JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless Headphones Review

The JBL Live Pro 2 TWS have a nearly identical look to the JBL Live Pro+ TWS True Wireless. They have a stem design that doesn't go too far down your ear. It has a glossy finish, but it looks a little cheap. They come in four color variations: 'Black', 'Silver', 'Rose', and 'Blue'.

These buds are decently comfortable. They have a lightweight fit that doesn't enter your ear canal very deeply. Registering commands also won't push the bud against your ear. However, they differ from the JBL Live Pro+ TWS True Wireless as they have an 'Oval TubesTM' design. The nozzle is ovular instead of round and is designed to improve the ear tip's seal. That said, the buds tend to pop out of your ear with small movements like talking. They also don't come with as many ear tip options as the Live Pro+ either, and you may need to change the tips to get a better fit.

These headphones have great controls. The buds are responsive and easy to use. However, there aren't any volume controls by default, and if you want to remap these settings, you will lose other controls. There's no audible feedback when changing tracks or playing and pausing audio. You'll also lose access to some controls if you're using one bud while the other is charging.

On the left earbud:

• Single press: Turns ANC on and off.
• Double press: Activates ambient noise mode.

On the right earbud:

• Single press: Plays and pauses audio.
• Double press: Skips to the next track.
• Triple press: Skips to the previous track.

These buds are exceptionally portable, which is normal for truly wireless headphones. They can easily fit into most pockets without a problem.

The case is made of matte plastic and feels good overall. Three lights on the front of the case indicate the battery life. Unfortunately, the lid seems a bit thin and more susceptible to breakage.

These earbuds have a good build quality. They're mostly made of plastic, which feels sturdy but a little cheap. They're certified IPX5 for resistance against direct water contact. Unfortunately, the ear tips feel prone to ripping, and the lid of the case is thin-feeling, so it may be prone to damage over time.

They're decently stable. They don't have stability fins or ear hooks, meaning they can fall out with intense head movements. The buds can also pop out of your ear if you're talking, so trying to get the best fit with the included ear tips is important.

• JBL Live Pro 2 TWS headphones
• 3x tip sizes
• Charging case
• USB-C to USB-A charging cable
• Manuals

The JBL Live Pro 2 have a slightly v-shaped sound profile. They deliver extra thump, rumble, and boom to mixes while vocals and lead instruments are bright. You can customize their sound to suit your tastes via their companion app's graphic EQ and presets.

The frequency response consistency is excellent. Assuming you can achieve a good fit and seal using the included ear tips, you can get consistent bass and treble delivery each time you use them.

These buds have very good bass accuracy. It's overemphasized across the range, so mixes have intense thump, rumble, and boom. This sound is well-suited for genres like EDM and hip-hop that can benefit from extra punch and warmth.

They have excellent mid accuracy. There's a small bump in the high-mid, which makes vocals and lead instruments more intense. However, the range is fairly flat and well-balanced, so vocals and instruments sound present and clear in mixes.

The treble accuracy is very good. The response is overemphasized across the range, resulting in detailed vocals and lead instruments and bright sibilants like cymbals. In songs like the Wallflowers' cover of Heroes, the hi-hats throughout the chorus are crisp but not piercing.

The peaks and dips performance is great. A small dip in the mid-mid nudges vocals and instruments to the back of the mix. Two peaks in the treble range make vocals and instruments sound harsh, while sibilants like hi-hats are piercing.

They have excellent imaging performance. This manufacturer makes a lot of headphones at different price points, yet their products generally have well-matched drivers across the board. Imaging can vary from unit to unit, though. Our unit's L/R drivers are well-matched in group delay, phase, amplitude, and frequency response. Although there are a couple of peaks in the phase response's treble range, which skews audio towards the left, it's tricky to hear with real-life content.

Their passive soundstage performance is bad, though this is normal from in-ear headphones. Since they completely bypass your outer ear, sound feels like it's coming from inside your head rather than from around you.

These headphones have a great weighted harmonic distortion performance. All frequencies fall within good limits, resulting in clear and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test the JBL Live Pro 2, and our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

Note: These buds have a sensor that turns the ANC off when the sensor doesn't detect skin. We used copper tape with a wire to test them with the ANC on.

The noise isolation performance is great. They have an ANC system that you can customize, either by selecting Adaptive ANC or adjusting the ANC's level. You can also access the following features to improve their noise isolation performance: 'Leakage Compensation', 'Ear Canal Compensation', and 'Ear Canal Test'. For more information regarding these tests, check out the App Support test. With all these features on and using the adaptive ANC, they can block out much of the low rumble of bus and plane engines. They can also tackle ambient chatter and the high-pitched hum of AC units. That said, without any of these features on and with the ANC set to high, they still block out a very similar amount of ambient noise.

The leakage performance is great. Audio bleed is mostly concentrated in the treble range, so escaping audio sounds thin. If you're listening to audio at high volumes in a moderately noisy environment, others around you may hear it, but it's still fairly minimal.

The integrated mic has a sub-par recording quality. Your voice sounds thin and dark, making it somewhat tricky to hear speech clearly.

The mic's noise handling performance is satisfactory. The mic has trouble separating your voice from moderate background noise, like a busy street. Compared to the JBL Live Pro+ TWS True Wireless, the volume of your voice is much lower when there's noise present, making it a bit harder to hear your voice clearly.

The JBL Live Pro 2 have a good battery performance. The manufacturer advertises them to last six hours continuously with the adaptive ANC on, and we measured over eight hours. That said, battery life can vary depending on usage. The carrying case supplies roughly three additional charges if you need them. You can also use one bud while the other one charges.

The JBL Headphones app is excellent. There are a lot of customization features just for the ANC. You can turn it on or off, as well as access the Adaptive ANC or the adjustable ANC level. There's a Leakage Compensation feature, which checks the earbuds' leakage and adjusts the ANC level in real-time, Ear Canal Compensation, which scans your ear canal, and an Ear Canal Test to optimize their ANC system. As with the more budget-friendly JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless, there's also a parametric EQ and presets to fine-tune their sound. You can remap their controls, check the buds' fit in your ears, and select power-saving modes.

These buds have very good Bluetooth connectivity. You can simultaneously connect them with up to two devices at a time. Their app also offers two different modes: Audio mode, which prioritizes high sound quality, and Video mode, which prioritizes lower audio latency. When using the Audio mode, they have very high audio latency, which is noticeable and pretty distracting when watching video content. They have significantly lower latency when using the Video mode, and you won't notice lip-synching issues with any of your devices. That said, some apps or devices will automatically compensate for latency.

The JBL Live Pro 2 TWS have a USB-A to USB-C charging cable. However, the headphones don't support any wired connections.

These earbuds can connect to PCs with full compatibility via Bluetooth. However, they can't connect to PCs in any other way.

They come with a carrying case with a USB-C input for recharging. The case also supports Qi Wireless charging.