JBL launches two pairs of Sony-rivalling wireless headphones with “AI-trained” ANC and monster battery life

Despite plenty of competition in the wireless headphones space, JBL is one brand that shows no sign of slowing down on the product front.

It has just launched two additions to its Live series of headphones, both of which boast battery life that rivals such as Sony and Bose still struggle to deliver.

The JBL Live 780NC and Live 680NC are over- and on-ear designs, respectively, and each uses a 40mm dynamic driver to deliver sound.

Compared with previous Live models, JBL has refreshed the design, opting for sleeker looks, smoother surfaces, and metallic accents this time around.

Both pairs are fully foldable with soft-touch ear cushions and both customisable button and touch controls which can be tweaked through the JBL Headphone app.

The headphones also feature JBL’s True Adaptive Noise Cancelling 2.0 with real-time noise filtering; the processing power has been given a boost, so background distractions are reduced even more than with previous iterations.

Both pairs also use two beam-forming mics combined with an “an enhanced AI-trained noise-cancellation algorithm”, in an attempt to enhance call quality and more efficiently remove traffic, wind and background hum.

Battery life is claimed to be 50 hours with ANC on and around 80 hours with ANC off. That’s even more than what both the flagship Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) can muster.

JBL Spatial Sound is included for those seeking extra immersion from their music and movies, and both pairs of headphones offer LE Audio and LDAC support for higher-quality Bluetooth streaming. There is also Multipoint Bluetooth, which allows two devices to be connected to the headphones simultaneously.

Available in five different finishes (which sees new green and blue colours added to the standard Champagne, White and Black options), the JBL Live 780NC and JBL Live 680NC are available to order now for $249.95 and $159.95, respectively. UK availability is TBC.

MORE:

See our pick of the best noise-cancelling headphones

Read our Sony WH-1000XM6 review

Is the crown starting to slip on Bose, the king of noise-cancelling headphones?