I just got hands on with JBL's new flagship headphones — and I'm mighty impressed

When I first saw JBL’s next version of its flagship ANC headphones, the Tour One M3, there was one thing that stood out to me. There’s a weird little screen thing in the box. For the longest time, I didn’t really get it.

What does it do? Even after being briefed by JBL, I still wasn’t entirely just what I was looking at. A strapless smart watch for your musical listening? A DAC dongle for higher-quality streaming? A thing to play Galaxian on while I’m supposed to be working?

There's no Galaxian, sadly, but it's time to find out what the Tour One M3 are all about. I’ll be back with a full review once I’ve had a proper chance to test out the headphones and consider if they match up to the best noise canceling headphones, but let’s get started with some first impressions now that they’re out of the box and on my head.

No more shiny

The days of shiny, chromed plastic seem to be disappearing into the past as more and more manufacturers smother their products with brushed metal accents instead. The same is true here. Where there used to be shiny pieces on the previous model, the Tour M3 feature brushed metal instead.

It’s an iterative exterior update, that’s for sure — but that’s no big problem. The Tour One M2 was an attractive enough pair of headphones, and the same is true here. They’ve been slightly ensleekened this time around, though, with a simpler overall design.

The case is good too. There’s even a slot inside for the included Bluetooth dongle thing that comes in the box. But what exactly is that funny little enscreened box thing?

The elephant in the box

It’s the so-called “JBL SMART Tx”, and I’m still not entirely sure what it’s doing here. You pay an extra $50 for it, though, so it should do something. Turns out it’s a mixture of things, from an alternative control source to a funny little Bluetooth adapter.

There are two USB-C ports on the device, for charging and other connection duties. You can connect the little box with USB-C to devices that don’t have Bluetooth 5.4 or LDAC support for better sound quality. It works! But that’s not all.

Connect the headphones to the dongle with a USB-C cable and then the dongle to a different device, and it acts as a higher-quality DAC for hi-res streaming. That’s cool, and I’ve already been having fun listening to Qobuz streams over the headphones.

It also serves as an extra way to control the headphones, with its little screen on the front. This is the bit I don’t get. Why would I want an extra thing to pull out of my pocket, when I can just get my phone out?

Getting the sound right

So I’ve not had a proper chance to really sit down and get to know the Tour One M3, but my initial impressions of their sound profile are good. As you might expect, they’re pretty bassy. But I don’t mind too much.

Are they a detail lover's dream? Obviously not, very little at this price is — and the price is most definitely right. At $399 with the little dongle, they take the fight to the best wireless headphones with aplomb.

Before my testing is over, I’m tending towards the pair without the dongle. Is it cool? In a way. Do you need it? No, and given the state of the world and how much money we all have right now, saving money is of the utmost importance. The package is good enough on its own to justify forgoing the SMART Tx.

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