JBL Live Pro+ TWS True Wireless Headphones Review

The JBL Live Pro Plus TWS have a simple, non-descript look with a stem design that doesn't go too far down your ear. They come in four color variants: 'Black', 'White', 'Pink', and 'Beige'.

The JBL Live Pro Plus TWS are comfortable headphones. Like the JBL TUNE 230NC TWS True Wireless, they have a lightweight feel, and using the controls doesn't push them further into your ear, which is nice. However, if you don't get a good seal, the tips may fall out of your ears. Luckily, they come with a lot of tip options to help you find the best possible fit.

These headphones have great controls that are easy to use and responsive. You can press either bud once to answer or end calls, long press to access your phone's voice assistant, or hold for three seconds to mute and unmute the mic when you're on a call. One press on the left earbud turns the ANC on or off while two presses activate Ambient Noise, which allows you to hear your surroundings while still listening to audio. On the right bud, one press plays or pauses audio, two presses skips to the next track, while three presses skips to the previous track. There's no audible feedback when changing tracks, playing audio, or pausing audio. You also lose the ability to skip tracks forward or backward if using only one of the earbuds while the other charges.

The JBL Live Pro Plus TWS have outstanding breathability. They trap very little heat inside your ear, and you shouldn't sweat more than usual, even if you're wearing them while working out.

These headphones are exceptionally portable. They're very small and should fit in most pockets, even when they're inside their carrying case.

The JBL Live Pro TWS have a good carrying case. It's small and made of matte plastic. There are three lights on the front to indicate the case's battery life. Unfortunately, the case's lid seems thin.

The JBL Live Pro Plus TWS have a good build quality. They're made of mostly plastic with a silicone-like material, which feels sturdy enough to survive a few accidental drops without too much of an issue. They're rated IPX4 for water resistance, although we don't currently test for this. That said, their ear tips could rip over time. The carrying case's lid is also thin and could break over time. If you're looking for better-built JBL earbuds, consider the JBL Tour Pro+ TWS True Wireless.

The JBL Live Pro Plus TWS have a stable fit. Although they don't have stability fins or ear hooks, they should stay in your ears during moderate physical activity like a run. However, they could fall out with more high-intensity head shakes.

• JBL Live Pro+ TWS headphones
• 5x tip sizes
• Charging case
• USB-C to USB-A charging cable
• Manuals

The JBL Live Pro+ TWS have a bass-heavy sound profile. They have a bit of extra thump, rumble, and boom, which should please fans of EDM and hip-hop. They're still balanced enough for a variety of audio content, though. Thanks to their companion app, you can customize their sound via a parametric EQ or presets.

The JBL Live Pro TWS have excellent frequency response consistency. Once you achieve a proper fit and seal using the included ear tips, you should get consistent bass and treble delivery each time you use them.

The JBL Live Pro Plus have decent bass accuracy. It's overemphasized across the range, which results in extra thump, punch, and boom. However, some users may find it to be too boomy.

The JBL Live Pro+ TWS have great mid accuracy. There's a bit of overemphasis coming from the bass range and into the low-mid, which muddies the fundamentals of vocals and lead instruments. The dip in the mid-mid slightly nudges these sounds to the back of the mix. That said, the high-mid is very neutral, so vocals and lead instruments are clear, present, and detailed.

The treble accuracy of these headphones is great. There's a bit of overemphasis in the low-treble, so the upper harmonics of vocals and lead instruments are detailed. The mid-treble is more neutral, which ensures that sibilants are bright without being piercing.

The peaks and dips performance of the JBL Live Pro+ TWS is great. There's a prolonged peak in the high-bass to low-mid, which can make mixes sound a little muddy, but it shouldn't be too noticeable. There's also a small dip in the mid-mid, which nudges back vocals and lead instruments, while a bump in the low-treble gives them a bit more detail and articulation. The uneven mid-treble can make sibilants alternatingly dull or piercing.

The JBL Live Pro Plus TWS' imaging performance is outstanding. The weighted group delay falls below the audibility threshold, which results in tight bass and transparent treble. The L/R drivers are also well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response. This is important for the accurate placement and localization of objects (like voices or footsteps) in the stereo image. These results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.

The JBL Live Pro TWS have a bad passive soundstage, which is to be expected from closed-back, in-ear headphones. Due to their design, they bypass the outer ear, which is a big factor in creating a natural, out-of-head soundstage. As a result, they have a small soundstage that seems like it's coming from inside your head.

The JBL Live Pro+ TWS have a very good weighted harmonic distortion performance. There's a couple of spikes in the treble range, at normal and high listening volumes. However, it's very minor and can be hard to hear with real-life content. The rest of the frequency range falls within good limits, resulting in clear and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test the JBL Live Pro+ TWS. Our test results are only valid in this configuration.

The noise isolation performance of the JBL Live Pro Plus is very good. When their active noise cancelling (ANC) feature is set to 'Everyday' mode, they can block out a lot of bass-range noise like bus or plane engines. However, their ANC performance throughout most of the mid and treble ranges is similar to their passive isolation abilities. They can still cut down ambient chatter around you, though. Their ability to block out the high-pitched noise of a fan or AC unit is also decent.

Note: These headphones come with three different ANC levels, but we don't currently test all of them. 'Everyday' mode is designed to block out daily life noise, while 'Travel' targets noise related to airline and train travel. 'Active' handles outdoor noise. We tested on 'Everyday' mode as this setting provides the most efficient noise isolation performance.

These headphones have an excellent leakage performance. The bulk of their leakage occurs in the treble range, which sounds thin. However, it's very slight, and the rest of the frequency range falls low. If you're listening to audio in a noisy environment, people shouldn't be able to hear your audio, even if you play it at a high volume.

The mic's recording quality is mediocre. Your voice sounds dark and a bit muffled.

The integrated mic's noise handling performance is sub-par. It struggles to separate your voice from moderate ambient noise around you, so whoever's on the other end of the line may have trouble understanding you.

The JBL Live Pro+ TWS have a decent battery performance. They have under seven hours of continuous battery life with their ANC on and three additional charges in their case, which is handy when you're on the go. However, battery life can vary depending on your usage, so your real-life experience may vary. If you need to conserve battery life, they also have an auto-off timer, and you can use one bud while the other one charges. If you're looking for JBL in-ears with a longer total battery life, consider the JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless.

The JBL Headphones app is great. It has a parametric EQ and presets so that you can customize the headphones' sound to your liking. You can also turn the ANC on or off, select a different ANC preset, or turn ambient mode on or off if you want to hear your surroundings while still listening to audio. In addition, you can remap the controls, adjust the auto-off timer, turn auto-pause on and off, and see the battery life for each bud as well as the case.

The JBL Live Pro TWS have satisfactory Bluetooth connectivity. Unfortunately, they don't support multi-device, so if you're looking for this feature, it's better to check out the JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless instead. They also have high latency on PC, iOS, and Android, which is disappointing if you like to stream videos. However, some apps and devices compensate for latency differently, so your real-life experience may vary.

The JBL Live Pro Plus TWS are truly wireless headphones and don't support any wired connections. They come with a USB-C to USB-A cable for charging their case.

These headphones aren't compatible with Xbox One or Xbox Series X consoles at all.

The JBL Live Pro+ TWS come with a charging case that holds three additional charges. It supports wireless Qi charging, and it has only one input for its USB-C to USB-A charging cable.