns out the vocal midrange a bit. Yes, it’s popular, and it works. But for acoustic gigs, I need a little tweaking. There are preset EQs, but I’m not crazy about any of them.

Better sound with EQ

Fortunately, the EQ has really good adjustability. I pull the midrange up a bit with a soft filter curve that covers a pretty wide frequency range. Then I lower it a bit at 5 kHz, where it can otherwise get a bit sharp. It’s a setting that I find works very well on many JBL props from JBL. The same is true on the Tour Pro 2. There are also good fine-tuning options here.

Vocals open up more, the different timbral textures of an acoustic guitar can now be better distinguished from each other, and that without compromising the engagement of electropop and hiphop. Whether it’s Ed Sheeran’s melodious F65 (you have to force yourself through his tame attempts at rapping) or the dramatic piano ballad Love You in a Dream by Elsie Bay, the music comes through in the best possible way.

Call quality

The earbuds work well for phone calls and video conferences, the receiver hears me just fine. It’s not easy to get good dialogue sound through a pair of small earbuds, which need microphones with good beamforming for the sound from your mouth to be picked up by microphones placed in your ears. Without picking up all sorts of other noises.

The JBLs do a good job, it doesn’t sound quite as good as through some good headphones, but it’s certainly among the best I’ve heard from a pair of earbuds.

Every time I test JBL earbuds or headphones, I’m reminded of how far ahead of the competition they are when it comes to sound settings in the app. And with the all-new touch screen on the charging case, you no longer have to deal with the app on a daily basis. Simply choose from different EQ filters, set audio levels, and move around playlists right on the case. It’s especially handy when you’re connected to a PC or phone where the app isn’t downloaded.

Noise reduction is particularly good, as is call quality. With all the features, the excellent sound, and considering the price, I would dare to call the Tour Pro 2 outstanding.

Specifications

• Type: Fully wireless earbuds
• Bluetooth: 5.3
• Multipoint: Yes
• Protection: IPX5
• Active noise cancelling: Yes
• Codecs: AAC, LC3, LC3+ ( upcoming), SBC
• Battery life: 10 hours + 30 hours from case (u. ANC)
• Weight: 2 x 6.5 g + 73 g (case)
• Charging: USB-C
• Web: jbl.com

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JBL Tour Pro 2 Review: The best smartcase earbuds out there?

The jbl tour pro 2 are earbuds that offer much more than just an interactive smart case. but it comes with a couple of caveats.

by Scott Schaen February 5, 2024, 3:52 pm

JBL is the first to kick off an inevitable trend in true wireless headphones: the Smart Case! The JBL Tour Pro 2 are the first headphones to feature a fully capable touch screen on their case.

While the buds offer plenty to brag about, the case is the star of the show with a 1.45″ that lets you do pretty much everything you’d typically in the brand’s headphone app.

The screen is a blend of novelty and practicality. Since there’s almost no drawback to having the screen, the JBL Tour Pro 2 is a compelling pair of buds with their “legendary” JBL sound quality, spatial audio , ANC, 6-microphone “perfect call” setup, and 40-hour battery (32h with ANC).

JBL Tour Pro 2: Smart case and bud design

The most impressive quality of the JBL Tour Pro 2 smart case is that it’s not bulkier or heavier than your average true wireless headphone case. It’s on the chunkier side but still easily pocketable. At 73 grams, it still weighs slightly less than Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM3 case.

The screen is 1.45″, and while the resolution isn’t “retina,” it’s sharp enough to render and read small text. The screen is large enough to feature a few easily pressable buttons at a time. The touch screen is also about as responsive as your phone’s, which is a relief: you’re mostly just swiping through screens and tapping buttons.

The buds are AirPods style but with short, broad stems. They look nice and are on-brand, but don’t stand out the same way the case does. The ear tips are silicon and oval; they come in three sizes. The buds are very comfortable since they weigh only 12 grams but don’t stay in so well while exercising. You could probably fix this just by swapping out for after-market foam ear tips.

The outside of each bud is a one-touch button. Accidental presses are very common when inserting or adjusting the buds. Since the fit isn’t perfect, we changed the default tap on one bud from ambient sound control to volume up since it gets disruptive when adjusting the buds.

Each bud supports a single tap, double tap, and tap-and-hold. There’s no triple tap. You don’t have the luxury to customize every tap; you must choose between one of three profiles for each bud: ambient sound, volume, or playback/assistant.

JBL Tour Pro 2: Battery and charging

Depending on ANC use, the charging case and buds have enough juice to go 32-40 hours without recharging. The buds will last an impressive 8-10 hours on a single charge. These are very respectable numbers and on the high end. It feels like we haven’t charged in weeks, even with regular usage.

A 15-minute quick charge will get you 4-hour hours of playback. The charging case supports wireless charging and USB-C, and JBL included a short USB-A to USB-C cable.

JBL Tour Pro 2: Active Noise Cancellation

The ANC is quite good, especially if it creates a good seal with the ear tips. The noise cancellation is better than average, but not quite the level of the best-in-class models like Sony’s . The cancellation is very clean and natural sounding and can eliminate most background noise.

At a low volume, we can’t hear the treadmill while walking on it. It can also cut out a lot of commuter noise, but not all. An adaptive ANC feature adjusts the strength based on ambient noise. The JBL app will even personalize ANC for your ear canal through a quick sound test. Finding ear tips that create a tight seal is critical for getting the best ANC.

JBL Tour Pro 2: Smart case features and usability

The smart case has almost all the expected controls and some extras. There are still a few features we’d love to see added. Of course, you can use the screen to change volume, tracks, and play/pause (but so can your phone’s lock screen).

You can change settings you’d expect in-app, like ambient sound (ANC/ambient aware/talk-through), equalizer presets, and spatial sound. Then, you can control some headphone preferences and case preferences, like voice-aware, auto play/pause, case wallpaper, and case brightness.

And finally, you can use your case to find your buds, set a timer, or turn the screen into a flashlight. All these screens feature the battery life of the case and each bud. It also features the current time and some notification icons. The case will even display push notifications sent to your phone.

With all the case does, there are a few big opportunities for improvement. Firstly, the case doesn’t have a ‘currently playing’ screen or a way to choose what app to play music from. There’s also no way to activate the voice assistant. And finally, you can’t put your headphones into pairing mode, which we would have appreciated greatly; remembering how to enter pairing mode is always a challenge.

The case features are all highly usable, even if some of the features are a few swipes away. At the time of writing, you can’t reorder the features, but you can eliminate some screens from the app. It’s not often that the case is handier than the phone, yet we still find ourselves using it.

Accessing features like Spatial Audio or audio presets can be faster with the case. It’s also nice to see each bud’s battery and the case’s too. One undocumented perk of the case is that the headphones pair once you open the case so that music plays the second you insert them into your ear.

JBL has one of the best apps for features and usability: they’ve displayed every feature on the main screen in a long, scrollable, highly visual page. The app explains what everything does, and there’s no complicated deep nested menu system. There’s even a handful of smart features like a fit checker and an audio profile personalizer.

JBL Tour Pro 2: Sound quality

The sound quality is quite good — it’s detailed and clear. It is powered by 10mm drivers and features JBL’s “Legendary Pro Audio Sound.”

The default tuning and profiles (all of them) feel a bit flat for our taste. They lack oomph, especially in the mids, but this is fixable with the custom EQ, and now we’re almost as happy with the liveliness of the audio as other headphones in this price range. The bass will sound lighter if you don’t have a tight seal in your ear — we struggled with this.

Spatial Sound is usually a hit or miss and depends on the implementation and the content. We don’t love JBL’s spatial audio— it makes music sound airy and doesn’t give us the immersive 3D experience we expect. It’s possible it sounds better with certain music, videos, or games. It’s a personal preference, and it’s easy to toggle on and off to try it out.

The microphone quality on the Tour Pro 2 is excellent — one of the best we’ve reviewed for true wireless headphones; voices come through crisp, clear, and natural.

There’s also impressive background noise cancellation: they feature JBL’s “6 mic crystal call algorithm”, which doesn’t mean much to us considering we’ve reviewed six other microphone headphones with fancy algorithms that sound crummy, muffled, or robotic.

JBL nailed it with this microphone — it’s perfect for voice calls and video meetings.

JBL Tour Pro 2 review: Final thoughts

JBL’s groundbreaking Tour Pro 2 aren’t just earbuds; they’re an innovative audio experience. The headphones and app alone are already competitive with high-quality audio, top-tier microphones, ANC, and abundant features.

While seemingly gimmicky, the case’s interactive display can be surprisingly practical. Plus, it looks cool! It is just the beginning for case screens — even Apple submitted a patent earlier this year for an AirPod screen.

Our only hangup with the Tour Pro 2 is that we couldn’t find a perfect fit with the three silicon-included ear tips — we may need to invest in memory foam tips.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 is priced at $249.99 ; they’re not cheap but reasonable for high-end ANC headphones. They are currently available from Amazon in Black or Champagne.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 isn't just about the cool and practical interactive display; the earbuds and app feature high-quality audio, top-tier microphones, and ANC, making them an amazing pair of everyday headphones.

Copyright @2024 CIRBS LLC

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JBL Tour Pro 2 brings a whole new way to control your wireless earbuds

We all spend too much time on our phones, but JBL’s new touchscreen-enabled charging case does things differently and even lets you take phone calls

JBL Tour Pro 2 Champagne. Image: JBL

Review Overview

Our verdict.

Wireless earbuds have evolved to a point where they can seem more like tiny computers. JBL’s latest offering, the flagship Tour Pro 2, takes this even further with the introduction of a touchscreen on the case, one of only a handful of models incorporating this feature – HP’s Voyager Free 60 being another example..

• READ MORE: BOSS Gigcaster 8 is a powerful audio hub for recording, streaming and live mixing

Such a feature divides opinion somewhat, with PCMag and WhatHiFi deeming it something of a gimmick, while simultaneously praising the product’s build. We think it’s a more useful feature than they conclude, but still needs improvements. And after all – do you really need a touch screen for your earbuds when you already have a phone?

The case and buds certainly are well-built with a premium feel, as they should be for £250. With a waterproof rating of IPX5, the buds shake off splashes and the case comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging. It also charges wirelessly and you’ll get a solid 10 hours of playback with active noise cancelling (ANC) turned off, eight with it on; charging from empty takes two hours.

With the buds and case fully charged you can expect 40 hours of use – up there with the best on the market. A 15-minute quick charge will supply four hours of battery life, which will be welcome when you’re about to head out of the door.

Bluetooth pairing is simple, and multipoint connection with Bluetooth 5.3 is supported so you can switch between devices seamlessly. There are only three sizes of ear tips provided – competing buds come with up to five sizes – but we had no issues with fitting and the buds proved comfortable and secure to wear.

JBL’s app for iOS and Android is able to detect your earbuds model, provide access to the settings and advise of any available firmware updates.

There’s a lot to see here, starting with Person-Fi 2, a multi-step process you can invoke that plays sounds and runs various analyses to tailor the buds’ sound to your own ears. This is optional and you can turn it off if you decide it’s not materially improving the listening experience. Personally we preferred it off, but with EQ adjustments – there’s an EQ section in the app with user-storable presets and 10 bands of adjustment.

You’re also able to turn on JBL’s Spatial Sound feature to create a virtual 360-degree effect. It’s decent with compatible material, though as with any system like this, can sometimes mangle a simple stereo signal in a way that doesn’t quite work. There’s the ability to configure the tap-to-control features on either earbud to your liking too.

Let’s turn to what, at present, makes these buds unique. Many of the features from the app are also available via the touchscreen on the case, which is responsive and intuitive to use. There’s a header that displays the current battery level in both buds and the case, as well as the time. Battery display is something many buds and cases are very bad at, often reporting an ‘averaged’ value (rather than the value for each bud) to your phone. Here, you get the full information.

The screen can mirror message notifications from your device together with a message preview and also notify you of incoming calls and let you answer them. There’s a Find My Buds feature that will play a loud sound to help you locate them, and a useful mode called SilentNow that activates ANC while disconnecting Bluetooth and setting a wake-up alarm – the idea being to turn the buds into earplugs. You can switch between EQ presets from the screen, which is genuinely useful, and also use your pictures as screensavers, which is perhaps less so, but is certainly a fun inclusion.

Speaking of noise cancellation, its implementation here is respectable, with Adaptive mode being effective when out and about, plus a special ‘TalkThru’ mode that prioritises human voices during ambient listening. There are six microphones that also help when making and taking calls; voice clarity is excellent.

Sonically, the buds are relatively impressive performers, if not quite up to the level of some others in this price range like Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 or Grell’s TWS1s. The soundstage is coherent and the overall sound is fairly punchy but they lack the detail and finesse of, say, Master and Dynamic’s MW08s. On the other hand, they do offer an awful lot more features so that may be a consideration for you. We found that making some very minor EQ tweaks helped to fine-tune playback to our liking.

So do you really need touch screen control from your earbuds case? Maybe. Some people – including this reviewer – aren’t big fans of multi-tapping earbuds to invoke features and tend to go to their phone or smartwatch instead. Indeed, if you have an Apple Watch and an iPhone, some of this functionality around playback is already on your wrist. Of course, JBL’s buds are platform-agnostic, so they use their own system rather than Apple or Android’s.

Then there are our listening habits. When you’re listening, your phone is probably in your pocket or your hand, and your earbuds case is safely tucked away in a pocket or bag. So there’s a question of whether having the buds’ case to hand is much different to having your phone out. On balance, it’s definitely quicker to get at these tools from the case than by unlocking the phone and opening and navigating the app.

You can also remove pages from the swipe screen, streamlining it to just the things you regularly need like EQ, playback and ANC mode. Plus, some of these remain available by tapping the buds, so you may find you end up using a combination of methods to interact with them; it might just require a minor readjustment of your muscle memory. PCMag takes the view that “(some) features do feel wholly unnecessary, like the toggle for the auto play/pause function and a flashlight mode” but we’d counter that you can hide these, or simply not use them so it’s not a huge issue.

The Verge noted that one missing feature that would be a handy inclusion is track name display on the screen and that is certainly true – seeing the current track without pulling out your phone, assuming it’s technically possible.

These are feature-heavy earbuds with excellent battery life, solid if perhaps not category-leading sonic performance, and a touchscreen that is definitely not a gimmick. Don’t be surprised to see other companies try their own version of it in future.

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JBL Tour Pro 2 Review

JBL has an interesting new line of Bluetooth products that seem to want to compete with some of the high rollers of wireless audio. So far, their Tour One M2 headphones were pretty impressive as a less expensive over-ear option compared to Sony or Sennheiser’s current flagship models. They’ve had a few budget true wireless earbuds come out, but the Tour Pro 2 is their biggest launch yet. It features an innovation that could be a future staple of truly wireless earbuds, so let’s see if the Tour Pro 2 can make it stick.

What You Get

• 1 x JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds
• 1 x Charging case
• 1 x USB Type-C charging cable
• 1 x 3 sizes of ear tips
• 1 x Warranty / Warning (W / !)
• 1 x QSG / Safety Sheet (S / i)

Look & Feel

We could talk about the earbuds first, but it’s the charging case that is going to elicit the biggest impression. There’s a touch screen on the charging case that has its own lock screen you can personalize. You can swipe through different playback options, adjust volume, activate ANC, and even sort through EQ presents. There are a ton of features that the Tour Pro 2 offers and the touch screen is just another way of interacting with the earbud’s many features. The earbuds themselves have a nice stemmed design that seems more original in style than their usual output. They’re light and fit great without any problem.

Design & Functionality

10mm dynamic drivers are used here, which is nothing out of the ordinary. You’ll get some adequate volume out of the earbuds, with a little bit of headroom to play with. Like other recent models from JBL, the Tour Pro 2 comes jam-packed with features. ANC is the biggest one of course, and it’s perfectly functional for medium-traffic areas. It’s not the most effective with vents, so you might find trouble with this ANC on airplanes. However, it does enough to be considered effective noise cancelation. Using the earbud’s touch sensors, or the touch screen charging case is simple and easy, with both options being highly responsive. Other cool features like spatial audio mode, EQ, and Personi-Fi all make a return here too.

The Tour Pro 2 comes with the latest Bluetooth version with 5.3 LE. JBL has always carried stable Bluetooth and that’s exactly the case here as well. Pairing is lightning quick, and there were no instances of desynchronization throughout my testing. The only improvement they’ve yet to make is including higher-quality CODECs.

Battery Life

You should get around 10 hours of playtime from one charge of the Tour Pro 2 earbuds. Adding another 30 hours from the charging case makes for 40 total hours of battery life, which is pretty strong for a pair of Bluetooth earbuds.

I’ve been happy about the level of sound quality that recent JBL products have been delivering. One factor of this improvement is the soundstage, which has become less congested and more spread out between the left and right channels. The Tour 1 M2 and Vibe Buds are good examples of better soundstages for JBL, so the Tour Pro 2 should be in the same vein. While the Tour Pro 2 does a good job of keeping the sound elements fighting for the middle, the width of the tracks is still limited. Its wingspan doesn’t reach very far, only expanding half your shoulder length.

This is still an effective soundstage for true wireless earbuds though, as they communicate fair positioning of sound elements throughout the mix. Spatially there isn’t much depth to be found, but the surface of the sound is enjoyable enough. Nothing feels overshadowed or foggy with the Tour Pro 2, and everything is provided with enough room to identify each performance individually. You get a spatial audio option with the Tour Pro 2, but just like on Tour One M2, it doesn’t give off a good effect. It’s more like a digital filter than 3D audio.

JBL knows how to tune a fun bass response that is easy to be gripped by. The bass has a good movement, as you can feel it coming up from a pool of frequency content in the sub-bass. However, the frequencies’ timbre is much more relaxed and lacks the significant energy that JBL provides with a lot of their headphones. You still get a good kick out of the Tour Pro 2, it’s just the power that is a little disappointing. The bass can cut through well though, and with added clarity. However, if you’re looking for a bass that can shake you, you might not find it here, at least not without EQ.

In the mids, the Tour Pro 2 doesn’t offer anything out of the ordinary for JBL’s standard sound. You won’t hear any egregious recession in the midrange, but it’s not the most detailed or transparent range of frequencies. With that being said, the instruments come through smoothly. There is even some admirable expansion to the low and upper mids that help colorize the sound elements enjoyably. This is more like the fun factor that I’m used to hearing from JBL’s sound profile. Of course, you have more options with EQ and Personi-Fi settings, but the default sound is fine as it is.

The treble frequencies are surprisingly expressive, at least with my Personi-Fi activated. Otherwise, the timbre is a lot duller, but never to an extraneous amount. EQ can provide some lift, but using Personi-Fi made most of the difference here. For me, it added pop to the highs, adding more sizzle and height to the sound signature. Cymbals have more movement to them, as they dance around your forehead with more air to their timbre. Overall, the response was far more favorable to me, but your results might not be the same.

JBL’s Bluetooth library is getting pretty strong with these new products being launched. The Tour Pro 2 is the most innovative release from them yet, with its touchscreen charging case that has a few different uses. For now, I see it as a cool novelty rather than a useful feature, although it is a nice inclusion. The sound will have different levels of enjoyment based on which features you choose to use, but in its default mode, there is still enough to enjoy.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 is available at Audio46 .

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JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless Headphones Review

The JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless are the updated successor of the JBL Live Pro+ TWS True Wireless . While they look fairly similar to their predecessor, there have been a couple of changes, like adding an adaptive ANC system, multi-device pairing, and extra customization features via their companion app.

Our Verdict

The JBL Live Pro 2 are decent for neutral sound. Out of the box, they have a v-shaped sound profile that adds extra thump and boom while vocals and lead instruments are bright. If you prefer a different sound, their companion app offers a parametric EQ and presets to help you adjust their sound. However, their soundstage feels like sound is coming from inside your head rather than from speakers placed around you.

• Parametric EQ and presets available via their companion app.
• Bad passive soundstage performance.

The JBL Live Pro 2 are very good for commute and travel. They have an adaptive ANC system that does a great job of blocking background noise like the low rumble of bus engines. They also have over eight hours of continuous playback time, and their carrying case supplies three additional charges. They have a decently comfortable fit, too, but they can pop out of your ears if you don't have a good fit.

• Great noise isolation performance.
• Over eight hours of continuous playback time.
• Buds can pop out of your ears during movement like talking.

The JBL Live Pro 2 are great for sports and fitness. They're well-built and are certified IPX5 for resistance against direct water contact. They're also decently comfortable but lack stability fins and can pop out of your ears if you can't get a good fit. On the upside, they have over eight hours of continuous battery life. Their carrying case has three extra charges, which is handy in a pinch.

• IPX5 rating for water resistance.

The JBL Live Pro 2 are decent for office use. They have a decently comfortable fit and last over eight hours continuously. They also have an adaptive ANC system that can block out office chit-chat as well as the hum of computer fans very well. They have low leakage, which is great if you like to listen to your audio at high volumes. They also support multi-device pairing, meaning you can connect them with your smartphone and PC simultaneously.

• Can connect with up to two devices at a time.
• Mediocre overall microphone performance.

The JBL Live Pro 2 are Bluetooth headphones, and while you can use Video Mode for a lower latency performance on iOS and Android, their latency will likely still be too high for gaming on PC.

The JBL Live Pro 2 are Bluetooth-only headphones; you can't use them wired.

The JBL Live Pro 2 are fair for phone calls. Their integrated microphone has a sub-par recording quality, so your voice sounds dark and thin. The mic also has trouble separating your voice from moderate ambient sound, but you'll still be heard somewhat clearly. On the upside, they're equipped with an adaptive ANC system and can block out a great amount of ambient noise.

• 7.2 Neutral Sound
• 7.9 Commute/Travel
• 8.1 Sports/Fitness
• 5.8 Wireless Gaming
• 5.6 Wired Gaming
• 6.9 Phone Calls
• Updated Jan 15, 2024: We've updated this review to ensure it remains accurate and up-to-date. We've also added more relevant comparisons to similar products.
• Updated Jul 31, 2023: Added market comparison with the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless in the App Support box.
• Updated Sep 29, 2022: Review published.
• Updated Sep 22, 2022: Early access published.
• Updated Sep 16, 2022: Our testers have started testing this product.
• Updated Aug 26, 2022: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
• Updated Aug 18, 2022: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

The JBL Live Pro 2 come in four color variants: 'Black', 'Blue', 'Pink', and 'Silver'. We tested the 'Black' variant; you can see our model's label  here . If you come across another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.

Compared To Other Headphones

The JBL Live Pro 2 are the next generation of the JBL Live Pro+ TWS True Wireless . They have an adaptive ANC system and now support multi-device pairing, meaning you can stay connected to your PC and smartphone at the same time. However, the manufacturer has also changed their nozzle shape from round to oval, which they advertise to help improve bass reproduction and form a better seal. Users who prefer more traditional round-shaped nozzles but want earbuds with premium features will want to check out the JBL Tune Buds True Wireless .

Check out our recommendations for the best earbuds and in-ear headphones , the best true wireless earbuds , and the best AirPods alternatives .

The JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless are better earbuds for most uses than the JBL Tune Flex True Wireless . While the Tune Flex have a more balanced sound profile out of the box and a more comfortable, stable fit, they have a sub-par noise isolation performance, even with their 'sealing' ear tips. The Live Pro 2 have a great noise isolation performance by comparison and a longer continuous battery life, making them a better choice for commuting and travel. They also have Bluetooth multipoint connectivity, which can be handy if you want to pair to both your laptop and your phone. 

The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Truly Wireless and the JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless have similar feature sets, but the Anker have the edge over the JBL for most uses. While both buds have similar, bass-heavy sound profiles that are adjustable via their respective companion apps, as well as great noise isolation performances, the Anker have a slightly longer continuous battery life and their case holds more charges. They also have a game mode to help lower latency on mobile devices if you want to game or stream video with lower audio lag, and they support LDAC, which is a codec designed for streaming hi-res audio with supported platforms. 

The Apple Airpods Pro (2nd generation) Truly Wireless are better overall wireless earbuds than the JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless. The Apple are more comfortable, are better built, and have a higher quality case. They also have a more neutral sound out of the box, are better noise isolation performance, and have spatial audio compatibility. That said, the JBL have a longer continuous battery life and their companion app is compatible with both iOS and Android devices, while the Apple can only access customization options through the iOS interface. 

JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless have a slight edge over the JBL TUNE 230NC TWS True Wireless . The Live Pro 2 have a significantly better noise isolation performance, thanks to their ANC system, and they support multi-device pairing, meaning you can connect them with up to two devices at a time. However, the TUNE 230NC have a more comfortable and stable fit. Their sound profile is a bit more neutral, which some people may prefer.

The JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless have a slight edge over the JBL Live Pro+ TWS True Wireless . The Pro 2 have a better noise isolation performance thanks to their adaptive ANC system, last longer on a single charge, and support multi-device pairing with up to two devices. They even have a low-latency Video mode to help keep your audio and visuals in sync while streaming video. However, the Pro+ are more comfortable as well as stable.

The JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless are better in-ears than the Beats Fit Pro True Wireless . The JBL are more comfortable, can block out slightly more ambient noise, and have a better overall battery performance. They have more customization features via their companion app, like a parametric EQ and presets, and you can connect them with up to two devices at a time. However, the Beats have a significantly more stable in-ear fit, have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer, and their H1 chip allows you to seamlessly pair them with Apple devices.

The JBL Tune Buds True Wireless and the JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless have similar feature sets with slightly different strengths. The Tune Buds have a more neutral default sound profile, though you can tune the sound profile of both buds through the excellent JBL Headphones app. The Tune Buds also have a better mic performance and a slightly longer continuous battery life. That said, the JBL Live Pro TWS have a better noise isolation performance that blocks out a wider range of ambient noise. 

The Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless are better in-ears than the JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless. While both headphones offer a similarly great noise isolation performance, the Apple have a more comfortable and stable fit, are better built, and have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer. They also have an H1 chip that allows you to seamlessly pair them with your Apple devices. However, the JBL are more customizable, thanks to their companion app's robust customization features, and they can connect with up to two devices at a time.

The JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless are more premium headphones than the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless . The Live Pro 2 have a more comfortable and more stable fit. Unlike the Vibe Beam, they come with an ANC feature, and they can block out more background noise. Plus, they support multi-device pairing, unlike the Vibe Beam.

The  JBL CLUB PRO+ TWS True Wireless  are slightly better in-ears than the JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless. The CLUB PRO+ are better-built and have a more comfortable as well as stable in-ear fit. Their sound profile is more neutral, which some users may prefer. However, the Live Pro 2 have a significantly better noise isolation performance, and they support multi-device pairing, meaning you can connect them with up to two devices at a time.

Test Results

The JBL Live Pro 2 TWS have a nearly identical look to the JBL Live Pro+ TWS True Wireless . They have a stem design that doesn't go too far down your ear. It has a glossy finish, but it looks a little cheap. They come in four color variations: 'Black', 'Silver', 'Rose', and 'Blue'.

These buds are decently comfortable. They have a lightweight fit that doesn't enter your ear canal very deeply. Registering commands also won't push the bud against your ear. However, they differ from the JBL Live Pro+ TWS True Wireless as they have an 'Oval TubesTM' design. The nozzle is ovular instead of round and is designed to improve the ear tip's seal. That said, the buds tend to pop out of your ear with small movements like talking. They also don't come with as many ear tip options as the Live Pro+ either, and you may need to change the tips to get a better fit.

These headphones have great controls. The buds are responsive and easy to use. However, there aren't any volume controls by default, and if you want to remap these settings, you will lose other controls. There's no audible feedback when changing tracks or playing and pausing audio. You'll also lose access to some controls if you're using one bud while the other is charging.

On the left earbud:

• Single press: Turns ANC on and off.
• Double press: Activates ambient noise mode.

On the right earbud:

• Single press: Plays and pauses audio.
• Double press: Skips to the next track.
• Triple press: Skips to the previous track.

These buds are exceptionally portable, which is normal for truly wireless headphones. They can easily fit into most pockets without a problem.

The case is made of matte plastic and feels good overall. Three lights on the front of the case indicate the battery life. Unfortunately, the lid seems a bit thin and more susceptible to breakage.

These earbuds have a good build quality. They're mostly made of plastic, which feels sturdy but a little cheap. They're certified IPX5 for resistance against direct water contact. Unfortunately, the ear tips feel prone to ripping, and the lid of the case is thin-feeling, so it may be prone to damage over time.

They're decently stable. They don't have stability fins or ear hooks, meaning they can fall out with intense head movements. The buds can also pop out of your ear if you're talking, so trying to get the best fit with the included ear tips is important.

• JBL Live Pro 2 TWS headphones
• 3x tip sizes
• Charging case
• USB-C to USB-A charging cable

The JBL Live Pro 2 have a slightly v-shaped sound profile. They deliver extra thump, rumble, and boom to mixes while vocals and lead instruments are bright. You can customize their sound to suit your tastes via their companion app's graphic EQ and presets.

The frequency response consistency is excellent. Assuming you can achieve a good fit and seal using the included ear tips, you can get consistent bass and treble delivery each time you use them.

These buds have very good bass accuracy. It's overemphasized across the range, so mixes have intense thump, rumble, and boom. This sound is well-suited for genres like EDM and hip-hop that can benefit from extra punch and warmth.

They have excellent mid accuracy. There's a small bump in the high-mid, which makes vocals and lead instruments more intense. However, the range is fairly flat and well-balanced, so vocals and instruments sound present and clear in mixes.

The treble accuracy is very good. The response is overemphasized across the range, resulting in detailed vocals and lead instruments and bright sibilants like cymbals. In songs like the Wallflowers' cover of Heroes, the hi-hats throughout the chorus are crisp but not piercing.

The peaks and dips performance is great. A small dip in the mid-mid nudges vocals and instruments to the back of the mix. Two peaks in the treble range make vocals and instruments sound harsh, while sibilants like hi-hats are piercing.

They have excellent imaging performance. This manufacturer makes a lot of headphones at different price points, yet their products generally have well-matched drivers across the board. Imaging can vary from unit to unit, though. Our unit's L/R drivers are well-matched in group delay, phase, amplitude, and frequency response. Although there are a couple of peaks in the phase response's treble range, which skews audio towards the left, it's tricky to hear with real-life content.

Their passive soundstage performance is bad, though this is normal from in-ear headphones. Since they completely bypass your outer ear, sound feels like it's coming from inside your head rather than from around you.

These headphones have a great weighted harmonic distortion performance. All frequencies fall within good limits, resulting in clear and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test the JBL Live Pro 2, and our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

Note: These buds have a sensor that turns the ANC off when the sensor doesn't detect skin. We used copper tape with a wire to test them with the ANC on.

The noise isolation performance is great. They have an ANC system that you can customize, either by selecting Adaptive ANC or adjusting the ANC's level. You can also access the following features to improve their noise isolation performance: 'Leakage Compensation', 'Ear Canal Compensation', and 'Ear Canal Test'. For more information regarding these tests, check out the App Support test. With all these features on and using the adaptive ANC, they can block out much of the low rumble of bus and plane engines. They can also tackle ambient chatter and the high-pitched hum of AC units. That said, without any of these features on and with the ANC set to high, they still block out a very similar amount of ambient noise.

The leakage performance is great. Audio bleed is mostly concentrated in the treble range, so escaping audio sounds thin. If you're listening to audio at high volumes in a moderately noisy environment, others around you may hear it, but it's still fairly minimal.

The integrated mic has a sub-par recording quality. Your voice sounds thin and dark, making it somewhat tricky to hear speech clearly.

The mic's noise handling performance is satisfactory. The mic has trouble separating your voice from moderate background noise, like a busy street. Compared to the JBL Live Pro+ TWS True Wireless , the volume of your voice is much lower when there's noise present, making it a bit harder to hear your voice clearly.

The JBL Live Pro 2 have a good battery performance. The manufacturer advertises them to last six hours continuously with the adaptive ANC on, and we measured over eight hours. That said, battery life can vary depending on usage. The carrying case supplies roughly three additional charges if you need them. You can also use one bud while the other one charges.

The JBL Headphones app is excellent. There are a lot of customization features just for the ANC. You can turn it on or off, as well as access the Adaptive ANC or the adjustable ANC level. There's a Leakage Compensation feature, which checks the earbuds' leakage and adjusts the ANC level in real-time, Ear Canal Compensation, which scans your ear canal, and an Ear Canal Test to optimize their ANC system. As with the more budget-friendly JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless , there's also a parametric EQ and presets to fine-tune their sound. You can remap their controls, check the buds' fit in your ears, and select power-saving modes.

These buds have very good Bluetooth connectivity. You can simultaneously connect them with up to two devices at a time. Their app also offers two different modes: Audio mode, which prioritizes high sound quality, and Video mode, which prioritizes lower audio latency. When using the Audio mode, they have very high audio latency, which is noticeable and pretty distracting when watching video content. They have significantly lower latency when using the Video mode, and you won't notice lip-synching issues with any of your devices. That said, some apps or devices will automatically compensate for latency.

The JBL Live Pro 2 TWS have a USB-A to USB-C charging cable. However, the headphones don't support any wired connections.

These earbuds can connect to PCs with full compatibility via Bluetooth. However, they can't connect to PCs in any other way.

They come with a carrying case with a USB-C input for recharging. The case also supports Qi Wireless charging.

JBL Tour Pro 2 - Review

Smart case..

The JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds have a neat trick: they come in a smart case. The case provides some useful features, but most of its functionalities seem a little unnecessary. It did enhance its design and look though, so I’d love to see it amped up with better features in the next model. Either way, these buds are ideal for you if you’re into bass or if you’re looking for a good pair of noise-canceling earbuds .

JBL Tour Pro 2 – Design and Features

Priced at $249, these earbuds really do stand out because of their innovative charging case. Unfortunately, the case needs a little more work to feel like more than a marketing gimmick. While it is definitely attractive and amusing, it lacks a bit of purpose and depth to it. We’ll get into specifics in a moment – for now I’ll just say that the functionalities it offers don’t make up for the increase in both the case’s weight and size and the price of the product. 

JBL’s flagship buds ship with three ear tips of varying sizes (small, medium, and large) and a Type-C charging cable. Aesthetics-wise, the buds do look like they’re mid-range. Not only is the case attractive, but the buds exude sophistication too. They feature a glossy and matte exterior, a ridged interior, and an overall good-looking body. Weighing 6.1g each, the buds aren’t exactly what you’d call lightweight, but their weight is far from a dealbreaker as well.

The stems on the Tour Pro 2 are short. Like, really short. While this didn’t bother my small hands a lot, I can completely imagine someone with large hands getting very irritated by these. Not only do longer stems make using the touch controls easier, but they also allow you to conveniently adjust the buds in your ears without resulting in accidental taps.

Apart from the potential issues featuring short stems would cause, the buds are pretty comfortable. The various tip sizes are quite helpful and, when plugged in, the buds form a nice seal around your ears with some degree of passive noise isolation. Don’t expect complete cancellation, of course, but the seal was good enough to considerably silence the whirring sound of the construction site next to my house.

The controls on the buds are fairly straightforward. And they’re remappable with JBL’s mobile app for iOS and Android, so you can always tweak them if you don’t find them straightforward. By default, the right bud controls media playback, accepts/declines calls, mutes/unmutes your mic, and activates your phone’s voice assistant. The buds also feature both Google and Alexa as built-in assistants. The left bud allows you to do the same except it replaces controlling media playback with cycling between ANC, Ambient Aware, and Talkthru modes.

JBL Tour Pro 2 – Smart Case

When I mentioned the smart case may be lacking, I didn’t mean it doesn’t offer enough features. In fact, it offers quite a lot. Maybe a bit too much. However, most of what it offers is unnecessary or redundant.

Here’s a full list:

• Media playback (Pause, play, rewind, forward)
• Volume control
• Switching between ANC, Ambient, and Talkthru modes
• Equalizer presets
• Spatial sound
• Screen brightness
• Setting a lock screen wallpaper
• Turning Voiceaware on/off
• Turning autoplay and pause on/off
• Displaying message previews
• Find my buds

Cycling between 13 modes can feel like a chore. The good news is that you can tweak what shows up for you and keep the ones that you need often. Still, many of these options are controls that are easily accessible with the buds, so it does feel a little redundant to have them on the case as well. If you’re someone who always carries the charging case on you, you might love this concept. But for folks who don’t always wish to stay glued to their case and are comfortable with the bud controls, the smart case doesn’t add much value. And one of the few things the buds can’t do, the message previews feature, doesn’t actually display your messages on the case. It just notifies you by saying “New message on mobile device”, which isn’t terribly helpful.

This isn’t to say that all the controls are useless. It is definitely more convenient to change your equalizer preset with the case rather than heading over to the JBL mobile app. Features such as timer and flashlight are also always welcome, as is the Find My Buds feature. I also like the idea of getting to set a wallpaper as it personalizes the experience. My review unit came with a preloaded IGN wallpaper which I thought was a cute gesture by the company.

JBL Tour Pro 2 – Performance

One thing’s for sure. The bass on the Tour Pro 2 is excellent. I can’t say the same about its treble, though. While the latter isn’t non-existent, it doesn’t come at you the way the bass does. If you’re a big fan of treble, definitely pass on these. It isn’t rich, clear, and vibrant as you’d like it to be. It also sounds a bit clustered and doesn’t have a separate layer of its own. I put on many songs, particularly treble-heavy ones, too, and I still didn’t get to enjoy the high-end. The mids are quite good, and I didn’t hear any flaws in them. They feature clarity and depth and sound pretty rich.

The bass is the real winner on these buds. JBL has found a way to make the bass sound amazing without overdoing it too much. The power that the low-end packs is the first thing that’s going to stand out to you. It is extremely noticeable – even by non-audiophiles. Though, I must add, the Bass EQ setting on the smart case didn’t add much value. My songs sounded pretty much the same. While we’re at it, except for the Jazz and Vocal presets, none of the other presets changed a lot for me. My personal favorite was the Vocal one; it did a brilliant job of putting the artist’s voice on another layer and was very helpful when I listened to my favorite podcast on these, too.

Another feature that really impressed me was the buds’ ANC. There is an incredibly loud pedestal fan at my local library that is impossible to be silenced. You might think a library is not the best place for testing ANC, but this fan’s sound was what I really wanted to test with. It might be interesting to note that I sat right next to it on the testing day. To my surprise, it muted it entirely . I couldn’t hear even the faintest whirring sound; it was too good to be true. The ambient mode could have been much better, though. It produced that weird hiss that’s common on the ambient mode of many buds. This hiss was too loud and, coupled with the sound of the fan, was quite bothering. The Talkthru mode was very different from what I expected. It claims to reduce the volume enough for you to have a conversation with someone. However, the volume was reduced so much that it sounded as if you’d paused your music. I didn’t really see a point in the feature because I can easily use the pause option to achieve the same outcome.

I called my friend and was told that my voice came through crisp and clear. I also asked about noise reduction, and they reported it’s doing a pretty neat job considering I was out on a very busy street in Manhattan. They said that the mic did a better job at canceling low-end sounds, as compared to high-end ones. The sound of the car engines whirring was significantly muted, but the high pitched horns and a shrill chirp from a nearby bird was more audible.

JBL claims that the buds rate at 10 hours of battery life and the charging case at 30 hours. That’s more than the average for true wireless earbuds and is pretty impressive. Enabling ANC will reduce the battery life by two and six hours respectively. The actual battery life of these buds is ultimately dependent on your listening volume.

The Verdict

The JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds offer excellent bass and decent mids, but comparatively unclear highs hold them back from an all around excellent sound profile. They have a good-looking body, are comfortable to wear, and have excellent ANC that you can count on for travel or your everyday commute. The smart case meanwhile is a neat innovation – with features such as a timer, flashlight, and Find My Buds that are appreciated – but ultimately doesn’t add enough useful functionality to be worth the price premium.

JBL Tour Pro 2

Jbl tour pro 2 review.

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JBL Tour Pro 2

A touch-screen charging case isn't quite a must-have.

Bottom Line

• Powerful bass balanced with sculpted highs
• Long battery life
• Screen on charging case seems unnecessary

JBL’s products never seem to skimp on features, and the Tour Pro 2 noise-cancelling true wireless earphones are no exception. For A$329, they offer reliable active noise cancellation (ANC), an adjustable, bass-forward sound signature, and long battery life. But the innovative touch screen on their charging case would benefit from a more streamlined approach. Overall, we prefer the second-generation Apple AirPods Pro for the same price because they sound just as good, cancel noise more effectively, and work more seamlessly if you have an iPhone.

A Secure Fit and Good Battery Life

The stem-style Tour Pro 2 earbuds, which are available in black or champagne models, fit securely and ship with three pairs of silicone eartips. Their somewhat chunky enclosures house 10mm dynamic drivers that deliver a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz, with an impedance of 16 ohms.

They are compatible with Bluetooth 5.3 and work with just the AAC and SBC codecs . JBL claims that they will eventually support LE Audio via the LC3 or LC3+ codecs, but didn't specify an exact date for that rollout. For the price, we would have liked to see AptX or even LDAC (which the A$449.95 Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds use), but neither the A$429.95 Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II nor the AirPods Pro do better here. At least you get support for Google Fast Pair.

Each earpiece features a capacitive touch control panel and you can adjust the functions to a degree via the companion app. By default, a single tap on the left earbud switches between the ANC and Ambient Aware modes (you can add an Off option to this cycle), while the same gesture on the right controls playback. A double-tap on the left side toggles the TalkThru ambient mode or takes you to the next track on the right. Triple-taps don't do anything on the left earbud out of the box, but on the right it takes you to the previous track. A tap-and-hold on either earpiece summons your device's voice assistant.

The controls felt mostly responsive in testing, but we occasionally had to tap multiple times for an action to register. The bigger problem, however, is that the default layout doesn't seem intuitive. For instance, it's confusing that the Ambient Aware and Talk Thru modes aren't part of the same gesture cycle. Both are transparency modes after all, with the latter emphasizing conversations. A full set of controls is generally ideal, but the odd groupings of some features here make the standard layout feel a bit chaotic.

Their IPX5 weatherproof rating is fairly standard for noise-cancelling earbuds. Essentially, the earphones can withstand light splashes from any direction, which means that neither light rain nor sweat should pose an issue. I don't recommend rinsing them off under a faucet or getting the case wet, though, because that's pushing the limits. If you need more durable earbuds for exercise , consider another pair from JBL, such as the IP68-rated Reflect Aero earphones.

JBL estimates that these earbuds can last roughly 10 hours per charge and that the case holds an additional 30 hours of battery life. If you enable the noise cancellation mode, those numbers drop slightly to eight and 24 hours, respectively. Of course, your results will further vary based on your typical listening volume. The company claims that the earphones can recharge completely in around two hours and that 15 minutes of charging gets you four hours of playback time.

A Smart Case That Tries a Bit Too Hard

The Tour Pro 2's charging case is a bit bulky, but that's necessary to accommodate its unique built-in touch screen. Otherwise, a USB-C port on the back enables charging via the included USB-C-to-USB-A cable. Alternatively, you can also drop the case on a Qi wireless charger to replenish the battery.

The case’s screen defaults to a custom wallpaper and, near the top, shows the battery life for each earphone and the case, as well as the time and Bluetooth status. JBL sent our review unit with the PCMag logo preinstalled, but you can choose between several default wallpapers or upload a custom image.

You can swipe across a total of 13 screens here, which mostly mirror the functions you get in the companion app. Some screens have practical controls for playback, volume, noise cancellation, and screen brightness, but you can also enable the audio-based Find My Buds feature and toggle notification mirroring. Of course, some functions are a bit more limited here than in the app. For instance, although you can switch between EQ presets, you can't create custom curves. That's not a complaint though, because doing so would be impractical. Other features do feel wholly unnecessary, however, like the toggle for the auto play/pause function and a flashlight mode (in which the case's screen simply turns white).

It wouldn't surprise me if other manufacturers jump in on this touch-screen case trend (the enterprise-focused Poly Voyager Free 60+ has one too), but I hope to see improvements to the concept. Using this current iteration feels a bit like trying to operate the tiny touchpad on the 6th-gen iPod nano from 2010—something about the experience just feels a bit dated and it can be more inconvenient to swipe through 13 screens rather than to simply open up the companion app on your phone. True, there's some utility in the case as a remote for the earbuds, but that's not enough to make up for some of the navigation challenges it poses.

JBL Tour Pro 2 App Experience

The ever-evolving JBL Headphones app (available for Android and iOS) is as cluttered as ever, which is disappointing because there are some genuinely handy and well-designed functions within it.

The main screen shows an image of the Tour Pro 2 earphones, along with battery life readouts for both them and the case. Below that, there's an ANC section that lets you switch between the ANC On, Ambient Aware, and Talk Thru modes. That last option includes a volume slider for the ambient mics. You can further customize the ANC experience by toggling the Adaptive setting (on by default), as well as by turning on the Leakage Compensation and Ear Canal Compression settings (both are off by default). Additionally, you can initiate an ear canal fit test here.

Further down, a Personi-Fi section lets you take a hearing test. The app claims to use those results to adjust the audio, but you can just as easily use the EQ section to customize the sound. For its part, JBL claims to store the unencrypted hearing test data locally on the device and that it won't share any details with third parties.

Next up is an EQ section with lots of presets. If you prefer more control, you can create a custom curve with 10 bands or simply draw one. Scroll down to reach the Spatial Sound area where you can toggle JBL’s various spatial audio effects for movies, music, or games. I recommend leaving these off because it's a poor approximation of surround sound that ends up just adding a layer between you and the audio.

A Gestures section allows you to switch between a few different preset control layouts—Ambient Sound Control, Volume Control, and Playback & Voice Assistant Control. I would prefer the ability to simply assign functions to various gestures, but some degree of customizability is better than none.

Rounding out the app are Voice Aware (which controls how much of your voice you hear on calls) and Smart Audio (which switches between a low-latency video mode and regular audio mode) tiles, both of which you can turn off completely. And there are several additional tiles that really belong in a traditional settings menu: AutoPlay/Pause, Left/Right Audio balance, Voice Assistant (which you can assign to Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri), Find My Buds (an audio-based feature that helps you locate a lost earpiece), Power Saving, Notifications (which you can set up to sync to the case's screen), and Smart Case (which lets you take a photo, upload an image, or choose between existing wallpapers for the screen's background).

The app is brimming with features and some are necessary (like the Support tile that enables you to install firmware updates) while others (like the Silent Now tile that helps you take timed breaks) are less important and some just seem to be in the wrong place. For example, I'm not quite sure why the Personal Sound Amplification option (which lets you control the volume level and ear-to-ear balance for the ambient listening mode) is not a part of the general noise cancellation section. Apple and Bose are far ahead in terms of their mobile device integrations; Apple's earbuds seamlessly interface with your iPhone's built-in settings, while Bose's companion app is refreshingly simple and effective.

Decent Noise Cancellation

The Tour Pro 2's four noise-cancelling mics served them well in our tests. We found the Adaptive mode most effective for the noises we were trying to reduce, but your results might differ.

The pair substantially cut back the deep, low-frequency rumble you hear from engines and appliances, and reduced the lows and mids from a recording of a crowded restaurant scene. That said, a thin band of highs from the latter audio sample made it past the circuitry. That's not a huge concern, however, because most noise-cancelling models struggle with the same frequencies. The Apple AirPods and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are notable exceptions to that rule and perform better in both scenarios.

But there's good news: Neither the ANC nor the Ambient Aware modes greatly impact the audio performance, a quality that not all competing models can claim. The Ambient Aware mode is useful overall and adds just a bit of hiss to an otherwise transparent signal of your surroundings. You shouldn't have any issue tuning in to your environment without removing the earpieces.

Sculpted Sound With Emphasized Low End

For evaluating the audio performance of the Tour Pro 2 earbuds, we turned off all the EQ customizations and enhanced audio modes. On tracks with heavy sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the drivers push out an impressive low-frequency response. The rumble is palatable at moderate volumes and I didn't detect any distortion at maximum output settings.

They also didn't have any trouble reproducing the sub-bass elements at the 34-second mark of Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty.” The sub-bass line here progressively descends and the final, deepest parts are still audible despite trailing off a bit. The various vocals on the track come across with excellent clarity and never cede ground to the enhanced lows.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with less low-end emphasis, better demonstrates the sound signature. The drivers present the drums with a pleasing thump that never seems unnatural. Callahan’s baritone vocals get an ideal blend of low-mid richness and high-mid crispness, while the acoustic strums are bright and clear. Boosting and sculpting are present throughout the frequency range and the mids suffer a bit for it, but you can use the in-app EQ to recover some of that detail.

On orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary , the earbuds push the lower-register instrumentation forward in the mix. Purists might not like this approach, but the boosting isn’t egregious and there's plenty of higher-frequency sculpting to keep everything in balance. Transparency takes a bit of a hit, however.

A six-mic array offers strong intelligibility for phone calls. I had no issue understanding every word from a test recording on an iPhone, but the AirPods Pro captured a slightly clearer signal. Neither pair should be an obstacle to phone conversations over a strong cellular connection.

Features Over Function

The JBL Tour Pro 2 earphones offer an energetic sound signature and reasonably effective noise cancellation, but the features that set them apart from the competition don't do quite enough to warrant the high price. The touch-screen case and companion app both offer useful functionality, but end up feeling overbearing because of the sheer number of features. Overall, the AirPods Pro earn our Editors' Choice award for offering more effective noise cancellation—and their appeal only increases if you use an iPhone thanks to their seamless integration with Apple devices.

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About Tim Gideon

I've been a contributing editor for PCMag since 2011. Before that, I was PCMag's lead audio analyst from 2006 to 2011. Even though I'm a freelancer now, PCMag has been my home for well over a decade, and audio gear reviews are still my primary focus. Prior to my career in reviewing tech, I worked as an audio engineer—my love of recording audio eventually led me to writing about audio gear.

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All products featured are independently chosen by us. However, SoundGuys may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links. See our ethics statement.

JBL Club Pro Plus review

Published on December 20, 2021

JBL Club Pro Plus

October 25, 2020

As of 12/21/2021: $79 USD

5.5 x 5 x 3 cm

7g (earbud)

69g (earbud + case)

CS0457-HK0006053

JBL has its fingers in a lot of audio pies these days, from Bluetooth speakers to gaming headsets and more—you name it, JBL has done it. Now the company is back with another pair of true wireless earbuds, the JBL Club Pro Plus. These earbuds bring active noise canceling (ANC), various EQ options, and more.

Is that enough to differentiate these true wireless earphones from all the 0thers?

Editor’s note: this JBL Club Pro Plus review was updated on December 20, 2021, to include the JBL Reflect Flow Pro as an alternative, to update the frequency response chart, and to update the scoring with results from our reader poll.

Who is the JBL Club Pro Plus for?

• Everyday listeners  who need something with ANC for their bus or train commute .
• Fitness enthusiasts   who need something sweatproof but don’t care for an ear hook design.

What is it like to use the JBL Club Pro Plus?

If you’ve used a pair of true wireless earbuds before, the JBL Club Pro Plus should feel like pretty standard fare. The company bills these new earbuds as the ones to get if you need something that’s ready for anything, and that’s largely true.

Related: What makes a good set of in-ears?

The JBL Club Pro Plus is made mainly of plastic, as is its charging case, which helps keep things lightweight. The earbuds feature touch-sensitive panels that offer a decent spread of onboard controls, which you can adjust in the My JBL Headphones app.

The buds feature a molded shape meant to nestle snugly into your ear, but whether it successfully manages this depends on your particular ear shape. There are no additional stabilizers like ear fins or hooks, so getting a decent seal with the properly sized ear tip is very important (especially if your ear shape isn’t suited to the shape of the bud). Fortunately, the JBL Club Pro Plus comes with three different sizes of silicone ear tip, so finding a decent fit shouldn’t be too hard.

The case is a little thick, compared to similarly shaped ones from the likes of the Apple AirPods or the Google Pixel Buds A-Series , but it still fits in a pocket just fine. Magnets hold the earbuds in place when you store them for charging, though insufficient connection with the charging contacts still happens—this is actually a rather persistent issue. I routinely have to fiddle with one bud or the other to make sure they’re both charging, otherwise I’ll pull them out and run into a situation where one is full and the other barely has any juice left. This can mean more than just being forced into mono listening occasionally (something the earbuds support, which is nice).

Much like with pretty much every other pair of true wireless earbuds, the JBL Club Pro Plus breaks its connection with your paired device when you store it in the charging case. However, since either bud can pair with your device, if the charging connection doesn’t happen for both earbuds, one will stay paired. This drains the earbud battery even more, and it makes answering phone calls kind of a pain if you’ve walked away from wherever you left the buds to charge.

Should you download the JBL My Headphones app?

When both earbuds are adequately charged, the JBL Club Pro Plus is pretty nice to use, and the MY JBL Headphones app is a big part of that. The earbuds’ companion app lets you switch between active noise canceling  modes, transparency modes, and select a connection mode to prioritize connection stability , sound quality, or audio-visual sync. You can also set on-ear controls, assigning profiles like volume control, playback control, ambient sound control, and more to either the left or right ear. Unfortunately, this means you’ll need to switch back and forth in the app if you make a habit of just listening with one earbud.

The available ANC modes are Everyday, which is the maximum noise canceling, and Active, which is meant for people exercising outdoors and blocks less noise overall so you don’t miss cars while running. Similarly, the transparency mode (called Ambient Sound Control here) lets you switch between Ambient Sound Aware, which prioritizes the sounds of things like traffic coming through over the earbuds’ microphones, and TalkThru, which focuses on picking up speech. You can also just shut either of these features off whenever you like.

MY JBL Headphones also features EQ profiles associated with different well-known DJs like Martin Garrix, Tigerlily, and more—no doubt where the Club in the name comes from. It also offers a custom EQ feature where you can curve a line across the frequency spectrum as you like to increase or decrease output.

How well does the JBL Club Pro Plus cancel noise?

The JBL Club Pro Plus features decent isolation and above-average ANC performance for a pair of true wireless earbuds. It doesn’t approach the high water mark of something like the Sony WF-1000XM4 , but attenuation like this should make the rumble of nearby traffic or the sounds of transit considerably quieter.

See: The best noise canceling true wireless earphones

Turning on ANC should render sounds in the low-mid range, especially around 250Hz, at one eighth their regular volume. Walking down the sidewalk of a busy street with ANC turned on won’t eliminate traffic noises, but a lot of engine sounds will go away, making cars sound a little like faraway power saws.

How is the JBL Club Pro Plus battery life?

According to JBL, the Club Pro Plus can last up to 6 hours on a single charge with ANC turned on, and that’s not too far off. At a consistent output of ~75dB, the left earbud of the JBL Club Pro Plus lasted 5 hours, 23 minutes, while the right one lasted 5 hours, 53 minutes—some degree of difference between the earbuds is expected, as it’s largely the nature of how true wireless earbuds work. According to JBL, the earbuds should last up to 8 hours with ANC off, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the buds approached that number. Either way, there’s nothing especially impressive here.

Learn more: How long do AirPods last, and can you make them last longer?

JBL also claims the charging case has enough charge for 18 hours of ANC audio, or 24 hours of non-ANC audio, and we haven’t seen anything to dispute that throughout the review period. However, it is admittedly hard to get a sense of the case’s charge capacity given how frequently one earbud or the other doesn’t make the connection it needs to begin charging. The case also supports wireless charging with Qi-compatible charging pads.

How does the JBL Club Pro Plus connect?

The JBL Club Pro Plus connects to devices using Bluetooth 5.1, which means it won’t ever be compatible with features like Bluetooth LE Audio and the LC3 codec (which will launch using the 5.2 firmware). The true wireless earbuds support the default SBC Bluetooth codec and AAC, which means there isn’t a reliable high-quality option for Android users either. AAC will work fine most of the time, but it’s definitely tailored to Apple devices, and doesn’t operate as efficiently elsewhere.

How does the JBL Club Pro Plus sound?

The JBL Club Pro Plus sticks very closely to our target curve pretty much across the frequency spectrum. This shouldn’t come as much surprise; like most test targets, ours is influenced by the Harman curve, and both Harman and JBL are Samsung subsidiaries. There’s a little more under-emphasis than we’d like to see with the upper-bass and midrange response, but otherwise music of all genres should sound quite nice coming out of these earbuds.

Lows, mids, and highs

Pineapple   by Engelwood sounds really nice coming through the JBL Club Pro Plus—the kick drum comes through with just the right amount of oomph  to feel nice without drowning out even the quieter guitar strumming in the background. In Don’t Change by Electric Six, the vocals clearly compete a little bit with the bass guitar, but it’s still easy to hear the song’s layered composition. In a song like this, the rhythm guitar, bass guitar, and lead guitar normally would drown each other out a little, but they come through distinctly with the JBL Club Pro Plus.

Can you use the JBL Club Pro Plus for phone calls?

The JBL Club Pro Plus microphone sounds pretty average for a pair of true wireless earbuds. It does an alright job cutting down on things like wind noise, and it filters out the persistent hum and rumble of things like refrigerators or washing machines. Incidental noise will still come through even if it’s pretty quiet. Basically, this should be fine for phone calls in most situations, but if the cars start honking on your walk, whoever you’re talking to will still hear it. Listen for yourself:

How does the microphone sound to you?

As of December 20, 2021, approximately 75% of participants rated the mic sample somewhere between “okay” and “good,” which is about what you’d expect from a set of true wireless earphones.

Should you buy the JBL Club Pro Plus?

If you want a pair of true wireless earbuds with impressive audio and noise canceling, you should consider the JBL Club Pro Plus, as long as you’re comfortable with some mundane inconveniences.

On paper, the JBL Club Pro Plus is very compelling. It sounds great, features solid ANC and isolation, and it has an IPX4 rating so you can exercise without worrying about sweat damage. In fairness, most of the time its execution matches that promise, but little things can add up.

The microphone is pretty lackluster, and the lack of a reliable high-quality Bluetooth codec for Android is a shame. While the IP rating is nice to have, these don’t sit securely enough in the ear for a lot of vigorous forms of exercise (like running). The inconsistent charging connection feels like a serious unforced error, and it can drag everything else down—hopping on the bus in the morning and finding one or both earbud is out of juice gets old pretty fast. The JBL Club Pro Plus battery life already isn’t spectacular, but the charging issue can make it feel pretty egregious.

You might like: Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus vs Galaxy Buds Pro

However, if you don’t mind these kinds of inconveniences, you’ll probably enjoy your time with the JBL Club Pro Plus. As of December 20, 2021, you can get the JBL Club Pro Plus for as little as $79 USD making it an absolute bargain buy.

What should you get instead of the JBL Club Pro Plus?

If workout earbuds are what you’re after, something like the Bose Sport Earbuds retails for less money, sounds great, and features ear hooks that make for a much more secure fit. These earbuds don’t do much for isolation, but you might actually like that if you’re a runner and want to stay aware of your surroundings.

If you’re looking for something with more options overall, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro runs for $199.99 USD, just like the JBL Club Pro Plus, and features more audio codecs, more customizable controls, Spotify integration, as well as more secure fit and higher IP rating. Its battery life is a little worse with ANC turned on, but it also doesn’t have the charging issues of the Club Pro Plus.

Anyone who likes the JBL brand and house sound but wants something a bit more compact should investigate the JBL Reflect Flow Pro . While the ANC on the Reflect Flow Pro isn’t as good as it is with the Club Pro Plus, you get much better battery life with the Flow Pro. The Reflect Flow Pro provides just over 9 hours of listening on a single charge, nearly four hours longer than the Club Pro Plus. Listeners with average-to-small ears will get a more comfortable fit with the JBL Reflect Flow Pro.

Next: The best JBL headphones