JBL E65BTNC Wireless Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones $178 (Was $268) @ Harvey Norman

Product: JBL E65BTNC

Type: Over Ear

JBL E65BTNC is the flagship product of JBL in the E series.

Accessories: It comes with a USB charging cable, a detachable audio cable with mic and button (one of the very rare bluetooth headphones to have an audio cable with mic and remote provided), manual and warranty information. JBL does not provide any carrying case for this headphone which is a disappointment. The detachable audio cable is of great quality layered with a clothing material and looks tough. Overall, the headphones look beautiful in both the white and black versions.

Quality: The headphones have a premium look. The headband is made of soft fabric and very comfortable. The drivers are encased in form-fitting ear cushions. They are also angled a little for a perfect fit. They take few minutes to wrap around the ears to form a kind of cocoon and are extremely comfortable. You do not even feel like you are wearing them. They are made to be worn for extended hours.

The Bluetooth is version 4.1. It supports HFP v1.6, HSP v1.2, A2DP v1.2 and AVRCP v1.4. It can connect to multiple devices at the same time. They support SBC codec. Does not support APTX (even Bose QC35 does not support if that matters and you do not already know)

The active noise cancellation is top notch. It does not provide options to turn it partially on and off like the JBL Everest series and other premium headphones. You can either turn it on or off. JBL has done an excellent job in ANC. The comfortable earpads provide extra passive noise cancellation to the already great ANC.

The battery life is superb. I just charge it for an hour or so before I start to work and they still keep going when I back home in the night. I use the headphones in different combinations. Bluetooth and ANC ON while commuting to and from work. Wired with ANC ON while coding and attending meetings. Officially as per the website, BT with ANC ON should give you 15 hours of battery life. Music with BT OFF and ANC ON should give a whopping 30 hours.

Sound Quality: The sound quality is top notch. What you expect from JBL. Crisp, clear mids. Emphasised Lows. Thumping Bass. No Sibilance. Slightly emphasized highs. The clarity of sound multiplies when you use the detachable audio cable provided. One thing I like about the E65BTNC is, there is no deterioration of sound quality at low volumes.

Others: JBL did not advertise much either in the manual or on the website, but these headphones can trigger Google Assistant or Siri at the press of the button. There is a separate button dedicated to each of ANC, BT, and Power. The power button is a slider which when you slide up and hold for few seconds, turns the headphones ON. Slide it up again and hold, turns them OFF. The different modes of the functioning are identified based on the color the LED shows. By default, the ANC is always ON, unless you decide to switch it off. The volume buttons are easily reachable and identified. So, are the ANC, Power and BT buttons.

I am pretty impressed with these. They are so affordable and at the same time, their noise cancellation and sound quality are top notch. The ANC is on par with the best, thanks in part to the excellent passive noise cancellation provided by the comfy earpads. JBL did an impressive job with these.