Classic audio brand JBL has announced its latest flagship pair of true wireless earbuds with probably the most advanced charging case I’ve ever seen and the earbuds are also the first from JBL to use dual drivers.
The new JBL Tour PRO 3 are a deluxe pair of earbuds and billed as the brand’s most advanced True Wireless Stereo earbuds yet. These are the first JB: earbuds with dual drivers with dynamic drivers working alongside balanced armature technology. The Tour PRO 3 also support JBL’s Spatial 360 with head tracking and True Adaptive Noise Cancellation 2.0 for filtering out unwanted sounds.
These new earbuds are housed in JBL’s second-generation Smart Charging Case. The case has a large color touchscreen on the front that provides full control of features and functions, plus it doubles as a wireless audio transmitter for Hi-Res sound. Like the B&W Pi8 earbuds announced yesterday, feature can take audio from any USB or analog audio source, such as an inflight entertainment system, and relays it to the earbuds. Simply plug the smart charging case into the source and you get instant and automatic connection to your earbuds.
Using the direct connection between the smart case and the Tour PRO 3 earbuds creates a more stable wireless connection that has lower latency than a regular Bluetooth connection, making the earbuds ideal for gaming, making phone calls, or watching movies.
The Tour PRO 3 are JBL’s first wireless earbuds to support full Auracast functionality. Users can share audio content with any other Auracast-enabled devices using the Auracast button on the display of the smart charging case. Users can also join an existing Auracast by tapping in with the case and using the smartphone app. This technology is being rolled out and soon we will be able to get Auracasts for things light flight info at an airport.
The redesigned smart charging case for the Tour PRO 3 has a 30% larger screen than its predecessor, but the overall size of the case is now smaller and more pocketable. The screen provides control for music playback, phone call management, access to ID3 Tag, caller ID and media file information. The display lets you access your phone controls and info without having to take the phone out of your bag pocket.
Another feature provided by the JBL Tour PRO 3 is JBL Spatial 360 with head tracking technology which can be applied to any audio source. Whether you’re watching a movie or playing a game, JBL Spatial 360 transforms stereo sound into an immersive and lifelike surround experience.
Thanks to a hybrid dual driver system in each earpiece, these are the first JBL true wireless earbuds to offer JBL Pro Sound. A balanced armature driver handles the treble frequencies while a 11mm dynamic driver takes case of the bass and midrange. There’s even a dedicated DAC for each of the drivers with a crossover that splits the frequency range from 20Hz to 40kHz.
As well as the dual driver and separate DACs, the Tour PRO 3 supports the Hi-Res-certified wireless LDAC codec. When used with devices that can support LDAC, the earbuds can transmit three times more data than the standard SBC Bluetooth codec, resulting in much higher-resolution sound. There’s also support for AAC but not for aptX Adaptive.
The JBL Tour PRO 3 includes JBL’s latest True Adaptive Noise Cancellation 2.0 technology. This measures noise levels over 50,000 times per second and then adapts the amount of ANC to any changes in noise while compensating for sound leakage.
For more comfortable listening and improved audio performance, the JBL Tour PRO 3 earbuds come with a large selection of silicone ear tips in five different sizes plus there is a set of foam ear tips.
Each earpiece has three microphones built in with a hydrodynamic windproof design. The Tour PRO 3 provide clear and undistorted voice calls thanks to a proprietary, JBL Crystal AI call algorithm that boosts clarity in noisy environments. Voices are made clearer in places where there is continuous low-frequency noises as well as sudden high-frequency sounds.
Calls can be further enhanced with a new smart call equalizer called Voice Call. This features a sound level optimizer that reduces the volume of loud talkers or amplifies the voice of quiet voices.
For a more personalized sound, the JBL Tour PRO 3 include a Personi-fi 3.0 hearing test that offers a customized sound profile. This algorithm measures and adjusts for an individual’s unique hearing profiles with a 12-band EQ compensation and 14 warble tones. The adjustments are made separately for each ear, providing a custom hearing profile.
The JBL Tour PRO 3 lets users personalize the smart case display lock screen and wallpaper using their photos and supports 13 languages. The display is superbly crisp and I particularly like how it displays the music you are streaming. You can control the music from the screen while keeping your phone safely tucked away.
The SmartCase technology is no gimmick. Being able to control the music on your phone, read the track info or accept a phone call, means you won’t have to take your phone out of your pocket or bag, which is a big plus in an age of street phone snatchers.
When it comes to sound, the JBL Tour PRO 3 have a flat response. These aren’t earbuds that have been artificially tweaked with extra treble to make them sound more analytical. They may not wow at first, but they do present a much more accurate sound than many earbuds. The volume levels are a little low for my ears, but there’s enough there if you push the volume levels.
The JBL Spatial 360 function works well enough, especially with head tracking turned on. Personally, Spatial Audio isn’t my cup of tea, but if you like the concept, then you’ll appreciate how the JBL Tour PRO 3 can apply the processing to any audio source.
Verdict: The JBL Tour PRO 3 are not a cheap option but they do offer a lot for the money. The SmartCase is a genuine innovation and JBL has done a great job with it. The overall sound of these earbuds won’t blow your socks off but if you want sound that’s not been messed with and won’t give you a headache after 10 minutes, you’ll appreciate what JBL has done. The volume levels are a little low but that is something that could be fixed with a firmware update. All in all, the JBL tick a lot of boxes and if you like the idea of the SmartCase with its touch screen, you will lobe the JBL Tour PRO 3.
Pricing & Availability: The JBL Tour PRO 3 will be available on JBL.com in Black and Latte starting September 22, 2024, retailing for $299.99 / £279.99 / €299.99.
Tech Specs:
- Drivers: 10.2 mm dynamic and 5.1 x 2.8 mm balanced armature.
- Frequency response: 20Hz – 40kHz.
- Impedance: 32Ω.
- Sensitivity: 104dB SPL@1kHz.
- Maximum SPL: 95dB.
- Microphone sensitivity: -38dBV/Pa@1kHz.
- Bluetooth: Version 5.3.
- Bluetooth profile version: A2DP V1.4, AVRCP V1.6.2, HFP V1.8
- Weight: 5.6g per earbud / 71.8g charging case.
- Battery type: Lithium-ion.
- Charging time: 2 hours.
- Music playtime (ANC off): Up to 11 hours.
- Music playtime (ANC on): Up to 8 hours.
- Music playtime (ANC on): Up to 7 hours.
- Talk time (ANC off): 5.5 hours.
- Talk time (ANC on): Up to 5.2 hours.
