JBL Live 660 NC Review | 93 Data compared

The JBL Live 660NC Wireless are sturdy, over-ear headphones featuring a punchy, customizable sound profile, excellent 26-hour battery life, and a secure fit suitable for workouts. However, their active noise cancellation struggles with low-frequency sounds, and the design is bulky, causing heat buildup during long listening sessions. RTINGS.comKey disadvantages include inconsistent audio delivery, a narrow soundstage, and a microphone that produces thin, muffled voice recordings with poor background noise isolation. They also lack an IP rating for water resistance, making them less ideal for heavy commuters seeking robust noise cancellation. RTINGS.

The JBL Live 660NC offers a highly competitive, budget-friendly alternative to premium noise-canceling headphones from Bose, Sony, and Apple. Priced at a retail UVP of 179 Euros, these lightweight 265-gram foldable over-ears stand out for their exceptional battery life, delivering up to 40 hours of playtime with active noise canceling (ANC) enabled and up to 50 hours without it. A quick 5-minute charge provides an additional hour of playback. In terms of performance, the headphones deliver a clear, powerful, and well-differentiated audio profile across multiple music genres, ensuring that heavy instrumentals and quiet piano segments remain distinct without distortion. Additionally, the ANC mechanism successfully isolates environmental sounds like wind and city traffic during outdoor use. However, the review highlights several distinct drawbacks regarding the interface and physical build. The JBL Live 660NC completely lacks a modern touch-control interface, relying instead on physical buttons located on the right ear cup that suffer from a cramped, multi-functional layout, making overall manual operation somewhat clumsy and awkward. While the Ambient-Aware transparency mode is highly effective at letting ambient sound through, it tends to...

The JBL Live 660 NC is a mid-range, over-ear adaptive noise-canceling headphone reviewed as an excellent entry-level option for its €149.99 retail price. The reviewer notes that despite a tight fit on larger heads, the headphones remain comfortable for several hours of continuous wear. Key advantages include a satisfying, detailed sound quality across lows, mids, and highs, which can be further customized via the equalizer presets in the user-friendly companion app. Additionally, the battery performance is a major highlight, delivering 40 hours of playtime with active noise canceling enabled and extending up to 50 hours with ANC turned off. However, the reviewer points out some distinct limitations, stating that audiophiles will likely need to look elsewhere for higher-tier audio fidelity. While the active noise cancellation performs effectively at blocking out general city noise and neighborhood disruptions, it does produce a slight, constant background hiss that resembles rain. The most significant flaw identified is the ANC microphone's extreme sensitivity to wind. When using the device outdoors on breezy days, the microphones pick up and heavily amplify overdriven wind sounds, which can...

The JBL Live 660NC over-ear wireless headphones offer a clear, well-balanced sound profile with robust bass performance through 40mm dynamic drivers, delivering stable audio quality even at higher volumes. Weighing a lightweight 256 grams, they feature a durable metal adjustment mechanism, a fabric-padded headband, and soft memory foam and faux-leather ear cushions that provide lasting comfort during extended listening sessions. The headphones support Bluetooth 5.0 multipoint connectivity for seamless switching between two devices simultaneously and integrate seamlessly with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Additionally, they boast an impressive battery life of approximately 38 hours with active noise-cancelling (ANC) enabled and up to 45 to 50 hours with it turned off, supplemented by a quick-charge feature that yields 4 hours of playback from a 10-minute charge. A central highlight of the review is the effective active noise-cancelling technology, which successfully blocks out ambient environmental sounds, traffic, and wind noise. The companion JBL Headphones app further enhances functionality by allowing users to toggle ANC, use "Ambient Aware" and "TalkThru" modes for environmental awareness, and customize a 32 Hz to 16 kHz equalizer...

The JBL Live 660NC review highlights these over-ear wireless headphones as a highly well-crafted and feature-rich option for everyday music enjoyment on the move. A standout feature is the exceptional battery life, boasting up to 50 hours of playback time with active noise-cancelling (ANC) deactivated, which drops to a still-impressive 40 hours when ANC is turned on. Additionally, a quick 10-minute speed charge provides an extra 4 hours of listening time. Driven by 40mm drivers, the headphones deliver a highly balanced, natural, and harmonious sound profile without the overbearing bass found in lower-end models like the JBL Tune500BT. The unit is further elevated by highly practical smart features, including an automatic play/pause sensor when removing the headset, a seamless "TalkThru" conversation mode, and "Ambient Aware" to stay safe in public traffic by mixing in environmental audio. It also includes dual-microphone stereo call capabilities, Multipoint pairing for two devices simultaneously, and voice assistant support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

The JBL Live 660NC is an over-ear noise-canceling headphone model that updates its predecessor (the 2019 Live 650NC) with modernized features like a USB-C port and Bluetooth 5.0 capabilities. While the physical design remains mostly unchanged, it features a more unified, sleek matte finish in black, blue, or white. The build utilizes a lightweight plastic chassis reinforced with steel in high-stress areas like the headband adjustment mechanism, making it highly durable yet comfortable for everyday use. Its unpadded travel pouch and 90-degree rotating, foldable earcups also ensure compact portability inside a backpack. The headphones offer several strong advantages, including a comfortable fit, lightweight build, solid Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), and excellent battery life that reaches up to 40 hours with ANC enabled and 50 hours without it. Additionally, its upgraded fast-charging capability yields up to 4 hours of playback from just a 10-minute charge. However, the reviewer noted distinct downsides: the headphones still lack high-quality audio codecs, and the physical control buttons are located entirely on the right earcup. Because these buttons feel identical to the touch, they can be...

The JBL Live 660NC over-ear Bluetooth headphones deliver excellent audio performance featuring powerful bass and clear highs, making them ideal for music, podcasts, and movies. In everyday testing, the headphones excelled during commutes by blocking out street noise and providing a stable Bluetooth 5.0 connection up to 10 meters away. Key functional highlights include integrated voice assistants (Google and Alexa) and highly practical Ambient Aware and TalkThru modes, which allow users to converse without removing the headset. Furthermore, the battery life is outstanding, offering up to 50 hours of playback without ANC, 40 hours with active noise-cancelling, and a quick-charge feature that grants 4 hours of playtime from a 10-minute boost. Despite these strengths, the review notes a few distinct drawbacks regarding comfort and performance. While the headphones fit securely during short daily activities and fitness routines, the ear cushions tend to exert uncomfortable pressure during prolonged listening sessions. Additionally, while the adaptive Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) performs well overall, it is not flawless, occasionally allowing minimal ambient sounds to slip through—especially at very low frequencies. Ultimately, the reviewer highly...

According to Stiftung Warentest, the JBL Live 660NC over-ear headphones deliver excellent active noise cancellation (ANC) and robust battery life, making them ideal for commuting. The unit is praised for its sturdy construction and intuitive physical buttons for controlling playback and calls. However, the headphones feature a heavy, bass-dominant sound profile that lacks neutral high-frequency clarity. Additionally, users may experience discomfort during long sessions due to high clamping force, while the bulky design can cause heat buildup around the ears.