The JBL Tune 770NC Are Simple, Affordable, and Effective Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Noise-cancelling headphones are the new norm for everyday music on the go. Sure, earbuds are even more popular, but their small size comes with inherent limitations, and they often fall out and get lost. If you’re looking for an everyday pair of over-ear headphones with noise-cancellation, the JBL Tune 770NC is a popular choice.
I spent several days testing these headphones across various genres of music and in different environments. Here’s what I found…
Key Takeaways:
- These are lightweight headphones suitable for all ages.
- They sound better than most similarly priced competitors.
- Noise canceling is a little underwhelming in some scenarios.
- Outstanding battery life that lasts for days.
JBL Tune 770NC
The Bottom Line
There’s no shortage of ANC speakers on the market, but the JBL Tune 770NC is one of the best on a budget. There are some limitations to the ANC performance, particularly in removing low drones, but with its long-lasting battery, 10-band custom EQ, and compact design, these headphones can compete with the best in their price range.
JBL Tune 770NC Specs
| Release Date: | August 2023 |
| Driver Size: | 40mm |
| Battery Life: | Up to 70 Hours |
| Charging Time: | 2 Hours |
| Driver Size: | 40mm |
| Impedance: | 32 Ohms |
| Frequency Response Range: | 20 Hz – 20 kHz |
| Cable Length: | 4.6 ft |
| Waterproof: | No |
| Charging Type: | USB-C |
| Design: | Over-ear |
| ANC: | Yes |
Table of Contents
- Design, Build & Durability
- Controls, Cables & Connectivity
- Sound Quality
- Battery Life
- Noise-Cancelling
- Mobile App
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
Overview of Design, Build, & Durability
- Plastic can feel a little cheap, but its design is well-structured for ease-of-use.
- Swivel joints feel sturdy and well-designed.
- Lack of weather-resistance limits their use outdoors in bad weather.
- Folds up into an easily portable form factor.
Design: The Tune 770NC Has a Lightweight And Clean Design, But It’s Somewhat Forgettable
- Lightweight design, weighing just 8.2 oz.
- Available in four colors (White, purple, blue, and black)
- Folds up easily for storage and transport.
You can see how the swivels around the earcups allow them to be folded into different positions for storage or travel.
These are some very light headphones, weighing just 8.2 oz (232g), but this is a bit of a catch-22, cause on one hand, the lightness makes them very convenient, especially since they can also fold up. But on the other hand, it also makes them feel a little cheap compared to other headphones with more weight.
If you’re someone who likes to showcase your personality, there are four color options available. Sometimes the color choices on headphones can be a bit obnoxious and childish, but the 770NC comes in white, blue, purple, and black – allowing them to retain a professional aesthetic.
Great Deals On JBL Headphones:
While the overall design is efficient and functional, it’s also not particularly memorable – resembling many other wireless headphones on the market.
Also, watch out for the sharp corners on the edge of the headband when they’re folded up, as it’s a bit sharp and could damage some materials when moved in and out of the bag.
Build Quality & Water-Resistance: No Waterproofing Limits Its Use In Bad Weather
- A mostly plastic design that aligns in durability with other headphones in this price range.
- Swivels are well-engineered and don’t rub on the wires.
- No water or sweat resistance, but they seemed to handle sweat fine during testing.
Close up view showing the construction of the hinges and the extension of the headband
Although they are primarily plastic, the quality feels decent. It doesn’t feel quite as premium as the more expensive Bose QuietComfort, but it aligns closely with that of the similarly priced Sony WH-CH720N.
One of the most common points of failure on these types of headphones is the swivel joint around the earcup. To test its durability, I twisted passed the typical range of motion – no issues occurred, but I could feel stress on the swivel.
With wire damage over time being another common point of failure for headphones, I closely inspected the earcup movement with the wires, and the engineering seems solid here. They swivel without pushing or pulling the wiring.
Unfortunately, there’s no waterproofing on the JBL Tune 770 NC – so if you’re using them outdoors, make sure you don’t get them wet. I found that sweat wasn’t a problem during testing, but there isn’t any sweat resistance specified by JBL either.
Comfort: Relatively Small Earcups And Headband May Not Suit Those With Heads Bigger Than Average
- Fits smaller head sizes best, as the earcups and headband are somewhat smaller than average.
- Earcup padding is plush and reduces pressure effectively.
- Glasses-wearers may experience additional discomfort.
Illustrating the plush nature of the earcup padding, and bottom of the headband
These headphones are quite small and likely designed to fit a broad demographic. Most children and teenagers won’t have issues wearing them, but some adults, particularly those with larger heads, may find the clamping force and small earcups uncomfortable.
I tested the comfort by wearing these Tune 770NC for 9 hours a day over several days. This testing was done with glasses on and glasses off. I found that the comfort was reasonable (some mild pressure over time), but it became uncomfortable with glasses as the tighter fit pushed on the glasses.
Thankfully, the earpads have decent padding that reduces the impact of the pressure.
Overview of The Controls & Connectivity
- Controls are easy to use and intuitive, with playback controls on the earcup.
- Bluetooth 5.3 provides stable wireless connections.
- No support for low latency codecs like aptX-LL or LDAC.
Controls: Easy-to-use buttons That Give You Full Control Of More Than Just Your Playback
- Intuitive control setup that covers the essentials for playback.
- ANC button makes it easy to toggle between noise-cancellation modes.
The earcup feature volume and playback buttons, along with TRRS cable port, ANC toggle and power button.
The controls are excellent; they’re simple and easy to use, with all buttons located on the bottom of the right earcup.
The earcup features a power button, noise-canceling toggle, and a series of three buttons that control the playback, calls, voice assistance, and volume.
I found that having the play/pause button positioned between the volume buttons made it easy to make any playback adjustments I needed. Holding down the volume buttons will skip tracks, either forward (volume up) or backward (volume down).
This central button is also multi-functional, and can be used to take and end calls, activate voice assistants, and use the microphone.
Cables & Chargers
- Includes a relatively short (1.25m/4.6ft) TRS to TRRS cable for wired use.
- It uses standard USB-C charging cables, included in the package.
In the box you’ll find a short orange USB-C charging cable and a 4.6ft TRS to TRRS audio cable
Included in the box are two sets of cables, a short USB-C cable for charging and a 1.25m 1/16″ TRS to 1/8″ TRRS cable for audio. The audio cable is sufficiently long for use with handheld consoles, remote controls, and supporting cell phones, but is a bit too short for comfortable use with a PC. If you’re planning to use it on your desktop PC, I recommend getting a longer aftermarket cable.
Bluetooth: Modern Bluetooth Ensures a Stable Connection, But There’s No Low-Latency Codec Support
- Bluetooth 5.3 results in reliable connectivity.
- Lacks low-latency codec support.
Close up of the Tune 770N, showing the power button which doubles as a Bluetooth pairing button.
You get modern, efficient Bluetooth connectivity from these headphones. They support Bluetooth 5.3, which is one of the latest versions, with a lot of efficiency and reliability. This ensures a stable connection, even at range.
I do wish, however, that they had supported some high-definition codecs, as they only support SBC and AAC, meaning there isn’t the low-latency performance from LDAC or aptX-LL codecs that lowers latency for gamers and multimedia viewers. Still, there isn’t much delay, and you can watch YouTube without significant sync problems.
Overview of Sound Quality
- Mostly balanced sound.
- Slight emphasis in the lows gives them a thumpy bass.
- Limited soundstage means they aren’t as immersive as open-back headphones.
- The ability to adjust the sound via the app (EQ) is a significant feature.
Sound Quality: A Mostly Balanced Sound, That’s Both Rich And Clear
Upon first listen, I was pleasantly surprised by how the 770NC sounded out of the box. The thumpy lows added immersive depth and made dance and hip-hop sound as lively as they should. However, the mids, which are where the vocals lie, felt slightly unbalanced compared to the elevated highs that caused the vocals to sound a little recessed in comparison to the brighter elements in a song.
Thankfully, the JBL Headphones app is a game-changer, and allowed me to make fine adjustments to the sound, bringing the vocal frequencies up to make them sound clearer. Since the app lets you adjust up to 10 different frequency ranges, it really is an awesome and easy way to dial in the sound.
Since they sound so good off the bat, there really wasn’t much needed in getting their sound tweaked to my liking, and with these quick changes, I got the Tune 770 NC to sound clear, full, and detailed. Overall, performing very well for their price point.
Battery: Outstanding Charging Speed & Days Of Playtime
- Up to 70 hours playtime at conservative volume.
- Around 45 hours of playtime during general use.
- Battery recharges in just 2 hours.
When it comes to battery performance, these headphones are outstanding! They last what seems like forever, and can easily last over a week when used daily for the gym, studying, etc.
I got an impressive 45 hours of playtime with ANC enabled, which is incredible and exceeds the performance found on much more expensive wireless headphones. With ANC disabled, it took around 64 hours, which made it quite a lengthy testing process.
In addition to its outstanding longevity, the battery is also extremely fast charging, taking just 2 hours to fully charge when the battery is dead.
Here’s a more detailed estimate on playtime, according to features being used, as specified by JBL:
Music playtime with BT on and ANC off: Up to 70 hrs
Music playtime with BT on and ANC on: Up to 44 hrs
Music playtime with BT off and ANC on: Up to 30 hrs
Talk time with ANC on: Up to 30 hrs
Talk time with ANC off: Up to 39 hrs
Noise-Cancellation: The 770NC Effectively Reduces Chatter, But Doesn’t Do Great At Reducing Deep Droning Sounds
Because the ear cups are quite small, they fit tightly on the head, which promotes passive isolation. When paired with the adaptive noise-cancelling feature, they do an effective job of reducing a range of environmental noises.
If you’re in an office building or gym and want to drown out the noise of nearby chatter, they are very effective. However, they have a tendency to allow some deep drones and high-pitched screeches through with less reduction.
I tested these in a room with a 6” extraction fan and found it removed a lot of that noise, helping to improve the sound clarity and concentrate on the music.
While effective, the performance of the ANC does fall slightly behind competitor models, particularly in its ability to remove low droning sounds.
Mobile App: Take Control Of Your Sound With The JBL Headphones App
- 10-band custom EQ allows for precise customization of sound.
- Available on both Android and iOS.
- Battery life indicator proves useful.
- Toggle between ANC modes easily via the app.
When setting the headphones up for the first time, they were immediately detected when I turned them on, and then I was prompted to download the JBL Headphones app.
When I opened the app, I was surprised by how comprehensive it is. It not only has preset and custom EQ options, but the custom EQ allows for micro adjustments with a 10-band EQ. For those who haven’t dabbled with EQ much, the more bands of frequencies you can adjust, the finer you can tune it to sound to your liking.
Most headphones only have 3, 5, or 7 band EQs – but with up to 10 options, you can adjust very specific frequencies.
The app does far more than just EQ, though; it can be used to swap between noise-canceling modes, audio and video modes, and adjust the VoiceAware feature, which adjusts how loud you are to yourself when making calls.
Additionally, there’s left and right sound balance, voice assistant choices (including Alexa and Google), a volume limiter, and auto power-off options.
How They Compare With Other Budget ANC Headphones
- The Tune 770NC compete closely with the Soundcore Space One and Sony WH-CH720N.
- The Soundcore Space One has LDAC support, but the Tune 770NC have longer battery life.
With so many different ANC headphones available, it’s important to consider not just how the Tune 770NC perform by themselves, but also how they compare with similarly priced speakers. The two most similar headphones models are the Soundcore Space One and Sony WH-CH720N.
Specs | JBL Tune 770NC | Sony WH-CH720N | Soundcore Space One |
ANC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Battery Life | Up to 70 Hours (44 With ANC) | Up to 50 Hours (35 With ANC) | Up to 55 Hours (40 With ANC) |
Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.3 |
Driver Size | 40mm | 30mm | 40mm |
Companion App | Yes (JBL Headphones app) | Yes (Sony Headphones Connect) | Yes (Soundcore app) |
Colors | Black, White, Blue, Purple | Black, Blue, White | Black, White, Sky Blue |
When it comes to sound quality, Soundcore Space One has an advantage with its LDAC low-latency codec support, but its battery life is significantly lower than that of the Tune 770NC and it honestly just doesn’t sound balanced enough for my liking.
Another popular choice for a similar headphone is Soundcore’s Life Q30, but although the Q30’s noise-cancelling feature does better with eliminating low drones, music just sounds better with the Tune 770NC.
Conclusion: Are They Worth Buying?
At around $100, the JBL Tune 770NC [Available on Amazon] performs above its price point, competing with more expensive headphones on the market. The Sony WH-CH720N [Available on Amazon] is another option at around the same price, which is a little more forgiving on its comfort levels and offers better noise canceling than the 770NC. However, the sound quality falls short of the JBL by quite some distance.
JBL Tune 770NC
If you're in the market for an affordable pair of noise-canceling headphones that focus on sound quality, the JBL 770NC is a great option.
Product Brand: JBL
3.9
Pros
- Intuitive controls.
- Folds up into a compact form factor.
- Reliable Bluetooth with good range.
- Comprehensive EQ (10-bands).
- Incredible 70-hour battery life.
Cons
- Plastic feels a little weak.
- 1/16" to 1/8" cable makes aftermarket replacement a little more challenging
- Noise cancellation doesn't effectively reduce low frequencies.
