JBL Live 660NC Headphones Review

The JBL Live 660NC have a simple over-ear design that's very similar to the JBL Live 650 BTNC Wireless. They have large plastic ear cups with the manufacturer's logo in the center. The headband, in contrast, has a mesh fabric coating, but it also has the manufacturer's logo on the top-facing side. They come in four colors to better suit your style: black, blue, white, sandstone, and pink.

The headphones are decently comfortable. They feel lightweight on your head, while the ear cups and headband are well-padded and comfy. However, you can start to feel them clamp on your head after long periods of use.

They have good controls. The physical buttons are clicky and are easily distinguishable once you get the hang of where they are. There's a chime when powered on or pairing the headphones and when you reach min or max volume.

On the left ear cup:

• 'JBL' Logo
• Two-second press: Activates Google Assistant or Alexa.

On right ear cup:

• '+' button
• Single press: Raises the volume.
• Press and hold: Skips track forward.

• '-' button
• Single press: Lowers the volume.
• Press and hold: Skips the track backward.

• Center button:
• Single press: Plays/pauses audio. Also answers/ends a call.
• Press and hold: Declines a call.
• Two-second press: Activates Siri or another voice assistant.

• ANC button:
• Single press: Activates ANC or Ambient Aware mode.
• Press and hold: Activates Talk-Through mode.

The JBL Live 660NC have okay breathability. The ear cups trap some heat, and their seal can block airflow. You may notice a temperature difference when wearing them during physical activity, which could make you sweat more.

Like most over-ear headphones, they aren't very portable. However, the ear cups can swivel inwards to help reduce their footprint and make them easier to store in a bag. They also come with a soft drawstring pouch that can help protect them from dust and scratches.

The headphones come with a soft pouch that only protects the headphones from light scratches and dust. It also has a drawstring closure. The material doesn't seem water-resistant, and the fabric won't guard your headphones against physical damage like falls.

These headphones have good build quality. They're made of plastic with faux leather padding. The headband is coated in mesh fabric, and a metal plate is inside to help reinforce the frame. However, they're not IP-rated for dust or water resistance, which is typical for over-ear headphones.

These headphones are more stable than many over-ear headphones we've tested, like the Anker Soundcore Life Q35 Wireless or the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless. Thanks to their clamping force, they'll stay on your head during casual listening sessions and moderate physical activity. Since they have a wireless design, you also don't have to worry about something snagging the headphones off of your head.

• JBL Live 660NC headphones
• 1/8" TRS to TRRS audio cable
• USB-C to USB-A charging cable
• Carrying pouch
• Manuals

These headphones have a slightly bass-heavy sound profile that delivers a touch of extra thump and punch to your mixes. They're still well-balanced enough for a variety of audio content, though. If you prefer a different sound, their companion app has a parametric EQ and presets, so you can customize their sound.

They have decent frequency response consistency. They're prone to inconsistent bass delivery, and you may especially notice a drop in bass if you have thick hair or wear glasses. There's also some deviation in the treble range. That said, if you take the time to adjust their fit and seal on your head, you'll get a more consistent sound each time you use them.

These headphones have excellent bass accuracy. There's some overemphasis in the low and mid-bass, which results in a touch of extra thump, rumble, and punch. The bassline sounds punchy and full in songs like The Chain by Fleetwood Mac. The slight dip in the high bass means the bass response is more thumpy than boomy overall, but it also helps avoid a muddy overall mix.

They have outstanding mid accuracy. The range is exceptionally well-balanced and flat, so vocals and lead instruments are clear, accurate, and detailed.

They have good treble accuracy. It's underemphasized across the range, which results in the upper harmonics of vocals and lead instruments sounding a little veiled. Sibilants like cymbals are also a bit dull.

Their peaks and dips performance is good, meaning these headphones generally follow their own sound profile. There's a peak in the low to mid-bass, which adds extra thump and punch. A dip in the high bass lessens the boom in your mix. Another peak between the mid to high-mid makes vocals and lead instruments a bit boxy and intense. The left and right drivers then diverge in the low treble, so the dip in the left driver veils the upper harmonics of vocals and lead instruments while the right driver makes them sound harsh. The peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like cymbals piercing.

The imaging performance is great. Most JBL headphones we've tested have good imaging, with some exceptions, like the JBL Tune 510BT Wireless, which can indicate the brand's quality control and ergonomics. The group delay mostly falls under the audibility threshold, but small peaks indicate a slightly loose bass. The treble is fairly transparent, though. The left and right drivers are well-matched in amplitude, which helps create a balanced stereo image with accurately placed objects (like voices or footsteps). However, a slight frequency mismatch puts holes in the stereo image. There's also a small phase mismatch, which makes bass frequencies sound skewed to the right. However, keep in mind that imaging varies between units.

These headphones have a poor passive soundstage. Their soundstage doesn't feel particularly large or natural. It also feels like sound is coming from inside your head rather than from speakers around you. Since they're closed-back headphones, the soundstage also doesn't feel as open or spacious as that created by open-back headphones.

The JBL 660NC have a good weighted harmonic distortion performance. While there are a couple of peaks of normal listening volumes in the treble range, this is hard to hear with real-life content. Most frequencies fall within good limits, producing mostly clear and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test these headphones. The manufacturer advertises a smart audio mode that improves audio latency based on your actions. We tested our model using the 'Audio Mode.' Our results are only valid when using this configuration.

The JBL Live 660NC have a decent noise isolation performance. They have active noise cancelling (ANC), but it struggles to cut down bass-range noise like bus or plane engines. It does a better job of reducing mid-range sounds like ambient chatter and high-pitched noise like the hum of an AC unit. However, their ANC doesn't perform much better than their passive capabilities when blocking mid-range and higher-pitched sounds.

The JBL Live 660NC's leakage performance is good. Most leakage is concentrated in the mid to treble range, which sounds mostly thin. If you're listening to audio at high volumes in a moderately noisy environment, it won't be too audible to people around you.

The mic recording quality is okay. Your voice is thin and a bit muffled, but you'll still be understandable to whoever's on the other end.

The microphone's noise handling performance is mediocre. It struggles to separate your voice from moderate noise, so it's hard to hear you if you take a call in a busy office or subway station.

Their battery performance is excellent. Their battery lasts about 26 hours continuously with the ANC on, which is shorter than the advertised 40 hours but is still a good amount of power. Battery life can also vary depending on how you use the headphones. If you want headphones with roughly double the battery life, consider the JBL Live 770NC Wireless. They charge in less than two hours and have an auto-off timer to help conserve battery life when not in use. The manufacturer even advertises a feature where you can gain two hours of battery life from a five-minute quick charge. You can also use them passively with their audio cable if you run out of battery life.

The JBL Live 660NC are compatible with the JBL Headphones app. They have a parametric EQ and presets so that you can customize their sound. You can also turn 'Ambient Sound' on or off and switch between ANC on, 'Ambient Aware', ANC off, and talk-through. You can turn auto-pause on or off, adjust the auto-off timer, see the battery life, and set up either Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa voice assistant.

There's a smart audio mode advertised to improve your audio latency based on what you're doing. There are three settings: 'Video Mode,' 'Audio Mode,' and 'Normal.' We tested our model using the 'Audio Mode.'

The JBL Live 660NC have great Bluetooth compatibility. They can connect with up to two devices simultaneously, which is nice if you like to stay connected to your phone and laptop. They also support Google Fast Pair for seamless pairing with Android devices. We tested them on 'Audio' mode and found their latency on PCs, as well as iOS and Android devices, is somewhat high, so you may experience delays between your audio and visuals. They also have a dedicated 'Video Mode,' which can help reduce latency. Using this mode, Android and iOS users can enjoy a very low-latency video experience. However, this won't be the case for PC users, as latency is still quite high. Remember that some apps and devices compensate for latency differently, though.

They come with a long 4'10" (1.25m) 1/8" TRS to TRRS cable, which only transmits audio, so you can't use their mic via a wired connection. They also come with a USB-C to USB-A cable to charge the headphones.

You can plug them into your PC to receive audio, but they won't passthrough mic audio, so you'll need to purchase a separate microphone. These headphones are also compatible with Bluetooth-enabled PCs; you can use the mic this way. They have high Bluetooth latency, so you'll likely notice audio lag. However, they also have a 'Video Mode' that you can use with PCs to reduce latency slightly.

You can plug them into a controller to receive audio. However, you can't use the mic, and they can't connect with PlayStation consoles any other way.

You can plug them into your Xbox One or Xbox Series X controller. However, you can only receive audio and can't use their mic.