JBL Tour One in the test: over-ear headphones with ANC sleep timer for traveling

0
837

The JBL Tour One offers an adaptive ANC and special functions for traveling, such as a sleep timer, for example for the plane. In terms of sound and feel, the over-ear headphones are convincing and JBL's ANC is once again better, but the competition from Sony and Yamaha at 300 euros is strong.

Table of contents

  1. 1 over-ear headphones with ANC sleep timer for traveling
    1. Technology and functions of the JBL Tour One
    2. New smart audio Mode
    3. Operation via both ear cups
    4. JBL app for adjustments and updates
    5. Workmanship and wearing comfort
  2. 2 sound, ANC, transparency, telephony, latency and conclusion
    1. Sound of the JBL Tour One
    2. Two ANC modes with a clear difference
    3. Transparency modes: Ambient Aware or TalkThru
    4. Good telephony
    5. Latency in comparison
    6. Conclusion

The JBL Tour One is the first ANC over-ear headphones from Harman under the JBL brand, which is aimed at the business environment and wants to encourage business travelers and office users to buy, who are either traveling or in the office with active noise cancellation want to hide the environment.

The JBL Tour One is only available in black with silver design accents. The recommended retail price is 299 euros. The new ANC headphones are only listed at very few retailers and are therefore currently only available at the RRP, at which they can also be purchased directly from JBL in the online shop.

  1. JBL Tour One

Image 1 of 3

JBL Tour One
JBL Tour One
JBL Tour One

In addition to the JBL Tour One, the buyer receives a USB-C-to-USB-A charging cable, a transport case, an audio cable, an aircraft adapter and brief instructions for the headphones and the digital voice assistants Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, which are based on can be used with the model.

Technology and functions of the JBL Tour One

Bluetooth 5.0, Multipoint, Fast Pair and AAC

The JBL Tour One relies on Bluetooth 5.0 and also supports Google Fast Pair, so that it is offered for pairing by smartphones from Android 6.0 that are in the immediate vicinity when it is in pairing mode – for example when switching on for the first time. Going to the Bluetooth menu and manual coupling are no longer necessary.

In addition, the headphones support Bluetooth Multipoint, so they can be connected to two devices at the same time via Bluetooth so that playback can be seamlessly switched between them at any time. In this way, it can be used much better in everyday life, for example on smartphones and tablets, since the Bluetooth connection does not have to be changed manually via the device settings. If you only use the headphones with one device, you will not benefit from this function.

  1. JBL Tour One

Image 1 of 6

JBL Tour One
JBL Tour One

JBL Tour One
JBL Tour One
With the supported audio codecs, the JBL Tour One uses AAC in addition to the mandatory SBC. You have to do without aptX or an HD codec with the mobile companion. aptX Adaptive/HD or other HD codecs are not offered.

Hi-Res audio via cable and 40 mm driver

The audio drivers have a diameter of 40 mm and support frequencies from 10 Hz to 40 kHz via cable and 10 Hz to 22 kHz via Bluetooth. The Tour One is Hi-Res Audio certified for analog use via cable when ANC is deactivated. If it is used with activated ANC via cable, Hi-Res audio is not supported. As with the JBL Club One (test) and JBL Club 950NC (test), JBL uses a 2.5 mm jack and not a 3.5 mm jack for the detachable cable. The cable does not have a microphone or controls.

JBL specifies the impedance as 32 ohms, the maximum sound pressure level as 95 dB and the sensitivity as 95 dB SPL at 1 kHz.

  1. JBL Tour One

Image 1 of 3

JBL Tour One
JBL Tour One
JBL Tour One

Up to 50 hours of battery life and fast charging

According to JBL, the battery life of the over-ear headphones should be up to 50 hours if no ANC is used. With ANC, the battery life should drop to around 25 hours. The headphones are charged via USB-C, which should allow a playback time of another 2 hours after 10 minutes. It takes around 2 hours to fully charge the headphones via USB-C. In the test, the JBL Tour One achieved a battery life of 26.5 hours at medium volume and activated adaptive ANC.

Technical data of the JBL Tour One in comparison JBL Tour One Yamaha YH-E700A Apple AirPods Max Sony WH-1000XM4 Montblanc MB 01 Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless beyerdynamic Amiron wireless copper Converter principle dynamic, 40 mm dynamic, 42 mm Tesla, dynamic Design Closed Frequency response 10– 40,000 Hz 8-40,000 Hz k. A. 4–40,000 Hz (cable), 20–40,000 Hz (Bluetooth, LDAC) 10–20,000 Hz 6–22,000 Hz 5–40,000 Hz (cable operation) Nominal impedance 32 ohms k. A. 32 ohms 100 ohms passive, 470 ohms active 32 ohms sound pressure level 95 dB k. A. 101 dB (cable, passive), 105 dB (cable, active) 100 dB 99 dB 100 dB THD k. A. & lt; 1% k. A. & lt; 1% & lt; 0.3% (1 kHz, 100 dB SPL) & lt; 0.05% at 500 Hz Cable 2.5 to 3.5 mm jack 3.5 mm jack Lightning to AUX (optional) 3.5 mm jack, 1.2 m 3, 5 mm jack to USB-C 3.5 mm jack 3.5 mm jack, 4-pin, 1.2 m Bluetooth 5.0 4.2 Codecs supported SBC, AAC SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive SBC, AAC SBC , AAC, LDAC SBC, aptX Adaptive, AAC SBC, aptX, aptX LL, AAC SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX LL, AAC Battery life 25 hours (with ANC), 50 hours (without ANC) 35 hours (with ANC) 20 Hours (with ANC) 30 hours (with ANC) 20 hours (without ANC) 17 hours (with ANC) 30 hours Charging time 2 hours 3.5 hours 2 hours 3 hours 2 hours 3 hours 2 hours Battery capacity n/a. A. 730 mAh 330 mAh 1,050 mAh charging socket USB-C Lightning USB-C Weight (without cable) 268 g 325 g 385 g 251 g 280 g 306 g 400 g Price comparison from 299 euros from 300 euros from 459 euros from 309 euros from 569 Euro from 273 Euro from 729 Euro best price best price * best price * best price * best price * best price * best price * best price *

At 268 g, the JBL Tour One is below competitors like the Yamaha YH-E700A (test) or the Apple AirPods Max (test), which weigh more than 300 g, but slightly above the Sony WH-1000XM4 (test), which only has it brings it to around 250 g.

ANC and transparency modes

Even with the new one Tour series, JBL relies on active noise suppression, with the Tour One real-time adaptive noise adaptation that uses four microphones (three outside and one inside) and, if desired, in the app against a general noise suppression called “everyday mode “Can be exchanged.

  1. JBL Tour One

Image 1 of 3

JBL Tour One
JBL Tour One
The transparency modes “Ambient Aware” and “TalkThru”, which are already known from JBL, are also available. With “Ambient Aware”, the environment is passed on to the ear, while when “TalkThru” is activated, the volume is set almost to zero without pausing the audio playback. The latter should therefore be used for conversations, the former for the general perception of the wearer's surroundings. Which mode is activated when switching on the transparency mode via the function key can be set again in the “My JBL Headphones” app. With the Tour One, however, both modes can now also be controlled directly via the control elements, which was not yet possible with the Club series.

New Smart -Audio mode

The JBL Tour One also offers the new Harman Smart Audio mode. This enables the user to set the Bluetooth connection to “normal” in order to minimize connection dropouts even in busy environments, to increase the fidelity in “audio mode” or to synchronize audio and video playback in “video mode” . ComputerBase will examine the influence of this function on the latency as part of the test.

SilentNow: ANC with headphones switched off

Like the Club One, the JBL Tour One offers the SilentNow function, in which the ANC can be used while Bluetooth is switched off and no cable is connected. To do this, the function button on the left auricle must be pressed for 2 seconds when the headphones are switched off. For example, ANC can be used on a plane at night or during work without having to play content.

Voice activation from Alexa and the Google Assistant

As with the new headphones in the Live series, the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice assistants can also be linked to the two Tour models, which can then be called up at any time by voice without pressing the control panel. To do this, it is necessary to link the corresponding user account via the app. The Google Assistant can also control functions of the headphones. In addition to volume and title selection, ANC or TalkThru, for example, can be activated by voice using the Google Assistant.

Operation via both ear cups

JBL relies on buttons on both ear cups. The function key is located on the left auricle, with which you can toggle between “ANC”, “Ambient Aware” and “Off” when it is pressed once. If it is pressed twice, however, the alternative transparency mode TalkThru is switched on. If the key is pressed for a long time, it can be used to call up the voice assistant.

On the other hand, the on/off switch, which was combined with the Bluetooth pairing button, is located on the right auricle. In the middle position, the headphones are switched on. However, if you pull the controller all the way down, pairing is activated. Below that are the buttons for volume control. The 2.5 mm AUX connection leads downwards. The playback is controlled via the outside of the right auricle, which functions as a touch surface. A single tap activates or pauses the current playback. Double tapping jumps one track forward, triple tapping jumps back one track. If the area is held for a long time, the smartphone's voice assistant is called up. Calls can also be controlled: answer and end by double tapping, switching the microphones on and off during the call by pressing and holding.

  1. JBL Tour One

Image 1 of 4

JBL Tour One
JBL Tour One
JBL Tour One /> JBL Tour One /> JBL Tour One >

JBL Tour One

The operation reacts quickly and reliably. Only the buttons for volume control and the power regulator could protrude a little further from the housing of the auricle to make them easier to feel and use. But after a few days you have internalized their position and you can also reliably hit them.

Carrying recognition for auto play and auto pause

Like the Live models and in contrast to the Club variants, the Tour One has a wearing detection system that automatically pauses playback when the headphones are removed and continues when the headphones are put on. In practice, the detection works reliably and playback quickly pauses and starts again.

JBL app for adjustments and updates

The “My JBL Headphones” app on the Tour One offers additional functions compared to the JBL Club One. A new feature, for example, is the “My Alarm” feature, which the user can use to set a timer in order to be woken up in an airplane after a set period of time. The timer itself can be divided into two intervals. In the first interval “music activated”, music is played parallel to the ANC when falling asleep. In the second interval, “Now mute”, only the ANC remains active, but playback is automatically stopped.

My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One

  1. My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One

Image 1 of 35

My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One
My-JBL-Headphones-App with JBL Tour One

In addition, the app on the Tour One offers the already mentioned function of switching the smart audio mode and activating or deactivating ANC or transparency mode apart from the controls on the headphones and switching between the mentioned modes. The intensity cannot be adjusted in any of the modes.

The operation can only be changed to a limited extent via “Adjust controls”. Specifically, the assignment for the function key on the left and the touch surface on the right auricle can be adapted, although only selected functions can be selected. Instead of the “ambient noise control”, pressing the function key once can be assigned to call up the voice assistant. If you hold down the touch surface, the ambient noise control can be used instead of the voice assistant.

Auto-play/auto-pause can be deactivated in the settings if desired and Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant can be linked as voice assistants to call them up either by button or simply by voice activation via the wake-up word.

The app also offers an equalizer to selectively select from the predefined profiles “Bass”, “Jazz”, “Vocal”, “Club”, “Studio” and “JBL Tour One EQ “Or to create and save your own profiles. The adjustment can be made in the range from 32 Hz to 16 kHz.

The further functionality of the app is limited to the display of the battery charge level and the setting of the automatic switch-off when the headphones are not in use. In addition, firmware updates can be initiated via the app. The latest version 3.3.0 at this point in time is used in the test.

Processing and wearing comfort

Like the Club models, the JBL Tour One is also very well made, which uses metal in key areas. Gaps and pressure points are very good. The ear cups have a non-slip, rubberized outer surface, also known as a soft touch. The headband can be adjusted in twelve steps on each side by means of a grid and holds firmly in the selected position. In the supplied travel case, however, it can only be stowed in the smallest setting, so that it is always necessary to adjust it again afterwards.

  1. JBL Tour One

Image 1 of 8

JBL Tour One
JBL Tour One.
.
JBL Tour One

JBL Tour One
JBL Tour One
JBL Tour One

In contrast to the JBL Club One, the ear pads are not attached magnetically, but are clipped and can be removed and replaced with a little force. Like the headband, they are covered with synthetic leather and offer comfortable, soft padding. The weight of 268 g is not noticed negatively in everyday use. The Tour One is very comfortable to wear and has good pressure, which is not annoying, but holds it securely in position.

JBL Tour One

The headphones can be folded up and the auricles can be rotated 90 degrees backwards, but not forwards. So the headphones can be worn around the neck and protected.

(*) The links marked with an asterisk are affiliate links. In the case of an order via such a link, ComputerBase receives a share of the sales proceeds without increasing the price for the customer.

On the next page: Sound, ANC, transparency, telephony , Latency and conclusion