Review: JBL TOUR ONE M3

Introduction

We at Senses have managed to get our hands on what I consider to be one of the hottest headphones of the summer. I have been looking forward to these headphones since the release night in London.

After using the JBL Tour ONE M3 for a few weeks, I feel like I can’t get enough of these headphones. To explain what I mean, good headphones are not just about the sound, but about the overall experience—and by that, I mean sound quality, comfort, design, and user-friendliness. We will go through all of this today.

Design & Comfort

At first glance, the TOUR ONE M3 looks like a pair of truly exclusive headphones. They feature a minimalist design with a matte black finish that I really appreciate, and in my opinion, matte black never goes out of style. On the side of the headphones, we see JBL’s discreet logo, which takes the design up another notch. On the right ear cup, you’ll find the power/pairing button, the charging port, and the ANC/Ambient Aware button, as well as the touch panel for play/pause, next/previous track, and answering/ending calls. On the left ear cup, we find the volume control.

Now for a small downside: when you take them out of the included travel case (which is incredibly stylish) and hold them, they feel… well, a bit more plasticky than I had hoped for given the price range. Because if we compare them to, for example, the Marshall Monitor III A.N.C which we at Senses also tested (and liked very much, by the way), the difference is quite significant when it comes to the sense of durability—and there is only a small price difference between them. So, how do they fit, you might wonder? The fact is, there is nothing to complain about here. The headphones are incredibly light, weighing only 278 grams, and are truly comfortable without clamping too hard around the head. This is often a problem for me as a glasses wearer. But even after several hours of use, they don’t pinch the temples of my glasses to the point of pain. The ear cushions are soft and made of memory foam that molds to the user. The only thing I noticed was that my ears got a little sweaty after a full day of use, but nothing more than that. Overall, the headphones are stylish and comfortable without feeling boring.

Performance

As usual, we’ll start with the battery life. All in all, you can get up to 70 hours of playtime with ANC turned off. With ANC activated, the playtime does decrease significantly, but you still get around 40 hours, which is essentially a full work week before they need to be charged again. A full charge takes about 2 hours, but if you’re on the go and don’t have time to wait, it’s no problem. The Tour ONE M3 is equipped with fast charging, meaning just five minutes of charging provides a full 5 additional hours of playtime.

The robust 40 mm mica-reinforced dome drivers are precisely fine-tuned to provide deep bass, a balanced midrange, and crystal-clear treble. You can choose to use the built-in DAC (digital-to-analog converter) to enjoy high-quality, lossless audio via the included USB-C cable. If you prefer to listen wirelessly, you get detailed high-resolution sound with LDAC—a codec that transmits approximately three times more data than standard Bluetooth audio and provides lossless sound even wirelessly. Here, a comparison can also be made with the Marshall Monitor III headphones, which lack an LDAC codec, so one could argue this is an added bonus for the M3s since the price difference between them for the headphones alone is quite small.

When it comes to ANC (Active Noise Canceling), the M3s have a total of eight microphones (four on/inside each cup) that actively listen for noise—traffic sounds, wind, conversations in real-time—to then send back an inverted phase. Does it become one hundred percent silent? No, but close to it. With music on, you barely hear anything else, and with the music off, the noise is still significantly reduced. You can also switch to the opposite effect if you want to be more aware of your surroundings. With a button press, you activate Ambient Aware and TalkThru, which instead amplify ambient sounds.

Something I really appreciate about JBL’s focus on the user is Personi-Fi. For me with tinnitus, it is a real lifesaver. Now, JBL is not alone in offering this type of feature, but I think their solution is the best I’ve tested so far. Personi-Fi is a type of hearing test where you listen to different frequencies and press a button when you can no longer hear the sound. The information is analyzed in real-time to create a personalized sound profile, tailored specifically to your hearing.

JBL Headphones App

Everything from ANC to Personi-Fi is, of course, controlled via JBL’s app. You can choose between preset sound profiles or adjust them yourself in a custom mode with a 10-band equalizer. Want to relax for a while? No problem—the app has a relax mode where you can play sounds such as a crackling fire, a babbling brook, or a waterfall. You can even combine several sounds, but it’s not recommended—it easily becomes chaotic (speaking from experience, haha). However, I find this particular function a bit redundant—it’s a so-called “nice to have” feature, but feels mostly added just because they could.

On the other hand, there is a mode I appreciated and that I personally haven’t seen before—”Silent Now.” It’s perfect when you’re flying and want to sleep for a while. In this mode, Bluetooth is turned off, but ANC remains active. You set how long you want to rest, and after that time, a signal plays in the headphones to wake you up. A super cool feature in my opinion.

Smart TX

Now for the absolute coolest thing about these headphones—Smart TX. In short, it is a wireless audio transmitter for the headphones. But if we go a bit more in-depth, Smart TX is a revolutionary step in the headphone world. Why? Well, with the help of Smart TX, you can connect to and transmit audio from essentially any device—even if the device doesn’t have Bluetooth. The only requirement is that it has a USB-A, USB-C, or 3.5 mm AUX output.

I tested this on three devices—the TV, the computer, and the Playstation 5—and it worked flawlessly. To explain the greatness of this, we can look back at Senses’ visit to JBL in London. During the presentation, about 25 of us were standing in a lively room with music and mingling. We were each given a pair of Tour ONE M3, and using Smart TX, the audio from the presenter’s microphone was sent directly to our headphones—with zero latency. I was impressed by how smooth and seamless it worked.

Smart TX can also function as a remote control for the headphones, so you don’t have to take out your phone every time. You can control the audio directly via the transmitter and also perform many of the functions that otherwise require the app. However, there are some unnecessary features here too, in my opinion—for example, a flashlight, a timer, and the ability to change the background. Just like the relax sounds in the app, these feel mostly like gimmicks, but that’s highly personal—there are surely users who like them.

Call Quality

I actually had low expectations here, as most over-ear headphones I’ve tested previously have been mediocre at best for calls. But I was pleasantly surprised—the headphones deliver beyond expectations. I tested calls in various environments, and the recipient never felt that my voice sounded distorted, tinny, or harsh. In an urban environment with a lot of ambient noise, they did a really good job of removing traffic noise, wind, and other voices to isolate my own voice.

Don’t misunderstand me—you can still hear some background noise, but it’s marginal. The only thing that bothers me is that the touch control on the right ear cup is very sensitive. I accidentally ended calls on a couple of occasions when I just wanted to adjust the ear cup. A classic first-world problem—but still slightly annoying.

Soundscape

Where to begin? I actually believe that JBL delivers exactly what they promise—a combination of fit and audio engineering. With the tight-sealing ear cushions and “JBL Pro Sound,” which is based on JBL’s professional audio use at concerts, events, and festivals, I get a well-balanced soundscape. The bass is deep without being overblown—more of a spatial depth than a thumping punch—which I prefer in headphones.

When I listen to Livingston – Last Man Standing and reach the first chorus, I get goosebumps all over my body. This is where the M3s shine. All registers are there in perfect harmony—from the powerful strings at the bottom to the falsetto at the top. Every instrument and voice has its own place and blends together into a soundscape that is a joy to listen to. Another example is Alex Warren – Ordinary, about 1:50 into the song. There, it becomes clear how well the headphones handle complex soundscapes. The high-frequency melody, the choir in different voices, and the heavy percussion—everything finds its place without anything overpowering the rest.

Summary – JBL TOUR ONE M3

The JBL TOUR ONE M3 is a pair of premium headphones that deliver sound that I consider near perfection, high comfort, and several practical features. Some extra features feel unnecessary, but overall, the headphones maintain a consistent and high level. With a price tag around 4500 SEK (including Smart TX), they are in the more expensive segment, but compared to other premium headphones, they are still relatively affordable. All things considered, I can warmly recommend the JBL TOUR ONE M3.

JBL sent a review unit for this test. Senders of material have no editorial influence on our tests; we always write independently with our readers and consumers in focus.