JBL’s entertaining wireless earbuds hit the spot
In-ear headphones | £130 | whf.cm/LivePro2TWS
Despite not dominating headlines like Apple and Sony, JBL is no stranger to the world of wireless headphones and has a number of options on its website spanning a wide range of prices.
Its over-ear Bluetooth designs have been somewhat hit and miss when we have tested them over the years; but the brand has tasted five-star success with a couple of pairs of wireless earbuds of late, a trend it is going to hope continues with the JBL Live Pro 2 TWS. On paper, they are both affordable and feature-packed, but should the class leaders be concerned by their sound quality?
In the grand scheme of wireless earbuds pricing, the JBLs sit just above entry-level. At £130 they are a little cheaper than the likes of the Apple AirPods 3, which come in around £169, and a lot cheaper than some of our favourite premium wireless earbuds, such as the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II at £280. Their closest rivals actually come from the same stable. We have tested the JBL Reflect Flow Pro 2 at £160, and awarded them five stars but they are now available at a similar price, which makes for an interesting comparison.
Some rivals offer more circular housings with touch pads, but JBL has gone down the tried and tested route of adding stems to the Live Pro 2 TWS.
These earbuds look good enough for the money without setting the world alight. The fact that they are glossy and boast an almost mirrored finish (available in Silver, Blue, Rose or Black) does elevate them above the duller-looking buds you can find at this level, though. The top section of each stem, near the 11mm driver, is touch-sensitive, and can be assigned to handle playback, volume, or cycle through sound modes.
More, please
The JBLs come with three different sizes of silicone tip; small, medium and large. Each tip has a couple of small recesses carved into it which help guide them onto the oval tubes which protrude from the main earpiece body. They are easy to swap around, but we would still like to see manufacturers at this level offer more size options. Three doesn’t really seem enough and can only give owners fewer avenues to get the fit just right. During testing we find the JBLs quite comfortable, but they don’t feel quite as rock-solid and immovable as we would like.
The earpieces slot into a charging case and are held in place magnetically. The case is petite and compact, which helps with portability, and you can charge it via USB-C or wirelessly should you have a compatible charging pad.
