JBL Tour Pro 2 review: Big ears in a bigger box

Wireless earbuds now come in different shapes and sizes. It gradually seems as if manufacturers have almost exhausted all their ideas about new types of earphones. “Then let’s get to work on the case,” they seemed to think to JBL. The result is the JBL Tour Pro 2: a set of wireless earbuds with a display in the box.

The elephant in the room

To get straight to the point and immediately address the elephant in the room: Yes, that screen on the JBL Tour Pro 2’s charging case is a total gimmick. There are few true wireless earbuds that can grab your attention like the Tour Pro 2s even before you take them out of the box. Whether this screen is useful depends largely on where you put the box. Anyone who does not like to have his pockets full and puts such a box in his backpack will not be able to quickly benefit from it. Is it within your reach? Then you can use the box to play around with the many settings on one of the many screens for media control, volume control, sound modes, equalizer, timer, spatial audio settings, screen brightness, wallpaper, VoiceAware settings, Find-my-buds screen and even a flashlight .

So you have plenty of options on the 1.45-inch touch-sensitive screen. A lot, if you ask us. You have the option to reduce the number of screens to a practical number via the JBL app. Handy, especially since you can adjust all of the earbuds’ settings instantly in the JBL app, but via a slightly larger, more manageable screen. As a result, the box only appears here when it’s time to charge the earbuds or put them away. You can also see what you’re listening to on your phone. Although the box gives you control over what you play, you can’t see exactly what you’re playing.

Design and fit

In addition, the case of the JBL Tour Pro 2 is quite thick. The fact that a 1.45-inch display is glued to it no doubt has something to do with that. There was still room for a box in our pocket, but on a bike it was not nice to have such a box in your pocket.

Fortunately, the earbuds themselves were more comfortable. It has been known for some time that JBL is not averse to bulky earplugs and that is the case here as well. However, the size in no way hampered our wearing comfort. The earbuds are relatively light and fit tightly in the ear. Not sure if they are closing properly for you? Then the JBL app comes to the rescue: the app has a function that allows you to test the seal of your earbuds. Unlike the JBL Reflect Aero, we wanted the Tour Pro 2s to close properly right away, without us having to start applying pressure to the earbuds. It seems that the manufacturer has found a solution that works for most users.

The headphones themselves? They look okay, but nothing more. They are made from a number of different materials and you can clearly see this when you wear them: the flat stems, which appear to be attached to the hats, are clearly composed of a matte and shiny part. I call it silly, but I don’t like to poke my ears open. You can do quite a bit with these headphones.

Sound quality

The sound from the JBL Tour Pro 2 headphones certainly isn’t bad. We particularly noticed that the blend was generally balanced. Bass and treble tones are presented reasonably well. The mid tones are a little more in the background. In practice, this translates into good enough bass response Punch And the definition to also enjoy bass guitars and double basses. So the JBL Tour Pro 2s deliver a complete audio experience.

On the other hand, you’ll have to spend a little more money on the JBL Tour Pro 2 compared to other earbuds in the JBL range. There’s a small catch: in the same price range you can also find earbuds like the Apple Airpods Pro 2 and the Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds II. These headphones put the JBL Tour Pro 2s to the test when it comes to sound quality and box size. We’ll likely see those who don’t want the extra display opt for other earbuds. Compared to cheaper earbuds, we can say that the Tour Pro 2s perform better. So you’re paying a little extra for the display on the charging case, but the earbuds they come in still match their asking price.

Sound modes

The JBL Tour Pro 2s offers support for a number of sound modes. It’s almost obvious that active noise cancellation (ANC) is present in headphones like these. In this regard, JBL seems to be on the right track: when you plug in the earbuds, it’s as if the world around you disappears. ANC seems to be set mainly for the road and in office environments: you no longer hear the radio playing and can ignore the constant noise of a train or cars on the track. You create a bubble of silence, as it were, when you place these headphones in your ears, although loud sounds are still audible.

Does anyone want to talk about the JBL Tour Pro 2’s Ambient Aware mode? Then we would actually prefer to reboot the ANC. It’s almost impossible to have conversations about the constant noise you have to put up with with Ambient Aware mode. Even in relatively quiet environments, it feels like you’re riding a bike with your earbuds on. Do you want to know what’s happening around you? Then we think it would be better to remove the earbuds from your ears.

Battery life

Battery life is difficult to determine for earbuds: since they drain faster when the volume is high, averages are used here. Are you listening with ANC turned on? Then you can count on about eight hours of music. After fifteen minutes of charging, you can listen to music for another 4 hours. In total, you should be able to get up to 40 hours with these headphones, although it’s best not to use the case’s screen too much.

It is especially useful to be able to check at any time how much battery charge is left in the earbuds and in the box. To do this, all you have to do is activate the screen and unlock it: the battery percentage is mentioned at the top for each earbud and for the box.

Conclusion

Overall, the JBL Tour Pro 2s are very solid earbuds. However, it is mainly the matter that attracts attention – and rightly so. Design, sound quality, and fit: they’re all good, but not exactly amazing. This is exactly the case for the charging case. Whether the JBL Tour Pro 2s is the right choice for you will mainly depend on how often you plan to use the box, whether you even want to walk around with such a small screen and how much value you place on it. This will mainly depend on your personal preferences. We found the box to be a little on the large side to keep within reach at all times. Plus, if you really want to fast-forward music without using a mobile phone, you can always tap on your earbuds or use a smartwatch to do so. Moreover, the JBL Tour Pro 2s are especially suitable for those who want to isolate themselves from the outside world using ANC technology. Isn’t that your thing? Then you better look no further.