INTRODUCTION

   True wireless stereo (TWS) earphones are getting more popular by the day and yes that actually includes models from all price ranges. As a matter of fact, however sales of high-end models seem to have increased exponentially in 2020 something which reveals a lot about the large number of enthusiasts and audiophiles in the world willing to spend quite a bit for the optimal listening experience. Still certainly not everyone out there can afford or is willing to spend a lot for a pair of TWS earphones and for that specific segment of the market JBL recently released not one but two models, the Tune 220TWS and the Live 300TWS the latter of which I’ve been using for almost three weeks now.

   JBL creates the amazing sound that shapes life’s most epic moments. From iconic events like Woodstock and concerts at Madison Square Garden, to games at Yankee Stadium and weekend road trips, JBL elevates listeners’ experiences with award-winning audio that lets them make the most of every moment. With unmatched professional credentials and over 70 years of delivering industry leading innovation, JBL is the authority in engineering superior sound.

   The Live 300TWS are currently available in black & gold, navy blue and white colors and consist by two IPX5 certified (water resistant) plastic enclosures inside which JBL has placed two 5.6mm dynamic drivers that feature a frequency response of 20Hz-20KHz with 16Ohm impedance and 95dB sensitivity. Two microphones with support for the Talkthru and Ambient Aware features along with two 55mAh rechargeable lithium-ion coin cell batteries (these provide the Live 300TWS with up to 6 hours of music playback) and a Bluetooth v5.0 module (with support for the A2DP 1.3, AVRCP 1.5 and HFP 1.6 profiles) are also squeezed inside the enclosures. Just like Jabra and other manufacturers JBL also bundles a carrying/storage case with the Live 300TWS that features an 450mAh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer pack inside via which both earbuds can receive up to 14 extra hours of playback time. Sounds interesting right?

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Live 300TWS arrived inside a white and orange box which as expected has a product picture at the front next to the company logo and the main product features.

Both the Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility and the bundle contents are showcased on the left side.

Moving at the rear we see the main product features listed in 7 languages and a clear plastic window from where you can see the front of the earphones.

Information about the mother company (HARMAN) is printed at the base of the box right next to the product serial numbers and barcodes.

Once you open the box you will see a piece of paper with instructions on how to use the earphones.

Along with the Live 300TWS earphones and their charging case inside the box JBL has also placed an orange USB-C charging cable, two pairs of silicone ear tips (3 including the one already mounted), 3 pairs of silicone wing fin stabilizers (not including the already mounted one), declaration of conformity paper, user manual, warranty card, application paper and a product catalog.

THE LIVE 300TWS

Each Live 300TWS earbud weighs 67.3g so although compact they clearly aren't the smallest or lightest ones in the market right now.

For a quick size comparison i use one of the more compact Elite Active 75t earbuds.

JBL has printed their logo on the center button (there's also a motion sensor behind these) which can be used to enable the Talkthru/ambient aware and Alexa/Google assistant features (left earbud) and to answer/end calls, play/pause tracks, select next/previous track, mute the microphone and increase/decrease volume (right earbud).

The microphone is located on the lower end each earphone as seen above.

Left and right markings are placed on the interior right next to the charging contacts.

A speaker exhaust port is located on the top left of the earbuds.

5.6mm drivers placed inside the enclosures may not be the largest ones around (and honestly i was expecting something larger from JBL) so let's see just how well they perform.

The 55g heavy charging case measures roughly 71mm in length, 47mm in height and 29mm in width.

It may be compact but the charging case of the Live 300TWS is considerably larger compared to that of the Elite 75t/Active 75t.

Strangely enough the charging port is located at the base of the case (there's also an LED ring around it).

Left and right markings are located inside the case (not that you could place the earbuds in another way) and as you can see there's a single charging LED present.

MY JBL HEADPHONES APP

After you install the JBL My Headphones application it will ask you to configure the various gestures for the buttons.

From the main tab you can see the current battery levels and enable disable various features like the gestures and the Talkthru/Ambient Aware.

The app also notifies you if any new firmware updates are available and as you can see for my tests i used v3.3.0.

The equalizer function has a total of 3 presets available (4 including flat) and of course allows you to configure your very own.

Inside the settings tab you can enable/disable the play/pause automation (for when you take the earbuds off your ears) and the auto off function (after a short inactivity period).

You can also choose which voice assistant you'd like and use the find my buds feature which basically has both earbuds emit a high pitched sound at max volume.

CONCLUSION

   The very first thing that stands out when using the Live 300TWS are bass levels and that isn't a surprise really since JBL has been well known over the years to emphasize that specific frequency. On the other hand, even though the Live 300TWS do quite good in terms of audio accuracy and soundstage they simply don't produce the same crisp mids and highs as the recently reviewed Elite 75t/Active 75t by Jabra. The same applies for both the microphone quality and the effectiveness of the Talkthru and Ambient Aware modes, all of which i found to be better in the Elite 75t/Active 75t (still even to have the Ambient Aware mode is a plus). This of course doesn't say much since at launch both models cost significantly more compared to the Live 300TWS by JBL but since these are the last two i had the chance to test naturally a comparison is hard to avoid. As for battery life at almost maximum volume i was able to almost hit 5 hours (4 hours and 57 minutes was the highest recorded) a number which is very good for a pair of TWS earbuds.

With a current price tag set at USD119.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com – Limited Time Offer / Anker PowerPort Elite 2 Port USB Wall Charger Included) and at 96Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the JBL Live 300TWS Headphones are priced quite remarkably (black version). Yes, they may not perform quite as well as the recently reviewed Elite 75t/Active 75t models by Jabra but thanks to their current price tag (over 50% less) they offer a much higher price/performance ratio. Now of course if you can climb as high as the Jabra models then the choice is somewhat clear (if you’re a JBL fan all bets are off) but if not the Live 300TWS have your back and since I really enjoyed using them, they clearly deserve our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (IPX5 Certified)
- Design / Available Colors (Black Gold / White / Navy Blue)
- Available Features (Talkthru / Ambient Aware / Find My Buds / Gestures)
- Very Good Audio Quality (For The Size)
- Bass Levels
- Battery Life (Up To 20 Hours Total)
- Bluetooth v5.0
- My JBL Headphones App
- Price Tag (For Some)

CONS

- A Bit Bulky (For Some)
- Microphone Performance