JBL Tour One M3 overview: A serious step up

It’s secure to say JBL has at all times performed it somewhat secure with its headphones. Never pricing them tremendous excessive, the model chooses to compete with premium fashions by punching up at them as a substitute of making an attempt a degree enjoying area. The Tour One M3 clearly buck that development.

These over-ear headphones aren’t low-cost, and the worth proposition has as a lot to do with the Smart Tx module that comes with them. It’s a daring transfer that requires an entire lot of convincing, particularly contemplating what these cans are up towards while going through off with the very best.

JBL Tour One M3: Price and availability

JBL launched the Tour One M3 in April 2025, and also you’ll discover them out there at a wide range of retail shops and on-line distributors. They value $400 bundled with the Smart Tx transmitter, or $350 if you wish to go away it out. Both ought to see value drops inside 12 months, and JBL generally leaves sure legacy merchandise in its stock for longer intervals. They are available black, blue, and mocha.

JBL Tour One M3: What’s good

Headphones beginning at $350-$400 should be good at a number of issues: sound, noise cancellation, consolation, personalization, and battery life, amongst others. The JBL Tour One M3 have the consolation half down pat. Wearing them for hours on a number of flights, I might by no means really feel constrained or like I needed to give my ears some air. The gentle cushioning on each the ear cups and headband is JBL’s staple at this level, however I’m glad to report they’ve been thoughtfully put collectively right here.

The included case can be properly designed with a big pouch on the opposite interior aspect to make room for the cables, although I had extra success laying the Smart Tx transmitter in an open area subsequent to the headphones (and preserving from dropping it). The Tour One M3 fold flat to accommodate this, with the general profit being that they take up much less room when touring or commuting with them. That’s positively one factor I can attest to on my travels.

There’s additionally an adaptability issue right here that I feel you may admire as properly. The Smart Tx transmitter performs a number of roles and may be very a lot a carryover from JBL’s premium wi-fi earbuds, just like the Tour Pro 3, whose instances have built-in LCD screens. As a transmitter, the Smart Tx is simple to plug into an airliner’s leisure display screen to take pleasure in wi-fi playback.

Using the included USB-C-to-3.5mm cable, I simply plug the Smart Tx into the system, and it passes via all audio to the Tour One M3 headphones. I truly sort of laughed after I walked over to a close-by restroom and will nonetheless hear the present I used to be watching. The solely draw back is that I needed to go away the transmitter dangling from the Aux-In port on the display screen. It may also work with TVs and older stereo techniques that don’t have Bluetooth connectivity, solely with out the good thing about having it inside arm’s attain.

Previous Tour One fashions have 3.5mm inputs, besides JBL eliminated it from the M3. That makes the transmitter extra helpful in instances the place Bluetooth isn’t a built-in choice. It additionally means, nonetheless, which you can’t use a DAC (digital-to-analog converter) with a 3.5mm enter in case you wish to give audio a lift that approach — although you definitely can by way of USB-C, so it’s not a complete loss.

Instead, JBL approaches sound in a number of alternative ways. By any commonplace, JBL’s Headphones app is without doubt one of the most complete I’ve seen, largely as a result of degree of customization it provides. I like to recommend going via these choices first as a result of the Tour One M3 hit a distinct sonic stride if you do. The equalizer provides respectable presets, together with the power to create your personal.

Personi-Fi is a listening to take a look at that adjusts the general sound profile to reinforce the highs, mids, and lows based mostly on the outcomes, resulting in what must be a noticeable distinction. The catch is that you have to pay shut consideration in a quiet area whereas taking the take a look at, as you have to press and maintain, releasing solely if you cease listening to the beep. If you’re off an excessive amount of on this, it may throw off the sound a good bit.

My first go spherical boosted treble approach too excessive to my proper ear, so I did it once more and received a corrected end result that sounds nice. The great thing about that is that it’s so subjective; these with listening to loss may also profit from customized sound that fits them relatively than a uniform sound signature all should settle for.

The ensuing sound profile applies no matter what you’re listening to or the mode you employ, whether or not it is an equalizer preset or Spatial Sound (fastened or head monitoring). The one exception is the LDAC hi-res Bluetooth codec. Turn that on, and it disables each Personi-Fi and Spatial Sound. It additionally annoyingly forces the headphones to reboot.

An additional enhance to the audio expertise is surprisingly sturdy and efficient lively noise cancellation (ANC). It’s not that JBL has a nasty repute for snuffing out background noise; it’s simply that the Tour One M3 really feel like a significant step ahead in consistency. Wearing them on an extended flight, I couldn’t hear a lot of something round me, save for the light cries of a close-by child. The solely time I knew the crew made an announcement was when my display screen stated so. Even in a busy road surroundings or at work, the ANC shines.

JBL additionally provides some customized decisions, letting you resolve the noise cancellation degree and whether or not you need the onboard microphones to make the decision based mostly on surrounding noise via Adaptive ANC. While they received’t unseat Sony or Bose’s finest, the Tour One M3 all of a sudden seem like upstarts worthy of being within the dialog amongst them. Another vital motive is the comfy match and passive isolation that the cups present.

This makes it simpler to immerse your self in a present or film as properly. Video mode reduces the Bluetooth latency to an appropriate degree for audio-video sync. It’s not good, thoughts you, however I didn’t actually really feel prefer it was off all that a lot, and stopped noticing after some time. Even Spatial Sound provides you the selection to modify between music, films, and gaming to reap the benefits of the digital encompass impact.

Ambient Aware can be very efficient, however I significantly like TalkVia as a method to maintain among the background noise down whereas nonetheless conversing with somebody. Smart Talk allows you to decide how lengthy the audio quantity lowers when you begin speaking. This approach, you may briefly chat with somebody with out having to pause first. Wear sensors will routinely pause playback if you take them off (though with a slight delay), resuming once more if you put them again on. Multipoint assist additionally means you may maintain them paired with two gadgets concurrently.

Phone calls are additionally stable — and once more — what seems like an enormous step ahead as properly. Callers didn’t notice I used to be speaking to them hands-free via headphones. In case you discover it’s not sufficient, JBL provides a few boosting choices for that, too.

Onboard controls are a hybrid of bodily and contact buttons. Pressing the motion button cycles between ANC and Ambient Aware (or each off, for those who choose), whereas a double-click toggles TalkVia on and off. Touch controls are on the proper earcup, the place a easy faucet performs/pauses, a double faucet skips a monitor, a triple faucet repeats one, and holding prompts your telephone’s voice help. For calls, double faucets reply incoming calls and finish ongoing calls, whereas holding rejects an incoming name or toggles mute on or off. All of them work fairly seamlessly, although you don’t have any method to customise them as you need.

Battery life is nice, lasting over 50 hours with out difficulty. Volume ranges will have an effect on that quantity, however that’s just about the over/underneath for these cans. All informed, it’s among the finest battery life you’ll discover at this value, beating out Sony and Bose by an enormous margin.

JBL Tour One M3: Smart Tx transmitter

Before I transfer on, I’ve to revisit the Smart Tx transmitter once more due to what it represents. Much just like the app, the gadget provides you a whole lot of management over the Tour One M3 and their options, instantly from the touchscreen. However, its most important worth proposition is assist for Auracast. While hardly a normal characteristic on Bluetooth audio gadgets at present, it appears to be within the close to future.

When lively, it may transmit the sign to every other pair of headphones or earbuds supporting Auracast. You have the choice to arrange a four-digit passcode to thrust back undesirable listeners, however the benefits are fairly quite a few.

For occasion, you and a cherished one can watch the identical content material from the identical single gadget wirelessly on a airplane, and even make the most of the wonderful onboard microphones to talk with somebody on a video name. Plugging right into a TV provides the same situation, particularly for those who every choose to hear at completely different volumes.

The catch stays broader compatibility for Auracast amongst on a regular basis gadgets and in public areas, but it surely’s one thing these headphones have over many others for now. It will certainly come in useful when Auracast rolls out in additional locations and on extra gadgets.

JBL Tour One M3: What’s not good

This isn’t a lot a criticism as it’s a realization that JBL all however forces you to tinker with the sound profile immediately. Your ears could really feel completely different out of the field, although I’d guess that the majority will really feel like one thing’s lacking. Discovering what the Tour One M3 are actually able to nearly seems like unpacking a distinct pair after the very fact.

That’s a saving grace as a result of it might be an actual disgrace if these, after doing a lot proper, faltered badly on that entrance. You could really feel just like the app is “busy” with all of the settings and modes, however belief me, the customization is price exploring. JBL clearly intends for these costly cans to be versatile, so that you may as properly get your cash’s price by making them really feel like they’re particularly working for you.

That’s why the Smart Tx transmitter generally is a divisive part to all this. It’s positively nifty and funky to make use of, but additionally small and probably simple to misplace or lose. Additionally, it has its personal battery, so that you have to be conscious of charging it as properly. Sadly, it doesn’t have app assist or storage, which might be nice for storing offline music and preserving your telephone away throughout a exercise or run, as an illustration.

Auracast might also really feel like one thing you don’t want, however I believe you’ll really feel in another way when you expertise it. Even with out Auracast enabled, the transmitter is a useful device to have for these conditions. It’s simply that you just’re paying additional (cash and a focus) for the comfort.

JBL Tour One M3: Competition

I’ll readily admit I didn’t anticipate the JBL Tour One M3 to be this good. At least not in comparison with the opposite noise-canceling headphones, and but, right here we’re. The Sony WH-1000XM5 (and newer XM6) are nonetheless the toast of the class, together with the very good ANC that the Bose QuietComfort Ultra commonly ship.

You may additionally definitely argue that the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless sound higher, however JBL edges them out on canceling noise.

JBL Tour One M3: Should you purchase them?

You can purchase these if…

• You need wonderful ANC.
• You need balanced sound.
• You just like the Smart Tx transmitter.
• You need incredible battery life.

You should not purchase these if…

• You don’t like all of the tinkering.
• You choose to pay much less.
• You lose issues simply.

JBL scores an enormous hit with the Tour One M3, a pair I can confidently say will stand out as among the best noise-cancelling headphones to return out in 2025. It’s sensible for the corporate to supply two methods to get them — with or with out the Smart Tx transmitter — guaranteeing the companion gadget doesn’t maintain the headphones hostage.

While tinkering with the sound is actually a necessity, noise cancellation is the star that places these cans excessive. The extras are nice, and doing so a lot of them properly makes the upper price ticket simpler to digest.