These Are The Headphones I Recommend For Travel - And They'll Stay Powered All Week

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds connection clear and beardown sound, powerful sound cancellation, and a artillery life that will past you your full activity week.
• The earbuds travel pinch galore improvements, for illustration a Smart-Charging Case compatibility that plugs into in-flight intermezo aliases laptops for instant Bluetooth connectivity, arsenic good arsenic spatial audio.
• The build value of nan Tour Pro 3 buds feels cheaper than their predecessors, and I had problem connecting nan earbuds astatine times.

Most euphony listeners person elemental demands for their earbuds: they want a artillery life that lasts for days and audio that sounds clear and strong. JBL has ever known astir this winning combination, and nan audio marque develops its products accordingly. 

Also: Why I urge these wireless earbuds to astir group - moreover though they're for gaming

So erstwhile JBL sent maine its Tour Pro 3 earbuds, I already knew nan benignant of merchandise I was moving pinch earlier I put them successful my ears. I've besides had nan chance to trial nan Tour Pro 2 earbuds and comparison definite specs from 1 procreation to nan next. Here's what stands retired nan astir about JBL's Tour Pro 3 and whether aliases not you should spell for nan caller procreation aliases instrumentality to nan earlier-gen earbuds that are $80 cheaper. 

The JBL Tour Pro 3 are marketed arsenic earbuds you tin return everyplace -- from a tally astir nan parkland to a long-haul flight. This wide applicability is enabled by nan earbuds' upgraded Smart-Charging Case, which connects to in-flight intermezo systems aliases your laptop for instant audio relationship and clear-call capability. You really tin perceive to anything, anywhere, pinch these earbuds -- arsenic agelong arsenic you don't mind nan case's chunky build.

Also: I replaced my AirPods pinch these Nothing earbuds, and it was a sound decision

Set broadside by side, nan Tour Pro 2 and Tour Pro 3 look astir identical. JBL says it's accrued nan size of nan smart show lawsuit and made immoderate mini improvements, but not overmuch has changed appearance-wise from nan 2nd procreation to nan third. 

What has changed, however, is sound. The sound of nan Tour Pro 3 earbuds is important and clear, successful general, compared to nan Tour Pro 2. The earbuds present beardown and large sound that captures nan afloat scope of music. I listened to nan aforesaid opus astatine nan aforesaid measurement connected some devices and recovered that nan Tour Pro 3 buds stepped up their crippled pinch crisp and lucid euphony delivery. 

The earbuds are a boon for desk-side workers who trust connected sound cancellation for heavy attraction and beardown microphones for video and audio calls. I didn't person a problem taking meetings pinch these earbuds and utilized nan Smart-Charging Case's clear telephone functionality to link nan buds to my video calls. 

Also: The champion noise-canceling earbuds: I've tested nan pairs that quiet it each down

At mid volumes, nan sound is still immersive and strong, thing I look for arsenic a surefire motion of value earbuds. JBL adds spatial audio to nan third-generation buds, which boosts immersion arsenic you perceive to euphony aliases play a video game. JBL's spatial audio is not arsenic immersive arsenic what I've heard from competing earbuds, for illustration nan Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds, which costs astir nan same. So, if nan characteristic is precocious connected your privilege list, nan Bose will service you better.

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

The Tour Pro 3 earbuds connection 3 listening situation features: sound cancellation, ambient awareness, and Talk Thru. The sound cancellation is beardown and eliminates astir ambient distractions, while immoderate voices aliases harsher noises thin to gaffe through. I'm not a instrumentality of nan ambient alert characteristic connected nan Tour Pro 2 earbuds because of really inorganic it makes your euphony feel. This characteristic connected nan Tour Pro 3 is improved but it's still not my favorite. 

Also: I replaced my bulky headphones pinch these Pixel earbuds for walking - and can't spell back

The 1 area wherever nan Tour Pro 2 earbuds supersede nan Tour Pro 3 is successful build quality. The Tour Pro 2 earbuds person a important weight, which helps anchor them successful your ears and makes them consciousness for illustration a $300 brace of buds. Holding some earbuds successful my hand, nan weight of nan Tour Pro 3 buds is acold lighter -- and much plasticky -- than nan Tour Pro 2. This lighter build besides makes them prone to falling retired of my ears. 

As is nan lawsuit for a JBL device, these earbuds person important artillery life, pinch a maximum playtime of 44 hours pinch ANC off. I did not person to interest astir charging these buds until nan extremity of my testing play -- erstwhile nan case's artillery was afloat depleted, but nan earbuds still maintained an 80% charge. 

ZDNET's buying advice

While I was mostly impressed pinch nan Tour Pro 3's caller features, including clearer, stronger sound, spatial audio, and nan Smart-Charging Case's functionalities, nan lighter, plasticky build of nan earbuds made maine not want to drawback and deterioration them arsenic often arsenic I would different buds. The Tour Pro 3 earbuds would autumn retired of my ears arsenic I moved because they grounded to beryllium anchored by nan weight. A $330 brace of earbuds should consciousness for illustration a weighty acquisition successful nan hand, and that's not nan lawsuit pinch nan Tour Pro 3 buds.

If you want earbuds pinch astonishing sound, awesome sound cancellation, and a long, enduring artillery life that will past you nan full activity week and past some, these are nan buds for you. If nan lighter and cheaper build of nan Tour Pro 3 earbuds is giving you pause, I'd urge nan Tour Pro 2 buds instead, which connection conscionable arsenic beardown sound cancellation and a sturdier consciousness successful your ears.