Plenty of companies celebrate their significant milestone with special edition products. It is quite normal that you get an anniversary edition of things, especially in the world of gadgets. What do you mean why? You get anniversary version of cars, why not tech?
Not too many celebrate their major anniversary by launching a product though, JBL is one of those companies. This year JBL celebrates their 75th year in business. While they might not have existed quite as long as some audiophile brands, 75 years in the industry is a long time. This is also in consideration that some of the players in the audio industry have just started dabbling in high-end audio in the last five years or even less.
Of course, having 75 years of experience in the industry, JBL is one of the foremost brands in the audio industry. In fact, they make some of the best and most value-for-money production level gear. They really know a thing or two when it comes to making audiophile stuff then.
To celebrate their 75 years in the industry, they launched two new high-end noise-cancelling wireless headphones, very fitting. They launched one JBL Tour ONE and one JBL Tour Pro+ TWS in Malaysia. As per their name, they are part of JBL’s Tour series of audio gear.
JBL Tour ONE
This one will set you back MYR 1,699, about the same as the Sony WH-1000XM4 currently. In that sense, it goes up against one of the best in the business. You are going to ask the question; “why should I get this one instead of the Sony?”
The JBL Tour ONE offers what JBL calls the True Adaptive Noise Cancellation technology. The headphone cleverly monitors environmental sounds and automatically determines the amount of noise cancellation that needs to be pumped into your ears. You can even turn on the feature even if your headphone was not connected to your smartphone device. They call the feature SilentNow and you can just turn off the world with the feature.
The JBL Tour ONE is not just a one trick pony though. The JBL Pro Sound tuned driver features HARMAN’s clever Smart Audio Mode that switches your headphone’s audio profile according to what you are using your headphone for. The system will optimise the connection for either “normal listening”, “music mode”, or “video mode”. In “music mode”, the headphones automatically increase the fidelity of music for your enjoyment. Obviously, latency suffers and therefore watching videos with it might be less than ideal. In “video mode” then, latency is prioritised and minimised.
Battery life is not bad too. You get up to 25 hours of battery life with Noise Cancelling function on. Without Noise Cancelling, you double the battery life. If you run out of battery, a 10-minute charge gives you up to two hours of playback time.
JBL Tour Pro+ TWS
For a more active lifestyle, an over-ear headphone may not be the most suitable tool you want to carry in your gearbag. You need something light, something portable, and quick to deploy. You want the JBL Tour Pro+ TWS headphones.
True to its name, it is a compact true wireless earbuds package that fits in your pocket like it belongs there. The 6.9mm dynamic drivers ensures that the small package can deliver big sounds though. All of that while still offering up to 30 hours in playback time (up to 6 hours on a single charge with Active Noise Cancelling on, 8 hours without Noise Cancelling). When you run out, you can simply put it on a wireless charging pad and quickly charge it. Either that or plug a USB Type-C charging chord to it and get one hour of playback time in just 10 minutes.
The JBL Tour Pro+ TWS also comes with Adaptive Noise Cancelling technology that either cancels out noise completely or lets noise in to your ears when you need to stay aware of the situation around you. Of course, the 3-mic beamforming technology mics that are on the earbuds also acts as the microphones for voice calls or voice chats. At the same time, Dual Connect + Sync also allows you to choose whether or not you pick up your calls and play music with either side of your earbuds. Fast Pair allows your Android device to quickly connect to the TWS headphones with no fuss. Of course, it is IPX4 rated, so you can take it to the gym and it is ready for the weather at least.
Prices and Availability
Both the JBL Tour ONE and Tour Pro+ TWS are now available via JBL’s own online store and official retail partners including Shopee and Lazada. The JBL Tour ONE headphone will set you back MYR 1,699 as per mentioned. The JBL Tour Pro+ TWS on the other hand will set you back MYR 1,099. Unfortunately, unlike plenty of JBL’s products, there are no colour choices on this one. More information on the JBL Tour ONE and JBL Tour Pro+ TWS can be found on JBL’s website.