JBL Live 660NC review
Our Verdict
At $199, the JBL Alive 660NC undercuts the competition with strong audio, dissonance counterfoil, and bombardment life, but is also painful to wearable.
For
- Bass-frontward audio
- Longer battery life than most premium noise-cancelling models
- Effective noise cancellation
- Fantabulous connectivity
- Numerous features via companion app
Confronting
- Very uncomfortable
- Buggy voice assistance
- Highs don't shine
Tom's Guide Verdict
At $199, the JBL Alive 660NC undercuts the contest with strong sound, noise cancellation, and battery life, but is besides painful to wear.
Pros
- +
Bass-forward sound
- +
Longer battery life than well-nigh premium noise-cancelling models
- +
Effective racket counterfoil
- +
Excellent connectivity
- +
Numerous features via companion app
Cons
- -
Very uncomfortable
- -
Buggy voice assistance
- -
Highs don't smoothen
The JBL Live 660NC is the latest pair of noise-cancelling headphones from the pop sound make. On superlative of featuring JBL signature sound, which consists of warm, boom-heavy sonics, this fix of over-ear cans come with adaptive ANC and some of the longest battery life in the category.
JBL Alive 660NC specs
Colors: Black, Bluish, White
Battery life (rated): xl hours (ANC on), 50 hours (ANC off)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Processor: Bestechnic BES2300YP
Size: Non stated
Weight: nine.3 ounces
Results are satisfying, cheers to an energetic soundstage and multiple listening modes that help personalize the listening feel. Y'all can too expect reliable wireless performance from this set of headphones. The merely things holding the Alive 660NC back from beating the very best noise cancelling headphones are the buggy voice banana and uncomfortable design.
- The best headphones overall
- Find a bargain with the best Apple AirPods Max alternatives
JBL Alive 660NC review: Toll and availability
- JBL Live 660NC costs $199...
- ...except at Walmart, which sells it for $99
The JBL Live 660NC tin can exist purchased at major online retailers, including Walmart and B&H, or directly from JBL. It is sold in three colors: Black, Bluish, and White.
These headphones toll $199, the same as the JBL Quantum 800 gaming headset. By comparison, the Live 660NC falls in a toll range similar to other sub-luxury competitors like the Jabra Elite 85h ($199) and the Urbanista Miami ($149). Luxury models like the AirPods Max ($549), Bose 700 ($399), and Sony WH-1000XM4 ($350) come up with more features and stronger dissonance cancellation, but for a premium.
We recommend bookmarking our best headphones deals page to stay up on all of the latest sales.
JBL Live 660NC review: Design and condolement
- Well-made, but lacks ruggedization
- Tight, secure fit
JBL has a apparent track tape of constructing stylish and sturdy headphones, and the Live 660NC is no different. It'south are composed of quality materials, including plastic, aluminum, leather and sail, all of which expect and experience premium. The headband and yokes are pliable, though the earcups are the most durable component and boast striking details similar an embossed JBL logo and silver accents. They also support collapsible hinges to easily store the Live 660NC.
There is no IP rating listed for these headphones, so you should be mindful of where you leave them and how you apply them. For instance, the canvas wrapping around the headband attracts a lot of dirt, especially on the white version, which also makes scuffs and scratches more noticeable.
There is a sheet pocketbook in the box to behave the headphones on commutes, though it isn't as chichi or durable as the 700 and WH-1000XM4'south leather carrying cases. Don't think most wearing these at the gym or around the jacuzzi either, considering in that location is goose egg water or sweat resistance.
Comfort and fit are a mixed bag. The yokes take 11 length settings to fit near caput sizes, but the clamp force is incredibly tight and feels similar your caput is caught in a vise, applying unwanted force per unit area on the skull. This also creates a warm, moisture-filled environment afterwards long listening sessions. I approximate the one positive of the snug, overly-tight fit is that the headphones remain stable when worn.
JBL Alive 660NC review: Controls and digital assistant
- An abundance of controls
- However, some inputs are finnicky
- Google Assistant not very reliable
The Live 660NC is one of the most function-heavy pairs of headphones on the market. We're talking physical and touch controls, along with motion detection and vocalism activation. The majority work well, but the digital assistant feature has its fair share of technical issues.
Permit'due south start with the button commands that consist of single and 2-2d presses. There's a multifunctional button that enables playback, call management and digital assistance, likewise equally volume rockers that either raise/lower sound or skip back/frontward a track. To a higher place the three-button module is a spring-loaded power toggle that has a nice recoil consequence, while below it is a Bluetooth push and Ambience Aware button to cycle through the different listening modes. These all produce solid tactility to ensure intended commands are met.
The Car-Play/Intermission function works superbly, automatically pausing music when removing the headphones and resuming play when placed back on the caput.
It's pretty absurd that JBL programmed an alternative mode to access the vox assistant via touch console on the left earcup. A 2-2d printing or placing your mitt atop the ear cup will enable the native digital assistant, or and so the instructions say. I say that because it took numerous tries and an hour of troubleshooting to even get this feature working properly.
The Live 600NC comes with Google Banana and Alexa integration. Siri is supported too, but the Vox Banana setting must exist fix to default in lodge to go it working on Apple devices like the iPhone 12, which is something JBL doesn't tell you. When able to use the Google Assistant, I was happy with the AI bot's responsiveness to inquiries and the speech recognition JBL'southward mic-array demonstrated. Unfortunately, the characteristic was spotty, either giving me a phonation prompt stating the Google Banana wasn't set up or not recognizing the "OK Google" vocalism command.
JBL Live 660NC review: Active noise cancellation
- Reasonably effective ANC
- Ambient Aware fashion works well
JBL's dissonance-cancelling technology has improved over the years, and though it'south nonetheless several notches below what Bose, Sony, and Apple deliver, it's effective for blocking almost lxxx% of ambient noise. Whenever wearing the Live 660NC inside the house, mutual distractions similar, door buzzers, kitchen appliances, and my wife'south iPhone alarms went unheard. Despite my newborn making his presence felt here and at that place, his cries and grunting were minimized well enough to go along me focused on tasks.
Outside provided fairly decent noise neutralization. Air current resistance wasn't as stiff as I would have liked, equally the whooshing consequence produced in drafty conditions and by whisking cars had my full attention. Gardening tools similar foliage-blowers and lawnmowers were also unavoidable, along with high-frequency sounds like police sirens and whistles. The good news is that these noises weren't blaring, so despite existence aural, none were harmful to my hearing.
Ambient Aware is JBL's transparency mode and opens upward the mics to give listeners a better sense of their environment. Information technology's serviceable for use inside the house, but you'll get the best operation when outside. I was able to selection up on cars that were most a cake away from me, while also hearing joggers sprint by me and dogs barking from a distance. Vocals are much louder and clearer in TalkThru mode, which drops volume down to twenty percentage so you can communicate with others without taking off the headphones. In short, it performs well.
JBL Live 660NC review: Sound quality
- Favors bass over treble
- Using app controls yields all-time results
The Live 660NC's standard sound signature is flat and keeps frequency response relatively balanced. All the same, this is only the example when disabling the EQ in the companion app. JBL really makes its JBL Club Pro+ TWS EQ the default, which is the more favorable option and gives music a livelier presence, though bass does become overly aggressive on sure tracks.
The striking snares on Naughty by Nature'south "Hip Hop Hooray (Pete Rock Remix)" had my neck snapping back off impact, while the conga-and-drum affiliation on Busta Rhymes' "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could Encounter" landed difficult blows to my eardrums that stimulated a head-nod trance. The low stop on Wyclef Jean'south "We Trying to Stay Live" did come off more boomy than necessary, but the headphones handled other percussive elements well and opened upwardly the soundscape for the rapper's braggadocious rhymes to be heard clearly.
While highs are nowadays, they often become put on the back-burner, which is most noticeable on Jazz recordings. The hi-hats on Cannonball Adderley's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" lacked emphasis and sounded a bit tinny. In addition, the live audition was mostly veiled behind the instrumental play. Rock classics like Iron Maiden'due south "Hallowed Be Thy Proper name" had this same result; the tolling bell at the beginning wasn't stirring enough to set up the mood.
I matter worth noting when listening in standard fashion: bass is minorly increased compared to Ambient Enlightened and noise cancellation. Sound quality does remain the aforementioned when switching from Ambience Enlightened to noise cancellation and vice versa. Some other tidbit is that bass and clarity take dips when using the aux cable.
There is terrible latency when watching videos, merely there is a special manner in the app that drastically improves the quality (more on that in the side by side department).
JBL Live 660NC review: App and special features
- Video mode essential for movie playback
- Lots of sound profiles and bonus features
Most of the major features in the JBL Headphones app are supported by the Live 660NC. Yous'll see the Ambience Sound Control setting to manually select from all of the listening modes, too every bit the Smart Sound Modes setting with three options to optimize Bluetooth and audio based on preference. Normal keeps your connectedness stable, Audio emphasizes sound, and Video improves lip synchronization when watching videos. You won't notice much of a difference between the first two modes, merely as I previously alluded to in the sound quality department, Video fixes the horrible latency on videos.
At the bottom is the EQ setting, where users can create their ain sound profiles or select from iv presets: Jazz, Vocal, Bass, and the same JBL Club Pro+ TWS. Again, stick with the latter to achieve the best audio. Withal, yous'll get some value out of Jazz when zoning out to Miles Davis, while Song is platonic for podcasts and commentary clips.
Rounding out the app are a battery level indicator, firmware updates, toggle controls for the voice assistant and on-ear detection, and an Auto-off setting to place the headphones in sleep manner when inactive after a certain amount of time. Overall, y'all accept an extensive feature set to work with.
JBL Live 660NC review: Bombardment life and charging instance
- Lasts longer than sub-luxury rivals
- Effective fast charging
Bombardment life is rated at twoscore hours with ANC on. That is double the playtime of the 700 and AirPods Max, and 10 hours longer than the WH-1000XM4. Realistically, it'due south nigh 37 hours when factoring in volume, streaming, and several features running simultaneously. Even then this is more than substantial for a week's worth of entertainment at your piece of work desk or on an international flight. For reference, I'k withal at xxx percentage after using the headphones two hours daily over the past two weeks.
Even better is that a quick accuse can net you 4 hours of use on 10-minute charge, while turning off noise counterfoil extends playtimes to fifty hours. I would say that wireless charging should have been included, as it is on the Marshall Major Four wireless headphones, but that almost seems greedy considering portable ability the Live 660NC already possesses.
JBL Live 660NC review: Phone call quality and connectivity
- Decent calls, just lots of background noise
- First-class Bluetooth performance and range
The Alive 660NC is adequate for calls and video chats, though you lot'll have to participate in repose settings since the mics pick up equally of noise around you. Clients institute my phonation loud and clear when speaking indoors, but could also hear everything effectually me, from my baby boy shaking his rattle to the cat scratching the door. Trying to reply calls outside was a piddling tougher due to the Live 660NC's middling wind resistance. My wife could make out well-nigh of my sentences. She also noticed when I was stuck in drafty conditions.
Wireless functioning is superb with Bluetooth 5.0 running the betoken. Pairing to devices is effortless no thing the platform, though Android gets the ameliorate terminate of deal thanks to Google Fast Pair. Re-pairing is even quicker, with the Live 600NC instantly linking to your most previously connected device.
Range is besides longer than advertised, getting you upward to 45 anxiety of wireless listening. The just thing missing is JBL's proprietary Dual Connect+Sync technology that allows for instant switching from one device to some other, though it would seem a bit pointless since the headphones take multipoint technology to pair with ii devices simultaneously.
JBL Live 660NC review: Verdict
The JBL Live 660NC is an enticing bargain for bass lovers who want adaptive noise counterfoil in an appealing package. JBL's 40mm drivers maintain the make's signature sound, feeding your ears punchy lows and solid midrange, though the bass does come up on strong and covers upward highs on certain tracks. Battery life is top tier at nigh 40 hours, which puts the Bose 700 and AirPods Max to shame. The noise cancellation is benign for the toll as well.
Despite the Live 600NC having near every bong and whistle desirable on a pair of dissonance-cancellers, not everything hits its marking. The voice banana acts screwy out of the box, and JBL needs to do a better job of showing its back up of Siri or at to the lowest degree inform users of how they can enable it hassle-free. Some other drawback is comfort, as the headphones clench down difficult on both the skull and ears when adjusting the yokes to a low setting.
Nonetheless, the Live 660NC has then much going for information technology that a lot of $200 headphones merely don't, which makes them an inexpensive standout.
- More: The all-time headphones with a mic for voice and video calls
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/jbl-live-660nc
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