JBL Tour Pro 3 review: The best smart-case buds you can buy

Wireless earbuds with smart cases are growing in popularity. Leading the charge is JBL. The legacy audio brand previously launched the Tour Pro 2 to mild success. I say mild because, while the buds and their touchscreen case were well received, the product wasn’t viewed as a legit threat to the true wireless throne.

The all-new Tour Pro 3 look to change that narrative. These buds are equipped with a plethora of premium features that includes active noise cancellation, hi-res playback, multi-device pairing, and proprietary sound technologies. Furthermore, they have a terrific charging case that can double as a remote controller and wireless headphone adapter.

Certain flaws keep them a level below elite status. Even so, that doesn’t take away from their excellent performance and presentation. Here’s our full breakdown of the JBL Tour Pro 3.

JBL Tour Pro 3 REVIEW: Cheat sheet

·       What is it? JBL’s newest flagship buds with adaptive ANC, customizable sound, and a smart case.

·       Who is it for? Those who want something ultramodern and unique.

·       What does it cost? $299

·       What do we like? Sound quality is superb and the charging case can be used in numerous ways.

·       What don’t we like? The disappointing spatial audio and unstable fit.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Price & availability

You can purchase the JBL Tour Pro 3 for $299 / £236 / AU$449 on JBL’s website or popular retailers like B&H and Crutchfield. Black and Latte are the two colors sold. 

The Tour Pro 3 sell for the same price as high-end favorites like the $299 Bose QC Ultra Earbuds and Sony WF-1000XM5, but are more expensive than the $249 AirPods Pro 2, which are on sale for $189 as of this writing.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Design

• Nice craftsmanship
• Innovative smart case
• Loose fit

Composed entirely of hard plastic, these buds feature multiple mic openings, protruding touch panels, silver accents, and a sleek matte finish that exudes elegance. IP55 certification protects them from dust, sweat, and low-pressure water. The bulky cavity occupies your entire ear and affects fit by not allowing for a tight, secure seal.

JBL’s smart case is much thicker and heavier than the average charging case, but it’s still compact and portable. This block of plastic can survive hard tumbles to the ground. The magnets are strong and keep the lid shut tight. Dropping the case at the wrong angle can crack the screen, so you’ll want to be extremely careful when taking it out of your pocket.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Features

• Endless functionality
• Perk-filled smart case
• Finicky app

Downloading the JBL Headphones app (iOS/Android) grants you numerous features that enhance performance across the board. Personalized sound settings are in abundance: Ambient Sound Control (ANC/Ambient Aware/TalkThru), Ear Tip Sound Settings, EQ, LDAC, Max Volume Limiter, Personi-Fi, Personal Sound Amplification, Relax Sound, Smart Audio & Video, Sound Level Optimizer, Spatial Sound, and VoiceAware. I’ll discuss these further in the review. Other notables include auto-power off, battery level indicators, control customization, charging case settings, Check My Best Fit, Find My Buds, Smart Talk, wear detection, and Auracast to join an existing broadcast on compatible devices. 

Let’s move on to the smart case. Users can set the brightness level, feature shortcuts, lock screen wallpaper, time, and wake-up commands. You can even enable Auracast, message notifications, and the Find My Case function. The case can also be used as a dongle to wirelessly transmit audio to any aux or USB-C source (e.g., TV, gym equipment, plane console system).

Suffice to say that the Tour Pro 3 have more firepower than most luxury rivals. I only wished the app wasn’t so buggy. There were times when the program randomly crashed or wouldn’t connect to the buds.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Controls

• Responsive touch controls
• Smart case doubles as a controller
• Dependable digital assistance

A full set of media controls are at your disposal: call management, digital assistance, listening mode activation, playback, and volume. These can be assigned to the single-/double-/triple-tap and long-hold gestures. Touch accuracy is on-point and functions are executed swiftly.

The smart case has its own set of controls. There’s a media player to enable playback and volume. In addition, the case lets you swap out the EQ, switch to different listening modes, and turn on the flashlight function without entering the app.

Applying the tap-and-hold gesture on either bud will active your native assistant (Google Assistant, Siri). JBL’s mic array demonstrates solid speech recognition to precisely register voice commands.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Sound quality

• Dynamic sound with deep bass
• Serviceable sound-enhancing features
• Hi-res audio transmission via smart case
• Spatial audio still needs work

JBL stocked these buds with an 11mm driver, balanced armature driver, and countless audio features. There's a heavy emphasis on bass in the sound profile. You can tweak frequencies via the customizable EQ or by selecting from a handful of well-engineered presets: Bass, Club, Extreme Bass, Jazz, Studio, and Vocal. 

The Tour Pro 3 reproduces sonic elements exceptionally well with minimal distortion. Common & Pete Rock’s “So Many People” properly showcased the buds’ versatile soundstage. Snares were delicate and impactful and mids remained soothing; the haunting hook sounds more chilling on here than the AirPods Pro 2. Boomy tracks like Bootsy Collins’ “Pure Perfection” had a gnarly bassline and growling synths that slapped hard. That same energy carried over to sultry, bass-heavy songs like LARA’s “Good Wine,” where the singer’s airy vocals blended beautifully with the pummeling 808s.

I recommend using the Personi-Fi feature since it thoroughly analyzes your hearing to create a personalized sound profile. The differences between this and JBL’s EQs can be night and day, depending on your results. My profile dished out slightly better bass and resonant highs. 

JBL’s Spatial Sound mode has been moderately improved, but still requires a lot of polishing. Instruments and audience interaction on live performances sounded more natural. However, vocals were tinny.

LDAC dynamically scaled bitrate (up to 990 kbps) to reveal more clarity and details in recordings. SBC (Android) and AAC (iOS/macOS) also provided satisfying sound.

JBL offers other nifty sound features. Left/Right Sound Balance adjusts output on either channel. Max Volume Limiter optimizes the volume limit to protect your hearing. Ear Tip Sound Settings will set the tuning for the silicone or foam ear tips. Relax Sound has 5 different nature profiles that can be combined or played individually to calm and relieve listeners during a set time period.

Then there’s the smart case that retransmits audio to the buds when plugged into a compatible audio jack. The feature works well. Clarity and resolution were great when using an iPod Classic. It’s worth mentioning that some sound features can be activated on the touchscreen in dongle mode.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Active Noise Cancelation

• Strong noise neutralization
• Robust ambient listening modes
• Foam eartips provide better isolation

JBL’s True Adaptive Noise Cancelling 2.0 technology isn’t competing with Bose or Sony’s ANC technologies. However, it is effective, especially for ambient listening. Ambient Aware mode lets in a vast number of external sounds, which are audible from several blocks away. I heard everything, from chatty pedestrians to fire sirens to glass bottles shattering. TalkThru was perfect for communicating without removing the buds. I talked with the missus and heard her loudly and clearly from across the room. 

There’s an adjustable six-level ANC mode and an Adaptive ANC mode that automatically tweaks noise cancellation based on your surrounding noise level. The former performed better outdoors and eliminated close to 85 percent of distractions, while the latter provided better wind resistance. Low- and mid-frequency sounds were nonexistent, but high-frequency sounds crept onto the soundstage.

The bundle foam tips form a tighter seal than the silicone tips and strengthen noise isolation. I noticed less ambient noise when listening to music with ANC off.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Call quality and connectivity

• Decent voice calling with clutch noise reduction
• Intuitive wireless performance

The Tour Pro 3 are fine for voice and video chats. I received a few complaints about muffle, but co-workers and friends were able to make out words and sentences. ANC has a strong presence, completely blocking out incidental sounds for distraction-free calls. Everyone I spoke with said they couldn’t hear any background noise. 

Bluetooth 5.3 runs fine and extends range up to 50 feet (15 meters) before stuttering. These buds pair quickly to iOS and Android devices. Multipoint technology lets you pair the buds with two devices simultaneously, allowing for seamless switching between your iPhone and MacBook Pro and vice versa.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Battery life

• Adequate playtimes
• Very powerful quick charging

JBL rates battery life at up to 11 hours, depending how you use the buds. The wireless charging case holds up to 30 hours. ANC decreases it to 8 hours and spatial audio shaves off another hour. This exceeds the AirPods Pro 2’s battery life (up to 7 hours), but falls slightly short of the Sony WF-1000XM5 (up to 12 hours). It’s enough juice for two lengthy days of listening before recharging. A 10-minute charge will net you 4 hours of listening time.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Verdict

The JBL Tour Pro 3 prove two things: JBL is trailblazing the path for this new product category and smart case buds are the best true wireless value out there. Between the in-depth sound personalization and the case’s wide array of functionality– for both aux-compatible and Bluetooth devices – there’s so much to enjoy and play with here.

There are a few kinks that need to be worked out. The buggy companion app is at the top of the list. Fit and spatial audio are two other areas that could use some upgrading as well.

Despite these shortcomings, the Tour Pro 3 are a fantastic addition to the true wireless market that highlight JBL’s enticing ecosystem of features and sound quality.

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