JBL has introduced its usual assortment of new headphones, earbuds and Bluetooth speakers at CES 2025, but its new flagship noise-canceling headphones, the Tour One M3, stands out from the rest of the company’s product announcements thanks to the inclusion of a useful accessory that no other headphones come with: the JBL Smart Tx audio transmitter, which enables you to wirelessly deliver audio to the Tour One M3 from any USB-C or analog audio source such as an inflight entertainment system, PC, tablet or television. Available in mocha and black colors, the Tour One M3 is due to ship on April 13 and lists for $400 or $100 more than its predecessor.
Read more: Best noise-canceling headphones of 2025
A few premium earbuds like the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Jabra Elite Active 8 Gen 2 and JBL’s own Tour Pro 3 include a charging case that converts into an audio transmitter. But until now, no full-size headphones have included an audio transmitter. While you can buy transceivers like the Twelve South AirFly Pro for around $50, the Smart Tx audio transmitter is more sophisticated because it has a touchscreen LCD that allows you to control the Tour One M3’s features, including music playback, call management and EQ Settings. JBL says the Smart Tx also has the ability to broadcast any audio source to an unlimited amount of Auracast-enabled devices.
I liked JBL’s earlier Tour One M2 headphones, but I can’t say they offered any real advantages over standout noise-canceling headphones like Sony’s WH-1000XM5, Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra or Apple’s AirPods Max. JBL seems to have recognized that it needed to do more to compete with those products. Not only did it add the Smart Tx audio transmitter, but it says it’s made the headphones more comfortable, equipped them with newly developed 40mm Mica Dome drivers for more accurate, audiophile-quality sound and improved the noise-canceling and voice-calling performance. Additionally, you get next-gen JBL Spatial 360 audio with integrated head tracking.
It’s unclear what audio codecs the headphones support (I’ll update this post once I have that info), but JBL says you can stream wirelessly with “hi-res Bluetooth” or through a lossless USB-C connection.
I’ll have a full review of the JBL Tour One M3 around the time it ships. Until then, here’s a list of the headphone’s key features, according to JBL.
JBL Tour One M3 key specs
- JBL Smart Tx with touch display: Wirelessly connect to any audio source and share audio with Auracast
- 40mm Mica drivers with high-res audio support
- JBL Personi-Fi 3.0: Shape the music to match your hearing profile
- Superior Crystal-Clear Calls: 4-mics with adaptive beamforming technology
- True Adaptive Noise Cancelling 2.0: 8-mics scan external environments for real-time adjustments, blocking all unwanted background noise
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Seamless SmartTalk: Automatically pauses music and enables ambient noises via voice recognition
- Lossless Audio: High-fidelity audio over USB-C and 3.5mm with built-in DAC
- JBL Spatial Sound with head tracking
- Auracast-Enabled: Connect to multiple Auracast-enabled devices for amplified sound experiences
- JBL Headphones app integration (iOS and Android): Personalized settings for, EQ, ANC and ambient sound control settings
- Up to 70 hours of playback at moderate volume levels
- Quick charge feature: 5 hours playback from a 5-minute charge
- Improved passive noise isolation: Enhanced earcup and cushion design helps muffle ambient sound
- Ship date: April 13, 2025
- Price: $400
Read the full article here
