New JBL headphone and portable speaker releases

US manufacturer JBL is launching a raft of new products including an expansion of its Live Series with the announcement of a set of new models: the Live Pro+, Live 660NC and Live 460NC. The lineup includes true wireless, over and on-ear headphones and all come with Signature Sound and noise-cancelling capabilities with Smart Ambient and hands-free control with integrated voice assistants.

The Live Pro+ in-ear true wireless earphone is equipped with Adaptive Noise Cancelling with Smart Ambient, so users can enjoy conversations without removing the earbuds. IPX4 water-resistant, it’s equipped with Qi-compatible wireless charging – 10 minutes equals one hour of instant playback – up to 7 hours of playback in the earbuds (six if using noise cancelling), a compact charging case that holds up to 21 hours of battery life and all-access touch control. It will be available in April for £170 in a choice of Black, White, Pink or Beige finishes.

For those that prefer over-ear headphones, the Live 660NC claims up to 40 hours of battery life while using Adaptive Noise Cancelling or 50 without. Multi-point connection capabilities enable swapping between two separate devices. The Live 660NC is available in March for £160 in Black, Blue or White.

The Live 460NC on-ear headphone is the most economical option, featuring Adaptive Noise Cancelling with Smart Ambient technology, voice commands or press and hold on the earcup. It also comes with Speed Charge and up to 50 hours of total battery life. It will be available in March for £120 in Black, Blue, White or Rose.

Later in the year, the company plans to introduce its Tour Series headphone, which it says is: “designed for business professionals who are looking for headphones with advanced technology, smart features and a sleek design.” The series includes the Tour ONE over-ear noise cancelling headphone and Tour Pro+ true wireless in-ear. In addition to Adaptive Noise Cancellation, both come with Pro Sound, Adaptive Ambient Aware and TalkThru technology. Additionally users can access hands-free voice assistant capabilities by Google and Amazon, using voice commands or with press and hold on the earcup for a highly personalised user experience.

The Tour ONE boasts SilentNow, which gives users the ability to simply touch the dedicated button to activate noise cancellation without Bluetooth, for complete isolation from outside interference. It also features a new Smart Audio Mode to optimise the Bluetooth connection for ‘normal listening’, increase fidelity in music mode or watch videos with the low latency video mode. With up to 50 hours of total playback time, the company says it can power a full week of activity from a single charge.

The Tour Pro+ has Fast Pair to automatically hook up the earbuds to an Android device as soon as the case is opened, while Dual Connect + Sync provides the choice to enjoy music or make calls with either one or both buds. It offers over 30 hours of music playback with Qi wireless charging.

The Tour Series will be available in black from May; the Tour ONE at £280 and the Tour Pro+ at £180.

Aside from its new headphones, the US company has also announced the latest addition to its Charge Series of portable speakers. The Charge 5 comes in an elevated dust and waterproof design with a racetrack-shaped driver, separate tweeter and dual passive radiators. The Charge 5 claims 20 hours of playtime and its own built-in powerbank. Enabled with PartyBoost, users can connect the Charge 5 to other compatible JBL portable speakers to amplify their sound.

This latest iteration of the Charge Series features silicon bumpers, comes in Black, Blue, Gray, Red, Teal and Camo, and offers wireless Bluetooth v5.1 Streaming. It is available to buy now for £160. .

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