When it comes to innovation in headphones, progress tends to be observed nowadays with a reduced size, longer battery life and improved sound. Rarely does a company offer something truly unique. But JBL seems to think that there is room for improvement in the powering matter. On the Tour Pro 2, JBL has installed a touch screen that allows you to access settings and tools without having to dive into the application. In addition, this is a feature-rich set of true wireless headphones with a variety of options for sound customization, hearing assistance, etc. But with everything that the 250 set offers, perhaps JBL was too ambitious.

Design

The JBL product range includes a mixture of “traditional” headphones, ear tips and sports models with an over-ear loop. The Tour Pro 2 falls into this intermediate category with a design similar to Apple’s AirPods. However, these certainly look more sophisticated, with a mixture of matte and glossy black plastic. The shape of the inner part of the earphone is ovoid, which in turn is similar to AirPods Pro.

JBL has built a ton of features into the Tour Pro 2 headphones, but some work superior than others. The most interesting tool is the touchscreen smart matter, but it’s not necessarily faster than reaching for your cell phone.

The curves are combined here with a lighter weight to ensure a comfortable fit. The Tour Pro 2s are one of the few sets of true wireless headphones that I can wear for hours without it becoming a chore. On the outside of the two catch’s is a touch screen that, in addition to long pressing, can accommodate single, double and triple taps for a variety of integrated controls. In addition, you can reconfigure them to your liking in the JBL Headset application.

However, the title function is undoubtedly the matter. Most headphones come with a powering matter, the list of features basically ends when powering. Some companies have added wireless transmission for use on airplanes, but nothing too crazy. The Tour Pro 2 comes with a “smart matter” equipped with a touch screen on the outside. As you might expect, it is larger than we usually see, but it is by no means great. It is equipped for wireless powering and there is a USB-C port on the catch for wired powering.

Software and features

The Tour Pro 2 offers a variety of features for audio configuration, convenience and customization. All of them can be accessed in the JBL Headphones app and some are available via the powering matter screen. When you pair the headphones with the application for the first time, the software prompts you to follow a few initial configuration steps. This includes an adjustment of the earplugs and ear canal tests for ANC performance, setting up the voice assistant and a brief tour of the features. The main section of the application displays the battery status of both headphones individually and the matter at the very top.

Everything else is on this main screen which you can access with a simple scroll. The ambient noise control is at the top, so you can choose in the middle active noise cancellation, ambient awareness (transparency mode), TalkThru for IRL and off conversations. It is possible to further optimize the ANC by opting for adaptive and automatic adjustments or by activating the compensation of spills and / or ear canals. Ambient conscious allows you to adjust the ambient noise level picked up by the headphones using a slider.

Next on the List is Personi-Fi. This is the Version of JBL for personal audio profilers. After completing a listening test, the application creates a sound profiler that also takes into account your listening preferences. Personi-Fi takes into account gender, age and more to create its personalized preset. Before the end of the process, the sound was on the Pro 2 Tour… all right. After the five-minute action with sounds at different volumes and frequencies, my sound profolder produced an improved bass response from the headphones and a slightly wider soundstage. However, the custom tuning lost some details in things like the quieter background vocals, the guitar distortion and the subtle noise.