JBL Tour One M3 review: Can these headphones block out my noisiest colleague?

To keep it short, there are two major selling points to the JBL Tour One M3. The first is the JBL Smart Tx device that’s the Alfred to the Tour One’s Batman. And the second, is it’s noise cancellation capabilities.

With headphones getting crazy good nowadays, my main focus isn’t so much on the sound. Rather, it’s the comfort, features, and, most importantly…

Can it cancel out Wesley?

How good is the JBL Tour One M3 at ANC/Noise Cancellation?

This is Wesley. I love him to bits, but he has the auditory self-awareness of an auntie at a wedding whispering how fat the bride is. She’s still loud – just breathier – and has no idea why everyone is staring at her. I also sit right across from him.

I’ve been secretly using him to test ANC in my past reviews, but he’s caught on. So, peach that he is, I have permission to officially name my gauge the Wesley Throttle Factor (WTF).

And let me just say, the JBL Tour One M3 excels at noise cancellation. It’s hands-down the WTF champion so far.

If you don’t have music playing, switching over to ANC feels like your brains are being sucked out of your ears. Any environmental noise in the office is completely gone. Next to the highway, I can only hear the occasional lorry roaring by – more like a Sunday morning rather than rush hour. Across from Wesley, a real non-gossip auntie whisper.

If the ANC is too strong, you can adjust it in the settings.

Ambient mode also functions well. The pass-through is pretty natural, without robotic distortion or over-amplification of certain sounds. The level of pass-through is also adjustable, which is nice. There’s also a TalkThru mode, which dampens environmental sounds to enhance conversational voices.

The Tour One M3s also come with a Personal Sound Amplification (PSAP) feature that boosts conversational voices for those with hearing disabilities. This is really trippy. It’s like being in a movie where the paranoid character clearly hears people in the background talking.

These headphones won’t be giving you a bald spot

The sturdy construction of the JBL Tour One M3 belies how light they actually feel. The band has a soft, thick foam encased in a slightly grippy (but not overly so) vinyl material to prevent slippage. The same foam also surrounds the earcups, giving a nice solid seal without feeling too warm or – ick – sweaty.

These sat on my head for hours to the point I almost forgot they were on.

On that note, some of my colleagues also didn’t realize I was wearing headphones. The JBL Tour One M3 is very understated in its design. I don’t mean that in a bad way – they just look more… mature without RGB or flashy branding. It’s mostly matte, with just a little bit of glossy detail on the connectors and the relatively tiny JBL branding.

Controls are also intuitive. The left side houses the volume buttons, leaving the rest of the action on the right. Here, you have the power/connection switch and the customizable action button. Meanwhile, the entire surface can be used for tap gesture controls. These are all configurable in the JBL app, but I don’t have a reason to change the defaults.

Oh, and did I mention it comes with a carrying case in the box? Yeah, it comes with a sleek carrying case that can also be clipped to a backpack for easy access.

Okay, so how does the JBL Tour One M3 sound?

Well, if I’m being honest, they only sounded alright out of the box. It definitely wasn’t bad. It had clarity by was lacking some punch and brightness – particularly on the high sounds. Initially, I thought I had my expectations built up too high… was I expecting too much?

Then the JBL app came in and said “I gotchu bro”. Using the preset equalizer settings significantly improved what I was hearing. The “Jazz” setting worked the best for that brightness I thought was lacking. I was going to play around with the equalizer, but then I scrolled down and saw the Personi-Fi option.

Having used the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi, I figure it works the same way – go through a hearing test, and get a personalized sound setting. And that’s exactly it. About 10 minutes of listening to descending frequencies later, I got my sound profile.

So far, it’s the best all-around sound for songs on my playlist, especially on The Sparks’ This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us where it transformed from an okay song tainted with muddiness to a full soundstage. This is the best I’ve heard this song. However, angrier songs like Nachtmahr’s Tanzdiktator still lacks some grit punch through that feeling of oomph!

Overall, it seems like these headphones are immensely capable, but you’ll have to take the time to fine-tune them to your preferences on the app. Or, you can be like me and use the presets or Personi-Fi and still be mostly happy with the results.

JBL’s ace card – The Smart Tx audio transmitter

The Smart Tx transmitter is a tiny dongle that serves two big purposes. Its first purpose is to cut off your phone as the middleman between you and the music controls and headphone settings. Its usefulness is really dependent on your preferences and devices. I have a Z Flip 5 which allows me to do all of that in about the same number of steps from the cover screen. In this case, the transmitter is another thing to carry in my pocket.

However, its second purpose is what might excite you. The Smart Tx also acts as a transmitter for devices that don’t support bluetooth, use weird formats, or just generally don’t play nice with wireless headphones. Plug the Smart Tx in, and problem solved! It also supports Auracast, so multiple devices can listen in at the same time.

As a use-case scenario, my MacBook’s walled garden has caused a lot of problems with Zoom or Google Meet calls using anything that isn’t an Airpod. I either can’t hear the other party or vice versa. Plugging the Smart Tx in to the Aux port (that Apple thankfully hasn’t removed) bypassed the issues. I’m also able to adjust sound preferences while listening to music – something else I can’t do from the Mac.

JBL includes Aux, Type-A and Type C connectors, so you’re pretty much covered for most devices.

Calls, gaming, and other features on the JBL Tour One M3

Calls on the JBL Tour One M3 are great. Both sides don’t have a problem hearing each other, and people generally can’t tell that I’m actually in a noisy cafe. You can also toggle and adjust VoiceAware levels (which is how much you can hear yourself talking), and how yours and the other party’s voice sounds. Unfortunately, “Powerful” doesn’t mean making me sound like a CEO. It just made my voice louder and clearer.

Gaming, on the other hand, is a little weird. Using the regular bluetooth connection, the headphones cuts out the music. Just the music. There’s an occasional pop and scratch where the music plays through, but it’s otherwise silent. All you can hear are the in-game effects.

Honestly, I don’t know if this is a bug or feature, because it allows me to hear movements clearer on games like CS2 and Overwatch 2 – I kinda like it. Just not so much for other games though. Connecting through the Aux port or the Smart Tx fixes it, with the games sounding as they should. I also didn’t perceive any audio lag in any of these situations.

Battery life is also rated at 70 hours of playback, with an auto-off feature in the app. I haven’t had to charge it in week I’ve spent with Tour One M3, so I’d say this checks out.

The JBL Tour One M3 also supports the Find My Device feature on Android, allowing you to track them down if they’re misplaced or stolen. Apparently, they work with Apple’s Find My as well, but I don’t have an iPhone to test this on.

Lastly, the headphones support spatial audio. I don’t really like using this feature, but it works well and it’s there if you like it.

At RM1,699 the JBL Tour One M3 isn’t for everyone

As I’ve mentioned earlier, sound quality is good enough now that you don’t have to spend RM1k+ on headphones. Heck, a pair that costs RM400 would sound good enough.

But that’s not saying the JBL Tour One M3 isn’t worth the money. The ANC is superb, it’s great for calls, and the Smart Tx transmitter can come in handy. It’s also the most comfortable headphones that I’ve had the pleasure of wearing.

I think it comes down to whether or not you’re going to be using these features. If you have a Wesley in your office – Instant value. You have old records that can only be played on a 90’s or 2000’s era player? – Instant value. If you keep them on all day for calls and music – Instant value, too. Enthusiasts who like tinkering with sound profiles can get a lot of enjoyment out of them as well.

If these fall within your budget, or if you can see yourself using one or more of the JBL Tour One M3’s selling features, then you should absolutely give them a try.

...