These wireless earbuds I tried are worth a listen – especially if you're bored of Sony and Bose

Most music listeners have simple demands for their earbuds: they want a battery life that lasts for days and audio that sounds clear and strong. JBL has always known about this winning combination, and the audio brand develops its products accordingly. 

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So when JBL sent me its $300 Tour Pro 3 earbuds, I already knew the sort of product I was working with before I put them in my ears. I’ve also had the chance to test the Tour Pro 2 earbuds and compare certain specs from one generation to the next. Here’s what stands out the most about JBL’s Tour Pro 3 and whether or not you should go for the new generation or stick to the earlier-gen earbuds that are $50 cheaper. 

The JBL Tour Pro 3 are marketed as earbuds you can take everywhere — from a run around the park to a long-haul flight. This broad applicability is enabled by the earbuds’ upgraded Smart-Charging Case, which connects to in-flight entertainment systems or your laptop for instant audio connection and clear-call capability. You really can listen to anything, anywhere, with these earbuds — as long as you don’t mind the case’s chunky build.

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Set side by side, the Tour Pro 2 and Tour Pro 3 look nearly identical. JBL says it’s increased the size of the smart display case and made some small improvements, but not much has changed appearance-wise from the second generation to the third. 

What has changed, however, is sound. The sound of the Tour Pro 3 earbuds is substantial and clear, in general, and compared to the Tour Pro 2. The earbuds deliver strong and loud sound that captures the full range of music. I listened to the same song at the same volume on both devices and found that the Tour Pro 3 buds stepped up their game with crisp and lucid music delivery. 

The earbuds are a boon for deskside workers who rely on noise cancellation for deep focus and strong microphones for video and audio calls. I didn’t have a problem taking meetings with these earbuds and used the Smart-Charging Case’s clear call functionality to connect the buds to my video calls. 

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At mid volumes, the sound is still immersive and strong, something I look for as a surefire sign of quality earbuds. JBL adds spatial audio to the third-generation buds, which boosts immersion as you listen to music or play a video game. JBL’s spatial audio is not as immersive as what I’ve heard from competing earbuds, like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds, which cost nearly the same. So if the feature is high on your priority list, the Bose will serve you better.

The Tour Pro 3 earbuds offer three listening environment features: noise cancellation, ambient aware, and Talk Thru. The noise cancellation is strong and eliminates most ambient distractions, while some voices or harsher noises tend to slip through. I’m not a fan of the ambient aware feature on the Tour Pro 2 earbuds because of how inorganic it makes your music feel. This feature on the Tour Pro 3 is improved but it’s still not my favorite. 

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The one area where the Tour Pro 2 earbuds supersede the Tour Pro 3 is in build quality. The Tour Pro 2 earbuds have a substantial weight, which helps anchor them in your ears and makes them feel like a $300 pair of buds. Holding both earbuds in my hand, the weight of the Tour Pro 3 buds is far lighter — and more plasticky — than the Tour Pro 2. This lighter build also makes them prone to falling out of my ears. 

As is the case for a JBL device, these earbuds have substantial battery life, with a maximum playtime of 44 hours with ANC off. I did not have to worry about charging these buds until the end of my testing period — when the case’s battery was fully depleted, but the earbuds still maintained an 80% charge. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

While I was generally impressed with the Tour Pro 3‘s new features, including clearer, stronger sound, spatial audio, and the Smart-Charging Case’s functionalities, the lighter, plasticky build of the earbuds made me not want to grab and wear them as often as I would other buds. The Tour Pro 3 earbuds would fall out of my ears as I moved because they failed to be anchored by the weight. A $300 pair of earbuds should feel like a weighty purchase in the hand, and that’s not the case with the Tour Pro 3 buds.

If you want earbuds with amazing sound, great noise cancellation, and a long, enduring battery life that will last you the entire work week and then some, these are the buds for you. If the lighter and cheaper build of the Tour Pro 3 earbuds is giving you pause, I’d recommend the Tour Pro 2 buds instead, which offer just as strong noise cancellation and a sturdier feel in your ears.