Today on the review is a pair of cool JBL headphones: 660NC and 460NC – both models belong to the LIVE series, which means they are created for life, style and comfort for the sake of it. And they are also made in a full-size and overhead form factor, are charged with active noise cancellation and are affordable. Great sound comes in the base. JBL after all!

This time, let’s go from the chips, on which the manufacturer himself focuses. They are all salt.

JBL Live 660 Review

JBL is about quality sound

It doesn’t matter which headphones end up in your hands. Both models sound great, because they are equipped with large speakers of 40 millimeters. There is almost no difference.

Almost – in this case means the difference in the range of reproducible frequencies. The 460NC has a lower limit of 20Hz, while the 660NC has a lower limit of 16Hz. If you have the hearing of a baby, you can tell one from the other. The rest can relax.

The basses are fat and deep, they make their way as it should. Medium and high frequencies are in place, they feel great and delight with instrumental diversity. That’s the way it should be.

Another plus is the modern Bluetooth 5.0 protocol. It is in the latest iPhone and Android, and therefore the compatibility is maximum: the connection is fast and hassle-free, both devices keep the connection perfectly

.For Android systems, a quick connection was provided. On the smartphone, a suggestion pops up to connect the headphones and associate them with a Google account. From now on, your entire zoo of Android devices is already familiar with the “ears” – they will connect automatically. The Google Fast Pair feature in all its glory.

LIVE means for life

The construction of LIVE 660NC and LIVE 460NC is light: 210 and 265 grams respectively. They sit perfectly on the head, they don’t press anything, they don’t rub, the ears don’t sweat, although winter is probably to blame for this. In general, ergonomics are on top.

According to the materials, everything is standard: plastic and a mesh on the bow, the base of which is made of metal. Both models roll up into a ball and hide in a bag or anywhere else. However, the owners of the JBL Live 660NC are provided with a protective case in the kit. It is unpretentious on the outside, but velvety inside – it will protect the headphones for the future.

Manage and set up

You can handle calls and playback through the buttons. No sensors. Thank you JBL! The buttons are comfortable, you get used to it quickly. The only thing that confuses is the power lever: it plays a little and is not very ergonomic. I would have waved this switch without looking at a regular ON / OFF key.

Of the convenient chips, they added an automatic pause when you take off the headphones. The option has migrated from TWS headphones to large models, good. By the way, you can also configure the complete shutdown of gadgets – from the phone. This option and the rest of the functionality is inside the My JBL Headphones app. Here you can fine-tune the equalizer, noise reduction mode, sound synchronization and even update the firmware. In the same place, we choose the voice assistant that suits your inner worldview: Google Assistant or Alexa from Amazon.

NC stands for Active (Very) Noise Cancellation

In JBL LIVE 660NC, it doesn’t matter where you listen to music. At home before going to bed or on the way to work in the subway in the morning. You turn on adaptive noise reduction and the headphones turn you off from reality. You remain alone with music and beauty.

ANC is not just a convenient feature, the noise reduction “boosts” the already high-quality sound. Without it, in a noisy, crowded metropolis, it is difficult to get high on music properly. Especially when the manufacturer has equipped the headphones with various convenient adaptive noise reduction modes

Ambient Aware – only a part of especially loud sounds (car horns, traffic noise) penetrates “in the head”

TalkThru amplifies the voice of the interlocutor, you can calmly communicate without removing the headphones

Personally, I did not understand the difference between all these scenarios. As for me, there are two working modes: full noise reduction and TalkThru. The rest of the options are redundant in my opinion.

By the way, below, under the cut  , the characteristics of both models are compared.

autonomy

The life time with active noise reduction is up to 40 hours, and without it – up to 50. The difference is small, so turning off ANC makes no sense. It is better to always be alone with thoughts and music. By the way, LIVE 660NC and 460NC received 750 mAh batteries – no difference.

During the test, I never had to charge the “ears”. I used them in the most relaxed mode possible. I traveled with music to work and back, surfed around the office, put it in my backpack as is, almost never turning it off. My deep conviction is that headphones should always be in the wings, instantly ready for anything. And as a result of such a two-week test, the 660NC left 60% of the charge, and the 460NC – 80%. Great result!

You need to charge the “ears” via a USB-C cable. There are wires in the kit, but no one bothers to use the wire from a smartphone or laptop. Type-C has firmly and permanently entered our lives, and thank God.

If you managed to discharge the headphones to zero, refueling the batteries will take about two hours. True, the first 10 minutes quickly replenish the charge for a 4-hour playback – the most for forgetful citizens.

What is the result?

From the point of view of sound quality, autonomy and operation, it does not matter which headphones to take. Both JBL LIVE 660NC and 460NC are very similar in functionality and features. Therefore, the main thing here is to decide on the form factor

The 660s have larger cups, they tightly and carefully clasp the ears, forming a total isolation from the outside world. I like these large headboards. However, the compact model JBL LIVE 460NC has its advantages. Of course, these are the dimensions that allow you to hide the device in a handbag or a fashionable “bracelet” these days. They take up minimal space, but they give out a cool sound, they also protect well from external noise and sit perfectly on the head. Plus, do not forget about stylish colors: blue, white, pink or classic black “ears”. The 660s have the same color scheme, with the exception of the pink version – it is not there, everything is serious.

You can now buy JBL LIVE 660NC for 8,990 , and JBL LIVE 460NC will cost 5,990 rubles .