JBL has a wide catalog of true wireless earbuds, and the latest to join the list is the new JBL Live Pro 2, which the successor to the Live Pro+. The new Live Pro 2 adds new features such as adaptive ANC, multipoint pairing, and longer battery life to quote a few. If you don’t mind a stem on your earbuds then, the Live Pro 2 is definitely worth a look at its retail price of S$265, and even more at its current S$199 promotional price.
Unboxing
Here’s what you’ll find in the box:
- JBL Live Pro 2 Earbuds
- Charging case
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- Quick start guide
- Ear tips: S, M, L
Tech specs
| Frequency response | 20 to 20,000 Hz |
| Driver | 11mm dynamic driver |
| Battery life | Up to 10 hours per full charge with ANC off Up to 40 hours with charging case |
| Weight | Earbuds: 4.8g each Charging Case: 48.4g |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 |
| Water resistance | IPX5 |
| Controls | Touch |
| Charging | USB-C, Wireless |
Build quality and features
The JBL Live Pro 2 uses the stem style design and comes in four colours – (1) silver, (2) rose, (3) blue, and (4) black. The unit I have is the black model. The stem on the Live Pro 2 is flat and has a sheen to it, which can attract fingerprint quite easily. The rest of the earbuds have a matte finish to it.
JBL Live Pro 2 have an IPX5 water- resistance rating so it will handle light rain and workouts with no issues.
The charging case has a small footprint, and it being 2.7cm thick makes is decently pocketable. The case employs a clamshell design, with the lid closing with a satisfying snap from magnets. There are also small LED indicators located on the front of the case so you can easily keep track of the battery life. Overall build quality of the case is good as well, it has a matte finish along with a secure hinge and magnets holding the earbuds in place.
Controls
JBL Live Pro 2 employs touch controls, which are located at the top of the stem. The touch controls is reactive and not prone to accidental touches. The touch controls are somewhat customisable in the JBL Headphones app. The left earbud is strictly meant to control sound modes (ANC, Ambient Aware, etc) and toggle your voice assistant, while the right earbud offers almost all of the typical media and control. When you change the control, you get the entire set of controls. So if decide to use “Volume Control” on the right earbud then you lose the entire set of controls for “Playback & Voice Assistant Control”, effectively losing the ability to play/pause and navigate between tracks.
You can get by losing the play/pause control as the JBL Live Pro 2 has auto play/pause when you remove any earbud from your ear. You can choose to disable this feature if you wish to.
JBL Headphones App
As aforementioned, the JBL Live Pro 2 has a companion app called the JBL Headphones app. It has any settings which you can customise the level of ambient sound you are letting in, choose audio/video mode for the best experience, and have the fit check feature as well. Of course, you also have an equaliser feature so you can tune the default sound profile to your liking. You can also choose from the five audio presets.
JBL Live Pro 2 also has a feature to compensate for any sound leakage you have based on the fit you have with your ears, and then adjust the ANC accordingly to counteract it. I found not much change with it on/off likely because I had a good fit. There is also “Adaptive ANC” which automatically adjusts the intensity of the noice cancellation depending on the surrounding noise level. If you just want the maximum noise cancellation then just turn this feature off and set the ANC level to the maximum.
Overall, the app is quite comprehensive in terms of its feature set and does offer enough customisability for a tailored experience.
Fit and comfort
The oval shaped buds of the JBL Live Pro 2 nestles quite snugly along the contours of my ears. As the ear tips are flat-ish in its profile, the seal I got more on the unobtrusive side, which helps provide a comfortable wearing experience.
At just 4.8g each, the JBL Live Pro 2 are incredibly lightweight. Wearing them for long hours did not feel tiring.
Sound quality
I’d say the sound signature of the JBL Live Pro 2 leans towards a V-shape curve. Bass is impactful and extends deep with sub-bass offering weighty thump and rumble. If you listen mainly EDM and hip-hop, I believe the JBL Live Pro 2 will provide an enjoyable listening experience.
Even with the large bass response, midrange is not recessed. Vocal and instruments offers smooth reproduction with warmth for a comfortable listen. For those who are used to balanced tuning, vocals might seem a little laid back, adjusting the EQ in the app is an easy fix. As for treble, there is a slight elevation to produce a bright airy sound.
ANC performance
I used the JBL Live Pro 2 with adaptive ANC turned on, and I found the overall performance to be pretty good. Its performance is very close to 1st-gen AirPods Pro. Low frequency noises are eliminated so engine rumble on your bus rides are almost nonexistent. Higher frequency noises such as rail squeal and ambient chatter are tackled well.
Microphone quality
Microphone on the JBL Live Pro 2 is pretty good. Vocal reproduction is clear and there is some body to it as well. Comparing it to earbuds that I’ve tested recently, it is better than the TOZO Golden X1, but slightly below the ATH-TWX9. Voice on the ATH-TWX9 sounds more forward and with better clarity than on the JBL Live Pro 2.
In noisy environments, JBL Live Pro 2 was able to remove quite a large chunk of the noise while still keeping my voice relatively clear and forward. Overall, the JBL Live Pro 2 is a reliable pair of earbuds to use for calls and meetings in most environments.
Battery life
JBL says that you can get up to 10 hours of playtime on a full charge, but that is likely with ANC turned off. Having said that it is pretty impressive battery life from a pair of earbuds of its size. My daily use case did not ever see a low battery warning, but I believe it should still survive a medium-haul flight with ease.
And if you ever find your JBL Live Pro 2 low on battery, its Speed Charge feature – 15 minutes of charging will give you 4 hours of playtime. You can charge the JBL Live Pro 2 either wired via USB-C or wireless with an Qi-compatible charger.
Pairing, connectivity, and latency
JBL Live Pro 2 is equipped with the Bluetooth 5.2 and pairs to my iPhone very quickly as one unit. During my time of testing, I did not encounter any connection issues or dropouts. There was also no audio-video lag watching YouTube on my iPhone 11. You can use either side of the earbuds for standalone listening.
JBL Live Pro 2 also features multipoint pairing, which allows you to pair and connect the earbuds to up to two devices at the same time. Audio input switches seamlessly depending on the device that is playing audio. This is truly a convenient feature and all earbuds claiming to be flagship needs to have, and I’m glad JBL added it to the Live Pro 2
Conclusion
The JBL Live Pro 2 offers enough flagship features to make it a pretty solid value at S$265 (now at S$199 promo) especially when you compare it to the likes of Apple or Sony. There isn’t much to dislike about it, and they have good implementations of core features such as sound quality, ANC and microphone. Additionally, you get multipoint pairing and a good battery life too.