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It is early morning, and I am lying by the seashore listening to the chirping birds and the pulse of waves lashing the beach. As my body is tempted to sink into a meditative slumber, I try to remind myself that I’m still in Noida, trying to meditate on my hard apartment floor, with the JBL Tour One M3 creating an audio bubble that helps me escape the realities of daily life. You wouldn’t really expect a headphone to be your exit route from existence, but they can well be that pressure valve.
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The JBL Tour One M3 are wireless over-ear noise-cancelling headphones that take forward the brand’s legacy of creating no-nonsense audio products that offer both great playback and value for money. The design is trendy, yet familiar. The earcups and the headband are soft and plushy and keep you comfortable even after long hours. There is a toggle on the right earcup that powers on the headphone—this is a better way to do it, as with a button, you are always confused if you have actually turned the headphone off. Just below is another button that lets you switch between noise-cancelling and ambient aware. On the left, you have the volume controls. You can also use gestures on the surface of the earcups to pause/play songs or take calls.
Could not ask for more customisations
The JBL app offers one of the widest ranges of customisations I have seen in headphones. There is so much here that I was convinced the way I listen to music on the JBL Tour One M3 would be different from anyone else. For instance, you can select the exact level of noise cancelling you want and even make it adaptive. Then you can add gain to your ambient awareness level so that you don’t miss what is happening around you. Then you can select audio and video modes.
Customisation at your fingertips: the JBL Tour One M3 features tactile buttons and gesture-friendly earcups for seamless control over volume, playback, and noise cancelling. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/ The Indian Express)
There is also Personi-Fi, which lets you personalise the headphones even more. And this is over and above the equaliser move and custom settings; however, the app has a tendency to get stuck when you get to this. And this is maybe the only headphone that lets you customise sound settings for calls.
Finally, there is the relax mode where you can select calming sounds to meditate or just unwind while at work. You can add multiple layers to these sounds by switching on waves along with fireside and woods; this is unique. And I absolutely loved the SilentNow mode that disconnects Bluetooth and keeps the noise cancelling on so that you can sleep, maybe on a long-haul flight. The best part here is that you can customise when this mode turns on and how long it stays.
A unique transmitter
It gets even more interesting, for all the stuff you can do on the app can also be controlled from the smart audio transmitter that comes in the box. This is like the smart screen that comes on the new truly wireless earphones, like the JBL Tune Beam. It works like a remote that lets you access all controls without reaching out for the phone. My only worry is that someone like me will forget this on a long-haul flight one day, so don’t forget to stash it back inside the headphone case after each use.
The JBL Tour One M3’s smart audio transmitter lets you access key controls and settings without touching your phone making it perfect for flights and on-the-go adjustments. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/ The Indian Express)
JBL Tour One M3 is not super loud, but who needs loud
The JBL Tour One M3 is not one of the loudest headphones I’ve used. But that is not essentially a bad thing. Maybe a lot of headphones are louder than they need to be. This is, for certain, one of the clearest headphones I have used. When I say clear, this one does not need higher volumes to exert all the channels. It gives everything its space with precision tuning.
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Listening to an instrumental rendition of Raghuvamsasudha by the Madras String Quartet, you hear the violin and the cello coexisting in this soul-stirring composition. The audio profile is very natural and balanced. And I guess a lot of people want it to be their way, and this is where the customisation options come in, letting you go the extra mile when it comes to bass or vocal clarity. Interestingly, you can also customise the presets and make Extreme Bass just the way you like it.
The vocal preset was perfect to listen to Sona Mohapatra’s Anhad Naad, with the drum beats settling gently in the background. But I found the studio preset to be most balanced. The lossless version of Tere Ishk Mein showcased Arijit Singh’s silken vocals well in this mode, without being overpowered by the chorus and other arrangements. But while watching movies, I did feel a bit wanting for more volume. Maybe I am becoming old, but a tad more sound would have been great to hear the dialogues a bit more clearly.
The battery life is great and can last you a week on a full charge. Or if you are catching a flight to the US, you will not need to charge it till you are back.
At Rs 34,999, the JBL Tour One M3 is a bit pricey. But no other headphones offer you so many features, and that makes this a good value for money device at the end of the day. While great audio is a given with JBL, a boatload of unique features is also becoming a habit now. I suggest this for those who want their music their way.
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