• Headphone Reviews

JBL Tour Pro 2 review: these earbuds have a screen

The touchscreen offers quick access to earbud settings along with extras like timers and even a flashlight. it’s not a super compelling addition right now, but this is only the beginning of what’s sure to become a trend..

By Chris Welch , a reviewer specializing in personal audio and home theater. Since 2011, he has published nearly 6,000 articles, from breaking news and reviews to useful how-tos.

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A photograph of JBL’s Tour Pro 2 earbuds and smart case with a built-in touchscreen.

Am I holding the future of wireless earbuds in my hands? Or are JBL’s Tour Pro 2 buds — with a charging case that has its own built-in display — a parlor trick negated by the smartwatch? Do you need these controls directly on the physical product when they’re all easily accessible via an app on your phone? I’ve been testing the new $249.95 noise-canceling earbuds for a couple weeks now, and strangely enough, it’s a difficult question to answer.

The Tour Pro 2 are the first to come to market with an interactive case; HP has announced something similar (albeit focused on enterprise customers), and Apple patent filings suggest that the AirPods maker is at least exploring this concept. But JBL’s earbuds are here now and start shipping today in the US after launching in other markets earlier this year.

Look, I know we’re all in this together for the zany case-with-a-screen experiment. So let’s get the earbuds part of this equation out of the way first. The Tour Pro 2 include an exhaustive, well-rounded list of features. Their adaptive noise-cancellation, which adjusts in real time based on the loudness of your environment, is impressively strong and comparable to the upper tier of competition. Battery life is another highlight and rated at up to eight hours of continuous listening with ANC on or 10 with it off — plus another 24 or 30 hours from the case, respectively. That outlasts the AirPods Pro, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, the Nothing Ear 2, and other premium options. 

According to JBL, the sound signature from these 10-millimeter drivers follows the revered Harman response curve , albeit with some extra bass tacked on. And while the Tour Pro 2 sound perfectly good, I still prefer the audio fidelity from the second-gen AirPods Pro, Samsung’s flagship buds, and Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds. To my ears, those earbuds have more depth, greater dynamic range, and just lend more definition to whatever music is playing. The Tour Pro 2 don’t fully sound like $250 earbuds to me, so yeah, the case is factoring into that price. You get several equalizer settings to pick between, and JBL’s Personi-Fi feature can further tune the audio output frequencies based on your own hearing traits and preferences. 

The company also piles on other tricks like multipoint, proprietary spatial audio profiles (music, movie, games, etc.), an earbuds locator utility, and speech detection for automatically activating ambient sound mode. That transparency / ambient sound mode was where I was least impressed; it just sounds very stuffy, inarticulate, and lags modern competitors quite substantially. Voice call performance is clear and satisfactory, however, and the earbuds are rated IPX5 for water and sweat resistance. 

To sum it all up, the Tour Pro 2 are comfortable, sound good even if not great, and they pack plenty of battery endurance. JBL also notes that the earbuds are ready for LE Audio spec and will be updated to enable it once the spec goes mainstream. That could lead to more efficiency and even better battery performance. For now, Bluetooth codec support is limited to AAC and SBC.

A photograph of JBL’s Tour Pro 2 earbuds and smart case with a built-in touchscreen.

Now for the main attraction: that case. It’s pretty large by today’s standards thanks to the built-in 1.45-inch touchscreen LCD on the front. But there’s support for wireless charging, at least, which isn’t always guaranteed , even for the bulky ones. Do I wish the screen used something cooler like OLED or even E Ink? Sure. As is, you can adjust between three different brightness levels, but even the lowest setting isn’t particularly dim. Unlike the buds inside, the case only offers the slightest amount (IPX2) of water protection, so you’ll want to keep it dry. JBL tells me it might offer standalone replacement cases down the line since “I dropped my earbuds and broke the screen” is a dilemma that now exists, but it will likely replace both earbuds and the case in the event you damage any of them individually.

When you tap on the display, your chosen wallpaper appears. (There are presets, but you can also use custom images. JBL preloaded The Verge’s logo onto our review unit.) Slide your finger to the right, and you’ll start cycling through the different functions. And there are more than you might think:

  • Playback controls
  • Sound mode (ANC, transparency, etc.)
  • Timer: the earbuds will power down after your chosen time elapses
  • Spatial audio 
  • Screen brightness
  • Wallpaper selection
  • VoiceAware: this determines how sensitive the voice detection is
  • SilentNow: you can enable ANC even without music playing for a preset amount of time
  • Automatic play/pause ear detection
  • Notifications
  • Find My Buds

A photograph of JBL’s Tour Pro 2 earbuds and smart case with a built-in touchscreen.

That’s a lot of widgets to constantly be swiping between. You can (and should) remove the ones you don’t want through JBL’s mobile app for Android or iOS and cut that list down to a more manageable five or six screens.

Track controls and volume adjustments work well enough, although you’re never shown what song is currently playing; it’s just the controls. (You can’t fast forward or rewind by long-pressing the buttons, either.) Other core tasks like switching audio modes or EQ modes also pose no issue. But even here, I’m already questioning whether the display is necessary and how much convenience it adds. You can perform several of these functions through the remappable earbud gesture controls with the case stowed away. And yes, they’re all present in JBL’s app on your phone. 

I’m doing my best to ignore the possibility of ads on an earbuds case someday

But some inherent benefits do come with the screen. For one, there’s never any mistaking whether or not your earbuds are charging or how much battery remains. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve wound up with one fully charged AirPod — insert any earbud brand here, honestly — and the other fully depleted just because the contacts needed cleaning or didn’t align perfectly. But with the Tour Pro 2, that information is always visible in a small font at the top of the display. And since it’s the most pressing data for earbuds, it remains there as you swipe through the other widgets. 

A photograph of JBL’s Tour Pro 2 earbuds and smart case with a built-in touchscreen.

There are even some rudimentary, super basic smartwatch-like features tossed in: the case lets you see and answer / reject incoming calls, and it can show an alert whenever you receive messages on your phone. When I say an alert, it literally just says “new message on mobile device” most of the time, so don’t expect much context. The message notifications disappear so quickly that they’re rarely helpful, so I left them off.

Does the case make life easier overall? …Perhaps ? Technically it’s faster to grab the case and change some random setting than it would be to pull out your phone, unlock it, find and open the JBL app, and go hunting for the same toggle. And it’s nice to have the Find My Buds tool right there if you open the case and discover one or both buds to be missing. 

But all of these “benefits” come with a big assumption: do you really carry your earbuds case on your person at all times? More often than not, I leave mine in my backpack or my coat’s chest pocket. If that’s you, the advantages of this interactive case go out the window unless you change your habits and keep it within reach. 

The earbuds case needs to be within reach often for the display to be useful

I can’t imagine anyone who routinely wears a smartwatch will see much to get excited about with the Tour Pro 2, either. Apple, Samsung, and Google all provide deep controls over their respective earbuds right from their wearables; hell, the Apple Watch can now tell you how much noise the AirPods Pro (or Max) are canceling in real time. There’s only more synergy growing in these walled-off gardens. But JBL doesn’t have a horse in that race. Many companies don’t. So if you think about it that way — a platform-agnostic audio brand trying to stand out — the Tour Pro 2 make a bit more sense. 

Agree to Continue: JBL Tour Pro 2

Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.

By using JBL’s Tour Pro 2 earbuds, you’re agreeing to:

  • JBL / Harman terms of use
  • Harman privacy policy statement

The final tally is two mandatory agreements.

And they’ve definitely got me pondering what’s to come. How long will it be before earbuds are a fully independent source of entertainment? It’s not hard to imagine some company building flash storage into an earbuds case and letting you sync music to it from your phone. You can already do so with a smartwatch; why not just extend that to the actual listening device? Maybe several years from now, we’ll be using AirPods with an iPod nano crammed into the case. 

A photograph of JBL’s Tour Pro 2 earbuds and smart case with a built-in touchscreen.

I haven’t uncovered any singular compelling reason that will keep me using the JBL Tour Pro 2 in place of my favorite wireless earbuds. The surefire battery status is handy, but I’m too set in my ways to give earbuds valuable pocket space. That’s true for this first try, at least.

This concept isn’t going to begin and end with JBL — or HP, for that matter. I predict we’ll see others try their hand at “smart” earbud cases. Truthfully, no idea has ever struck me as more Samsung, but I suppose the Galaxy Watch lineup covers similar bases. Maybe someone will figure out a brilliant reason for earbuds to have a screen. For now, this feels like one screen too many.

But I can’t knock creativity and an attempt at something new. The Tour Pro 2 don’t measure up to the best earbud contenders when it comes to sound, but they definitely have a unique gimmick. They’re offbeat and weird. Let’s keep getting weird. Something good has to come out of that.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge

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JBL Tour Pro 2 review: the screen-toting case is fun, but the sound is just fine

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TechRadar Verdict

The JBL Tour Pro 2's touchscreen is a winner. We enjoyed using it and so will most of your train carriage. There are lots of settings on offer here and the JBL app is fun to use. We thought ANC was pretty good and enjoyed listening to them, but they don't feel worth the price tag and some genres definitely sound better than others.

Touchscreen case is great

Various fit tests/EQ profiles add value

Good battery life

Sound could be better for the price

ANC is average

Rivals offer more

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

  • Two-minute review
  • Price and release date
  • Sound quality
  • Should you buy them?

Also consider

Jbl tour pro 2: two-minute review.

JBL is famed for its rock-solid audio products, the kind of shiny but affordable gems which reveal themselves as diamonds in the rough more often than not and almost always, always sound excellent for the money. So what happens when the company veers off its successfully navigated low-cost path to go all-in on a flagship set of all-guns-blazing, active noise-cancelling, uniquely screen-toting earbuds? Is our best noise-cancelling earbuds guide about to welcome a new arrival? 

The JBL Tour Pro 2 sit above (way above) the brand’s other earbuds – including the splendid JBL Live Pro 2 – which feature possibly the best active noise cancellation at the level I've ever experienced. But the huge upgrades are easy to see from the off; there's a whacking great color touch-screen on the front of the case for starters. 

This, dear reader, is a thing of beauty. It is delightful. It's fun, it lets you accept calls with ease (how many times have we tried our best to touch the correct earpiece in the right way, succeeding only in hanging up on our friendly caller?) and it provides simple, scrollable access to ANC profiles, alarms, spatial audio and other perks. During daily use, we find ourselves playing with EQ profiles and useful extras which might have seemed unworthy of the hassle had they been squirrelled away in an app, requiring our phone. Then again, the screen did lose its sparkle, so to speak, after a few days.

Because of said screen, we worried that the battery-life might be a little on the anaemic side. Not so – the total claim of up to 50 hours of playtime (or 30 hours with ANC activated) and a very good 10 in just the buds themselves before they need charging stood up to scrutiny. Fast charge means 10 minutes plugged in will get you five hours of playtime too, which is a smart trick. 

So off they go to our best true wireless earbuds guide then? We love the design; we love all of the sound tests and special customizations – including Personi-fi, which is one of the most thorough audio tests within a set of earbuds we've taken to date. We also think the JBL Tour Pro 2 sound good and ANC works well. But that's it. We didn't find the sound stellar, and we wouldn't rate the ANC as fantastic. 

Listening to music with the JBL Tour Pro 2 is a pleasant experience for the most part. Instrumental music, jazz, easy listening and soulful tracks sounded smooth. But bassy tracks, rock music and even some vocals didn't sit well with us. Vocals, at times, were a little tinny – especially with the built-in EQ profiles, which we didn't enjoy using – and it was hard to pick out the detail in powerful instrumental tracks, making for a muddy listen at times. 

To us it feels a little like JBL nailed it with the JBL Live Pro 2 and tried to go all out with the Tour Pro 2 – slapping a screen on the case, bumping up the specs, improving the sound – when really they're excellent buds and at times it feels like the Tour Pro 2 are a little overcooked somehow.

Don't get us wrong here, the JBL Tour Pro 2 are good. In fact, if you don't have many top-performing buds to compare them to like we do, you might find them great. But are they premium price tag, top-of-the-range great? We're not sure.  

JBL Tour Pro 2: price and release date

  • Launched January 2023
  • Coming to the US in Spring 2023
  • Cost $249.95 / £220 / AU$350 

The JBL Tour Pro 2 launched in January 2023 in most regions and will be coming to the US in Spring 2023. The buds cost $249.95 / £220 / AU$350 in either champagne or black finishes. 

This price puts them slap bang into competition with the likes of Apple's AirPods Pro 2 ($249 / £249 / AU$399) and the Bose QuietComfort 2 ($299 / £279 / AU$429), some of the best true wireless earbuds you can buy today, a category in which the Sony WF-1000XM4 Wireless Earbuds also feature among the best, at $279.99 / £250 / AU$449.95 – although this particular set of earbuds is now available for quite a bit less than the original MSRP. 

In case it needs to be mentioned, this pricing puts the JBL Tour Pro 2 out of contention for our best budget earbuds buying guide, where the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus , Beats Studio Buds and Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 rule the roost (although they aren't as fully featured of course). 

For this money – and toting the smart screen no other audio outfit has offered to date – the JBL Tour Pro 2 are on to a winner, provided the sound is up to snuff. 

JBL Tour Pro 2: features

  • Excellent app adds scope to tailor the case
  • Sound and fit tests add value
  • ANC efficacy is easily beaten by AirPods Pro

You can customize the sound by telling the buds which sonic profile sounds best to you, in the Personi-fi 2.0 software. It starts out with an environment noise check (you need to be in a relatively quiet spot), then a wearing status check (you need to have a good seal betwixt ear canal and earbud). It then plays you nine chirpy sounds per ear, and you remove your finger when the sound is imperceptible. We take this test twice, and receive a different pictorial result each time. That said, the second time, the sound augmentation did feel more to our liking. 

However, other members of the team weren't as impressed and there was no discernible difference in the audio sample that plays after the test, no matter how many times they tried.

Still, we're not done. The Ear Canal Test (which must be done in a noisy environment) plays another music clip. After it, you can relax as the hybrid True Adaptive ANC does the rest. We note a slight hiss after completion, but toggling 'Leakage Compensation' and 'Ear Canal Compensation' within the 'Customize ANC' tab largely nixes it. We sit under an office heater at work and find it is quashed by the Tour Pro 2 ANC, but certain low-level sounds (cars passing outside, heeled footsteps on concrete) do creep in. Switch to the Apple AirPods Pro 2 and it's a different story – the bottom drops out of the room. With the Tour Pro 2, low-level sounds are diminished, but still, we can hear some extraneous background noise. 

The six-mic setup does promote crystal-clear audio during our tests – and the advanced built-in voice recognition can react to your voice, pause music and enable Ambient Aware, then resume the tunes once your conversation is over. This is really good, (it can be set to low, mid or high, depending on how loudly you and your colleagues speak) and we also find call-handling a breeze. But those are just two of a slew of perks, including an EQ tab with five different presets (or create your own), Spatial Sound profiles for music, movies or games, 'smart' audio and video modes, SilentNow (which aims to create a no-music silent bubble by turning on ANC but disconnecting Bluetooth – ideal for naps, because it can be set on a timer with an alarm at the end), Personal Sound Amplification (which can amplify situational sound from your surroundings – and between each ear) adding a volume limit and a Find My Buds feature, if one goes missing. All of this, and we've yet to talk about the features afforded by the case… All in good time. 

Before that, the buds: they feature a capacitive touch panel at the very top of the stem. You can switch noise cancelling on and off with a tap on the left stem, double tap for TalkThru and tap and hold to trigger Siri. All of these are customizable – at least to a point. You can’t decide which gestures do what, but you can select which gets priority on each bud. If you want on-ear volume control (which most of us do) you have to sacrifice either ambient sound control or playback options, which is a shame – but a relatively small gripe. 

We need to stress that the case helps in a big way, but we do think this experience could be subjective. The screen built into it never fails to acquiesce to our taps first time, quickly becoming a joy and a pleasure we wonder how we ever lived without. For example, we find ourselves scrolling straight to the volume tile (you swipe across) to alter volume rather than even attempt to use the buds. It's a brilliant addition – and within the JBL Headphones app, you can alter the screen brightness, choose one of five screensavers, toggle on message notifications and select which of seven further feature shortcuts you'd like to have access to on-screen. We toggle off SilentNow, since it's a feature we'll rarely use (we don't get to sleep on the job!) but for some that may be a priority. It's also very handy that notifications appear on this screen too – it really is like a smartwatch on your charging case – like calls and messages. 

Although we were excited by the case – and do think it could be game-changing for some – it's worth mentioning we did use it less and less once the novelty had worn off. If you find yourself forever opening apps that control your earbuds or headphones, it'll make a big difference. If you don't need to tweak settings much, it may be more of a gimmick.

  • Features score: 4.5/5

JBL Tour Pro 2: sound quality

  • Easy-listening, jazz and instrumental genres sound good
  • Not for those who prioritize detail and dynamic breadth
  • Doesn't have the punch or power we were expecting

These buds sound good, they really do. But they're not fantastic and that's what we expected with their price tag. Having said that, with lots of settings we did find a sound we enjoyed and think they definitely suit some genres more than others. 

We experimented with the different EQ profiles on offer and settled on leaving these off in favor of Harman's revered curve (the company's own heavily researched target sound signature, said to produce the best sound quality that most listeners prefer). That's because we found the EQ sound profiles to be a bit of a disappointment, especially vocals which were tinny and studio, which sounded far away. We didn't notice much of a difference in the others. 

We most enjoyed the JBL Tour Pro 2 for easy listening and soulful tracks. Proxima Parada's Musta Been a Ghost was smooth and the balance felt perfect here. The same can be said for instrumental and ambient music, like Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury's score for Devs. We like to listen to that while working and it provided an enjoyable soundtrack to our day. Having said that, instrumental music only sounded good to a point. Hildur Guðnadóttir's Joker soundtrack lacked the detail and the power we're used to from other buds. We had just been using the LG Tone Free T90Q buds so compared the two and the LGs felt more expansive, more powerful and enjoyable to listen with.

It's worth mentioning that spoken word sounded great and, strangely enough, the not-totally-perfect-but-fine ANC coupled with this fact made these good buds to wear outside if you like walking and listening to audiobooks and podcasts. We don't like feeling completely isolated from the world when we're listening on-the-move, so these did seem like the best of both worlds.

Tracks with more bass or rock music didn't sound as rich or powerful as we'd have liked. For example the 2023 Remaster of Iggy & The Stooges' Search and Destroy was a little muddied and we couldn't differentiate between instruments and vocals as much as we'd have liked, meaning there was an overall flat effect. Likewise, the Dead Weather's Treat Me Like Your Mother lacked detail, resulting in a muddied listen that wasn't altogether pleasant. 

Wondering if this was just something to do with rock music than the buds themselves, we listened to BANKS' Waiting Game and found the vocals more tinny than we expected – that's usually such a smooth listen – and the bass was powerful, but it had a fuzzy-sounding effect. Look, all of these examples sounded objectively fine, but we're used to trialling a pair of new earbuds at this level and being blown away by the new things we discover from our favorite tracks, that didn't happen here. Instead, we were underwhelmed.  

If you want buds for music while you're working or podcasts, we like these. If you're after audiophile quality or like powerful tracks – whether that's classical or rock – we think you might be disappointed here.

  • Sound quality score: 3.5/5

JBL Tour Pro 2: design

  • Smart case is really fun to use
  • Battery life is surprisingly good 
  • Some will struggle to achieve a seal

As with Apple's AirPods range, the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro , Huawei Freebuds Pro 2 and Nothing Ear (1) to name just a few, the JBL Tour Pro 2 sport little stems. Despite thinking that the driver housings look a little on the bulky side at first glance, some of the team with smaller ears downsize once and find the earpieces fit well very little fiddling. That said, those with larger ears may struggle – only three ear tips are provided, and one of the team couldn't achieve a seal good enough to pass any of the fit tests (more on these in a moment) even with the largest set, despite several minutes of adjusting them. At this level, a few more ear tip size options – and in different materials – is desirable. 

JBL has added its own more angular, look-at-me take on the AirPods' ice-white, no-sharp-edges design though. Here, there are lips and notches in various materials and finishes, including the rubberised driver housings, matte top plate and mirror-finish accents on the stems. There's even a little 'TOUR' embellishment written on the circumference of each bud, as well as JBL's branding on the tails. These are every inch JBL's top-tier offering and the design choices reflect that. 

Let's bypass the touchscreen for a second. The underside of the case hasn't been forgotten. This has a rubberized portion which adds traction and means you won't inadvertently swipe it off your desk – a small detail, but the gestural among us will love it. 

The 10mm dynamic drivers represent a significant leap up from the 6.8mm drivers found in the JBL Tour Pro+, and they're listed as Bluetooth 5.3 LE audio-compatible, too. So, it seems a shame that no higher-resolutions codecs are supported – no LDAC, no aptX (standard, HD, Low Latency or otherwise). 

With up to 50 hours of playtime (or 30 hours with ANC activated) and a very good 10 in just the buds themselves before they need charging, they also trounce most of the competition at the level for stamina. For comparison, the Sony XM4s have 8 hours in each bud, but only 16 in the case, and the latest Apple AirPods Pro 2 offer 6 hours in the buds and a further 30 hours in the case. Fast charge means 10 minutes plugged in will get you five hours of playtime too, but the case can also charge wirelessly. 

The JBL Tour Pro 2 have an IPX5 water and dust-proof rating. Interestingly, the case itself has a rating of IPX2 (just make sure you close it). So the whole package is splash-proof, but not waterproof. Many earbuds at the level offer at least an IPX4 certification (which means they'll survive a sweaty gym session) but certain options go much further. The Jabra Elite 7 Active carry an IP57 rating, which means they're dustproof and can be submerged in water at up to one meter in depth, for up to 30 minutes, and survive.

There’s a feature in the JBL Headphones app called 'Check My Best Fit', which plays a short clip of music to ensure you’ve got a good seal in each ear. It's no slouch either, telling us to alter the bud in our troublesomely-shaped right ear until we're good to go. We pass this test, but some of the team fail time and time again. To speak plainly, this is why we removed a star from the design score – if they don't fit, it's impossible to get the best sound from them. And that's not the end of the story when it comes to aural tests! We'll get to grips with further features below. 

  • Design score: 4/5

JBL Tour Pro 2: value

  • The screen is currently unique – and thus, hard to quantify
  • Myriad extra fit and hearing tests 
  • Audio and ANC can be beaten at the level

We don't hate these buds, far from it. If you want that case, you can't currently buy anything like it from anyone else. It's almost akin to adding a smartwatch to the front of an earbuds case. And if you're wondering whether it's fun to use, it is. We really enjoy the unique feature but know this is bound to be a matter of personal taste. The novelty did wear off after a few days. 

Despite some of our issues, the JBL Tour Pro 2 also sound good and we're always singing the praises of JBL's plethora of settings within its user-friendly app. But for us it's a question of value. Are they worth the premium price tag? Unless you're completely swayed by the screen, we think you can find a better sound and fit elsewhere.

Even noise cancellation, which we enjoyed, can be bested. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 , Sony WF-1000XM4 and AirPods Pro 2 outshine the JBL Tour Pro with relative ease – and although those first two options are priced close-to and a little more than the JBL proposition, the Sonys are now quite a bit cheaper.

  • Value score: 3/5

JBL Tour Pro 2: should you buy them?

Buy them if….

You want that look-at-me smart screen Rarely have we looked at an earbuds case and been so wowed. You'll love pulling it out of your pocket and amazing your friends. 

You care about calls, especially when commuting The fact that you can just tap the touchscreen on the case to accept phone calls saves a lot of effort (and stress), especially when your phone's in your bag and you struggle with on-ear touch controls. 

You like a whole host of customizations If you like to know for certain whether your buds fit correctly and the hearing tests sound interesting (they certainly are) the JBL Tour Pro 2 remain a compelling option.

Don't buy them if…

You want the best sound money can buy JBL's top-tier buds will not satisfy the audiophile. Want the best sound quality possible for this money? You will find better performances from Apple and Sony (see below for this).

You don’t like a "toothbrush head" design Many wireless earbuds have a stem these days, (thanks to Apple's ubiquitous AirPods) but plenty don’t, so shop around if you want a more rounded or teardrop-shaped style.

You want the ultimate ANC experience The ANC here is acceptable, but look to the AirPods Pro 2 or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 if you want the best noise-nixing earbuds on the market.

If our JBL Tour Pro 2 review has you considering other, non screen-toting true wireless earbuds, then take a look at these three alternatives.

Image

<a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/airpods-pro-2" data-link-merchant="techradar.com""> Apple AirPods Pro 2 Own an iPhone? Want the best ANC experience from a set of earbuds? Look to the AirPods Pro 2 – their H1 chip allows you to seamlessly pair them with other Apple devices and the difference in terms of 'blank canvas' active noise nixing is quite startling. 

Image

<a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/sony-wf-1000xm4-wireless-earbuds" data-link-merchant="techradar.com""> Sony WF-1000XM4 The Sony XM4s are at the top of our best earbuds list for a reason. Sound performance and noise cancelling here is excellent, as is call quality. And although their launch price was high, they're now available for far less than the JBL Tour Pro 2. 

Image

<a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/bose-quietcomfort-earbuds-ii" data-link-merchant="techradar.com""> Bose QuietComfort 2 The master of noise-cancellation tech is back on top here, taking the competition right to Sony – and these second-gen. buds sound even better than before. Battery life is nothing to write home about (at only six hours from the buds) but still, for similar money to the JBL Tour Pro 2, these are arguably the best noise-cancelling true wireless earbuds around right now. 

Image

<a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-technica-ath-sq1tw" data-link-merchant="techradar.com""> Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW If you don’t have top-tier JBL kind of money, consider the minimal, cubist look of these Audio-Technica buds that deliver great sound. Unfortunately, there’s no ANC (or screen), but the price is fantastic at only $79/£79/AU$129…

  • First reviewed: December 2022
  • How we test: explore TechRadar's review guarantee

Becky Scarrott

Becky is a senior staff writer at TechRadar (which she has been assured refers to expertise rather than age) focusing on all things audio. Before joining the team, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.  

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JBL Tour Pro 2 review: Welcome to the smart case era

The company jam-packed these earbuds with features of varied utility..

When it comes to earbud innovation, these days advances typically come in reduced size, longer battery life and improved audio. Rarely does a company offer something truly unique. But JBL seems to think there’s room for improvement in the charging case . With the Tour Pro 2 , JBL has installed a touchscreen display , giving you access to settings and tools without having to dive into its app. On top of that, these are a feature-packed set of true wireless earbuds, with a ton of options for sound customization, hearing assistance and more. But with everything the $250 set offers, JBL might’ve been too ambitious.

JBL’s product range features a mix of “traditional” earbuds, stick buds and sport models with an over-the-ear loop. The Tour Pro 2 fits in that middle category with a design akin to Apple’s AirPods. These certainly have a more refined look, though, with a mix of matte and gloss black plastic. The shape of the inner part of the earbud is ovular which, again, is similar to the AirPods Pro.

JBL Tour Pro 2

JBL threw a ton of features in the Tour Pro 2 earbuds, but some of them work better than others. The most interesting tool is the touchscreen smart case, but it’s not necessarily any quicker than reaching for your phone.

  • Smart case works well
  • Loads of features
  • Smart case utility is debatable
  • ANC can struggle
  • Some features work better than others
  • Sound leakage at high volumes

The curves here combine with lower weight to make for a comfy fit. The Tour Pro 2 are one of the few sets of true wireless earbuds I can wear for hours at a time without it becoming a chore. There’s a touch panel on the outside of both buds that can accept single, double and triple taps, in addition to long presses, for a variety of on-board controls. Plus, you can reconfigure those to your liking inside the JBL Headphones app.

The headline feature, though, is undoubtedly the case. Most earbuds come with a charging case, the feature list basically ends at charging. Some companies have added wireless transmission for use on planes, but nothing too crazy. The Tour Pro 2 comes with a “smart case,” complete with a touchscreen on the outside. As you might expect, it’s larger than what we typically see, but it’s not huge by any means. It’s equipped for wireless charging and there’s a USB-C port on the button for wired top-ups.

Software and features

The Tour Pro 2 offers a ton of features for audio setup, convenience and customization. All of which are accessible inside the JBL Headphones app and some are available via the charging case display. When you pair the earbuds to the app for the first time, the software will prompt you to complete a few steps for initial setup. Those include an ear tip fit and ear canal tests for ANC performance, voice assistant setup and a quick feature tour. The main section of the app displays battery status for both earbuds individually and the case right up top.

Everything else is situated on that main screen, accessible with a simple scroll. Ambient Sound Control is up top, giving you the ability to choose between active noise cancellation, Ambient Aware (transparency mode), TalkThru for IRL conversations and off. There’s the option to further tweak ANC by opting for Adaptive, automatic adjustments or by enabling leakage and/or ear canal compensation. Ambient Aware allows you to adjust the level of environmental sound the earbuds pick up with a slider.

Next on the list is Personi-Fi. This is JBL’s take on personal audio profiles. After completing a hearing test, the app creates a sound profile that also takes into account your listening preferences. Personi-Fi considers gender, age and more to build its custom preset. Before completing the process, the audio on the Tour Pro 2 was… fine. After the five-minute bout with tones at various volumes and frequencies, my sound profile produced improved bass response from the earbuds and what felt like a slightly wider soundstage. However, the tailored setting did lose some detail in things like softer background vocals, guitar distortion and subtle noise.

Sound options follow Personi-Fi. Here, JBL gives you a collection of audio presets as well as the ability to manually adjust the EQ curve. Any tuning you create can be saved for future use. You also have the option of enabling Spatial Sound on the Tour Pro 2, JBL’s take on spatial audio. Once you turn it on, the company offers three options based on what you’re listening to: movie, music and game.

The app gives you the ability to change the gestures for the on-board controls from this menu too. There’s a limit to the fine-tuning here as JBL has grouped all the options under Ambient Sound Control, Volume Control or Playback & Voice Assistant Control. Those are self-explanatory and you can choose to put one on the left and a different one on the right. The only consistent behavior is that a long press will summon your voice assistant on all three gesture options.

Three of the most useful features on the Tour Pro 2 are VoiceAware, SilentNow and Personal Sound Amplification. VoiceAware is an adjustable tool that allows you to tweak how much of your voice you hear during calls. JBL describes SlientNow as a quiet bubble, a feature that disconnects Bluetooth and turns on ANC. The company goes a step further by allowing you to schedule when the mode will turn on, how long it will be active and if you want an alarm when it ends (in case you’re planning to nap). Personal Sound Amplification is designed for hearing assistance, boosting environmental sound by 15 to 20dB and helping with conversations. When it’s enabled, you can adjust left/right balance and gain to fit your needs.

The smart case

While the main purpose of the smart case is to give you easy access to the Tour Pro 2’s features. I’m happy to debate the utility of putting everything on the charging accessory instead of leaving it in an app – software that takes only a couple more taps to open. But, if you find the entire concept convenient, I’m pleased to report that the touchscreen works well. You swipe from side to side to scroll through the myriad options available on the case and that panel is receptive to taps without issue. Plus, JBL decided to put battery levels, a clock and handy icons on the top edge, giving you crucial info at a glance. What’s more, when you’re on a call, those controls pop-up on case too.

The JBL Headphones app includes a section for customizing the smart case. Here, you can adjust the display brightness, select a screensaver, enable message notifications/previews and choose which features will be accessible on the touch screen. By default, the case shows Ambient Sound Control, Spatial Sound, EQ presets, VoiceAware and auto play/pause (when you remove the buds from your ears). That’s in addition to the lock screen wallpaper selector, screen brightness, timer, volume, playback controls, flashlight and Find My Buds that can’t be removed. The only additional feature that isn’t enabled by default that you can add to the case is SilentNow.

Sound quality and noise cancellation

The default tuning on the Tour Pro 2 is pretty average. There’s some decent clarity and detail, but the soundstage feels compressed despite a good amount of bass and a smidge of punch in the treble. Overall, things converge on the midrange, leaving the extra oomph on the table with tracks like Better Lovers’ “30 Under 13” and boygenius’ “$20.” Personi-fi helps open things up a bit, but as I mentioned, it comes at the cost of lost detail. You lose some of the texture of the vocals and guitars in that boygenius song, for example.

Another prime example of the lack of space in the sound profile is on Nickel Creek’s Celebrants. That album was recorded in a way that sounds like you’re in the room getting a private performance. Guitar, fiddle, mandolin and bass surround you with vocals sprinkled around to complete the vibe. On the Tour Pro 2, you lose the sense of the virtual room, so the songs just become music in your earbuds instead of capturing the atmosphere and energy of the tracking session. Personi-fi makes no noticeable difference here.

While there are a number of audio customization options in JBL’s app, they don’t do much to improve things. In fact, some make the sound worse. Spatial Sound’s effectiveness can vary depending on the genre. Sometimes there’s a noticeable improvement in the immersive nature of the audio. But with some content, like that Nickel Creek album, it seems like positioning is just moved up slightly, like it's trying to simulate up-firing drivers in a soundbar. In those cases, the sound is just relocated, not improved. I found it best to leave Spatial Sound off.

JBL threw a ton of features in the Tour Pro 2 earbuds, but some of them work better than others. The most interesting tool is the touchscreen smart case, but while it offers quick access to a lot of features, it’s not necessarily any quicker than reaching for your phone. Sure, everything is on the outside, but the company might’ve been better off fine-tuning transparency modes and ANC performance – among other things.

JBL Tour Pro 2 review

In terms of ANC performance, the Tour Pro 2 does a solid job in most circumstances. They’re very good at blocking the constant roar of a dishwasher, clothes dryer or white noise machine – things that conspire for the daily droning at my house. However, the earbuds struggle with human voices, especially if the person is close by. Listen to anything relatively quiet and you’re sure to hear the chatty person behind you.

One note on noise isolation that’s worth pointing out. Despite the ear tip fit test determining that all was well with the Tour Pro 2, there was a lot of sound leakage so the people around me could clearly hear what I was listening to. My wife was the first to notice, and while she says it happens occasionally while I’m testing, it has never been this bad. Sure enough, when she popped in the earbuds, I could clearly hear the tunes at volumes above 60 percent or so. It’s something to consider if you like to blast heavy metal in the office.

For calls, the Tour Pro 2 is a mixed bag. Confusingly, the TalkThru option in the Ambient Sound Control menu can’t be activated here. You can enable ambient sound mode, but that doesn’t pick up a considerable amount of your chatter. Instead, there’s that separate VoiceAware feature and it only works during calls. Again, it’s adjustable, so you can select the amount of your speech you want sent back through the earbuds. It works okay, but it’s nowhere near as natural sounding as what you get on the AirPods Pro . While TalkThru is meant for in-person conversations, it doesn’t pipe in much more of your voice than the transparency mode Ambient Aware. So, even if you could use it for calls, it’s not a great option for them. In the end, it just feels like different features here do variations of the same thing. Overall, call quality is just okay here, despite JBL’s promise of “perfect calls” via six on-board mics.

Battery life

JBL says you can expect up to eight hours on a charge with ANC on, plus another three full charges in the case. Turn noise cancellation off and you could muster two additional hours on both the buds and per charge in the case. During tests consisting of “normal” use – a mix of ANC, transparency mode, calls and leaving the buds to power off automatically – I got seven hours before having to dock the Tour Pro 2 in the case.

Oddly, I started getting low battery notifications when the case was still showing 25 percent left on both earbuds. Power plummeted quickly from there and after less than 30 minutes the pair was dead. I mention this to point out that the battery estimates on the case don’t seem to be entirely accurate, especially when you hit 25 percent. If you unexpectedly encounter a faster-than-expected drain, there is a 15-minute quick-charge tool that will give you up to four hours of use.

The competition

When it comes to premium true wireless earbuds, Sony’s WF-1000XM4 are the best you can buy right now. The company includes just as many features as JBL, if not more. You won’t find a smart case, but you will find handy tools like Speak-to-Chat automatic pausing when you start talking and the ability to automatically change sound settings based on location or activity. Plus, the M4s offer better sound quality and more effective noise cancellation on top of all the conveniences. They’re starting to get some age on them as they debuted in mid-2021, but that means you’re currently privy to a discount: they’re currently going for $200.

JBL threw every feature it could at the Tour Pro 2 . And that’s without even considering the smart case. That touch-screen-enabled accessory is the main draw but I’m not sold on the concept just yet. Sure, there’s something to be said for easy access to settings, but that only works if you leave the case sitting out on your desk. Otherwise, you can probably get your phone out just as quickly. JBL isn’t the only company putting a display on a charging case, so who knows, maybe it will become standard. Tour Pro 2 do offer handy tools like VoiceAware, SilentNow and Personal Sound Amplification. But overall they’re an average set of earbuds with okay sound, decent ANC and so many features you might not use some of them more than once.

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JBL Tour Pro 2 Review – Objective Perfection

Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir

We independently review all our recommendations. Purchases made via our links may earn us a commission. Learn more ❯

JBL’s Tour Pro 2 boast a pretty graph that masks the sheer lack of dynamism in the sound.

Score Breakdown

Click the label to navigate to the section.

  • Battery ⓘ 98% good
  • UX ⓘ 100% outstanding
  • Design ⓘ 100% outstanding
  • Portability ⓘ 50% average
  • Battery ⓘ 100% outstanding
  • Design ⓘ 80% good
  • Mic ⓘ 75% good
  • Sound ⓘ 41% substandard
  • Connectivity ⓘ 90% good
  • Waterproof ⓘ 75% good
  • Carrying case allows a lot of customization without opening up the app
  • Very good battery life
  • Comfortable to wear for longer periods
  • Good microphone performance
  • Very good ANC performance
  • BT multipoint
  • Academically “well” tuned with no harshness
  • No LDAC/AptX support; L3 support is still scarce
  • Display on the case ends up being a party-trick
  • Heavy, bulky carrying case
  • Compression in the microphone
  • Sound lacks dynamics
  • Severely falls behind in terms of resolution, imaging, and staging

Unboxing and First Impression

Where to buy.

JBL has a long history attached to its name, with the legendary L-series of speakers being a mainstay of many households and recording studios during the 70s and 80s. Since then, JBL has transitioned into the mainstream and has lately been mostly focused on portable speakers.

The Tour Pro 2 are somewhat of an oddball offering from JBL. These flagship TWS IEMs intend to differentiate themselves through an interactive carrying case display. It’s a novel idea that might border on ridiculous for some, but let’s not be too rash to judge.

However, more than having a novelty is needed in this cut-throat market, as sound quality is the prime parameter – one where the Tour Pro 2 have to prove their worth.

Battery 98% ⓘ

  • Battery Life: 30 hours (no ANC), 24 hours (ANC)
  • Connector: USB Type-C
  • Wireless Charging: Yes
  • Battery Capacity: 850 mAh

Battery life is outstanding, with the case holding 24 hours of extra charge. This takes the total battery life to about 32 hours (with ANC on). I have to charge the JBL Tour Pro 2 once a week.

The Tour Pro 2 support Qi wireless charging . So, the type-C port is not the only option for a quick top-up.

The carrying case is quite heavy and bulky.

  • Can be opened easily with one hand: Yes
  • Pass the shake test: Yes
  • Display: Shows detailed battery levels, customized functions

The case can be easily opened with one hand. The earbuds themselves are held with strong magnets.

The front capacitive touch display is the star of the show here.

The screen indicates detailed charging stats about the case and each earbud. Moreover, you can choose ANC modes, select EQ presets, and enable/disable a litany of other features without ever opening the app. Nifty indeed.

Qi wireless charging is supported on the Tour Pro 2.

Design 100% ⓘ

  • Shape of the case: Rectangular with rounded edges
  • Material: Plastic
  • Build Quality: Premium

The case is built really well. The lid shows no creak or wobble. The added weight makes the case feel denser, resulting in a sense of robustness rarely found in TWS cases.

The build is primarily plastic on the earbuds themselves.

Portability 50% ⓘ

  • Weight: 73g (case only), 97g (with earbuds)
  • Volume: 6 cm x 6 cm x 3 cm = 108 cm cu
  • Portability: Average

The carrying case has noticeable weight, and it’s not one to disappear in your pocket. I am not a big fan of such bulk, but given the large battery and the front display, the extra weight is understandable.

Earbuds 74% ⓘ

Battery 100% ⓘ.

  • Battery Life: 8 hrs (with ANC), 10 hrs (without ANC)
  • Charge Time (15 mins): 240 mins playback time

The earbuds last about 8 hours before they run dry (with ANC on). You can turn off the ANC and get 10 hrs on a single charge.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 need about 2 hours to charge fully (with the case), but you can get up to 240 minutes of playback time with just 15 minutes of charge.

The lightweight earpieces have a bland design.

  • Control Mechanism: Touch
  • Touch Accuracy: Reliable
  • Control Symmetry on both earbuds: Yes
  • Mono Use: Yes, both sides

The stem has a fairly responsive touch-sensitive panel built-in. Accidental taps and activations are minimal. The various touch controls can be remapped to whatever you prefer via the app.

Design 80% ⓘ

  • Profile: Low
  • Comfort: Outstanding
  • Fit: Outstanding
The JBL Tour Pro 2 have a bland, unremarkable design language.

The build is all plastic, resulting in a look that doesn’t befit the price tag. There is also a wear-detection sensor on the inside, which works well in practice. At the bottom, there are the charging pins.

The infrared sensor aids in wear detection.

Fortunately, the fit is great. The earpieces fit snugly and are stable even when working out.

There is one vent near the nozzle. I did not notice any pressure buildup when wearing the Tour Pro 2.

  • Noise Cancellation: Good
  • Voice Pick-up: Outstanding

Thanks to six dedicated microphones, the mic has exceptional voice pickup in a quiet environment.

In very noisy environments, the very aggressive noise cancellation results in some break-up. However, such extreme cases should not arise in a day-to-day situation.

The touch panel has reliable performance.

The VoiceAware feature allows you to reroute your voice back to the earpiece for a more natural sound during calls.

  • Jbl tour pro 2 quiet
  • Jbl tour pro 2 noisy

Sound 41% ⓘ

  • Driver : 10mm single dynamic driver
  • Sound Signature: Neutral with sub-bass boost
  • Bass: Average
  • Mids: Average
  • Treble: Substandard
  • Sound Detail: Substandard

The JBL Tour Pro 2 utilize a single dynamic driver. Unfortunately, that’s all the details about the internals from the promotional materials.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 follow the Harman target closely, with some deviations in the treble region.

Frequency response graph of the JBL Tour Pro 2. Measurements conducted on an IEC-711 compliant coupler.

Taken in isolation, the graph is excellent if you are one of those “academically inclined” listeners who prefer their IEMs to hit a specific “target” curve.

Unfortunately, the sound is only “good” on paper. During actual listening, the Tour Pro 2 turn out to be dull, lacking in texture, detail, and dynamics.

The bass is slow and nebulous, with the strong sub-bass rumble being the only saving grace. Fast basslines are not rendered well, as the bass notes bleed into each other.

The mids sound correct for the most part, though there is some haziness in the lower-mids. The upper-mids are not shouty and mostly pushed to the front, resulting in well-articulated female vocals.

The treble is elevated more than the Harman target, but tends to sound very compressed and “low resolution.” Given the otherwise “perfect” frequency response, it’s a strange phenomenon. The upper-treble extension is also lacking, furthering the lack of overall resolution.

Staging is intimate, while imaging is mostly left and right with no sense of frontal projection or ordinal placement of instruments.

The macrodynamic punch is decent in the bass region but sounds compressed overall. Microdynamic shifts are imperceptible, resulting in subtle changes in volume not being picked up at all.

Overall, the sheer lack of resolution and other “technical” parameters make the Tour Pro 2 a severe letdown, especially at the given price point. They do not sound “bad” in terms of tuning, far from it, but there is no engaging factor in the sound. A shame, really.

ANC performance is very good overall as it reduces low-frequency noise drastically, whereas high-frequency sounds are dampened to a degree.

Connectivity 90% ⓘ

  • Audio Codec : AAC
  • Bluetooth Version: 5.3
  • Bluetooth Chip: N/A
  • Auto-connect when: Case lid opened
  • Average drop-outs in an hour: 0-3 times
  • Multi-point connection: Yes

Multipoint support is present, and it is seamless to switch between an Android phone and a Windows PC. The latest Bluetooth 5.3 and class 1 support is here, resulting in a long connection range and exceptional stability.

Waterproof 75% ⓘ

  • IP Rating: IPX5

The IPX5 rating means that the JBL Tour Pro 2 are secure from minor splashes and water sprays, but there is no dust protection.

Software 100% ⓘ

  • Available on: Android & iOS
  • 10-band EQ and Personi-fi 2.0 .
  • Spatial sound.
  • Customizable gesture and ANC modes.
  • Auto-Pause: Yes.

The ANC can be customized with specific levels of “feedback” from the environment that the user can dial in via settings. Many of the app functionalities can be accessed via the display on the case, so you don’t have to pick up your smartphone for a quick EQ preset change, for example.

The JBL app offers all the bells and whistles one can possibly ask for.

The EQ is fairly comprehensive, offering 10 bands of adjustment. The Personi-Fi feature is a variation of the “sound personalization” feature that many competing TWS IEMs offer. It tended to boost bass consistently for me, so it’s probably not a good audiophile solution, but your mileage may vary.

The Spatial Sound presets worked well, with a convincing expansion of the stereo image without sacrificing details or imaging. The upper-treble was boosted too much at times, so I found myself turning this feature off for music.

In short: class-leading companion app with a dizzying array of customizability.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 get nearly everything right apart from the sound. The ANC performance is excellent, rivaling the best in class. The microphone array is competent, while the app is the most comprehensive I have come across.

Also, let’s not forget that display on the case, though it was nothing short of a gimmick for me in the long run.

Sadly, the Tour Pro 2 sound unrefined, and the lack of resolution for the asking price is a deal breaker. As such, I cannot recommend them since they fail at the most fundamental aspect – sound quality.

The current predicament might be a combination of poor quality driver, sub-optimal acoustic chamber design, and codec compression. I hope JBL can focus on refining the tuning and finding an engaging signature in the next release instead of relying on cool gimmicks.

  • JBL official  store

💬 Conversation: 4 comments

Quality good sound

What spinfit eartip model did you manage to fit in the Tour Pro 2? Do they fit snuggly well? Spinfit does not list this buds model on their website.

The Spinfit CP-1025 worked for me (it’s also added as a note in the review). The tips fit well and there were no issues placing the earbuds in the case.

Leave a Reply

Related articles.

JBL Tour Pro 2 review

Jbl’s flagship wireless earbuds have high ambitions tested at £250 / $250 / au$330.

JBL Tour Pro 2 with case lifestyle

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

JBL’s Tour Pro 2 are a solid pair of wireless earbuds, but you can find far better sound at this price elsewhere

Fun, innovative on-case display

Well-made and smartly designed

Packed with features

Sound is merely OK

Middling ANC

Serious competition at this level

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

It’s shameful to admit that we spent much of the time before composing this review trying to think of puns revolving around the word “case”. After all, there’s no escaping the exciting novelty that JBL’s Tour Pro 2 bring to the party with their cute display that gives full touchscreen functionality from the front of the earbuds’ charging case. Gimmick or not, it’s something unique to JBL .

Time will tell if that sort of thing catches on, and while such an innovation may be the first thing to grab your attention, we’re more concerned about high-quality sound than a touchscreen in a place we’ve never seen before. There’s little use in recommending a pair of wireless earbuds for sporting pretty patterns or fun gimmicks if they make your music sound like it was recorded at the local swimming pool.

This is the standard that the JBL Tour Pro 2 must live up to, and it’s a high one. At this price, there’s serious competition from the likes of Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds II , Sony's WF-100XM4 and of course Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 , so a fancy charging case isn’t going to be enough to stave off such heavyweight rivals if JBL can’t deliver genuinely outstanding audio. Let’s find out if the new Tour Pro 2 are up to the task.

Comfort & build

The JBL Tour Pro 2 are as stylish and comfortable as you’d expect at this price. Some of our team had a little more trouble making a full seal, while others found these new earbuds nestled happily in their ears after a little perseverance. If you don’t manage to get a perfect fit first time, you may find yourself limited by the fact that JBL only offers three choices of ear tips to accompany its latest pair of wireless buds.

General build quality, though, is good, and while the earbuds themselves aren’t particularly remarkable to look at, their ridged edge pattern and neat, short stems are far from offensive to the eye. That case is a lovely item, robust and sturdy while never straying into the realm of bulky or obtrusive. The coveted touchscreen, meanwhile, is relatively responsive and usually pretty precise, even if it can take a few attempts to get a reaction from some of the display’s fiddlier commands.

JBL’s latest pair of earbuds are well-furnished in the features department, boasting a large stable of tricks for an impressive wireless experience. The buds themselves are call-enabled, with a substantial 40 hours of total playback (if you’re a very frugal user) with the case. On a single charge on the buds, you'll get eight hours of play with ANC on (or 10 hours with ANC off), while a 15-minute charging session can bolster battery life by around four hours. For comparison, Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II offer around 24 hours in total, whereas Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 manage roughly 30.

As you’d expect, JBL has also brought active noise cancelling (ANC) to the Tour Pro 2 party, with the JBL app and smart case both offering access to the standard Noise Cancelling, Ambient Aware or Talkthru modes, and while there’s certainly a difference between these three options, none of these settings is especially remarkable. Standing next to a moderately busy road with Noise Cancelling activated removes the general rumble of traffic, but the louder wooshes and bumps of individual cars, not to mention other intrusions, still filter through.

Bluetooth 5.3

Codec Support AAC, LC3, LC3+, SBC

Noise-cancelling? Yes 

Battery Life Up to 8 hours (single charge in earbuds with ANC on), up to 10 hours (ANC off); total 40 hours (with charging case)

Finishes x2 (Black, Champagne)

Weight 6.1g (each)

Most of these functions, including spatial audio, ANC and JBL’s onboard equaliser, can be set and adjusted via the charging case screen as well as through the app itself. In a further attempt to justify its own existence, JBL’s novelty display also allows for your smartphone’s notifications and alerts to come through, as well as allowing control of VoiceAware settings to let you choose how much of your own voice you hear on calls, autoplay and a very handy Find My Buds feature. There’s even a case flashlight, but it’s so limited in its brightness that you’d struggle to light up a mouse’s cupboard with it.

The question, though, is whether that display on the case is really needed. Sure, it’s nice to be able to make adjustments on the fly from a new interface, but considering that you’ll likely be playing music from your phone as a source (and therefore always have it handy wherever your buds go), there isn’t much of a necessity to also have a case display in addition to your phone and the detailed JBL app. Maybe we’ll be proved wrong, but this feels more like Google Glass than Google Earth.

All of this agonising over novel charging cases shouldn’t distract us from the main event: sound. Considering the superb sense of refinement and balance offered by Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II, not to mention the effortless dynamic quality of the AirPods Pro 2, there’s some serious competition to be had at this flagship price level. Our expectations, frankly, were high.

Sadly, the Tour Pro 2 don’t quite meet them. There’s nothing actively wrong with JBL’s game effort, but little truly grabs us as we work our way through our favourite tunes. Few tracks are coloured by a predominant or overbearing sonic bias, but whether you’re wanting to groove to Noisette’s Never Forget You or rock out to Wig Wam’s In My Dreams, there’s just a slight lack of dynamism, detail or personality on display throughout.  

Cranking up Kanye West and Jay-Z’s No Church In The Wild should be an invigorating experience, but the Tour Pro 2 always feel as though they’re holding back somewhat. That primal, driving drumbeat just doesn't thump like you feel it should, and there’s a limit to the expression and feeling from the track’s charismatic performers. It’s far from an unpleasant listen, it’s just not quite an essential one, either.

Smoother, more chilled efforts fare a little better. Pick out a softer track from De La Soul’s seminal 3 Feet High And Rising album and you may find the JBL’s more muted presentation better suited to tracks like Eye Know or The Magic Number, even if heavier, punchier offerings just don’t feel as thrilling as you’d like. 

Spatial audio compatibility is one of the Tour Pro 2’s flagship features, adjustable via the JBL app and case to accommodate three different modes: Movie, Music and Game. Setting the Tour Pro 2 to Music before loading up Apple Music and digging out sections of Gorillaz’s Cracker Island sees the technology working respectably, with voices and instruments somewhat separated into their own distinct areas with relative conviction. However, the JBL’s implementation of this spatial audio tech pales in comparison to the AirPods Pro 2’s more assured performance; during the album’s title track, Thundercat’s upper-range vocals envelop you in an echoey fog, while the funky piano on Silent Running has a far more distinct personality all of its own when played on Apple’s wireless buds. The difference is stark.

Ultimately, then, the listening experience offered by the JBL Tour Pro 2 feels a little thin, limited by a lack of excitement and dynamism that rivals are able to offer at this level. The Tour Pro 2 aren’t a bad listen, but they fail to truly thrill on a sonic level. 

JBL had its work cut out if it wanted to muscle in on the action against some seriously impressive rivals. Hovering around this price are some of our favourite earbuds, be they the Award-winning Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II or Apple’s superb AirPods Pro 2, both exceptional performers that would have taken something seriously special to be knocked from such lofty perches. 

JBL’s latest don’t quite have the firepower to dethrone such worthy rivals. Yes, that case is a fun novelty and yes, everything’s well-made, well-designed and easy to use, but there’s something missing from the ensemble when it actually comes time to getting stuck into your catalogue of favourite songs. The Tour Pro 2 buds sound fine, but fine just isn’t going to cut it when you’re coming up against the best in the business. 

Read our review of the Apple AirPods Pro 2

Also consider the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II

Read our Sony WF-1000XM4 review

Best in-ear headphones: budget to premium

JBL’s smart case is a fun innovation – but I can’t see it catching on

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JBL Tour Pro 2 review: totally tricked-out wireless earbuds

Simon Cohen

“They're easily the most feature-rich wireless earbuds you can buy.”
  • Tons of features
  • Very good ANC
  • Solid sound quality
  • Strong battery life
  • Custom EQ and controls
  • So-so call quality
  • No high-quality codecs
  • Smart case doesn't add a lot of convenience

Rumors began to swirl that Apple might be considering the addition of a touchscreen to the charging case of the AirPods Pro 2. This was followed up by a rendering that imagined what such a touchscreen case might look like. Reactions to the concept were varied, from enthusiastic, to deeply skeptical. Digital Trends’ own Christine Chan was among the latter, claiming it was the worst thing she had seen that week .

Most of the objections, including Chan’s, were simply about the utility of adding a touchscreen to an object that really only exists in order to charge and protect a set of earbuds when not in use. Does it really make any sense? We may never know for sure — Apple’s patent applications rarely see the light of day as actual products — but we’ve got a very good idea thanks to JBL’s new $250 Tour Pro 2 wireless earbuds .

  • Audio-Technica’s latest hi-res earbuds debut at CES 2024 for $199
  • Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 debut with lossless audio, but skip the spatial trend
  • JBL’s $200 Live 3 earbuds get the Tour Pro 2’s touchscreen charging case

Among the many enhancements to JBL’s second-gen Tour Pros, the most notable by far is the inclusion of a touchscreen on the charging case, which is almost exactly what the Apple patent appears to describe.

JBL’s version of the smart charging case lets you perform a wide variety of actions without removing your phone from your pocket. Ordinary things like playback and volume control, less ordinary things like changing how the earbuds respond when you remove them from your ears, and even some really extraordinary things like using the built-in screen as a flashlight. It can even flash a notification and the first dozen or so characters from an incoming email.

Some functions are always present on the case (e.g. playback) and some are optional — you can decide how many of the optional ones are included using the JBL Headphones app for Android and iOS.

The case itself is a bit bulky, but not much bigger than the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II or Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2, so JBL still deserves props for keeping things relatively compact.

The screen is surprisingly responsive and with the included brightness control (yet another function) it’s easy to read even in relatively bright light. You unlock it with a single swipe from left to right. But the question remains: is it easier to use your charging case than your phone? Most wireless earbuds — the Tour Pro 2 included — come with plenty of controls built into the actual buds, making several of the case-based options mere duplicates (triplicates if you include your phone). Of the remaining options that can’t be performed with the buds, how often do you really need to access them?

I definitely enjoyed playing with it — there’s a real novelty factor to it — but I mostly use my earbuds when I’m out for a walk or going to the gym and in both situations, I leave my charging case at home. For me, that makes it hard to develop a habit where I’d reach for the case instead of my phone (or the earbuds).

Most of the features are only relevant when the buds are connected to your phone, like playback, volume, spatial sound (I’ll get to that in a moment), and EQ settings. However, some remain useful even with no connection at all, like ANC, reminder timers, find my buds, and the flashlight.

In fairness, the whole case versus phone choice may be a red herring. If you’re using the Tour Pro 2 with a computer or tablet (or even a second phone) that doesn’t have the JBL Headphones app installed, the case can give you access to nearly every one of the app’s settings — that’s pretty handy.

Still, I can’t help but wonder about the other phone-less features that JBL could have included that might have made the Tour Pro 2’s smart case even more useful. It could act as a Bluetooth transmitter for times when you need to plug into a physical headphone jack (airplanes) — the Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 does this — or it could have a small amount of built-in music storage for times when you don’t want to bring your phone with you, like an Apple Watch.

Those examples will likely never come to pass, but here’s one that might: With support for Bluetooth 5.3 and LE Audio , the Tour Pro 2 will probably be Auracast -compatible when this clever Bluetooth broadcast technology rolls out. At that time, you may be able to use the case to discover and connect to Auracast streams, with no phone needed.

For the Tour Pro 2, JBL abandoned the round, all-in-one earbud style it used on the original Tour Pro+ in favor of a more AirPods-like stem design. That was a good move in terms of comfort — the Tour Pro 2 don’t make your ears feel as full as the first version — I’ve worn them for hours with no problems. However, it’s not as easy to get a super-secure fit. So while the IPX5 water-resistant rating makes them robust enough to survive sweaty workouts or runs, you may find they don’t stay put through high-impact activities.

Speaking of Apple’s buds, the Tour Pro 2 offer a compelling alternative to the AirPods Pro 2 when it comes to sound quality. Depending on your settings, the two models can sound very similar, but JBL has a big advantage here: a highly customizable 10-band equalizer with factory presets and the ability to create and save your own custom recipes.

When pushed, these tweaks can give the Tour Pro 2 a big, commanding bass response, or they can be used to give the mids and highs greater presence. Admittedly, without any advanced Bluetooth codec support (they’re SBC/AAC only), these earbuds can’t live up to their full potential, but JBL goes a long way to make them sound great. Not only do you get adjustable EQ — but you can also leverage some new tools like Personi-Fi, which attempts to personalize the EQ based on your age, sex, and ability to hear various frequencies.

I’ve used lots of these systems over time and sometimes they produce impressive results, and other times, not so much. Personi-Fi accurately assessed my slightly diminished high-frequency sensitivity, though when I flipped the personalization setting on and off, I couldn’t hear much of a difference.

The Tour Pro 2 also attempt to compete with the AirPods Pro 2 in the realm of spatial audio , but in this case, I think the Tour Pro 2’s approach is less effective. Enabling spatial sound will take whatever you’re listening to and apply one of three digital signal filters: music, movies, or gaming. Each accentuates a different aspect of your sound — movie mode goes for a cinematic effect, music tries to create a greater sense of realism, while gaming enhances the precision of high-frequencies so you can develop a better idea of what’s happening inside your game.

You should think of them as three more EQ presets that you can play with. If you like them, great — go nuts. If you don’t, leave them turned off. But they are not the same thing as listening to an actual spatial audio source, like Dolby Atmos for movies, or Dolby Atmos Music . Moreover, they do not perform the same trick as Apple’s head-tracking for spatial audio, which alters the presentation of spatial audio based on your head movements.

I liked the sound of JBL’s filters — movie mode was my favorite — but I still prefer the sound of Dolby Atmos content. The good news is that missing head-tracking aside, these buds will still let you hear Dolby Atmos and Dolby Atmos Music as long as your smartphone and apps support it.

And that’s just the start of a startling list of tech tools that JBL throws your way via the Headphones app. You can perform a fit test, an ear canal test that ostensibly improves active noise cancellation (ANC), and there’s even an option for leakage compensation. Uh, pardon me? It’s sound leakage. ANC requires a strong seal to do its best work, but getting a perfect fit can be hard to achieve let alone maintain, so leakage compensation attempts to correct for those changing seal conditions. It’s the flip side of adaptive ANC, which adjusts itself based on how outside noises change from moment to moment. The Tour Pro 2 has this, too, and you can turn it on and off in the app.

I found ANC on the Tour Pro 2 very effective at blocking a variety of sounds from traffic to the whine of a vacuum, and it even helped reduce the intrusion of nearby conversations as I was trying to write this review. It’s at its best when you’re listening to podcasts, preserving the sound of hosts’ voices even in very noisy environments. It also works well as a tool for diminishing unwanted sounds when you’re not listening to anything at all, although in this situation, you’ll get the best results by using the Silent Now option. This disconnects the Tour Pro 2 from Bluetooth entirely and leaves ANC mode on. You won’t get any notifications or distractions. You can set the duration for Silent Now and the buds will automatically reconnect when the time is up.

This not only preserves battery life but also deals with an anomaly in how the earbuds work with audio connections to your phone or computer. When you’re not listening to any audio, the Tour Pro 2 still react to small changes in your device’s activity — like an incoming text message notification — which can affect how ANC works. It usually presents itself as a slight hiss that sticks around for a minute or two and then goes away until the next notification. Silent Now eliminates this.

The Tour Pro 2 has four versions of transparency. Ambient mode lets in as much outside sound as you want, TalkThru does the same thing but also dips the volume of any audio that’s playing so you can have a conversation, VoiceAware (sidetone) lets you adjust how much of your own voice gets piped back into the earbuds during phone calls, and Personal Sound Amplification is designed to make conversations easier in busy environments.

All four do an excellent job of bringing the outside world in, for greater awareness of your surroundings, but even at their maximum settings, my voice did not sound natural to me — nowhere near as truly “transparent” as the AirPods Pro 2. This diminished the value of TalkThru, VoiceAware, and Personal Sound Amplification.

Call quality on the Tour Pro 2 is surprisingly poor. Not poor in the sense that it’s bad — it’s not. Compared to many other wireless earbuds, it’s on par. I mean poor in the sense that it’s worse than on their predecessors, the Tour Pro+, and much worse than the similarly-priced AirPod Pro 2. Background noise is very effectively canceled, but my voice paid the price for this aggressive processing, becoming warbly and compressed-sounding in anything but the quietest of locations. If you’re primarily using them indoors, it won’t be a problem, but when outside, your callers will be aware of it.

Unbelievably, we still haven’t touched on all of the Tour Pro 2’s features. So before your eyes completely glaze over, let me give you the broad strokes. The charging case will charge wirelessly on any Qi charger, or you can plug it in with the included USB-C cable. When fully charged, it can recharge the earbuds three times from empty.

Battery life on the buds themselves is decent when using adaptive ANC, at a claimed six hours, better when you use non-adaptive ANC (eight hours), and very good when turning ANC off (up to 10 hours). Under ideal conditions, that means you can get as many as 40 hours of play time without needing a power source.

Keep in mind, these numbers all assume a 50% volume level, which may not be loud enough in all situations.

The earbuds have wear sensors and they can be turned on or off depending on whether you want auto-play/pause when you insert or remove them from your ears. I found it was very responsive when turned on.

You can use each earbud independently, and they support Bluetooth Multipoint for connecting two devices simultaneously — a very handy feature for jumping between a phone and a computer. It worked very well, with one exception: when connected to an iPhone and a Mac, the JBL Headphones app wouldn’t always recognize the earbuds. The fix was to disconnect the Mac, open the app, then reconnect the Mac. I didn’t have the same problem with two simultaneous smartphone connections (e.g. iPhone/Android).

Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair are both supported, for one-tap/click pairing on compatible devices.

The Find My Buds feature is rudimentary — there’s no Bluetooth location tracking in the app — but it can still be effective: one or both earbuds can be forced to emit a very loud tone to help you find them. It does not work if the buds are in the case, and unlike the AirPods Pro 2, you get no help in locating a misplaced case.

The notifications on the case — for texts or emails, etc. — is only moderately useful. If the case happens to be located where you can see it, you may notice the very quick, one-line message pop up, but if you miss it, there’s no way to get it back. A small envelope icon in the corner of the screen is your only clue that you missed one.

The lock screen art can be customized in the app. In the accompanying photos, you can see the Digital Trends logo that JBL preloaded onto our review sample, but you can use almost any image you like.

Your phone’s default voice assistant can always be triggered from the earbuds, but Amazon Alexa is also an option on both iOS and Android.

Finally, JBL even gives you some choices when it comes to controls. It’s not nearly the level of customization offered by Jabra or Sennheiser, but each earbud can be assigned one of three function groups: ambient sound control (for all ANC-related features), volume control, and playback/voice assistant control. Unfortunately, you can’t have all three at once, so some tradeoffs must be made.

If there were a prize for the most tricked-out set of wireless earbuds, the JBL Tour Pro 2 would win by a mile. No contest. It’s hard to think of a single feature JBL has left us wanting, with the possible exception of better Bluetooth codecs like LDAC or the aptX family. They’re comfy, they sound very good, and their ANC is more than capable. With excellent battery life and a charging case that is undeniably unique, I was only really let down by the Tour Pro 2’s handling of my voice both on calls and generally when using transparency modes.

Still, for the price, JBL’s latest flagship earbuds offer a ton of value.

Editors' Recommendations

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Simon Cohen

Only days ahead of the official start of CES 2024, JLab has given us a look at its continuing move into higher-performance audio with the $80 JBuds Lux ANC Wireless Headphones. They can be preordered starting January 3 in four different colors: white, graphite, sage, and mauve, with shipping expected to start as soon as late February.

JLab is also debuting its latest budget-priced noise-canceling wireless earbuds, the $60 JBuds ANC 3 True Wireless Earbuds, available in black, starting January 3.

Apple now sells the USB-C version of its AirPods Pro Gen 2 charging case on its own, which is good news for anyone who wants to switch to USB-C charging for their existing second-gen AirPods Pro. However, the switch from lightning to USB-C will come with a hefty premium: Apple is asking $99 for the

, as noted by the Verge, or half the price that's currently advertised on Amazon for a new, complete set of AirPods Pro second-gen with USB-C.

As folks try to better merge their digital and real-world lives, open-ear earbuds are becoming an increasingly popular choice. But most of these products use a similar design: an earhook that positions the speaker over your ear, with a battery portion typically behind your ear.

The Huawei FreeClip take a different approach with a horseshoe shape that wraps around the middle of your ear. The jewelry-like FreeClip come in purple or black and will be available in the U.K. and Europe toward the end of December for 199 euros (about $214). There's no word yet on U.S. availability.

Review: JBL Tour Pro 2

Big sound from jbl.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 is the pure multi-performer of a pair of wireless earbuds. There's almost nothing they can't do!

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JBL Tour Pro 2

When I tested the Tour Pro+ , I was very excited, especially about the EQ settings. It was possible to adjust the frequency curve just enough to achieve the desired sound.

The ease of use, on the other hand, is so similar on most good earplugs that it was difficult to distinguish the Tour Pro+ from other earplugs on the market. You plugged in and pressed the earbuds to manoeuvre through playlists, answer calls, activate noise cancelling and audio replay, and summon the voice assistant. Nothing new there, in other words.

JBL Tour Pro 2 case Champagne 2

JBL has thought further with Tour Pro 2

The new Tour Pro 2, on the other hand, takes the user experience to new heights. Often, only minor upgrades are made when a new heir is introduced. A slightly better battery, maybe marginally better sound, and sometimes – but certainly not always – a smaller size of the earbuds themselves.

But JBL has gone a step further with the Tour Pro 2. In addition to longer battery life (up to 10 hours in the earplugs themselves) and also smaller size, JBL has done something completely new. This is the first time I’ve seen a screen on the charging case itself. And even a touch screen.

The touch screen on the case has a function

The screen turns out to be anything but a gimmick. It lets you adjust volume, scroll through music lists in a much more user-friendly way than tapping the little earplugs, and there are more options. You can turn EQ on and off and scroll through several different sound settings. Or turn on 360 audio for movies or games for a more immersive audio experience.

The best thing about the display is that you can access EQ functions even when you don’t have the app within reach. Like when the plugs are connected to a PC or TV.

JBL Tour Pro 2 Lifestyle 3

Multipoint and better audio codec

Tour Pro 2 can connect two devices simultaneously, thanks to Bluetooth with multipoint. This means, for example, that you can be connected to both your phone and PC at the same time and listen to music from one source while answering a Zoom call on the other.

In addition, the earbuds support the new audio codec LC3 (also known as LE), which arrived with Android 13. This will eventually take over from the much inferior SBC codec, and once the standard is more established, the idea is that proprietary codecs like aptX and LDAC will become redundant.

But we’re still in the early stages, and although the JBL apps have been made ready for LC3 and LC3+, the codec wasn’t yet opened up during testing. But JBL promises it’s on the way, and then you’ll be able to get even better Bluetooth audio. For now, I’ve had to test with the AAC codec, which is a good deal better than SBC. If you have an iPhone, you’ll have to rely on the AAC codec anyway.

JBL Tour Pro 2 Graabein

Personal listening test

In the app, JBL also has a personal listening test that maps your hearing and then adjusts the sound from the earbuds. I have to admit that I never got it to work because I got an error message that the left hearing plug wasn’t sealed well enough. I tried swapping tips, and checked again and again.

I didn’t experience any leakage myself because the sound and bass response felt the same between the left and right ears both when listening to music and when ambient sound was let into the plugs. In the end, I had to give up on the calibration, but at least here you have an option to get better sound tailored to your own hearing.

Noise reduction and sound leakage

The noise reduction now has the option to set the level, and if you select Adaptive ANC, the earbuds will automatically select the strength. They can also compensate for sound leakage in case of poor sealing in the ear. It works well, especially indoors on a train or plane, while wind noise is a challenge as with most others.

The SilentNow feature, by the way, lets you use noise cancellation for as long as you want without music playing.

There are two types of ambient sound: Ambient Aware takes in as much of your surroundings as possible, with a wide frequency range. TalkThru , on the other hand, lets through more midrange and less bass to emphasize human voices in a conversation. This feature works well in most situations, and I personally use it most when I want to hear my surroundings.

The JBL Tour Pro+ supports the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice assistants, and in the app you can choose whether to press the right or left earbud to activate the assistant.

tour 2 pro jbl

Engaging sound

Right out of the box, JBL Tour Pro 2 delivers an engaging audio experience. The bass in particular is both big and physical, just as I would expect from JBL. If at all costs you want the sound as linear as possible, the bass is probably a bit overdone, although it’s more balanced and tuned than the more bass-oriented earbuds in JBL’s Live range.

The midrange is a bit restrained, meaning the bass drowns out the vocal midrange a bit. Yes, it’s popular, and it works. But for acoustic gigs, I need a little tweaking. There are preset EQs, but I’m not crazy about any of them.

Better sound with EQ

Fortunately, the EQ has really good adjustability. I pull the midrange up a bit with a soft filter curve that covers a pretty wide frequency range. Then I lower it a bit at 5 kHz, where it can otherwise get a bit sharp. It’s a setting that I find works very well on many JBL props from JBL. The same is true on the Tour Pro 2. There are also good fine-tuning options here.

Vocals open up more, the different timbral textures of an acoustic guitar can now be better distinguished from each other, and that without compromising the engagement of electropop and hiphop. Whether it’s Ed Sheeran’s melodious F65 (you have to force yourself through his tame attempts at rapping) or the dramatic piano ballad Love You in a Dream by Elsie Bay, the music comes through in the best possible way.

JBL Tour Pro 2 Lifestyle

Call quality

The earbuds work well for phone calls and video conferences, the receiver hears me just fine. It’s not easy to get good dialogue sound through a pair of small earbuds, which need microphones with good beamforming for the sound from your mouth to be picked up by microphones placed in your ears. Without picking up all sorts of other noises.

The JBLs do a good job, it doesn’t sound quite as good as through some good headphones, but it’s certainly among the best I’ve heard from a pair of earbuds.

JBL Tour Pro 2 buds black

Every time I test JBL earbuds or headphones, I’m reminded of how far ahead of the competition they are when it comes to sound settings in the app. And with the all-new touch screen on the charging case, you no longer have to deal with the app on a daily basis. Simply choose from different EQ filters, set audio levels, and move around playlists right on the case. It’s especially handy when you’re connected to a PC or phone where the app isn’t downloaded.

Noise reduction is particularly good, as is call quality. With all the features, the excellent sound, and considering the price, I would dare to call the Tour Pro 2 outstanding.

Karakter

Specifications

  • Type: Fully wireless earbuds
  • Bluetooth: 5.3
  • Multipoint: Yes
  • Protection: IPX5
  • Active noise cancelling: Yes
  • Codecs: AAC, LC3, LC3+ ( upcoming), SBC
  • Battery life: 10 hours + 30 hours from case (u. ANC)
  • Weight: 2 x 6.5 g + 73 g (case)
  • Charging: USB-C
  • Web: jbl.com

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Very good I like jbl

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JBL Tour Pro 2 Review

Smart case..

Dua Rashid Avatar

The JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds have a neat trick: they come in a smart case. The case provides some useful features, but most of its functionalities seem a little unnecessary. It did enhance its design and look though, so I’d love to see it amped up with better features in the next model. Either way, these buds are ideal for you if you’re into bass or if you’re looking for a good pair of noise-canceling earbuds .

JBL Tour Pro 2 – Photos

tour 2 pro jbl

JBL Tour Pro 2 – Design and Features

Priced at $249, these earbuds really do stand out because of their innovative charging case. Unfortunately, the case needs a little more work to feel like more than a marketing gimmick. While it is definitely attractive and amusing, it lacks a bit of purpose and depth to it. We’ll get into specifics in a moment – for now I’ll just say that the functionalities it offers don’t make up for the increase in both the case’s weight and size and the price of the product.

JBL’s flagship buds ship with three ear tips of varying sizes (small, medium, and large) and a Type-C charging cable. Aesthetics-wise, the buds do look like they’re mid-range. Not only is the case attractive, but the buds exude sophistication too. They feature a glossy and matte exterior, a ridged interior, and an overall good-looking body. Weighing 6.1g each, the buds aren’t exactly what you’d call lightweight, but their weight is far from a dealbreaker as well.

tour 2 pro jbl

The stems on the Tour Pro 2 are short. Like, really short. While this didn’t bother my small hands a lot, I can completely imagine someone with large hands getting very irritated by these. Not only do longer stems make using the touch controls easier, but they also allow you to conveniently adjust the buds in your ears without resulting in accidental taps.

Apart from the potential issues featuring short stems would cause, the buds are pretty comfortable. The various tip sizes are quite helpful and, when plugged in, the buds form a nice seal around your ears with some degree of passive noise isolation. Don’t expect complete cancellation, of course, but the seal was good enough to considerably silence the whirring sound of the construction site next to my house.

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The controls on the buds are fairly straightforward. And they’re remappable with JBL’s mobile app for iOS and Android, so you can always tweak them if you don’t find them straightforward. By default, the right bud controls media playback, accepts/declines calls, mutes/unmutes your mic, and activates your phone’s voice assistant. The buds also feature both Google and Alexa as built-in assistants. The left bud allows you to do the same except it replaces controlling media playback with cycling between ANC, Ambient Aware, and Talkthru modes.

JBL Tour Pro 2 – Smart Case

When I mentioned the smart case may be lacking, I didn’t mean it doesn’t offer enough features. In fact, it offers quite a lot. Maybe a bit too much. However, most of what it offers is unnecessary or redundant.

tour 2 pro jbl

Here’s a full list:

  • Media playback (Pause, play, rewind, forward)
  • Volume control
  • Switching between ANC, Ambient, and Talkthru modes
  • Equalizer presets
  • Spatial sound
  • Screen brightness
  • Setting a lock screen wallpaper
  • Turning Voiceaware on/off
  • Turning autoplay and pause on/off
  • Displaying message previews
  • Find my buds

Cycling between 13 modes can feel like a chore. The good news is that you can tweak what shows up for you and keep the ones that you need often. Still, many of these options are controls that are easily accessible with the buds, so it does feel a little redundant to have them on the case as well. If you’re someone who always carries the charging case on you, you might love this concept. But for folks who don’t always wish to stay glued to their case and are comfortable with the bud controls, the smart case doesn’t add much value. And one of the few things the buds can’t do, the message previews feature, doesn’t actually display your messages on the case. It just notifies you by saying “New message on mobile device”, which isn’t terribly helpful.

tour 2 pro jbl

This isn’t to say that all the controls are useless. It is definitely more convenient to change your equalizer preset with the case rather than heading over to the JBL mobile app. Features such as timer and flashlight are also always welcome, as is the Find My Buds feature. I also like the idea of getting to set a wallpaper as it personalizes the experience. My review unit came with a preloaded IGN wallpaper which I thought was a cute gesture by the company.

JBL Tour Pro 2 – Performance

One thing’s for sure. The bass on the Tour Pro 2 is excellent. I can’t say the same about its treble, though. While the latter isn’t non-existent, it doesn’t come at you the way the bass does. If you’re a big fan of treble, definitely pass on these. It isn’t rich, clear, and vibrant as you’d like it to be. It also sounds a bit clustered and doesn’t have a separate layer of its own. I put on many songs, particularly treble-heavy ones, too, and I still didn’t get to enjoy the high-end. The mids are quite good, and I didn’t hear any flaws in them. They feature clarity and depth and sound pretty rich.

The bass is the real winner on these buds. JBL has found a way to make the bass sound amazing without overdoing it too much. The power that the low-end packs is the first thing that’s going to stand out to you. It is extremely noticeable – even by non-audiophiles. Though, I must add, the Bass EQ setting on the smart case didn’t add much value. My songs sounded pretty much the same. While we’re at it, except for the Jazz and Vocal presets, none of the other presets changed a lot for me. My personal favorite was the Vocal one; it did a brilliant job of putting the artist’s voice on another layer and was very helpful when I listened to my favorite podcast on these, too.

tour 2 pro jbl

Another feature that really impressed me was the buds’ ANC. There is an incredibly loud pedestal fan at my local library that is impossible to be silenced. You might think a library is not the best place for testing ANC, but this fan’s sound was what I really wanted to test with. It might be interesting to note that I sat right next to it on the testing day. To my surprise, it muted it entirely . I couldn’t hear even the faintest whirring sound; it was too good to be true. The ambient mode could have been much better, though. It produced that weird hiss that’s common on the ambient mode of many buds. This hiss was too loud and, coupled with the sound of the fan, was quite bothering. The Talkthru mode was very different from what I expected. It claims to reduce the volume enough for you to have a conversation with someone. However, the volume was reduced so much that it sounded as if you’d paused your music. I didn’t really see a point in the feature because I can easily use the pause option to achieve the same outcome.

tour 2 pro jbl

I called my friend and was told that my voice came through crisp and clear. I also asked about noise reduction, and they reported it’s doing a pretty neat job considering I was out on a very busy street in Manhattan. They said that the mic did a better job at canceling low-end sounds, as compared to high-end ones. The sound of the car engines whirring was significantly muted, but the high pitched horns and a shrill chirp from a nearby bird was more audible.

JBL claims that the buds rate at 10 hours of battery life and the charging case at 30 hours. That’s more than the average for true wireless earbuds and is pretty impressive. Enabling ANC will reduce the battery life by two and six hours respectively. The actual battery life of these buds is ultimately dependent on your listening volume.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds offer excellent bass and decent mids, but comparatively unclear highs hold them back from an all around excellent sound profile. They have a good-looking body, are comfortable to wear, and have excellent ANC that you can count on for travel or your everyday commute. The smart case meanwhile is a neat innovation – with features such as a timer, flashlight, and Find My Buds that are appreciated – but ultimately doesn’t add enough useful functionality to be worth the price premium.

In This Article

JBL Tour Pro 2

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T3 Platinum Award

It would be easy to disregard the JBL Tour Pro 2 as a gimmick. It would also be foolish, and short-sighted. The screen on the case is genuinely useful, and the sound quality is as good or better than 95% of the competition. A top pick for your ANC earbud needs.

Great battery life

Powerful EQ

Strong sound

Spatial sound is hit-and-miss

Screen is sometimes slow

Why you can trust T3 Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

Sam Cross

If you're looking for a pair of the best wireless earbuds , it's fair to say competition is fierce. There are a whole host of options out there, from high-end luxury devices, to more affordable units that still boast strong specs.

Even if you narrow it down to a pair of the best noise cancelling headphones , the waters are muddied. That causes brands to try new things in a bid to stand out.

That's evident of the earbuds I'm testing here. The JBL Tour Pro 2 packs a touch screen on the front of the charging case. That allows users to make adjustments on the case itself, without having to grab your phone and go into the app.

But, the question is, is it any good? Let's take a closer look.

JBL Tour Pro 2 review: Price and Availability

The JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds retail for £249.99 in the UK. They currently aren't available on the US JBL website.

You can purchase the JBL Tour Pro 2 from the JBL website. It's also available at other retailers like Currys , Very and AO.com .

JBL Tour Pro 2 review: What's new?

If we compare these buds to the JBL Tour Pro+ TWS which came before it, it's clear this is pretty much all new. The driver is now a whopping 10mm, up from 6.8mm on the previous generation.

The case is slightly heavier than the older one, but – crucially – the buds are lighter. They're 0.42g per bud, shaving off 0.08g compared to the previous generation. The battery life is also given a fairly substantial upgrade. JBL rate the total change time for case and buds at 40 hours, up from 24. The maximum time for with and without ANC also gets boosted, up to 8 and 10 hours, respectively.

Of course, the biggest change here is the screen on the front. It's fully touchscreen and – though no official dimensions are listed – measures just shy of an inch and half across. Users can use it to control playback, EQ and more. It can even display notifications you receive.

JBL Tour Pro 2 review: Design

In order to accommodate the touch screen, the Tour Pro 2 doesn't have the bullet-style case. Instead, it's more squared, with a taller, bulkier profile. It's definitely not the most pocket-friendly pair of earbuds I've ever reviewed.

That being said, it's not unattractive. The case sides are rounded, while the bottom is just about flat enough to stand upright. My review unit comes in a dark grey finish. It's nicely matted, with gentle flecks that give it a metallic appearance. The band of gloss around the catch breaks things up nicely, too.

The buds themselves are nicely designed, too. Sure, they aren't going to take home any prizes, but they're sleek and inoffensive. The stems feature a concave glossy material, with the matte JBL logo set on top. The bud portion features some concentric ridging where it meets the stem. It's a neat little nod, reminiscent of the ribbing on a speaker cone.

JBL Tour Pro 2 review: Performance

Let's start with the performance of the touch screen. It's a lot better than I'd expected. Everything is laid out in a really intuitive way, with large buttons to make selections easy. It is sometime a little janky. There's sometimes a bit of lag when swiping or pressing buttons, which does make it feel less useful. When it works right, though, it's a breeze.

I guess the real question is, would I opt to use that instead of the app on my phone? Personally, I definitely would. Don't get me wrong, the JBL app is one of the better ones I've used. It's effortlessly simple, and clean to look at. But I'd still prefer not to take my phone out at all if I can.

One last thing on the screen. It does give notifications, but don't get your hopes up. You'll get the first ten or so words of the notification and that's about it. You'd probably see more on a smartwatch .

Okay, now let's talk sound. In short, these earbuds sound gorgeous. As stock, you'll find a nicely balanced profile, which lets through a brilliant amount of detail. Sound is nicely spaced, making it easy for more complex audio to sound clear and defined.

If you only run the stock profile, though, you're getting about 30% of what these can do. Dive into the app and you'll find a host of powerful sound-sculpting tools. Chief among them is the Graphic EQ. The stock profiles suit a range of scenarios, and do a fairly good job. You can also add in your own curves for precise, personalised tuning.

It also features spatial sound. This, I found to be a bit hit and miss. It works really nicely on live albums, where the separation between audience noise and artist is welcome. On other tracks though, it just seemed to add an odd EQ setting. Sometimes it works, but most of the time I preferred it switched off.

They're also noise cancelling. It's hard to quantify how good the ANC is, but this is as good as any I've tested yet. Outside noise is capped and you're left to enjoy your own personal bubble of musical goodness. The ambient setting works nicely too, allowing external sounds in without overshadowing the music. Plus, the extra TalkThru setting dips the level of your music so you can have a conversation without having to remove your earbuds.

Battery life is also every bit as good as they say. I was averaging 10 hours from the buds and about 40 with the case, just as the spec sheet suggests. In regular use – around 40 minutes of commuting, plus a few hours at work and the gym – these were easily lasting 10 days before they needed topping up. And when they need a charge, they're pretty snappy. I found it was a shade quicker than the 2 hours rated by JBL – a fine showing, indeed!

JBL Tour Pro 2 review: Verdict

It would be easy to look at this device and think it was just a gimmick. That's not a fair assessment, though. The screen is innovative and it really is useful.

But beyond all of that, these are just a really great pair of earbuds. You're getting great sound quality, powerful sculpting possibilities, and great ANC and ambient sound profiles.

There are only a handful of earbuds that offer better sound than these, and even then it's close. Unless you're a real audiophile on the hunt for studio-quality sound, you're unlikely to spot the difference. 

Online news writer at T3.com, Sam has five years of experience in online and print journalism, with work featured in publications like Metro and Last Word on Sports. After years writing about music and football, Sam now turns his hand to bringing you news about new phones, smart home products, smart watches, laptops and TVs. Sam is a longtime fan and user of Apple products, including iPhones, MacBooks and Apple Watches.He’s also T3’s resident football expert, bringing you everything you need to know about the big games, including how to watch them. In his spare time, Sam is a keen guitarist, watch lover and (very) amateur golfer. 

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JBL Tour PRO+ TWS True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds, Noise Cancelling, up to 32H Battery, 3 mics, Wireless Charging, Google Assistant and Alexa Built-in (Black)

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JBL Tour PRO+ TWS True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds, Noise Cancelling, up to 32H Battery, 3 mics, Wireless Charging, Google Assistant and Alexa Built-in (Black)

Purchase options and add-ons, about this item.

  • JBL SIGNATURE SOUND: From rich, punchy bass to thrilling top notes, you'll always experience the ultimate sound experience with our JBL Tour Pro plus TWS 6.8mm dynamic drivers powered by JBL Pro Sound.
  • Product Note : If the size of the earbud tips does not match the size of your ear canals or the headset is not worn properly in your ears, you may not obtain the correct sound qualities or call performance. Change the earbud tips to ones that fit more snugly in your ears
  • ADAPTIVE NOISE CANCELLING: JBL's Adaptive Noise Cancelling technology utilizes internal and external mics to minimize distractions while maximizing audio quality as you enjoy the soundtrack of your life. With Smart Ambient Technology, stay alert to the world around you or hear friends and colleagues clearly with the touch of a button or via the JBL app.
  • CLEAR MICROPHONE: Noisy environment, No problem, JBL Tour Pro plus TWS ensures perfect voice clarity during calls with an array of two outer beamforming microphones and a third to reduce wind and other distractions.
  • UP TO 32H OF BATTERY LIFE AND WIRELESS CHARGING: Stay connected all day with up to 32 hours of battery life, Qi-compatible wireless charging, and three power-ups in the case. Plus, even if you do eventually run out of juice, you can speed charge back to an hour of playtime in minutes.
  • HANDS-FREE HEY GOOGLE AND AMAZON ALEXA: Stay connected to your digital world wherever you go. Activate your preferred Voice Assistant just by using your voice. You can even talk to Hey Google to control your headphones. Voice prompts are available in multiple languages.

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For over 75 years, JBL has helped people own their sound with Headphones, speakers and audio gear designed around expression. From the history-making stages of Woodstock to the thrilling sports stadiums, music venues and movie theaters you visit today, JBL amplifies truly unforgettable experiences.

Booming bass, rich detail and the freedom to feel the moment, wherever you are.

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  • JBL has brought music to life in a way people can feel for over 70 years.
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What's in the box

  • 1 x JBL Tour Pro+ TWS headphones
  • 1 x Type-C USB charging cable
  • 1 x 5 Sizes of ear tips
  • 1 x Charging case
  • 1 x 2 Sizes of stabilizers
  • 1 x Quick start guide
  • 1 x Google Assistant set up guide
  • 1 x Amazon Alexa set up guide
  • 1 x Warranty / Warning (W / !)
  • 1 x Safety Sheet (S / i)

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Product information, warranty & support, product description.

Propel your productivity with the smart features and unrivaled comfort fit of JBL Tour Pro+ TWS powered by JBL Pro Sound. Stay connected your way, all day with Adaptive Noise Cancelling, Smart Ambient technology, 3 mics for crystal clear connections, a compatible app for ultimate customization, and 32 hours of playback.

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers have negative opinions about the connectivity of the headphones. They mention that the app never connects, the buds will not work consistently with phone calls, and that the left bud stopped connecting. Customers are also disappointed with stability. Opinions are mixed on sound quality, quality, comfort, battery life, value, and fit.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers are mixed about the sound quality of the headphones. Some mention that the call qualities are good, the sound is good, and the noise cancellation is insane. However, others say that the sound was very low, the noise cancelling did little to no cancelling, and that the right ear piece has an echo.

"...acclimated to them...or possibly the earbuds burned in...the sound became more involved and I can hear a wider soundstage than with other..." Read more

"These earbuds really do sound amazing . I used them for nearly a year, when the right ear bud stopped taking a charge all together...." Read more

"...Some higher pitched sounds are more muffled than totally cancelled but when music is playing most noises are unnoticeable...." Read more

"...But, the sound is outstanding , so I can still use them, but not during workouts. Ultimately, I am still a JBL fan and trust their products...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the quality of the headphones. Some mention that it's a great product, while others say that it gets sweaty and becomes almost unusable. The quality continues to decrease after a while, and the app is buggy and glitchy.

"...The baked in eq is pretty good but is also very customizable if you don’t care for it. That said, these earbuds sound pretty fantastic...." Read more

"...fall out of my ears and if they get sweaty, they pop out and become almost unusable ...." Read more

"...Amazon replaced them. (Thank you Amazon)These have been working great . I was fortunate to catch these under $100...." Read more

"...Absolutely LOVE the app. Can do some really cool things with it.With everything said... I plan on keeping them as my daily pair...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the battery life of the headphones. Some mention that it has good battery life, while others say that it depletes while powered off.

"...Very good fit, amazing noise cancelation, good battery life ." Read more

"...(Best ANC and exceptional sound quality, but battery depletes while powered off )JBL Tour PRO+Technics EAH-AZ60..." Read more

"... Battery will last longer than my phone , and working in a factory setting, I keep them in for the noise canceling all day without recharge...." Read more

"...However it’s not a deal breaker. It’s decently built nice mate rubber finish.Connectivity: the connection has been not the best at time...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the value of the headphones. Some mention they are great for the price, while others say they are not worth the money, a horrible waste of money. Some say that the right earbud goes out all the time, and are useless after 1 year.

"...near the cost of the gold standard option but for my budget they are not cheap . Here is the process to using them...." Read more

"...Worth the wait. These are high-end earbuds for sure. As high end as Bluetooth can be anyway. I believe they are now back up to $200...." Read more

"...Even listening to people talk while watching videos was unenjoyable . When there was a S consonant spoken it was super sharp and piercing...." Read more

"They were once the cream of the crop. Not anymore. Over priced , probably get similar quality with knock off buds" Read more

Customers are mixed about the fit of the headphones. Some mention that they fit well in their ears and the sound quality is amazing. They like the adjustable fit and the small size of the case. However, others say that their only real problem is the fit, saying that they have tried every size tip and they all fall out. They also mention that the contact points are tiny and the case fitting misalignment makes these ear buds a pain to use. The buds are also bulky and do not always line up with the charger.

"...Sony LinkBuds SJBL Live FreeNC+ ( very small , nicely compact case, but limited custom eartip selection that will fit in the case)..." Read more

"...There are also troubles when recharging the buds. They don't always line up with the charger, so I get the message "battery power low" even after I..." Read more

"...I was fortunate to catch these under $100. Very good fit , amazing noise cancelation, good battery life." Read more

"First, they are huge and heavy, and no matter what bud size I tried they were very uncomfortable to the point it was hurting the canal of my ears...." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the comfort of the headphones. Some mention that they're pretty comfortable after about an hour of wear, while others say that they are extremely uncomfortable and make their ears sore after a couple of minutes. The design is curvy, smooth, and feels high-end, but the reality is that they make their ear sore.

"...They are difficult to get a good fit , even with third party foam inserts to try and make them fit better...." Read more

"...The design is curvy, smooth and feels high-end, but the reality is there is very little stabilizing structure holding it in the ear...." Read more

"...Other than a having a hard time finding a comfortable fitment for my smaller ears, as these buds are bigger than most, the pros of this product..." Read more

"...huge and heavy, and no matter what bud size I tried they were very uncomfortable to the point it was hurting the canal of my ears...." Read more

Customers are dissatisfied with the connectivity of the headphones. For example, they mention that the app never connects, the buds don't work consistently with phone calls, and they won't pair with their tablet or iPad. The connection is frustrating and drops signal easily.

"...They would not stay connected to a laptop ...any laptop. I tried several and the buds would just disconnect from them...." Read more

"...Connectivity: the connection has been not the best at time. Most of the time it works fine...." Read more

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"...as adjusting the bud in my ear frequently since they do not have any anchoring structure ) there is a shrieking, high-pitched piercing feedback noise...." Read more

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First deal finally lands on the JBL Tour Pro 2 buds

The JBL Tour Pro 2 true wireless earbuds and smartwatch-like charging case against a white background.

The JBL Tour Pro 2 launched almost six months ago, so it’s been a real waiting game for the first deal on the high-end wireless earbuds to drop. Amazon has finally delivered, with the price of the buds slashed to $199 today.

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Expert Picks: Valspar Championship

Expert Picks

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How it works: Each week, our experts from PGATOUR.COM will make their selections in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Each lineup consists of four starters and two bench players that can be rotated after each round. Adding to the challenge is that every golfer can be used only three times per each of four Segments.

Aside from the experts below, Golfbet Insider Rob Bolton breaks down the field at the Valspar Championship in this week's edition of Power Rankings .

Betting picks

WILL GRAY (Lead, Fantasy & Betting)

  • Winner: Keegan Bradley (+4000) – Going back to the well with Bradley, one of my picks at Bay Hill who always starts quickly at Innisbrook Resort. Should’ve won here in 2021.
  • Longshot: Kevin Yu (+10000) – Consistently strong off the tee this year, which you need at Innisbrook. When the other parts of the game have clicked, it’s netted him top-10 results.
  • Top 10: Doug Ghim (+400) – He’s still in search of his first TOUR win but has cobbled together five straight top-20 finishes, including a T16 result last week at TPC Sawgrass.
  • Head-to-Head (H2H): Adam Hadwin (-110) over Beau Hossler – The former Valspar champ should rebound from last week’s club toss/missed cut. This is more of a fade of Hossler, who has missed the cut in four of five trips to Innisbrook.

BEN EVERILL (Senior writer, Fantasy & Betting)

  • Winner: Sam Burns (+1100) – If you only get one winner option Burns is the man to take at Innisbrook until he proves otherwise. Two wins and a T6 last three years here and showed glimpses of great at TPC Sawgrass.
  • Top 10: Nick Taylor (+300) – I went close to plumping for Taylor as my outright but let’s just pick up some quick units here instead. T10 last year and one of the best putters on TOUR this season so far.
  • Longshot: Adam Schenk (+6600) – Runner-up here last time out he certainly knows how to get around this joint. Finally showed some recent form with a top-20 last week at TPC Sawgrass.
  • H2H: Doug Ghim (-140) over Sepp Straka – I was hoping Ghim would fit into the longshot bracket but at +4000 he’s under that mark (but still worth an outright look). No worse than T16 his last five starts… he’s potentially building to something big.

CHRIS BREECE (Senior Content Manager, Golfbet)

  • Winner: Sam Burns (+1100) – I’m not going to overthink this. Way too good here every here. He’s been trending upwards. A few bad holes derailed him from being in contention at THE PLAYERS.
  • Top 10: Nick Taylor (+300) – He’s been in the mix almost every week in 2024, including Thursday/Friday at TPC Sawgrass. He was T10 here last here.
  • Longshot: Matt NeSmith (+10000) – His two finishes here have been T3/T21. Had two good rounds at TPC Sawgrass last week for a T26.
  • H2H: Justin Thomas (-125) over Brian Harman – I’m banking on the mental exhaustion from Harman after a close call last week.

MATT DELVECCHIO (Social Content Manager, Fantasy & Betting)

  • Winner: Nick Taylor (+3500) – There’s so much to like about Taylor and his game so far this year. Was in the mix for a bit at THE PLAYERS. Nothing worse than a T39 finish since his playoff win at the WM Phoenix Open. Combo that with the fact that he likes Innisbrook (T10 last year), it seems to me all signs pointing in the right direction for Taylor.
  • Top 10: Brian Harman (+200) – He’s been putting up some really low numbers lately and I see no reason to think that will stop this week. T5 here in 2022. I considered Harman for outright as he looks like he’s ready to win but I’ll settle for a safer pick with a top-10 finish.
  • Longshot: Brendon Todd (+6600) – Todd has been very hit or miss this season. He has the game that I think will allow him to maneuver around Innisbrook and get him within striking distance for a run at the win come Sunday.
  • H2H: Nick Taylor (-120) over Eric Cole – Going back to the well with the double down on one player. Taylor aside, Eric Cole’s game has been in a bad place as of late, with two missed cuts in his last four events. With that being said he’s also a boom or bust candiate (T21 at Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, T10 at The Genesis Invitational). I’ll bet on the bust this week.

Odds were sourced on Tuesday, March 19. For live odds, visit BetMGM .

Want to see how to set up your PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf lineup? Scroll below.

THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN OUR EXPERTS? The PGA TOUR Experts league is once again open to the public. You can play our free fantasy game and see how you measure up against our experts below.

Joining the league is simple. Just click here to sign up or log in. Once you create a team, click the "LEAGUES" tab. Then click on "FEATURED," and then on the PGA TOUR Experts league that populates.

*Brett Jungles joined the Expert Picks league at the beginning of Segment 1 and did not accumulate any points from the FedExCup Fall.

Golfbet experts longshot: 0-11

For resources to overcome a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER today.

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Pro sets unwanted Tour mark. But thought about the ‘drive home’ also stands out

Cameron Young on Sunday on the 17th green at Innisbrook Resort.

Getty Images

Cameron Young believes he failed. No, he revealed, he hadn’t been patient in his hunt for PGA Tour win No. 1. He’d let it get to him. 

But he was improving. 

“I feel like right now I’m in a really nice place mentally,” he said. “I’ve had really good control over my thoughts and emotions this week. They have definitely got the better of me at times, but I feel like I’m in a really nice place and I’m just trying to hit each shot the best I can.”

That reflection came Saturday at the Valspar Championship , where Young was tied for fifth through three rounds, three strokes out of the lead. 

But that was Saturday, where things may not be as taxing. 

They play Sunday, too, and that’s the day you make your money. 

The Young story, to this point, can be considered a couple of ways. Through two-plus seasons and 60 tournaments on the PGA Tour, he’s been mostly all that you’d want out of a burgeoning star. Fourteen-million bucks in earnings. A Presidents Cup appearance. Forty-seven of 60 cuts made. 

But revisit this story’s first paragraph. Young’s winless. He’s still still searching, agonizingly so. 

Consider:    

— He tied for second at the 2021 Sanderson Farms Championship , where he shot no higher than 68, but finished a shot back of winner Sam Burns. 

— He tied for second at the 2022 Genesis Invitational , where he shot a second-round 62, but finished two back of winner Joaquin Niemann. 

— He tied for second at the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship , where he shot a final-round 66, but finished two back of winner Max Homa. 

— He finished runner-up at the 2022 Open Championship thanks to a final-round 65, but finished one back of winner Cameron Smith. 

Chandler Phillips hits a shot during the final round of the valspar.

‘I wasn’t right’: Shaken PGA Tour rookie gets candid after scary incident

— He tied for second at the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic , where Tony Finau won by five. 

— He was runner-up at last year’s WGC-Match Play , losing in the final to Burns. 

Added together, that’s six runners-up ahead of the Valspar, which was notable. Going back to 1983, according to the PGA Tour , only two other players ( Colin Montgomerie and Briny Baird) had finished second as many times without winning. 

After Sunday, Young stood alone. 

He tried. He rallied. With one hole to go at Innisbrook , he was tied for the lead. But Peter Malnati, in the group behind him, birdied the 17th. And Young bogeyed the 18th, following a pulled tee shot and a three putt. And that was that. Malnati was your winner . Young was second again. 

And you maybe wondered whether all the thoughts-and-emotions talk from Saturday was just fluff. 

Afterward, a reporter asked Young what he was proud of. Two late strokes, he said. The par-3 15th and the par-3 17th test players, but Young safely dropped both tee shots within 20 feet and parred both. “I think I handled my own thoughts really well, and, for me, that’s a big win regardless of the outcome,” he said.

So far, so good. 

He was then asked about the emotions. He’d also mentioned them Saturday. 

Below is Young’s answer. 

And if you’re questioning whether he can conquer an item that he believes is blocking him, Young at least sounded like he can. After all, he was more focused on a few other folks. 

Here is his complete exchange with a reporter:

“You had talked all week about how well you handled your emotions. What are the emotions like right now?”

“Um, I don’t know,” he said. “Honestly, I realized I wasn’t going to win pretty quickly, and I have a four-hour drive home with a 1- and a 2-year-old, so whatever emotions are attached to that.”

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Wait, john daly hit shots while holding a soda then hit an opening skull, rory mcilroy’s 'drunken lunch' with shane lowry leads to new zurich team, malnati's masters dream, korda's return, 1 putting tip | monday finish, 2024 texas children's houston open: how to watch, tv coverage, streaming info, nick piastowski.

Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. And when he’s not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash away his score. You can reach out to him about any of these topics — his stories, his game or his beers — at [email protected].

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Malnati with big break and great shot wins Valspar and earns trip to Masters

Peter Malnati holds up the trophy after winning the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Peter Malnati holds up the trophy after winning the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Peter Malnati reacts as he wins the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Peter Malnati reacts after putting out on the second hole during the final round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Peter Malnati tees off on the third hole during the final round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Cameron Young hits his tee shot on the third hole during the final round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Cameron Young chips onto the second green during the final round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Mackenzie Hughes, of Canada, reacts to a missed birdie putt on the 17th hole during the third round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Saturday, March 23, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Peter Malnati, right, holds up his son Hatcher after winning the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. Looking on is emcee Gary Koch. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Chandler Phillips tees off on the third hole during the final round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Keith Mitchell hits from in front of the gallery on the second hole during the final round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — Some of the shots that left Peter Malnati frustrated on the back nine were the ones that worked out so well for him Sunday in the Valspar Championship.

A putt he thought he left short dropped for birdie on the 12th hole. A shot into the 16th in mangled rough was close enough to a sprinkler that he was entitled to a free drop that put him on the fringe and made par easier.

But there was no doubting the winner.

Locked in a battle with hard-luck Cameron Young, Malnati drilled a 5-iron into the wind to 6 feet on the par-3 17th for birdie to break out of a tie, and he closed with a par for a 4-under 67 to win by two and earn his first trip to the Masters.

“I remember telling my caddie I needed to make a 2,” Malnati said. “That was really fun in that moment to just step up, not overthink it, just a full 5-iron at the TV tower, go. And to watch that ball fly was a really cool feeling.”

Malnati tapped in that yellow golf ball for par on the final hole for only his second PGA Tour victory. Young, made it easier on him by taking bogey on the final hole for a 68. Young now has seven runner-up finishes without a win.

Peter Malnati reacts as he wins the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

On a wild day of rallies and meltdowns, it came down to Malnati and Young playing a group apart as they headed into the tough finishing stretch at Innisbrook known as the “Snake Pit.”

Malnati’s approach on the 16th went long and left into gnarly rough some 50 feet from the pin, leaving him a tough chip to try to save par and stay tied. But his foot was on a sprinkler head, which entitled him to a free drop. With the extra club length, he was able to drop it on the fringe and use putter, which he sent down to short range for par.

On the par-3 17th into wind, Malnati hit his most important shot of the day for birdie. Up ahead, Young hit his drive well left and did well to hammer a gap wedge over the trees and onto the green, 50 feet away. He lagged it about 10 feet short and missed the par putt.

Malnati found a fairway bunker on the 18th, but hit that on the green for a simple two-putt to finish at 12-under 272, his first victory since the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2015.

More than the $1,512,000 from winning, Malnati goes to the Masters for the first time and gets a two-year exemption. He also is assured of getting into the remaining four $20 million signature events without any help.

Malnati is one of six player-directors on the PGA Tour board, and he was singled out for criticism when he received a sponsor exemption — along with two other board members — to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

“I told myself to do my best on every shot,” Malnati said as he fought back tears. “I was so nervous coming down the stretch. I can’t describe it. It’s so cool.”

It was gut-wrenching for Young, one of the top young talents and power players in golf who can’t seem to get across the line. He shot 31 on the back nine at St. Andrews in the 2022 British Open, only to finish one shot behind Cameron Smith, who shot 30. Young also was in the hunt until the 16th hole of the 2022 PGA Championship.

“It was just a bad time for a pull,” Young said of his tee shot on the 18th.

Mackenzie Hughes of Canada (70) and PGA Tour rookie Chandler Phillips (69) tied for third. They were among five players who had at least a share of the lead in the final round at Innisbrook.

Hughes had the lead on the back nine with a 45-foot birdie putt on the 10th hole. He was tied and in the middle of the 12th fairway when it began to fall apart. His approach went over the green and into the back slope of the bunker, leaving him no shot to a back pin. He fell two shots behind when Malnati made a 15-foot birdie.

On the par-3 13th, Hughes came up short and in the water and he was never seriously part of the mix the rest of the way.

Keith Mitchell started the day with a two-shot lead, and he was three behind at the turn. Mitchell had to pitch out of the trees three times on the opening six holes and did not have a hole under par until an eagle on the 14th. By then he was 8 over for his round. He shot 77,

Seamus Power, playing in the final group, shot 76.

Malnati is No. 184 in the world ranking, making him the fifth player to win full PGA Tour events this year. His only other win in the fall of 2015 did not come with an automatic invitation to the Masters. Fall events started getting invitations the next year.

“You wonder if you’re ever going to do it again,” Malnati said. “In the nine years since my last win, it’s getting harder.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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    The JBL Tour Pro 2's True Adaptive Noise Cancelling technology tunes out distractions so you can enjoy your favorite audio—or even the sound of silence—all powered by legendary JBL Pro Sound and immerse yourself in superb, spatial audio on the go. The unique Smart Charging Case™ allows you to direct access all key earbuds features without ...

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    Die JBL Tour Pro 2 werden in einem vergleichsweise großen Ladecase geliefert. Das kommt vor allem dem 1,45-Zoll-Touch-Display zugute, welches in die Ladeschale integriert ist.

  24. Amazon slashes 50% off the premium JBL Tour PRO+, making them dirt

    Looking to upgrade your listening experience with some Pro earbuds without breaking the bank? Well, we suggest you grab a pair of JBL Tour PRO+ through this deal while you can. JBL's premium earbuds are available at an impressive 50% discount on Amazon, allowing you to snag a pair for around $100 off its price if you act swiftly and capitalize ...

  25. JBL Live Pro+ TWS

    JBL Live Pro+ TWS provides an immersive True Wireless experience with incredible JBL Signature Sound for all your daily adventures. ... Our JBL Live Pro TWS works well with both Android and iOS devices. Answered by: Mario at Customer service. Date published: 2021-11-29.

  26. Valspar Championship 2024 Golf Leaderboard

    PGA TOUR Tournament Highlights 2024 Valspar Championship, Palm Harbor - Golf Scores and Results

  27. Expert Picks: Valspar Championship

    Winner: Keegan Bradley (+4000) - Going back to the well with Bradley, one of my picks at Bay Hill who always starts quickly at Innisbrook Resort. Should've won here in 2021. Longshot: Kevin Yu ...

  28. Pro sets unwanted Tour mark. But thought about the 'drive home' also

    Cameron Young believes he failed. No, he revealed, he hadn't been patient in his hunt for PGA Tour win No. 1. He'd let it get to him. But he was improving. "I feel like right now I'm in a ...

  29. PGA Tour: Peter Malnati wins Valspar and earns trip to Masters

    Peter Malnati is a PGA Tour winner again and this time is going to the Masters. Malnati shot a 67 to win the Valspar Championship by two shots over hard-luck Cameron Young. ... 2 of 10 | Peter Malnati reacts as he wins the Valspar Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara ...