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In-ear headphones featuring an active noise cancellation (ANC) system are the JBL TUNE 230NC TWS True Wireless. Similar to their sibling product, the JBL Tune 130NC TWS Truly Wireless, they offer a secure fit, good construction, and are water-resistant to IPX4 standards. They have a bass-heavy sound profile out of the box, but you can alter it with their companion app’s parametric EQ and presets.
They can run continuously for more than eight hours, and their carrying case can accommodate up to three more charges if necessary. It’s disappointing that their ANC performs only mediocrely overall and is unable to drown out the low rumble of plane and bus engines. There are a wide variety of wireless earbuds and headphones available. also you will learn our article on JBL Tune 230NC review.
Thanks to the broad selection available, it’s presently simpler than ever to acquire products. However, the variety has made it more difficult than ever for people to make choices. According to many current consumers, sticking with well-known brands is the best approach to avoid any difficulties. With a 55-year history, JBL is known for creating some of the most adored wireless speakers, headphones, and earbuds.
Design
The earphone case for the JBL 230NC is the first thing we noticed about it. It is pretty understated and feels high-end in the hand. Two additional sets of silicone ear tips and quick start manuals are also included with the earphones. Weighting only 47.3 grammes, the charging case is easy to transport.
It is matte black in color and has the company name on the front. A USB-C charging connector has been added to the case’s back. Additionally, it has bright LED lights at the front that show battery and charging status. The magnetic docking and closure of the case keeps the earbuds in place and makes opening and closing it simple. The case feels high-end overall, and it is pocket-friendly.
The earbuds feel large despite being lightweight (5.1 gram), thanks to the long flat stem. The earbuds’ open shape also makes them easy to use all day. Additionally, the business added tiny lights that serve as indicators of connectivity and battery life on both earbuds. The medium-sized silicone tips that are already attached to the earbuds should fit most users comfortably.
JBL Tune 230NC review: Comfort
The stem-style Tune 230NC earpieces are offered in black, blue, or white. Given that there are no additional ear fins or hooks, the in-canal fit is incredibly stable. Three sets of eartips, in small, medium, and large sizes, are provided by JBL. Internally, 6mm drivers have a 16-ohm impedance and a 20Hz–20kHz frequency range. Although the earphones are Bluetooth 5.2 compatible, JBL doesn’t say which codecs they support.
Touch-sensitive on-ear controls with auditory prompts to confirm taps are available. Playback is controlled by a simple tap on the right or left earpiece, which also switches between ANC settings (On, Off, and Ambient Aware). A triple tap on the right ear skips back a track while a double tap advances one. TalkThru mode can be activated by double tapping the left earpiece. A double tap on an incoming or active call will answer or end it, and a long press will mute or unmute your microphone. Long pressing activates the voice assistant on your device when no call is currently active.
The earpieces have an IPX4 water-resistance rating, which is more-or-less standard and means they can withstand light splashes from any angle. This means exposure to sweat and rain shouldn’t be a problem. Just remember not to submerge them in water or run a running faucet while cleaning.
Connectivity
Streams are received via Bluetooth 5.2, and JBL omits potentially better audio codecs like AAC or Apt-X, probably due to cost. The app is designed to aid in establishing the strongest connection possible between earbuds and smartphones for this purpose. Even when the source and transducers are a few metres apart, users have the option of using standard mode for an even more dependable connection. Video mode for the least amount of latency synchronization or Audio mode for the best music playback. you will read our article on JBL Tune 230NC review.
JBL Tune 230NC review: Noise cancelling
A dynamic and deep bass response is something that JBL emphasizes heavily in its marketing. In technical words, this means that the driver and power amplifier will be put under more stress, especially when active noise cancellation (ANC) is taken into account. The 6 mm drivers found inside the JBL Tune 230NC TWS should have enough power reserve to combat outside noise. Four microphones help the algorithm determine the anti-noise, but they should also guarantee excellent speech clarity when taking phone calls.
In order to follow announcements from the outside world or discussions without pulling the earphones out, the noise-cancelling can easily be turned off if necessary or set to transparency mode. Of course, for most ears, three different sized adaptors should guarantee that both buds will fit snugly into the ear canal. The JBL My Headphones app, which is free, helps you choose the best pair.
Audio performance
The 6mm speakers that JBL includes in the Tune 230NC earbuds, in our opinion, produce a pleasing, bassy sound profile. You may generate a sound that isn’t dominated by roaring bass and instead gives a little more refinement by spending some time fiddling with the EQ through the app. The emphasis here is on the bass, and thankfully there is no muddiness at low or high volumes. The Tune 230NC sounds good in the treble department and is a good fit for podcasts. The nice, smooth mids mean that vocal and instrument-dominant tracks are also well-represented here.
JBL does have active noise suppression, as well as Ambient Aware and TalkThru modes to either block out or let the outside world back in, so you can select how much of that sounds you hear. The ANC here performs admirably both indoors and outdoors, working admirably to combat train noise, loud traffic, and aero plane engine noise on our multiple-flight travel to another country for a vacation. However, those who want the best noise cancellation will have to pay more for it.
You have the Ambient Aware and TalkThru modes, which, like ANC, you can toggle on or off via the touch controls on the earbuds, for when it’s time to let the sound back in. The amount of sound that is let back in cannot be adjusted, but it does a wonderful job of making the voices around you the loudest sound in your ears. The four onboard microphones handle calls and, while there are some muffled sounds, they generally do a good job of ensuring reasonably clear call quality. Those microphones work well for the price, but if clear call quality is important to you, look elsewhere.
JBL Tune 230NC review: Call performance
With a total of four microphones, the JBL Tune 230NC TWS can handle voice calls reasonably well—at least if your network or carrier can handle it. Every time a phone rings, call control is always available on either earbud. Double-tapping when one enters responds, while tap-and-hold rejects. Double-tapping once more during a call will end it, and tapping once more while holding will mute or unmute the earbuds’ microphone. Both parties can hear each other during phone conversations, and background noise doesn’t obscure anyone’s speech.
Battery and charging
With active noise cancellation engaged, the JBL Tune 230NC earbuds should provide eight hours of listening time; this number rises to ten hours when it is turned off. A fully charged case provides a total battery life of 24 hours when using the buds in ANC mode, increasing to 30 hours when ANC is turned off. In our studies, we discovered that the times were generally accurate and there was no unsettling usage drop-off.
While listening sessions longer than an hour without ANC experienced only a 1% drop-off, listening sessions with ANC turned on experienced a 2-3% drop-off. It should be noted that these earbuds do offer the benefit of rapid charging, giving you two hours of playing from a 10-minute charge. As a result, it actually takes some time to reach 0% battery life in a fully charged case. It takes two hours to return to 100% when you hit zero, but based on our experience, you probably won’t need to do that for a while.
Price and availability
The JBL Tune 230NC went on sale in October 2021 for $99.95 / £89.99, which converts to about AU$140; the price for Australia has not yet been determined. They are now comparable in price to true wireless earbuds like the fantastic-sounding Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus and the equally outstanding Sony WF-C500. you will check our article on JBL Tune 230NC review.
Conclusion
The JBL TUNE 230NC are suitable for travel and commuting. These headphones are lightweight and feature a small, portable design, so carrying them about is simple. They also have a comfortable fit, and their continuous battery life of over eight hours should last through long days on the road with little to no trouble. They also have three additional charges in their carrying case. The low rumble of bus and airplane engines, however, is still difficult for them to muffle despite having an ANC system.