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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Accuracy
    5. Mid Accuracy
    6. Treble Accuracy
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation
    2. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Bluetooth
    2. Non-Bluetooth Wireless
    3. Wired
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless vs JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Aug 09, 2023 04:23 PM

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Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Jan 15, 2024 08:01 PM

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JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Picture

Variants

  • LIVE 300TWS (Black)
  • LIVE 300TWS (Blue)
  • LIVE 300TWS (Purple)
  • LIVE 300TWS (White)
  • Live Free NC+ TWS (Black)
  • Live Free NC+ TWS (Blue)
  • Live Free NC+ TWS (Pink)
  • Live Free NC+ TWS (White)

Our Verdict

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless

JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless

The JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless and the JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless are similarly performing in-ears and, depending on your usage, you may prefer one over the other. While both headphones are comfortable and well-built, the 300TWS do a better job of passively blocking out noise than the NC+'s ANC. The 300TWS have a better mic recording quality. However, the NC+ have a better battery performance and have lower latency on Android, iOS, and PC, although different devices and apps compensate for this differently.

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Black
LIVE 300TWS
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Black
Live Free NC+ TWS
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Blue
LIVE 300TWS
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Blue
Live Free NC+ TWS
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White
LIVE 300TWS
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White
Live Free NC+ TWS
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Purple
LIVE 300TWS
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Pink
Live Free NC+ TWS
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.3
7.6

Bass Accuracy 
 

7.7
9.1

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Design Picture 2
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

In-ear
In-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.5

Comfort Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Comfort Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.03 lbs
0.03 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0 lbs
0 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

7.1
6.7

Controls Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Controls Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Good

Feedback  

Decent
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
No

Microphone Control  

No
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

Adjustable
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

9.2
9.2

Breathability After Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Breathability After Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

0.8 °C
0.8 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.2
9.5

Portability Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Portability Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Portability Picture

 

1.7" (4.3 cm)
1.1" (2.8 cm)

 

1.3" (3.3 cm)
1.3" (3.3 cm)

 

1.2" (3.0 cm)
1.0" (2.5 cm)

Volume  

2.70 in³ (44.24 cm³)
1.30 in³ (21.30 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

7.5
7.5

Case Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Case Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

 

2.7" (6.9 cm)
2.4" (6.1 cm)

 

1.2" (3.0 cm)
1.2" (3.0 cm)

 

2.0" (5.1 cm)
1.4" (3.6 cm)

Volume  

6.50 in³ (106.52 cm³)
3.90 in³ (63.91 cm³)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Build Quality Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

8.0
8.0

Stability Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Stability Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Angled Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Side Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Front Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Rear Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Top Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless In The Box Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Amount 
 

2.79 dB
-0.32 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.84 dB
-1.16 dB
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

9.9
9.3

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.03 dB
0.15 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Accuracy 
 

7.7
9.1

Bass  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

3.34 dB
1.13 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

12.78 Hz
29.54 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

4.26 dB
-1.99 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

3.87 dB
0.45 dB

High-Bass 
 

2.6 dB
-0.47 dB
Show Text 

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.9
8.8

Mid  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

1.41 dB
1.56 dB

Low-Mid 
 

1.18 dB
0.02 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-1.49 dB
-1.96 dB

High-Mid 
 

-0.07 dB
-1.14 dB
Show Text 

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.5
7.9

Treble  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.31 dB
3.23 dB

Low-Treble 
 

-0.77 dB
-2.32 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

-0.15 dB
-2.62 dB

High-Treble 
 

-1.64 dB
-3.31 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

8.6
8.6

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

0.89 dB
0.96 dB

Dips 
 

1 dB
0.83 dB
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

8.8
9.2

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.16
0.2

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

4.25
1.94

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.99
0.25

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.16
1.19
Show Text 

Passive Soundstage 
 

0.8
1.0

PRTF  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless PRTF
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Openness 
 

3.2
4.0

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

0.5
0.8
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Virtual Soundstage
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.8
8.2

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.238
0.211

WHD @ 100 
 

0.119
0.078
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

3.3.0
v2.2.0

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 4.2
Bluetooth 5.0

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

Off
Off

ANC 
 

No ANC
On

Tip/Pad 
 

Silicone (small)
Silicone (small)

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

6.3
5.5

Noise Isolation  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-18.68 dB
-14.84 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
Yes

Bass 
 

-3.43 dB
-2.76 dB

Mid 
 

-19.91 dB
-13.85 dB

Treble 
 

-34.38 dB
-28.95 dB
Show Text 

Leakage 
 

9.6
9.3

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

23.72 dB
25.45 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Recording Quality 
 

7.1
5.9

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

329.38 Hz
604.08 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.77 dB
4.7 dB

HFE 
 

7,346.09 Hz
4,974.24 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

0.513
0.029

Gain 
 

0.31 dB
-12.45 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

5.8
6.2

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

20.38 dB
10.58 dB

Noise Gate 
 

Always On
Always On

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

6.0
7.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

5.5
5.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

6.1
6.9

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

4.4 hrs
5.4 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

2.0
2.0

Total Battery Life 
 

13.2 hrs
16.2 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.3 hrs
1.3 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

No
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

App Support 
 

8.0
8.0

App Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless App Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless App Picture

App Name  

JBL Headphones
JBL Headphones

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

Parametric + Presets
Parametric + Presets

ANC Control 
 

No
On/Off

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

Yes
Yes

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

6.7
6.9

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0
5.1

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

215.00 ft (65.53 m)
197.00 ft (60.05 m)

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

376 ms
179 ms

PC Latency (aptX) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

185 ms
81 ms

Android Latency 
 

233 ms
116 ms
Show Text 

Non-Bluetooth Wireless 
 

0.0
0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-BT Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Wired 
 

0.0
0.0

Cable Picture  

JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless Cable Picture
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable  

No
No

Length  

N/A
N/A

Connection 
 

No Wired Option
No Wired Option

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

No
No

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

No
No

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

No
No

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

2.2
2.2

Type 
 

Charging Case
Charging Case

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Power Supply 
 

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

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Black
LIVE 300TWS
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Black
Live Free NC+ TWS
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Blue
LIVE 300TWS
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Blue
Live Free NC+ TWS
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White
LIVE 300TWS
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White
Live Free NC+ TWS
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Purple
LIVE 300TWS
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Pink
Live Free NC+ TWS
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JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless

JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless

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JBL LIVE 300TWS Truly Wireless vs JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless: Main Discussion

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