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I found my perfect pair of earbuds two years ago via Jabra and a sequel last year that somehow improved on everything. The buds worked perfectly in airplanes, noisy environments and during workouts. They offered an ideal fit, great spatial sound and exceptional battery life, along with being extremely durable and compact.
So of course after praising the Jabra Elite Active 8 Gen 2 buds, the parent company announces they’re getting out of personal audio business (well, at least wireless earbuds). Which means I probably only have a year or two of shelf-life and support for my Elite buds.
Review: Jabra Drops an Excellent Upgrade to Our Favorite Earbuds
The second-gen versions of the Elite Active 8 and Elite 10 are worth the priceCould JBL’s Tour Pro 3 be an ideal replacement? They’re certainly the most unique earbuds I’ve encountered, thanks, interestingly, to their carrying case. The company utilizes what they call a Smart Charging Case (trademarked!) which offers users a lot of control of their audio without having to go through a phone, thanks to a 1.57” touchscreen built into the case itself. From that screen, you can control your music, switch your listening mode (ANC, hear-through, etc.), play around with the equalizer and even check messages. The smart case allows you controls at your fingertips that you’d normally only find in an app (that said, there’s also a very good app if you prefer the old-school way of customizing your audio).
We spent a few weeks with the Tour Pro 3 earbuds in a variety of settings, from commuting to office work to workouts. Controlling your audio through a charging case involves a minor learning curve, but is that control superior to an app or tapping your earbuds? (FYI, this isn’t the first JBL product to use a smart case, but it’s certainly the most advanced.)
The specs:
- Available in two colors (black, latte)
- Spatial audio with Head Tracking
- Adaptive noise cancellation
- Six mics
- Comes with five sizes of ear tips
- 40 hours battery life (with case)
- Wireless charging
- Multi-point connection
What works:
- The Pro 3 comes with two audio cables (AUX, USB-C) that transform the case into a dongle that can wirelessly transmit audio from a TV, gym equipment or a plane entertainment system.
- While not the absolute best earbuds for shutting out the outside world, the noise cancellation here worked incredibly well in very loud environments (like a subway rush hour). And the levels of noise reduction are adjustable.
- There’s a built-in flashlight in the case, which isn’t really publicized but comes in handy
- The built-in Find My Case feature (which omits a high-pitch beep when used via the app) means you’ll probably never lose your earbuds
- The app is incredibly detailed and customizable — even if the case didn’t have a touchscreen, this is one of the better control systems we’ve used for a personal audio product
- SilentNow is a silence alarm feature: you can create a timed “silent bubble” in place of listening to music. Ideal for planes!
- While the spatial audio here isn’t quite on par with Apple or Sony, I’d still rank the overall sound in the top quarter of premium earbuds I’ve tried. It’s immersive, bright, crisp and highly adjustable to your preferences.
What kind of works:
- You’re either going to like the Head Tracking feature or not. Having the sound “shift” as I turn my head or move is disorienting, but the feature is optional and easy to turn off.
- I prefer more tactile controls on the physical earbuds themselves, but the touch controls are intuitive and work well
- The controls on the case, meanwhile, are fine — although scrolling from each feature takes a bit of practice. Basically, swipe far left or right on the corners of the case screen and not in the middle, or you’ll be like me and get stuck on a Bluetooth screen for several minutes.
- With multiple ear tip options, you should be able to find a comfortable fit. I tried these during a workout and they were … ok. But for everyday activities, you won’t need to worry about these popping out.
What needs work:
- I used the “Check My Best Fit” option on the app and kept getting a “bad seal” warning no matter how I positioned the earbud or which sized ear tip I used.
- The Personi-Fi option, which personalizes the sound of your earbuds, can’t be set up unless you’re in a completely quiet room. I gave up after a few attempts in a room that had a low drone of a heater preventing me from testing this out. Finding a 100% quiet space in NYC is difficult.
- To have such a good touchscreen, the case is admittedly bulky and doesn’t fit well in a pants pocket.
Final thoughts:
The JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds aren’t my new perfect audio companion — they’re big (particularly the case) and not ideal for all situations (like workouts). But for plane trips? This might be the best set of earbuds you can own. The noise cancellation is excellent, you can plug ‘em into the entertainment system and all your controls will be at your fingertips, not on your phone or a dangling cord. Add in spatial audio and nearly endless amounts of customization options for your controls, and you’ve got high-end earbuds that’ll pair nicely with any trip.
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