The JBL LIVE 300TWS are a fairly straight-forward pair of truly wireless in-ears that perform decently overall for most uses. Their small earbuds make them quite comfortable for in-ears, and even after long listening sessions, they don't cause too much fatigue or discomfort. Their sound profile is fairly well-balanced, making them suitable for a wide range of genres, and their great companion app gives you a ton of customization options, including a parametric EQ and presets. With their stability fins attached, they're stable enough to wear at the gym or during your morning jog, and they're certified IPX5 for water resistance. Unfortunately, their 4.4-hour battery life isn't great and is quite a bit shorter than the six hours advertised by JBL. Overall, if you're looking for a new pair of truly wireless in-ears, they're a decent choice, but they don't stand out much from the crowd.
Our Verdict
The JBL LIVE 300TWS are decent for neutral sound listening. Their out-of-the-box sound profile is quite well-balanced and accurate, though they have a fair amount of extra bass. That being said, their great companion app gives you access to a fully parametric EQ and presets, so you can customize the way they sound. Like with most closed-back in-ears, they don't have a wide or open soundstage, and music sounds like it's inside your head as opposed to in front.
- Comfortable for in-ear headphones.
- Stable design suitable for sports.
- Versatile and well-balanced sound profile.
- Great companion app with lots of customization options and parametric EQ.
- Less than advertised battery life.
- Decent-at-best noise isolation.
The JBL LIVE 300TWS are good in-ears for commuting and travel. While they're comfortable enough to wear during long flights or bus rides, unfortunately, they do a terrible job of blocking out the noise from bus or plane engines. That being said, they do an excellent job of blocking out background chatter, which can be helpful in case the stranger next to you on a flight wants to become friends. Unfortunately, their 4.4-hour battery life likely isn't very long, so you may have to toss them in their charging case to get you through a long flight.
- Comfortable for in-ear headphones.
- Stable design suitable for sports.
- Versatile and well-balanced sound profile.
- Great companion app with lots of customization options and parametric EQ.
- Less than advertised battery life.
- Decent-at-best noise isolation.
The JBL LIVE 300TWS are great headphones for sports. They feel very stable with their stability fins attached, and won't fall out or slide even during intense workouts. They have a bit of extra bass to help keep you pumped up at the gym, and they're comfortable enough to wear during your long weekend runs. Their controls are easy to use, so you don't have to worry about taking your phone out mid-jog, and they feel durable enough in case they accidentally get dropped. they're also certified IPX5 for resistance against direct water contact. Unfortunately, their battery life is a bit disappointing at around 4.5 hours, though that should still be long enough for most workouts, and you can easily charge them by tossing them back into their case.
- Comfortable for in-ear headphones.
- Stable design suitable for sports.
- Versatile and well-balanced sound profile.
- Great companion app with lots of customization options and parametric EQ.
- Less than advertised battery life.
- Decent-at-best noise isolation.
The JBL LIVE 300TWS are okay headphones for office use. While they're comfortable enough to wear for long periods, unfortunately, they only last 4.4 hours off a single charge, so you'll likely have to take a break and toss them in their case to last a full work day. They also do a bad job at blocking out low-frequency sounds, which can be an issue if there's construction happening at your office. On the bright side, they do an excellent job at blocking out other office sounds, like chatty coworkers or A/C units, and they leak almost no audio, so you can turn up your music without bothering the person at the desk next to you.
- Comfortable for in-ear headphones.
- Stable design suitable for sports.
- Versatile and well-balanced sound profile.
- Great companion app with lots of customization options and parametric EQ.
- Less than advertised battery life.
- Decent-at-best noise isolation.
The JBL LIVE 300TWS aren't suitable headphones for wireless gaming. These truly wireless in-ears are Bluetooth-only, so they aren't compatible with Xbox One or PS4. While you can pair them to your phone or Bluetooth-enabled PC, their high latency and mediocre microphone performance make them less than ideal for any competitive gaming.
The JBL LIVE 300TWS are Bluetooth-only headphones that can't be used wired.
The JBL LIVE 300TWS are okay headphones for phone calls. They have an integrated mic in the headphones, allowing you to easily answer a call while on-the-go. Their mic works surprisingly well for Bluetooth headphones, and while your voice sounds thin, it's clear, natural, and distortion-free. The mic's noise handling is sub-par though, and your voice gets drowned out in loud environments.
- Comfortable for in-ear headphones.
- Stable design suitable for sports.
- Versatile and well-balanced sound profile.
- Great companion app with lots of customization options and parametric EQ.
- Less than advertised battery life.
- Decent-at-best noise isolation.
Changelog
- Updated May 13, 2022: We mistakenly reported that these headphones didn't have an IP rating. We have corrected our results and updated our review.
- Updated Apr 12, 2022: When updating these headphones to the latest test bench, we noticed that our unit's charging case wasn't charging the buds. Unfortunately, we don't know what caused this issue, and it doesn't seem to be reported by other users. That said, we have purchased and received a new unit, which matches the performance of the original pair. We've added a picture of the new model's label to 'Differences Between Variants'.
- Updated Nov 26, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Jun 02, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The JBL LIVE 300TWS come in four color variations: 'Black', 'Blue', 'Purple', and 'White'. We tested the 'Black' variant, and you can see our model's label here. Keep in mind that this label comes from our second unit. Our original model's carrying case stopped charging the buds, and we purchased new ones to replace them. The performance of the new buds also matches our original results.
If you come across another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The JBL LIVE 300TWS are fairly standard truly wireless in-ears, though they perform quite decently overall. Overall they perform similarly to the JBL Free X True Wireless, except unlike those headphones, the 300TWS have a great companion app that gives you access to a parametric EQ, presets, and button-mapping for their touch-sensitive controls. While their 4.4-hour battery lasts longer than the battery found on the Free X, it still doesn't last nearly as long as some other options, like the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Truly Wireless, or the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2 Truly Wireless. Check out our recommendations for the best truly wireless earbuds, the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds, and the best earbuds and in-ear headphones.
The JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless and the JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless are similarly performing in-ears and, depending on your usage, you may prefer one over the other. While both headphones are comfortable and well-built, the 300TWS do a better job of passively blocking out noise than the NC+'s ANC. The 300TWS have a better mic recording quality. However, the NC+ have a better battery performance and have lower latency on Android, iOS, and PC, although different devices and apps compensate for this differently.
The Apple AirPods Pro are slightly better truly wireless in-ears than the JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless. The Apple look a lot more premium, feel a bit more durable, last longer off a single charge, and hold more charges in their case. They block much more background noise thanks to their ANC feature, and their sound profile isn't quite as bass-heavy, though they don't have a companion app for EQ options like the JBL. The JBL also have a better mic recording quality and may represent better value to some people.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds+ are better in-ears than the JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless. The Samsung have a more balanced profile, a longer battery life, and a nice case that supports wireless charging. On the other hand, the JBL's app offers slightly more customization options, including a parametric EQ as opposed to only EQ presets with the Samsung. Their mic also has a better recording quality, although the Samsung's has a better noise handing performance.
The Jabra Elite 75t Truly Wireless are slightly better in-ears than the JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless. The Jabra look and feel a bit more premium and durable, last longer off a single charge, and have more charges in their case. They also have a better noise isolation performance. However, the Jabra's app gives you a graphic EQ, while the JBL's app gives access to a fully parametric EQ so you can fine-tune the way they sound even more. The JBL also have a more balanced sound profile right out-of-the-box, which some may prefer.
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