Review: JBL Tour One M3 Headphones

One of the coolest developments in modern portable audio is just how good noise canceling has gotten. Bose’s latest QuietComfort headphones are still the clear leaders, but a raft of rivals, from Sony’s WH-1000XM5 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) to the Sonos Ace (8/10, WIRED Recommends), provide similarly excellent performance and distinctive functionality. Count JBL’s new Tour One M3 headphones among that group, providing powerful sonic solitude in a loaded package that’s all JBL.

There aren’t many features these unassuming headphones lack, which is a good thing considering the price. The most notable new addition is a tagalong transmitter that mimics the touchscreen cases in JBL earbuds like the Tour Pro 3. The little touchscreen block acts as a spare controller and, more intriguingly, transmits audio from virtually any plug-in source to compatible wireless devices over the new Auracast Bluetooth system.

Just where you find Auracast-ready devices outside JBL is a fair question, given that JBL is among the first and most fervent adopters. You’re paying a premium for that privilege, which may not appeal to non-frequent fliers, but the Tour One M3’s other wiles, from clear and snazzy sound to a ridiculously comfy fit and sterling call quality, make them a worthy new option.

Laidback Comfort

I loved the Tour One M3’s case from the moment I opened the box. It’s compact and stylish, shaped like a giant guitar pick, and the tactile exterior looks and feels good. I was less enamored with the headphones at first. While I wasn't able to test the Tour One M2, the M3 look almost identical, and my first impression was that they seemed eerily close to Soundcore’s $80 Life Q30.

Upon further investigation, the JBL pair feels significantly more robust and scratch-resistant. They don’t have the same premium polish as Bose’s fancy QuietComfort Ultra (9/10, WIRED Recommends), but they mostly look the part, and the blue and gold versions provide some added style points. Most importantly, these are among the comfiest travel headphones I’ve worn, providing multiple days of listening without a single pain point. That’s all the more handy since they offer an impressive 40 hours of battery life with noise canceling (less over LDAC), or up to 70 hours without it, letting me tune out for a week of evaluation without charging.

The control system feels like a hybrid of Sony’s WH-1000XM5 and a few other models, with tap controls on the right earcup supplemented by an ANC key and a left-side volume bar. The plastic pop of the keys feels a little janky for $400 cans, and the touch controls aren’t as responsive as Sony’s, but they work reasonably well once you get them down. I also have to give JBL props for the clickable power switch in place of a long-press key.

Speaking of controls, we can’t go much further without discussing the Smart Tx transmitter. Those familiar with newer JBL earbuds will feel more at home with the new LCD cartridge, which hosts most of the M3’s available controls by default, with customization available in the JBL Headphones app. There’s even a switch to allow for phone notifications, but that's never worked properly with my iPhone. The transmitter needs to be charged, offering up to 18 hours of playback time.

Transmitting audio over Bluetooth LC3 with the Smart Tx wired into devices like a laptop or receiver proved nearly effortless. Sliding on the Auracast feature lets you transmit to multiple headphones, or in my case, the M3 and JBL’s Charge 6 Bluetooth speaker, with each device simultaneously syncing to video with minimal lag. It’s a cool option, especially for long flights, but Auracast is still limited since most brands have yet to adopt it. For most folks, the transmitter will mainly live in its small pouch within the travel case for safety. Luckily, that’s just the tip of the M3’s feature iceberg.

A Feature for Every Function

The M3 offer a laundry list of extras, to the point that I found myself coming up short for features you don’t get. You’ll find all the core flagship goodies like a multiband EQ, Google Fast Pair, multipoint pairing, and Find My functionality, along with extras like hi-res audio over Sony's LDAC codec or when plugged into supported devices with the included USB-C cable.

There are plenty of sonic-friendly features, including a volume limiter to keep your hearing safe, Smart Talk to pause sound when you speak, and personalized listening with a built-in hearing test. Spatial Audio is also accounted for, including available head-tracking for an anchored 3D effect. I found JBL’s interpretation particularly echoey, especially for stereo sources, but I’m not a big fan of these services anyway.

JBL’s app makes it easy to explore more bounty, and there are plenty of ways to customize, like a Low Volume Dynamic EQ switch to pep up the bass when listening low or a Sound Level optimizer for evening out voices on calls. You can further optimize calling with EQ presets for both sides of the call, but leaving it on the Natural setting should be enough to impress even picky listeners. On one test call, while walking in and out of bathroom fans, my musician buddy said it was the best I’ve ever sounded on a call. Not bad, JBL.

Killer Cancellation, Slick Sound

JBL obviously paid special attention to the M3’s microphones, which bodes well for their noise-canceling skills, but even without noise canceling engaged, the cozy earcups provide impressive passive noise isolation. Turn ANC off, and local sounds like keystrokes are totally eliminated. Turn it on, and you get an almost disorienting level of sonic suppression.

While fixing lunch in the kitchen, I noticed virtually nothing was getting through. Setting the mayo jar and sandwich toppings on the counter was dead silent. The refrigerator hum, gone. Even shutting the garage door emitted hardly a sound with a podcast playing, to the point that I had to check and make sure it closed.

Sounds like passing cars or chirping birds slip through, but the M3 did a stellar job eliminating most annoyances, including studio tests with videos like vocal chatter and airplane drones. Pitting them against a rogues gallery of the best noise cancelers, only Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra provided a notable advantage, with the M3 coming within a hair of our second favorite noise cancelers, Sony’s WH-1000XM5, in multiple tests.

JBL’s transparency mode isn’t quite as striking. It fails to reach the almost uncanny natural tone found in Apple’s AirPods Max (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and Pro earbuds (8/10, WIRED Recommends), but it's still quite good, with only minor muffling.

Similarly, the M3’s sound quality didn’t bowl me over for the money compared to models like the XM5 or Sennheiser’s excellent Momentum 4, but it’s clear and enjoyable across a rainbow of genres. There’s a slick, stylized tone to instruments by default, with some extra pep in the upper midrange and lower treble, and musically crafted bass.

Instruments are brilliantly separated, letting you roam around the soundstage and explore the different pockets. I even discovered some new tricks in old tunes, always a good indicator of a quality pair of cans. I found myself audibly chuckling to Joe Jackson’s “It’s Different for Girls,” as the mass of drum tones seemed to pop up in all directions around the center image. The Beatles’ “Good Morning, Good Morning” started slow but evolved into a tour de force of saxophone grit, as did the crunchy guitar tones in “The Sun” by the Naked and Famous. There’s plenty here to keep your attention in a tight, well-rounded display.

You may not need all the extras that come with these cans, especially the Smart Tx transmitter, but there’s enough good stuff for just about any type of listener. Those looking for a different kind of noise cancelers with something extra will find that and more in the Tour One M3.