JBL Tour One M3 Smart TX review: Bluetooth/wired Auracast headphones

Despite the enormous success of its AirPods range, Apple has always been a little slow to adopt new audio technologies. It took years to bring high resolution audio to the Apple Music streaming service, and even the very expensive Max AirPods could not play audio without loss or high resolution before an update in March 2025.

Apple is also lagging behind some of its competitors with the support for new Bluetooth features, such as Auracast broadcasting technology. Auracast allows an device or an audio source to transmit Bluetooth audio to several sets of headphones, as well as hearing aids compatible with Auracast and cochlear implants.

This dissemination capacity makes Auracast ideal for public announcements and entertainment systems, as well as being a useful accessibility functionality for people with hearing problems. During a recent event promoting its accessibility technologies, Apple’s staff would have declared that it was “excited” by the Auracast potential, although the company has given no indication to know when it adds Auracast to its own products.

A solution to this recently arrived in the form of the new JBL M3 tour, at the price of $ 449.95 / £ 379.99. Available in a variety of colors, the over -culture M3 headphones also include a separate `Smart TX ” – a small transmitter that can be connected to a wired audio source such as a laptop or a flight entertainment system on a plane. It can then transmit a wireless sound directly to the M3 using ordinary Bluetooth, or use Auracast to transmit to several sets of nearby helmets (as long as these headphones also support Auracasts also).

Some regions outside the United States have the possibility of buying M3 headphones by themselves, without the issuer-with the British price set at £ 329.99-although this does not currently seem to be an option in the United States, the previous M2 model is also still widely available from JBL and other online retailers, so make sure to buy the correct model during online control.

The design of the M3 helmet is quite conventional, with large padded headphones and an adjustable banner, and it weighs only 278 g – compared to 386g for the AirPods Max – it is therefore light and comfortable enough to wear for hours both for a long trip. Admittedly, the light plastic case does not feel as robust as the AirPods Max, but JBL includes a hard shell transport case to help keep it safe when you travel.

The battery life is very good, lasts 70 hours on a single load. This is reduced to 40 hours if you use an active noise pipe, but it should always see you most of the time around a long flight, and the M3 also has a fast charge function which can give you another five hours of music with only five minutes of charging time.

Sound quality

You can use the M3 alone, listening via Bluetooth or using the USB-C port on the right earboard to provide a wired connection. The M3 supports the AAC Codec of ACP for Audio Bluetooth, as well as the Sony LDAC, but it is a little disappointing that such a expensive helmet does not also support the high quality APTX codec.

The sound quality using AAC on my iPad works well however, and the M3 does a good job by manipulating the cocktail of sounds on Ricky Martin She strikes, Distributed from Apple Music in loss -free format. There is an animated energy with howling horns, and a smooth and smooth sound on the low guitar that makes the hips swing. It also comes out a lot of details in the mixture, finding room for the light tingling piano and cow bells and maracas.

The only notable weakness here is that the treble may seem a little harsh because it grows above in the frequency range, and the Timi Yuro roof vibrato on its classic from the 60s Hurt can sometimes beware on the edges. The noise pipe also leaves a little room for improvement. The M3 does a good job dealing with a low-frequency drone of an airplane engine, but a higher frequency whisper remains noticeable and the M3 cannot correspond to the very effective noise co-co-leder such as Max AirPods or the Bose silent comfort range. Take a look at our overview of the best over -recovery headphones where we compare the AirPods Max with the competition.

When used in conventional Bluetooth mode, you can use the 10 -band equalizer in the JBL application to adjust sound to your personal taste. There is also an option called personi-fi which plays a series of tones at different frequencies in order to analyze your hearing and adjust the sound profile to obtain the best results. And, of course, you can also go to the Smart TX transmitter. As mentioned, the transmitter is designed to operate with wired audio sources, such as an entertainment system on an airplane or in a gym, so that it can then transmit wireless audio to the M3 via Bluetooth, or diffuse several sets of headphones near Auracast.

The transmitter has a small LCD screen sensitive to the touch which allows you to browse a series of controls for the adjustment of the volume, the creation of noise and other parameters. It has two USB-C ports, with one providing both a wired power supply and connection, while the other is for power only. There are cables for 3.5 mm audio and USB-C, with a USB-A adapter also included, so you can use the transmitter with a wide range of computers, mobile devices and audio equipment. You can even turn the brightness of the screen and use it like a small torch, which could be useful in a dark cabin on a night flight.

If you buy the JBL One M3 Smart TX tour

Frequent leaflets and business travelers could prefer headphones that offer a more efficient noise pipe, but the M3 offers good sound quality and an impressive battery life at a price much lower than high -end competitors such as Max AirPods. And, of course, its Smart TX transmitter provides useful connectivity features and support for Auracast that few of its competitors can currently correspond.