The JBL Live 680NC are wireless on-ear headphones with adaptive noise cancelling, Bluetooth 6.0, and support for the JBL Headphones app. JBL positions them as everyday headphones for commuting, work, and casual listening, with features like Ambient Aware, TalkThru, Personi-Fi, Spatial Sound, Auracast, and multipoint pairing. The brand also advertises LDAC support and 50 hours of battery life with ANC on.
Our Verdict
The JBL Live 680NC aren't a good choice for sports and fitness. They'll stay in place during normal use and gentle walks, but they can easily fall off during anything more vigorous. On the plus side, they're relatively light and don't clamp too tightly, but their on-ear padding isn't very plush, and there's no IP rating for water resistance.
Relatively light and portable.
Excellent noise isolation.
Not stable enough for running or workouts.
Carrying pouch doesn't offer much protection.
The JBL Live 680NC are very good for travel. Their ANC does an excellent job cutting down street and airplane noise, and their 65-hour battery life easily lasts through long travel days. They're also smaller than typical over-ears and fold into a more compact shape, though they still take up some space in a bag. Their main drawback is comfort: they're light and don't clamp too tightly, but their headband and on-ear cushioning can become uncomfortable during longer listening sessions. They also only come with a soft pouch, which doesn't offer much protection when carrying these around with you.
Relatively light and portable.
Excellent noise isolation.
Very low leakage.
Very long battery life.
Carrying pouch doesn't offer much protection.
Poor mic recording quality.
The JBL Live 680NC are decent for office use. Their ANC blocks an excellent amount of office noise, and they leak very little audio, so nearby coworkers won't hear much of your workday jams. They also support multi-device pairing, which makes it easy to switch between your phone and laptop. However, their integrated mic has poor recording quality and only okay noise handling, so they're best for occasional calls in quieter environments rather than frequent meetings. Their on-ear fit can also become uncomfortable over longer work sessions. You also can't use them passively if the battery dies.
Excellent noise isolation.
Very low leakage.
Very long battery life.
Carrying pouch doesn't offer much protection.
Poor mic recording quality.
No passive playback or USB audio.
The JBL Live 680NC are not suitable for this usage. They don't have a wireless dongle or non-Bluetooth wireless connection, so they aren't designed for low-latency gaming on consoles. They do support Bluetooth, but that's not typically a reliable source of low-latency wireless connectivity.
The JBL Live 680NC are okay for wired gaming. Their included USB-C-to-3.5 mm cable supports analog audio with low latency, so game audio shouldn't feel noticeably delayed. However, the wired connection only supports audio output. That's not a problem if you have your own mic. The headphones also have to be powered on to work. You also might find the on-ear fit fatiguing over marathon sessions.
Very low leakage.
Very long battery life.
Carrying pouch doesn't offer much protection.
No passive playback or USB audio.
The JBL Live 680NC have good audio reproduction accuracy. Their boosted bass tuning adds a lot of extra thump and rumble to audio, but the bass doesn't bleed into the flat mid-range, so vocals and lead instruments remain detailed and present. In general, objects are correctly located in the stereo field, although you might notice some centrally-panned sounds like vocals feel slightly pulled to one side. Distortion is very low, but their closed-back on-ear design doesn't create a very speaker-like sense of space.
The JBL Live 680NC have amazing noise isolation. With ANC set to max, they block out an excellent amount of mid- and treble-range noise, like office chatter and A/C hum, and they also reduce a good amount of lower-frequency noise like bus engine rumble. They also leak very little audio, so people nearby won't hear much of what you're listening to.
The JBL Live 680NC have a disappointing microphone. Speech is understandable, but your voice sounds unnatural and distorted. Noise handling is better: the system can cut out more consistent background noise, but this comes at the cost of speech intelligibility and can add static to your voice. In general, you'll only want to use these for calls in quieter areas.
The JBL Live 680NC have okay frequency response consistency. Their low-bass delivery changes a bit depending on fit, positioning, and seal, which is typical for on-ear headphones. This means the amount of thump and rumble you hear can vary slightly from wear to wear, so it's worth taking a moment to seat them consistently.
Performance Usages
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The JBL Live 680NC are available in 'Black,' 'Blue,' 'Champagne/Sand,' 'Green,' and 'White.' We bought and tested a 'Champagne' pair, but we didn't take a photo of the label as there doesn't appear to be one on the headphones. You can find your serial number on the box or in the app.
If you find another variant, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update the review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The JBL Live 680NC are feature-packed on-ears in a market that's mostly split between simpler lifestyle on-ears like the Beats Solo 4 and larger ANC over-ears like the JBL Live 780NC. Within JBL's own lineup, the Live 680NC are a clear step up from the JBL Live 670NC on-ears, especially if isolation is a priority, since their ANC blocks out much more noise around you. They also offer a more detailed, well-controlled mid-range that better reproduces sounds like vocals. Against JBL's over-ears, the choice really comes down to fit preference. The 780NC are probably the stronger overall headphones, with better low-frequency noise isolation and stability, but if you know you want on-ears, the Live 780NC won't fit the bill. If you're looking for on-ears outside JBL's lineup, the Beats Solo 4 are a perennial favorite. They're more stable, have a better case, support USB-C audio, and sound more balanced out of the box than the Live 680NC, but they don't have ANC or much customizability via their app.
For more, check out our roundups of the best headphones, the best on-ear headphones, and the best travel headphones.
The JBL Live 780NC are the over-ear sibling to the JBL Live 680NC. The two headphones have a similar design language, app feature set, codec support, and long battery life, but the 780NC are the stronger pick overall. Their over-ear fit helps them block more low-frequency noise, like rumbly engines, and they're more stable than the 680NC. That said, the 680NC are smaller, leak less audio, and have even longer battery life. The choice probably comes down to whether you prefer over-ears or on-ears.
The JBL Live 680NC are a clear upgrade over the JBL Live 670NC. Both are on-ear wireless headphones in JBL's Live lineup, but the 680NC have much better noise isolation, stronger Bluetooth codec support, and a more accurate mid-range that keeps vocals sounding true-to-life despite their boosted bass. The older 670NC do have some advantages: they have a longer battery life, passive playback (and thus a much lower latency analog connection), and a parametric EQ in the companion app. Still, the 680NC feel like the more modern and travel-friendly pair, especially if ANC performance is a priority.
The JBL Live 680NC and JBL Tune 770NC have different strengths. The Tune 770NC are over-ears with a more balanced default sound profile, making them a better fit if you want accurate sound out of the box. On the other hand, the bass-heavy Live 680NC are smaller on-ears, and their main advantage is noise isolation: their ANC is far more effective at blocking out noise around you. They also offer stronger Bluetooth support thanks to LDAC and LC3, and their battery lasts longer.
The JBL Live 680NC and Beats Solo 4 are both on-ear wireless headphones, but they have different strengths. The Beats are more stable, have a better case, support USB-C audio, and have a more balanced default sound profile. The JBL are the better pick for noisy environments, though. They have ANC, meaning they block out much more noise, and their companion app offers more customization options with an EQ, personalized audio, and Spatial Sound. That makes the JBL the obvious choice for travel or commuting. Meanwhile, the Beats are commonly used in gyms, but remember: they don't have an IP rating, so we can't strictly recommend getting them wet or sweaty.
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Test Results
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