Finding quality noise cancelling headphones under $150 can feel like an impossible task. Most budget options sacrifice either sound quality or noise cancellation effectiveness. The JBL Tune 770NC breaks this pattern by offering impressive features that rival headphones costing twice as much.
JBL enters this fight with confidence, packing their renowned Pure Bass Sound technology into a feature rich package that costs just $129.95.
The competitive noise cancelling headphone market has exploded in recent years. Brands constantly battle to offer the best combination of sound quality, battery life, and active noise cancellation at affordable prices.
Key Takeaways
- Exceptional 70 Hour Battery Life: The standout feature that puts these headphones ahead of most competitors, offering over 47 hours with ANC enabled in real world testing
- JBL Pure Bass Sound Technology: Delivers the signature bass heavy sound that JBL is famous for, perfect for hip hop, electronic dance music, and any bass heavy genres
- Adaptive Noise Cancelling Under $150: While not industry leading, the ANC effectively reduces mid range noise like office chatter and ambient sounds for the price point
- Lightweight Comfort Design: Weighing only 232 grams, these headphones provide excellent comfort for extended listening sessions without causing fatigue
- Comprehensive JBL Headphones App: Features a 10 band equalizer, multiple EQ presets, and listening mode controls that enhance the overall user experience significantly
Design and Build Quality: Striking the Right Balance
The JBL Tune 770NC adopts a minimalist design approach that prioritizes functionality over flashy aesthetics. The all plastic construction might seem budget focused, but JBL has engineered these materials to feel solid and durable. The matte finish resists fingerprints and maintains a clean appearance during daily use.
Color options include black, blue, purple, and white, giving users flexibility to match their personal style. Our purple review unit featured a subtle lavender shade that looked sophisticated rather than childish. The glossy JBL logos on each ear cup provide the only visual accent, creating a balanced design that works in both casual and professional settings.
Foldability represents a crucial feature for portable headphones. The Tune 770NC ear cups swivel flat and fold inward, reducing their overall footprint for travel. However, JBL doesn’t include a carrying case, which feels like a missed opportunity at this price point. The headphones remain vulnerable to damage when thrown into backpacks or travel bags.
The build quality feels appropriate for the price range. While these headphones won’t match premium models in material quality, they demonstrate solid construction that should withstand regular use. The headband hinges represent the weakest point, feeling somewhat loose during our testing period.
Comfort and Fit: Designed for Extended Listening
Comfort becomes critical when choosing headphones for long listening sessions. The JBL Tune 770NC weighs only 232 grams, making them among the lighter options in their category. This reduced weight translates to less pressure on your neck during extended wear.
The padded headband provides adequate cushioning, though it only covers the center section rather than the entire length. This design choice works well for most head sizes but might cause discomfort for users with larger heads or thick hair. The adjustable headband offers sufficient extension range for different head sizes.
Ear pad design presents both strengths and limitations. The faux leather covered cushions feel soft and dense, providing good comfort initially. However, the inner diameter of the ear cups doesn’t offer much space, making it challenging for people with larger ears to achieve a proper over ear seal. This fit issue can impact both comfort and noise isolation effectiveness.
The clamping force measures higher than ideal, which helps maintain stability but can cause fatigue during extended use. Users who wear glasses might experience additional pressure that becomes uncomfortable after several hours of continuous listening.
Sound Quality: JBL Pure Bass Delivers
Sound quality represents the most important factor for any headphones. The JBL Tune 770NC delivers the signature JBL Pure Bass Sound that has made the brand famous in professional audio circles. This sound profile emphasizes low frequency response while maintaining clarity in other frequency ranges.
Bass performance stands out as the headphones’ strongest attribute. The drivers deliver substantial rumble and punch that brings electronic music, hip hop, and rock tracks to life. Sub bass frequencies receive excellent extension, providing the deep foundation that bass enthusiasts crave. Unlike many budget headphones, the bass doesn’t become muddy or overwhelming at higher volumes.
Midrange frequencies receive balanced treatment that preserves vocal clarity and instrumental detail. Lead singers remain prominent in dense mixes, though they occasionally take a slight backseat to the enhanced bass response. This tuning choice works well for popular music genres while remaining acceptable for classical and acoustic content.
Treble response provides good clarity and detail without becoming harsh or fatiguing. The high frequencies help maintain instrument separation and vocal articulation. Some listeners might find the treble slightly boosted, but this emphasis helps balance the strong bass response and prevents the overall sound from becoming too dark.
The included JBL Headphones app features a comprehensive 10 band equalizer that allows significant sound customization. Users can choose from multiple presets or create custom EQ curves to match their preferences. This flexibility helps address any sound signature concerns and makes the headphones adaptable to different music genres.
Active Noise Cancellation: Good for the Price
Active noise cancellation represents one of the most challenging features to implement effectively at budget price points. The JBL Tune 770NC offers adaptive noise cancelling that performs adequately for its cost category, though it doesn’t match premium competitors.
Low frequency noise reduction shows the most limitation. Deep rumbles from airplane engines or subway trains remain partially audible, though the intensity decreases noticeably. Users expecting complete isolation from these environments might feel disappointed, but the performance remains reasonable for the price.
Mid range noise cancellation performs more effectively. Office environments benefit from reduced keyboard typing, air conditioning hum, and background conversations. The adaptive nature of the system adjusts to environmental conditions, though these changes aren’t dramatically noticeable during daily use.
High frequency isolation relies more on the physical ear cup design than active cancellation. The dense foam ear pads provide good passive isolation from sounds like dishes clanking or high pitched mechanical noises. However, users with larger ears who can’t achieve a proper seal will experience reduced effectiveness.
The headphones include Smart Ambient and TalkThru modes that allow environmental awareness when needed. Smart Ambient provides natural sound passthrough for situational awareness, while TalkThru emphasizes vocal frequencies for conversations without removing the headphones.
Battery Life: Industry Leading Performance
Battery performance represents perhaps the JBL Tune 770NC’s most impressive specification. The claimed 70 hours without ANC and 44 hours with ANC enabled exceed most competitors by significant margins. Real world testing confirmed these numbers, with over 47 hours of continuous playback with noise cancellation active.
Charging time remains reasonable at approximately 2 hours for a full charge. The quick charge feature provides 3 hours of playback from just 5 minutes of charging, making these headphones practical for travelers who forget to charge overnight. The USB C charging port represents a modern convenience that eliminates the need for proprietary cables.
Battery conservation features in the JBL Headphones app help extend usage time further. Users can set auto off timers in 30 minute increments up to 90 minutes. The headphones also support passive playback when the battery dies completely, ensuring music doesn’t stop during long trips.
This exceptional battery life makes the Tune 770NC particularly attractive for frequent travelers, commuters, or anyone who prefers not to worry about charging schedules. The performance significantly exceeds competing models in similar price ranges.
Connectivity and Features: Modern Convenience
The JBL Tune 770NC supports Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity with multi device pairing for up to two devices simultaneously. This feature allows seamless switching between smartphones, tablets, and laptops without manual reconnection. Google Fast Pair simplifies the initial setup process for Android users.
Codec support includes SBC and AAC, covering the basic requirements for most devices. However, the absence of LDAC or aptX codecs might disappoint Android users who prioritize high resolution audio streaming. Competitors like the Anker Soundcore Space One offer LDAC support at a lower price.
Latency performance shows some limitations for video content. The measured 138ms delay with SBC codec becomes noticeable during video playback, though the app’s Video Mode attempts to compensate. Users who frequently watch videos might find this latency bothersome, particularly for dialogue heavy content.
Physical controls reside entirely on the right ear cup. The five button layout includes dedicated power and ANC mode buttons, plus volume, playback, and multifunction controls. While the buttons provide good tactile feedback, their similar feel makes blind operation challenging until users develop muscle memory.
Wired connectivity remains available through the included 3.5mm cable. The headphones support both active and passive wired listening, maintaining ANC functionality when powered on. This backup option provides reliability when Bluetooth fails or battery life becomes critical.
JBL Headphones App: Comprehensive Control
The JBL Headphones companion app significantly enhances the user experience beyond basic hardware functionality. Available for both iOS and Android, the app provides extensive customization options that justify the headphones’ feature set.
Equalizer functionality stands out as the app’s strongest feature. The 10 band EQ covers frequencies from 32Hz to 16kHz, providing granular control over sound shaping. Multiple preset options cater to different music genres, though some presets like “Jazz” and “Jazz 2” seem redundant. Custom EQ profiles save automatically and sync across devices.
Listening mode controls allow quick switching between Noise Cancelling, Ambient Aware, and TalkThru modes. While the physical button provides basic switching, the app offers more detailed control and status information. Users can also disable all processing for pure passive listening.
Additional features include Voice Aware adjustment for call monitoring, Smart Audio Video mode for automatic optimization, and voice assistant selection. The app supports both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa integration, though voice commands require button activation rather than wake word detection.
Channel balance adjustment helps users with hearing differences between ears. The volume limiter provides hearing protection, particularly useful for younger users. Auto power off settings help conserve battery life during periods of inactivity.
Call Quality and Microphone Performance
Voice calling represents an increasingly important feature for modern headphones. The JBL Tune 770NC includes an integrated microphone system that provides adequate performance for phone calls and video conferencing.
Recording quality captures voices with good intelligibility, though the sound lacks some body and warmth. Higher frequencies receive slight emphasis, making S and T sounds more prominent than natural. Users with deeper voices might find their speech sounds thinner than expected.
Noise handling shows decent performance in consistent background environments. The microphone prioritizes speech over ambient noise, though complete rejection isn’t possible. Sudden loud sounds can overwhelm the system temporarily, making speech difficult to understand during those moments.
Wind noise presents challenges without a dedicated reduction mode. The noise cancellation system can interpret wind hitting the microphones as noise to cancel, potentially introducing artifacts during outdoor calls. Users in windy environments might prefer using their phone’s microphone instead.
For most business calls and casual conversations, the microphone performs adequately. However, users who frequently conduct important calls might prefer dedicated headsets with superior microphone systems.
Comparison with Competitors: Value Proposition
The noise cancelling headphone market under $150 includes several strong competitors. Sony WH CH720N offers similar features with potentially better noise cancellation but shorter battery life. Anker Soundcore Space One provides comparable performance at a lower $100 price point with LDAC codec support.
JBL Live 770NC represents the brand’s premium alternative with improved materials and enhanced noise cancellation at a higher price. The Live series offers better build quality and more effective ANC but costs significantly more than the Tune series.
Beats Solo 4 competes in the same price range but uses an on ear design rather than over ear. The Beats offer different sound tuning and Apple ecosystem integration but lack active noise cancellation entirely.
The JBL Tune 770NC distinguishes itself through exceptional battery life and signature bass response. Users who prioritize extended playback time and powerful low frequency reproduction will find these headphones particularly attractive compared to alternatives.
Pros and Cons: Balanced Assessment
Advantages include the industry leading 70 hour battery life that eliminates charging anxiety for most users. The JBL Pure Bass Sound delivers satisfying low frequency response that enhances popular music genres. Lightweight comfort makes extended listening sessions more enjoyable than heavier alternatives.
The comprehensive app provides extensive customization options that help tailor the sound to individual preferences. Multi device pairing simplifies daily use for people who switch between multiple devices regularly. Wired backup connectivity ensures music continues even when batteries die.
Limitations include modest noise cancellation that doesn’t match premium competitors. The high clamping force can cause discomfort during very long listening sessions. Codec support lacks high resolution options for Android audiophiles.
Build quality feels appropriate for the price but doesn’t match premium alternatives. The absence of a carrying case leaves the headphones vulnerable during transport. Video latency might bother users who frequently watch content on their devices.
Who Should Buy JBL Tune 770NC?
The JBL Tune 770NC suits users who prioritize battery life and bass response over absolute noise cancellation performance. Commuters will appreciate the extended playback time that easily covers week long usage without charging. Bass enthusiasts will love the powerful low frequency response that brings electronic and hip hop music to life.
Students benefit from the comfortable design and long battery life during study sessions. The effective app equalizer helps customize sound for different content types. Budget conscious buyers get premium features without premium pricing.
Frequent travelers might want stronger noise cancellation for airplane use. Audiophiles seeking neutral sound signatures should consider alternatives. Users with larger ears might struggle with the compact ear cup design.
Final Verdict: Exceptional Value for Bass Lovers
The JBL Tune 770NC delivers remarkable value by combining signature JBL sound quality with practical features at an accessible price point. The exceptional 70 hour battery life alone justifies consideration, while the powerful bass response satisfies listeners who crave low frequency impact.
While the noise cancellation doesn’t match premium competitors, it performs adequately for the price category. The comprehensive app and comfortable design enhance daily usability significantly. Users who prioritize battery life and bass response will find these headphones difficult to beat at $129.95.
The JBL Tune 770NC represents smart engineering that focuses on delivering maximum value rather than premium positioning. For users seeking reliable, feature rich headphones without premium pricing, these represent an excellent choice that competes effectively with more expensive alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the JBL Tune 770NC battery actually last?
Real world testing confirms over 47 hours with ANC enabled, exceeding the advertised 44 hours.
Can you use JBL Tune 770NC while charging?
No, the USB C port location prevents wearing the headphones while charging.
Does JBL Tune 770NC work with iPhone?
Yes, they support AAC codec and integrate well with iOS devices through Bluetooth.
How effective is the noise cancellation?
Moderate effectiveness for mid range noise like office chatter, limited for low frequency rumbles.
Are JBL Tune 770NC good for gaming?
The 138ms Bluetooth latency might cause audio sync issues with competitive gaming.
Do the headphones come with a carrying case?
No, JBL only includes charging cable and audio cable without protective storage.
Can you replace the ear pads?
No, the ear pads are permanently attached and cannot be user replaced.
What’s the difference between ANC and Ambient Aware modes?
ANC blocks external noise while Ambient Aware allows environmental sounds for safety awareness.
