I fly a lot. And for those like me, you’ll appreciate that keeping one’s gear lean is essential for efficient travel. Hand luggage is a non-negotiable; everything has place and purpose, and any tech I carry must add serious value.
If a pair of noise-cancelling headphones makes the packing cut, it may as well be the best on the market. Until now, only a select few brands were worth considering. JBL has always been one of those contenders, but the new Tour One M3 Smart TX have firmly cemented them as the all-around best in class package for frequent flyers.
JBL’s a big supporter of B.H. and has been for years. Our team use every brand from Apple to Bose, and while JBL indeed funded this day-hop to New Zealand for our real-world trial, I hope you can see past the sponsored tag on this article and get a feel for the genuine adoration I have for this product. Innovation has forever been JBL’s core, and I feel like the Tour One M3’s are the culmination of everything we’ve trusted them with so far.
When it comes to price point, quality, and connectivity – these new cans from the audio powerhouse put them all together with finesse and joy-inducing class. The Smart TX transmitter, which I’ll elaborate on shortly, is the knock-out party trick for this evolution. It essentially transforms your entire in-flight experience into a wireless one. And that’s just the start of the fun.
Armed with a few camera batteries, two window seats on the upper deck of Emirates’ refreshed A380 business class cabin, and JBL’s latest flagship locked over our ears, my buddy Shaun and I took off from Sydney with Christchurch as our one-day destination. It felt like the only way to get an instant grapple on the Tour One’s third-generation updates, which I’ll walk you through below as I pen this from 38,000 feet.
What’s the deal with the ‘Smart TX’ transmitter?
Using your own headphones in airline seatback screens isn’t a novel way of doing audio business in the sky. But using them wirelessly? That’s what the Smart TX transmitter (that comes in the box with the JBL Tour One M3 Smart TX), is here to deliver.
The tiny dongle turns any 3.5mm headphone jack into a Bluetooth 5.3 signal. Plug it in, press play on your film or TV show, and it’s that simple – you’re re-watching Succession completely wirelessly in your throne as the stewardess pours you a fourth glass of Moet (who’s counting?).
With Bluetooth functionality still a way off most new aircraft models, it’s a game-changing win that not only delivers uncompromising audio but will also declutter your entire flying experience for years to come.
What really surprised me was the range of this feature. It extended all the way to the back of the aircraft (surely some 40 metres from my seat), which meant I could keep listening to whatever entertainment I was consuming while I popped to the bar for a cocktail or a snack.
Tell us more about ‘Auracast’…
The other standout feature you need to know about is ‘Auracast’, which is basically JBL’s version of audio sharing, and it works beautifully. Connect two pairs of JBL Auracast-enabled headphones to the same source, and you’re both listening to the same thing, in perfect sync. If we were in work mode, Shaun and I could dial into the same conference call, for example, or when catching up on the F1 replay from Silverstone over the Emirates WiFi, we could enjoy the race action at the same time. We didn’t experience any lag, and it never once dropped out.
Is 70 hours on a single charge too good to be true?
These two wireless perks are impressive, for sure, but it’s actually the battery life stat that had me so dumbfounded when I read it on the box, I had to question its veracity.
JBL claims up to 40 hours of juice with both Bluetooth and active noise-cancelling switched on. Switched off, you can squeeze up to 70 hours from a single charge. With a mix of the two, you can fly to Europe and back without topping up. Numbers like those leave any competitors firmly in the rear view mirror. Just let that sink in.
Naturally, we didn’t get anywhere near running out of battery on our hop to NZ. The battery life is almost so long that you’ll probably forget they need to be charged at all.
On that point, if you do rock up to the airport only to discover your Tour Ones are dead, just five minutes of charge will net you five hours of playback. That’s the kind of peace of mind you don’t realise you’ve paid for until you need it. For a short-haul international flight like ours, a quick top-up at the gate can literally save the day.
A word on JBL’s sound and noise-cancelling comfort?
Let’s not forget what JBL is all about, first and foremost – unparalleled audio quality from vinyl players to music festival sound stages. And the active noise cancelling is everything you’d expect from JBL’s top-tier line, well-balanced with a clean low end, crisp mids, rich detail at the top, and any engine hum in the bin.
In terms of comfort, the ear cups are nicely padded, with a velvety feel that never got sweaty or cumbersome over the short haul. We wore them on and off for close to 10 hours across the day and had zero complaints. If you were running a serious audio setup for all occasions, you could pair the JBL Tour One M3 Smart TX with JBL’s Pro 3 earbuds of the same equivalent. Not all heads are the same, so it’s completely fair if you need to give your ears a rest by alternating between the two.
Smart Talk, which is a common feature across many brands with differing catch phrases, also allows you to catch in-flight announcements or interact with cabin crew without having to take the Tour Ones on and off again repeatedly. I appreciate this feature on planes more than any other occasion.
Final call…
JBL’s Tour One M3 Smart TX have earned their boarding pass. Like me, if your carry-on space is sacred, there are few other non-negotiable travel items I’d include in my ensemble that bring more value to my life than these headphones. Aside from the battery life outlasting your passport, and shared wireless listening from any corner of the aircraft, the new package from JBL is a 360-degree level up. Less of a clutch upgrade to the pointy end, and more of a full-blown rethink of what in-flight audio should be.
This article is presented in partnership with JBL. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Boss Hunting.
