[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Overall, I really like this set of headphones. They have excellent sound quality, as I have come to expect from JBL, and the ability to adjust the settings (equalizers, noise cancelling, etc.) in the app is a really nice bonus, especially if you have a preference for more or less bass versus vocals.
One of the big advantages that I noticed immediately is that there are controls on the headphones if you want to use them and/or don’t have your phone or other device in hand when you need the controls. It takes a little bit to get a feel for where the buttons are, but I really appreciate having a button that lets me easily toggle between noise cancelling, ambient aware, and talk through. I haven’t used the others much at all since it’s easier to just adjust volume, skip tracks, etc. when listening to music from my phone, but I could see the other buttons being really valuable when being connected to other devices that are not within easy reach. Most of their basic functions are really intuitive, though it might take a while to get used to the extra controls that are available with a long press or double-tap.
The microphone on this headset is fantastic. Calls were very clear in both directions, and the over ear headset made it a little easier to block out distractions on a work call so that I could just stay focused on the business at hand. I haven’t tried making a call in windy conditions yet, so I can’t speak to that, but calling when indoors was especially clear (and the mic even picked up the bit of echo when I walked into a small room).
So far, I’ve used these mostly to listen to music while working and simultaneously walking on a treadmill desk, including all-day work sessions with only a few breaks. These stayed comfortable all day, unlike most earbuds, and also did a nice job of blocking out the noise of my treadmill to make it easier to focus. The noise cancellation isn’t perfect- a little bit of sound does still get through—but it’s better noise cancellation than I get with my best noise-cancelling earbuds and is more than enough to tune out distractions.
The leather on the ear covers is really soft and comfortable. It did get a little sweaty after a few hours of walking, but wiped off easily. I probably wouldn’t use these to work out, and they’re not small enough to easily toss in my work tote, but these will definitely be my go-to for days that I’m working from home and for when I need to tune out significant noise. These are also likely to become my airplane headphones for long international trips as well because they’ll make it so much easier to sleep.
Finally, if you’re looking at this set of headphones, you probably primarily want the Bluetooth connectivity, but it’s worth noting that there is also an option to plug these directly into a standard AUX jack. Personally, I’m going to find that functionality most useful on flights, but you might also find this to be a useful option for any device that doesn’t have Bluetooth (or for which you just won’t want to mess with the Bluetooth).