Note: This article was first published on 10 July 2025.
There’s a new flagship-class wireless ANC headphone on the market. It’s called the Tour One M3 and it comes from JBL—one of the most storied brands in audio.
The M3 stands for Mark 3, and it’s the successor to the Tour One M2. It’s JBL’s flagship wireless ANC headphone, designed to go up against the likes of Sony’s WH-1000XM6 and Sonos’ Ace.
One area in which the Tour One M3 absolutely crucifies the Sony and Sonos headphones is battery life. JBL claims its headphones can last up to 70 hours if you listen without ANC. Even with ANC, JBL says they’ll last up to 40 hours, handily beating the Sonys’ 24 hours and the Sonos’ 30 hours.
Speaking of ANC, the Tour One M3 has uses JBL’s True Adaptive Noise Cancelling 2.0 technology and 8 microphones to monitor and cancel out unwanted background noise. I had a go at this in a crowded cafe and was mostly impressed by how much noise it was able to cancel. The ambient mode also sounded natural.
Inside, the Tour One M3 uses 40mm Mica Dome drivers, which JBL says are “precisely tuned to deliver deep bass, balanced mids, and crystal-clear highs.” From my brief time with them, I thought they sounded promising. They sounded remarkably clear, and the bass response was punchy and authoritative.
The Tour One M3 supports Bluetooth 5.3. Audio codecs supported include SBC, AAC, LC3, and LDAC. It also supports Auracast, a Bluetooth-based technology that enables some interesting use scenarios.
To take advantage of this, the Tour One M3 can be purchased with an accessory called the Smart Tx transmitter. It’s essentially an Auracast transmitter, but it also has a small touchscreen which allows users to control and manage their headphones. More importantly, you can connect the Smart Tx transmitter to just about any source device and start listening to it. It connects digitally via USB-C or analogue via its 3.5mm jack. And because it’s an Auracast transmitter, other headphones that support Auracast can tune in to it too.
To sum up, my first impressions of the Tour One M3 are largely positive. The ANC and sound quality are both promising, it’s loaded with features, and it costs quite a bit less than the competition. JBL could be giving Sony a real run for their money.
Availability and pricing
The JBL Tour One M3 comes in three colours (black, blue, and mocha) and is available now. You can purchase it alone for S$399 or with the Smart Tx transmitter for S$499.
You can find it on the JBL Online Store, and JBL’s official storefronts on Lazada and Shopee.
And if you are interested in the Tour One M3, you can try it out at a special experience zone that JBL has set up at PPP Coffee at New Bahru. This special zone is happening from 11 July to 17 July from 8am to 10pm, and not only will you be able to experience the Tour One M3 and other JBL products, PPP Coffee will also be offering a couple of specially curated menu items, which include Orange Latte and Black Sesame Choux.