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JBL Tour One Wireless Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.5
Reviewed Jul 29, 2021 at 09:53 am
JBL Tour One Wireless Picture
7.4
Neutral Sound
7.1
Commute/Travel
7.1
Sports/Fitness
7.2
Office
5.8
Wireless Gaming
7.5
Wired Gaming
6.8
Phone Calls

The JBL Tour One Wireless are high-end over-ears with active noise cancelling (ANC). These headphones offer a versatile performance with a comfortable fit and well-built design. However, their ANC offers a mediocre overall performance, and they're prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery. Luckily, if you prefer something more neutral than their default bass-heavy sound profile, their companion app offers a parametric EQ and presets to help you adjust them to your liking.

Our Verdict

7.4 Neutral Sound

The JBL Tour One are decent for neutral sound. Out of the box, they have a slightly bass-heavy sound profile. Luckily, you can tweak them to your liking using their companion app's parametric EQ and presets. On the downside, they're very prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery. Their passive soundstage is also poor and feels like it's coming from inside your head.

Pros
  • Comfortable, well-built design.
  • Parametric EQ and presets available.
Cons
  • Prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery.
  • Disappointing passive soundstage.
7.1 Commute/Travel

The JBL Tour One are satisfactory for commute and travel. While they have a comfortable, well-built fit, they're also bulky, which can make them hard to take with you on the go, and their ear cups can trap heat. Their ANC also struggles to block out bus or plane engine noise. On the upside, their over 33 hours of continuous playback time should get you through long days on the road.

Pros
  • Comfortable, well-built design.
  • Parametric EQ and presets available.
  • Excellent battery performance.
Cons
  • Mediocre overall noise isolation.
  • Not very breathable.
  • Disappointing passive soundstage.
7.1 Sports/Fitness

The JBL Tour One are satisfactory for sports and fitness. They're comfortable and well-built. However, they can fall off your head with moderate head movements, and heat can get trapped inside the ear cups, which may make you sweat more than normal. They also lack an IP rating for water resistance, although we don't currently test for this.

Pros
  • Comfortable, well-built design.
  • Excellent battery performance.
Cons
  • Not very breathable.
  • Disappointing passive soundstage.
7.2 Office

The JBL Tour One are decent for office use. They have a comfortable fit, and you can pair them with up to two devices at a time. They also have over 33 hours of continuous battery life, which is excellent, and their ANC can help block out ambient chatter around you. However, their ear cups can trap heat, which may be uncomfortable during long shifts at the office.

Pros
  • Comfortable, well-built design.
  • Excellent battery performance.
Cons
  • Not very breathable.
  • Disappointing passive soundstage.
5.8 Wireless Gaming

The JBL Tour One aren't recommended for wireless gaming. While you can connect them to a Bluetooth-enabled PC, the latency is likely to be too high for gaming. They also aren't compatible with Xbox or PlayStation consoles.

7.5 Wired Gaming

The JBL Tour One are good for wired gaming. Using their 1/16" to 1/8" TRS cable, you can connect to consoles with an AUX port. However, you can only receive audio and can't use their mic. That said, they have a slightly bass-heavy sound profile that can help bring out the intensity of sound effects in your games. They also have a comfortable fit, although they can trap in heat, which can be uncomfortable.

Pros
  • Comfortable, well-built design.
  • Parametric EQ and presets available.
Cons
  • Prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery.
6.8 Phone Calls

The JBL Tour One are fair for phone calls. Their microphone can record your voice clearly, although it sounds a bit bass-heavy. However, if you have an important call to take, it's better to do so from a quieter environment since the mic struggles to separate speech from ambient noise. Although the headphones have active noise cancelling, the system does a mediocre job blocking out background sounds.

Pros
  • Comfortable, well-built design.
Cons
  • Mediocre overall noise isolation.
  • 7.4 Neutral Sound
  • 7.1 Commute/Travel
  • 7.1 Sports/Fitness
  • 7.2 Office
  • 5.8 Wireless Gaming
  • 7.5 Wired Gaming
  • 6.8 Phone Calls
  1. Updated Jul 29, 2021: Review published.
  2. Updated Jul 26, 2021: Early access published.
  3. Updated Jul 12, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
  4. Updated Jun 29, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  5. Updated Jun 19, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

The JBL Tour One only come in one color variant: 'Black'. You can see our model's label here. If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.

Compared To Other Headphones

The JBL Tour One are premium over-ear headphones with an adaptive ANC system. However, the ANC does a mediocre job of blocking out ambient noise around you and is especially poor at reducing the low rumble of bus or plane engines. On the upside, just like most JBL headphones like the JBL Tour Pro+ TWS Truly Wireless, they have a customizable sound profile, thanks to their companion app's parametric EQ and presets.

See our recommendations for the best noise cancelling headphones, the best over-ear headphones, and the best wireless Bluetooth headphones.

JBL CLUB ONE Wireless

The JBL CLUB ONE Wireless and the JBL Tour One Wireless are somewhat similar headphones, although the CLUB ONE have a slight advantage. The CLUB ONE are better built, and their ANC can block out more ambient noise. However, both headphones are comfortable, and their sound profile is customizable, thanks to their companion app.

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless

The Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless are better over-ears than the JBL Tour One Wireless. The Sony are more comfortable, are better built, and can deliver audio more consistently. They have a significantly better noise isolation performance.

JBL Live 660NC Wireless

The JBL Live 660NC Wireless and the JBL Tour One Wireless are similarly performing over-ear headphones. The Tour One are more comfortable and have a better battery performance. However, the Live have a better noise isolation performance and can deliver audio more consistently.

Bose 700 Headphones Wireless

The Bose 700 Headphones Wireless are better headphones than the JBL Tour One Wireless. The Bose are more comfortable, feel better-built, and have a significantly better noise isolation performance. They also have a better overall microphone performance. However, the JBL have a longer continuous battery life. 

JBL Tour Pro+ TWS True Wireless

The JBL Tour Pro+ TWS True Wireless are better overall headphones than the JBL Tour One Wireless. The Tour Pro+ are in-ears that are better built, have more consistent audio delivery, and have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer. Their ANC also does a significantly better job of blocking out background noise. However, the Tour One support multi-device pairing and longer continuous battery life.

AKG N700NC M2 Wireless

The AKG N700NC M2 Wireless are better over-ears than the JBL Tour One Wireless. While both headphones are equally comfortable and well-built, the AKG have a more neutral default sound profile, which some users may prefer, are less prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery, and have a significantly better noise isolation performance. However, the JBL have much longer continuous battery life.

Beats Solo Pro Wireless

The Beats Solo Pro Wireless and the JBL Tour One Wireless are similarly performing headphones and depending on your usage, you may prefer either one. The Beats are on-ear headphones that are better-built and have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer. They also have a better noise isolation performance and have an H1 chip, so you can seamlessly pair them with your Apple devices. In contrast, the JBL are over-ears that are more comfortable and have a longer continuous battery life. They also support multi-device pairing, and have a companion app that offers a parametric EQ and presets to help you adjust their sound.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Type Over-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Yes
Transducer Dynamic

The JBL Tour One have a fairly non-descript look. They have the manufacturer's logo embossed on each ear cup and only come in one color variant: 'Black'.

7.5
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.61 lbs
Clamping Force
0.9 lbs

The JBL Tour One are comfortable over-ears. They're lightweight, and they don't clamp on your head too tightly. The padding on the ear cups and headband also feels nice against the skin. However, if you have larger ears, they may touch the inner padding on the cup. Your ears may also feel hot when you wear the headphones for long periods.

8.1
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use Good
Feedback Good
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Microphone Control Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
No
Noise Cancelling Control On/Off
Talk-Through
On/Off
Additional Controls Voice Assistant

The JBL Tour One have great controls. They have a mix of touch and physical controls. The right ear cup has a power button that you can slide down and hold to enter pairing mode. You can also adjust the volume by using the '+' and '-' buttons, but it can be hard to tell which button is which when you're wearing the headphones. On the center of the right ear cup, you can tap once to play and pause, tap twice to skip a track forward or end a call, and tap three times to skip a track backward. You can also touch and hold while in a call to mute or unmute the microphone and touch and hold for voice assistant.

The touch panel provides feedback for the number of taps you make and is responsive. There are also voice prompts for noise cancelling on/off, 'Ambient Aware', which allows you to hear background sounds around you, and Bluetooth pairing. Although the volume buttons feel a bit mushy, they make a slight clicking sound. Unfortunately, it's easy to accidentally activate a touch command when you're adjusting the headphones on your head.

5.5
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 8.1 °C

The JBL Tour One have sub-par breathability. They trap in a lot of heat and don't allow for much airflow. Your ears could feel hot, even if you're not wearing them for long periods. If you're wearing them during physical exercise, you may sweat more than normal.

6.1
Design
Portability
L 7.0" (17.9 cm)
W 6.1" (15.6 cm)
H 2.2" (5.6 cm)
Volume 95.07 in³ (1,557.90 cm³)
Transmitter Required No

These headphones have mediocre portability. They're bulky, although they can fold into a slightly more compact shape to fit into their carrying case.

7.5
Design
Case
Type Hard case
L 7.9" (20.1 cm)
W 6.9" (17.5 cm)
H 2.4" (6.1 cm)
Volume 129.90 in³ (2,128.60 cm³)

The JBL Tour One have a good carrying case. There's a mesh pocket on the outside, and a clip fabric handle, so it's easy to carry with you. The hard case also has a zipper that completely closes. While it can be tricky to put the headphones into the case, there's a removable cardboard diagram inside to indicate the position the headphones should fold in. There's also fabric to help hold the position of the headphones.

7.5
Design
Build Quality

The JBL Tour One Wireless have a good build quality. They have faux leather padding on the ear cups and headband, while the rest of the headphones are mostly plastic. There's a metal strap inside the headband that has lines so that you can evenly adjust them on both sides. Overall, they feel like they could survive some accidental impacts without taking too much damage. However, although we don't currently test for it, they lack an IP rating for dust and water resistance.

7.0
Design
Stability

These headphones have decent stability. They should stay on your head while you're working at your desk. However, they can fall off your head with more high-intensity head movements, so they're not the best choice for use during physical activity.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • JBL Tour One headphones
  • USB-A to USB-C charging cable
  • 1/16" TRS to 1/8" TRS audio cable
  • Carrying case
  • Flight adapter
  • Manuals

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
1.91 dB
Treble Amount
-2.14 dB

The JBL Tour One have a bass-heavy sound profile that delivers extra boom and warmth to your mixes. Vocals and lead instruments also reproduce clearly and accurately. If you prefer a different sound, their companion app offers a parametric EQ and presets to help you customize their sound to suit your tastes.

Note: We normally test our headphones with the ANC on. The JBL have an adaptive noise cancelling system, which automatically adjusts its level depending on your environment. During human testing, the ANC seemed like it was switching between being on and 'Ambient Aware' mode, which allows you to hear background noise around you, during the sweep. Without moving the headphones, we received a different audio curve each time we did a sweep. Turning the ANC off seemed to solve the inconsistency issue between sweeps, and the headphones seemed to stop switching to Ambient Aware. As a result, we tested these headphones with their ANC off for all sound tests except for Noise Isolation.

5.6
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
1.11 dB

The JBL Tour One have sub-par frequency response consistency. They're very prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery as they perform differently depending on their fit, seal, and positioning. You may especially notice a drop in bass if you have thick hair or glasses.

Sound
Raw Frequency Response
7.8
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.18 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
Low-Bass
2.05 dB
Mid-Bass
3.51 dB
High-Bass
4.39 dB

The JBL Tour One's bass accuracy is very good. It's overemphasized across the range, which some users may prefer. Mixes have a lot more thump, rumble, and boom.

These headphones are very prone to inconsistencies in bass delivery. Our results represent the average response, and your experience may vary.

8.6
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
1.93 dB
Low-Mid
2.85 dB
Mid-Mid
0.05 dB
High-Mid
-0.87 dB

The mid accuracy is excellent. They have a fairly neutral response, although there's a small bump in the low-mid which can slightly muddy vocals and lead instruments. However, vocals and lead instruments still sound clear, accurate, and detailed.

7.8
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.37 dB
Low-Treble
-1.92 dB
Mid-Treble
2.22 dB
High-Treble
-6.06 dB

The JBL Tour One have good treble accuracy. The low-treble is underemphasized, which can slightly veil vocals and lead instruments. The bump in the mid-treble can also make sibilants like S and T sounds piercing.

These headphones are very prone to inconsistencies in treble delivery and are sensitive to fit and positioning. Our results represent the average response, and your experience may vary.

7.5
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.73 dB
Dips
1.01 dB

The JBL Tour One's peaks and dips performance is good. A small dip in the low-bass reduces thump and rumble, while an extended peak across the high-bass to low-mid adds a bit of boom and muddiness to your mixes. A dip in the mid-mid nudges vocals and lead instruments to the back of your mixes, while another dip in the low-treble veils the upper harmonics of these sounds. A large peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like cymbals piercing.

7.8
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.61
Weighted Phase Mismatch
4.62
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.09
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.52

The JBL Tour One's imaging performance is good. The weighted group delay falls mostly below the audibility threshold, resulting fairly tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. However, there are some peaks in the phase response's treble range, and they're audible when listening to real-life content. The peak in the bass range shouldn't be audible for most users, though. While the L/R drivers are well-matched in amplitude, there's also a slight mismatch between the drivers in frequency response, which could result in holes in the stereo image. Imaging is important for the accurate localization of objects like footsteps in the stereo image. Note that our results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.

4.8
Sound
Passive Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
3.66 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
3.91 dB
PRTF Distance
7.31 dB
Openness
3.9
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.3

The passive soundstage performance is disappointing. While the soundstage seems somewhat wide, it's perceived as a bit unnatural and as if coming from inside your head rather than from speakers placed in the room around you. Since they have a closed-back design, their soundstage also seems closed-off.

0
Sound
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
Speaker Modeling
No
Room Ambience
No
Head Tracking
No
Virtual Surround
No
7.8
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.289
WHD @ 100
0.124

The JBL Tour One have a good weighted harmonic distortion performance. There are a few peaks, particularly in the bass and treble range. However, the frequencies fall within good limits at moderate and high volumes, resulting in clear and pure audio reproduction.

Sound
Test Settings
Firmware
3.3.0
Power
On
Connection
Bluetooth 5.0
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
EQ
Off
ANC
Off
Tip/Pad
Default
Microphone
Integrated

These are the settings used to test the JBL Tour One, and our results are only valid using these settings.

Note: All of our sound testing except for Noise Isolation was conducted with the ANC off as the headphones weren't providing accurate and consistent results.

Isolation
6.1
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-16.9 dB
Noise Cancelling Yes
Bass
-3.65 dB
Mid
-17.52 dB
Treble
-30.9 dB

The noise isolation performance is mediocre. Even with their ANC on, they still struggle to block out the low rumble of bus and plane engines and reduce less noise from this range than the AKG N700NC M2 Wireless. They do a better job of cutting ambient chatter, though. However, they're able to passively reduce high-pitched noise like the hum of an AC unit better than with their ANC on.

7.1
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
38.79 dB

The JBL Tour One's leakage performance is satisfactory. A wide band of their leakage is across the mid to treble range, which sounds a bit thin. That said, if you're listening to audio at a high volume in a moderately loud environment like an office, people shouldn't be able to hear it.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
In-Line
No
Boom
No
Detachable Boom
No
Mic Yes

These headphones have an integrated mic.

Note: We experienced difficulties testing the headphones' mic. We normally test the mic at 95dB. However, the mic could only reach 75dB. As our software requires a minimum level of 85dB, we tried connecting it to our Avantree BT 5.0 audio transmitter to see if we could obtain a higher volume, but the mic could only reach 72dB. We also performed a recording on an iPhone, which was low and sounded similar to our original PC recording.

not tested
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech

We experienced issues testing the performance of the JBL Tour One's mic, and we couldn't run the tests necessary to measure its performance. We decided to use a subjective comparison to assess its performance. Due to these unique conditions, we have decided not to score this test.

The mic offers a satisfactory recording quality. Recorded speech sounds similar to the Razer BlackShark V2, and your voice sounds natural and clear. However, it's a bit more bass-heavy than the Razer. You can hear a recording of the mic from our phone here. We also did an average of five passes for the mic's frequency response, and you can see our graph here. However, keep in mind that we process more data than what's represented in this graph.

6.7
Microphone
Noise Handling
Noise Gate
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
5.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample

The mic's noise handling performance is okay. The mic struggles to separate your voice from moderate ambient noise like a busy street. If you need to make an important call, it's best to do so from a quiet environment.

Active Features
8.8
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
33.5 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
Total Battery Life
33.5 hrs
Charge Time
1.8 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
No
Passive Playback
Yes
Charging Port USB-C

The JBL Tour One have an excellent battery performance. They're advertised to last 25 hours with their ANC on, but we measured over 33 hours. However, battery performance can vary depending on usage, so your real-world experience may vary. That said, they have an adjustable auto-off timer to help conserve battery life when not in use, and you can use them passively with their audio cable in a pinch.

8.0
Active Features
App Support
App Name JBL Headphones
iOS Yes
Android Yes
macOS No
Windows No
Equalizer
Parametric + Presets
ANC Control
On/Off
Mic Control No
Room Effects
No
Playback Control
No
Button Mapping Yes
Surround Support
No

The JBL Headphones app is great. It offers a parametric EQ and presets so that you can adjust their sound to your liking. You can also customize their controls like swapping the function button to trigger voice assistant or changing touch and hold to toggle between ANC, ambient, and off. You can also adjust the auto-off timer, switch voice assistants, and see the headphones' battery life. You can access 'Smart Audio & Video' mode too, which helps lower latency for movies and songs.

Connectivity
8.4
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
5.0
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
NFC Pairing
No
Line Of Sight Range
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
PC Latency (SBC)
181 ms
PC Latency (aptX)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
160 ms
Android Latency
136 ms

The JBL Tour One have great Bluetooth connectivity. They support multi-device pairing so that you can connect them with up to two devices at a time. They have somewhat high latency on PC and iOS. However, their latency on Android is a bit less, which makes them suitable for streaming video. However, some apps and devices compensate for latency differently, so your experience may vary.

0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.5
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable Yes
Length 3.44 ft (1.05 m)
Connection
1/16" TRS
Analog/USB Audio Latency
0 ms

The JBL Tour One come with a 1/16" TRS to 1/8" TRS cable. You can't use the USB-A to USB-C cable to receive audio.

Connectivity
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
Non-BT Wireless
No

These headphones can connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs. You can also use their 1/16" to 1/8" TRS cable to connect to PCs, but you can only receive audio and won't be able to use their mic.

Connectivity
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No

The JBL Tour One can only receive audio when using their audio cable on PS4 or PS5 cables.

Connectivity
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No

These headphones can connect to Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S consoles when using their TRS cable. However, you can only receive audio and can't use their mic.

0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
Line In
No
Line Out
No
Optical Input
No
RCA Input
No
Dock Charging
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock