Table of Contents

Intro

Our testing shows that using the JBL Live 650BTNC headphones is a terrific way to enjoy music on the go. In terms of noise-canceling headphones, they should be at the top of your shopping list for a little below $200. The flexibility of the JBL allows users to lay the ear cups flat against the chest or up toward the headband, making it simple to tuck them away while you’re on the go.

It’s safe to say that JBL has a strong foothold in the wireless speaker industry thanks to its Flip and Charge models. We should not forget, however, that the target market of JBL includes affordable headphones for the public. Since they’re among the finest on the market, we think they are at a bargain price considering the active noise canceling feature.

A simple look at the design of the JBL Live 650BTNC

JBL's design is more mature and trendier than Sony's and Bose's simplistic look. You may choose from three distinct color schemes for the 650BTNC: black with copper accents; white; or blue and silver.

JBL's Bluetooth speakers use sturdy cotton for the headband, and the ear cups are covered in faux leather that's soft and comfy to wear on the head.

They have a fantastic mix of materials (aluminum, cotton, leather, and plastic) and excellent overall craftsmanship. While some users may object to plastic usage, the result is a lightweight headset that is comfortable to use for long periods. Consequently, even though it wasn't as light as the Bose QC35 II, the JBL Live 650BTNC is a nice pair of headphones to use all day at work and during commuting.

When it comes to commuting, the headphones are foldable and are packaged in a fabric purse. We would have preferred a sturdy case to keep the headphones safe at this price, but that's just a gripe. When you run out of charge or just want to optimize battery life for noise-canceling, the headphones come with a 3.5mm connection with a dedicated micro-USB charging cable.

See our review of the JBL Live 300

For those hoping to charge many devices with a single USB-C connection, you'll have to be disappointed to learn that the 650BTNC still adheres to the outdated micro-USB standard.

Adjustable ANC, which Sony provides but JBL does not, lets in some background noise while you are talking to someone, but at this price range, you can't criticize JBL for removing the adjustable functionality.

The activating voice assistant, such as Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, requires downloading the matching software on your phone. This app is still worth downloading even if you don't use voice assistants since it allows for custom EQs, battery life checks, and headphone updates. It's a basic interface, but it does the job.

The comfort of the JBL Live 650BTNC

The JBLs' construction is flawless since we haven't detected major issues with them. Even though they're made of plastic, the 650BTNCs seem solid enough, even if others claim they are a little flimsy and inexpensive. It's difficult to hear any squeaks from the frame while resting on the listener's head since the movable components move freely (but not excessively).

To top it all off, the headband has a sturdy-feeling material on both the inside and outside. Because it's distinct enough from faux leather, the Live 650BTNCs seem a little more fascinating than your average pair of headphones. Although the memory-foam earpads are cloth-covered, we wouldn't have complimented JBL for using faux leather in their construction.

However, despite their bold logo branding, the JBLs have an attractive product design. Wearing it won't make you feel like a "Cyberman" as you do with many other over-ear headphones since there isn't as much space between the sides of your head and the headband.

Sound performance and quality of the JBL Live 650BTNC

JBL's Live 650BTNCs appear to be designed to evoke a sense of 'excitement.' And to be fair, it seems to have been a success in certain respects as well. Increasing the low-frequency response is a certain technique to elicit a sensation of excitement. It's easy to sound 'large' with a too bassy presentation, but with the Live 650BTNCs, there is enough low-end presence to spare.

As a result of their concentration on the lower end, the JBLs wind up skewing the 650s' overall sound to an unpleasant degree.

The JBLs' are known to overdo bass rendition, the low-end drones indistinguishably, and although the melody sounds almost substantial, it becomes bogged down as the ponderous bass noises tug at speed.

Although they have a small soundstage, the JBLs' thick and strong bass makes them seem 'huge' until your ears can no longer handle the low-end reverberation.

The 650s sense urgency at the other end of the frequency spectrum. Regarding individual sounds, the treble sounds in Vanish by The Smoke don't suffer from the bottom end's lack of enthusiasm.

JBLs' high-end output has an unpleasantly glassy quality, and this trebly harshness may rapidly become as wearying to the droning bass as it is to the listener.

During Super Furry Animals' God, the Live 650 midrange reproduction is impressive and detailed, with enough subtlety and character. Show Me Your Spellbinding Talents. The midrange is the absolute star of the JBL's sound quality.

Unfortunately, disjointed frequency response makes listening to the 650s a frustrating experience since it's impossible to have a seamless transition from lower frequencies to higher ones. In the center lies an oasis of tranquility and reality, while on either side of the JBLs is chaos.

Find out of the JBL Tune 230NC TWS or the Quantum 50 is for you

Our test results for the battery life of JBL Live 650BTNC

Our testing results show that the battery life of the Live JBL 650 is fairly consistent. With noise-canceling enabled, the headphones lasted 18.5 hours of listening at a steady 75dB(SPL). Even though this falls short of JBL's stated 20 hours of performance, 18.5 hours is more than enough for a headphone, in our opinion.

While charging isn't a big issue if the battery is completely depleted, the provided micro-USB cable provides two hours of listening in only 15 minutes. Although the lack of USB-C is a bummer, the micro-USB port helps justify the price tag.

Connectivity and Bluetooth Codecs of JBL live 650BTNC

It's not ideal, but for most users, the SBC Bluetooth codec will suffice on these headphones. Use the provided 3.5mm cable to get the greatest sound quality out of your headphones if you must.

Multipoint connection is one of the most useful characteristics of Bluetooth. You can use this to connect to two devices at once and switch back and forth between them. Pause the media on the main device and play it on the second one as you deem fit.

Noise attenuation of the JBL Live 650BTNC

Noise cancellation improves isolation by making the outside world almost inaudible. While the ANC performance of JBL is likely less than the top models from Bose and Sony, the Live 650 still provides excellent ANC at the price point. We feel that the ANC provided by Live 650 outperforms price-comparable models from Sony noise-canceling headphones.

Buy the JBL Live 650BTNC for its noise-canceling ability

It's worth it if you're looking to save money without losing a good noise-canceling feature. JBL Live 650BTNC headphones are not the best sounding, but they are lightweight, comfy, and excellent at blocking out ambient noise when the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature is on. Apart from that, having messages read aloud and being able to respond without touching my phone rapidly is a delight with Google Assistant and Alexa connectivity.

However, Sony's similarly priced models may be better if you can't overlook the poor microphone quality.