TWS with a fairly expensive price generally promises ear-pleasing sound quality. That hope immediately crossed our minds when the JBL Tour Pro+ first arrived on the test table. Moreover, this product comes from the JBL brand, which is arguably already recognized for its ability to mix audio devices.
Curious what our experience was like using JBL Tour Pro+? Come on, just take a look at the short review!
More premium design
With a price that is not cheap, it is only natural that the JBL Tour Pro+ appears more premium. The material is still predominantly plastic, but it is covered in an elegant finishing with a touch of glossy accents on both the earbuds and the casing, which is quite helpful to give a luxurious impression.
The size of the earbud housing in our opinion is a bit large. For a wide ear contour, the Tour Pro+ feels right to cover every gap. In addition, you also don’t have to worry about this TWS easily slipping out of the ear when it is actively moving. The fittings are solid and comfortable enough to wear for a long time.
On the other hand, the rather large size of the earbuds makes the Tour Pro+ less than ideal for users with smaller ear contours. Even if forced, the earbuds will look too protruding and may be a little annoying if you prefer low-profile earbuds or a bit hidden.
The Tour Pro+ case also has dimensions that are above the current TWS average. Quite thick and wide so it’s not fun to put in a jeans pocket. Fortunately, this large dimension has been replaced by a battery capacity in the casing that is able to provide extra durability.
In this case there is a USB Type-C port for charging which is located at the bottom. Not only that, the Tour Pro + casing also supports wireless charging. The hinges feel very solid and smooth when we open the lid. The weight of this case is about 56 grams.
Bluetooth 5.0 and touch control
Please note that the JBL Tour Pro+ already supports touch-based controls which during our tests felt very responsive. Both the left and right earbuds can be adjusted for their respective touch functions, including to increase or decrease the volume.
For business connections, Tour Pro + relies on Bluetooth 5.0 technology. It’s quite okay even though there are TWS from other brands at more affordable prices that already offer Bluetooth 5.2. During the test, we did not find any significant problems regarding connectivity to the smartphone.
The JBL Tour Pro+ also supports the Dual Connect function which is claimed to allow a more stable Bluetooth connection. Each earbud can also be connected to a smartphone independently, so you can assign the function of the left or right earbuds, and receive phone calls using either earbud or both.
Then, what about voice control? Of course available. You can activate the voice assistant by speaking Hey Google if you rely on Google Assistant. Besides Google, Tour Pro+ also supports Amazon Alexa.
Great audio quality!
When the Tour Pro + earbuds can fit snugly in the ears, we consider the audio quality they produce to be commendable. The sound character is more towards warm balanced, with a steady bass response but not to cover the other frequencies. You will enjoy a lot of detail through the mid frequencies, while the highs sound clear and not ear-piercing.
For your information, the JBL Tour Pro+ is armed with a 6.8mm Dynamic Driver supported by JBL Pro Sound. The combination that we think is very satisfying. We also had time to try listening to music for hours using Tour Pro+. As a result, this TWS does not tire the ears quickly.
When listening to the song For The First Time from The Script, we felt that all the instruments sounded clear with a good soundstage. Vocals sound firm with a slightly forward position. The beat of the kick drum is steady, and the guitar sound is detailed.
Turning to the song Daft Punk – Get Lucky, we Tour Pro+ can present every instrument and vocal of this song very well. The soundstage is clear. The guitar position, the hi-hat beat, the kick drum, the vocalist’s voice, and the bass are all just right. The bass is a bit dominant, but not too much.
To listen to even louder rock songs, we think the JBL Tour Pro+ can still be the right choice. There is no excessive sound distortion so we can listen to rock playlists from start to finish comfortably.
ANC and supporting applications
The JBL Tour Pro+ is equipped with Adaptive Noise Canceling technology that relies on internal and external microphones. When activated, this feature is able to reduce low-frequency noise from the surroundings quite well. But for high frequency noise sometimes it can still penetrate the ear.
You can also choose to activate Ambient Sound Control if you still want to hear sounds from the surrounding environment when listening to music. For example, when you are on the sidewalk or waiting for an announcement at the station or airport. The TalkThru feature which is also part of Ambient Sound Control is useful when you want to talk to someone directly without having to remove the earbuds.
You can manage all these features through an application called JBL Headphones which can be directly downloaded for free on your smartphone. Through this application, you can also tamper with the Equalizer, change the touch control function, activate the voice assistant, and access the Find My Buds feature.
Long battery life
As mentioned above, the JBL Tour Pro+ has a rather large dimension, especially the case. Naturally, because the embedded battery is quite special. When ANC was off and the volume was set to 50 percent, we were able to listen to music for at least 7 or 8 hours. If ANC is active, it can take up to 5 hours. Plus the battery from the casing, the total duration of use can reach 32 hours.
Conclusion
JBL Tour Pro+ may be considered a bit expensive for some users. Even so, the price set in our opinion is in accordance with the quality it offers. The audio presented sounds good and is suitable for a variety of music genres. In addition, the battery life is also very good.
For those who are interested, the JBL Tour Pro+ is sold in Indonesia with a price range of 2.5 – 2.8 million rupiah. There is only one color option, which is black.
Advantages of JBL Tour Pro+:
- Elegant design
- Ear-pleasing audio quality
- The battery is quite durable
- Responsive touch controls
- Supported Adaptive Noise Canceling
- Companion application has complete features
- Wireless charging
Disadvantages of JBL Tour Pro+:
- Big earbuds, not suitable for small ears
- Case dimensions are thicker than most other TWS
- It would be more interesting if there were several different color choices
