Review: JBL Sense Pro open air earphones

Those of you who have been following us for years and read our hardware and gadget reviews know all too well the trend in the headphone segment towards increasingly isolating models. Ever since manufacturers like Bose and Sony made Active Noise Cancelling a more and more popular and sought-after technology, a lot of competition has arisen that only benefits the consumer. JBL now offers some of the best ANC headphones and earbuds, such as the JBL Tour One M3 among the former and the JBL Tour Pro 3 among the latter. But what if you don't need to isolate yourself so much?

Parallel to this pro-ANC trend, another one has emerged that seeks the opposite: to offer maximum sound quality but with a certain permeability to outside noise (or sounds). Of course you can activate "talk through" or let ambient sound pass through the microphones of ANC headphones, but we know it's not the same thing. And some brands have tried experiments that, at least for me, aren't as convincing, such as the Sony LinkBuds.

The Harman company's answer is called JBL Sense Pro, and in its first iteration it has already surprised me. It is the top of the range of a new line of "Open Ear" design and patented OpenSound technology that gives rise to other more affordable or more sporty models, but which in its Pro version reaches its best expression for listening to music and making hands-free calls.

The JBL Sense Pro is basically a circumaural or over the ear earbud. "But what are you saying?" Yes, let me explain. Naturally, it's not a headset with cushion pads that sit on or cover the ears, but a pair of tiny earbuds worn in a case with an elongated body that surrounds the ear, but not inserted into the ear canal. They are like tiny directional loudspeakers that focus the sound into the ear canal, hanging very close to it.

The "hook" design serves a dual function in the higher-end Pro model. The original one of holding on to the ear as they are not held in place with the inserted unit, and a second one exclusive to this version: the rear "pendant" not only balances the weights and hides the battery, but also serves as a sensor to know when the user is talking by bone vibrations, and thus greatly improves noise cancellation, here yes, when it's time to make a phone call. Ingenious!

"Wait a minute, tiny speakers? That must sound mediocre..." Here comes the surprise: when I was expecting a distant, canned, and cold sound, I found a surprisingly good result. The bass is particularly impressive, but there is clarity, closeness, warmth. It's not quite the audiophile result that the aforementioned models achieve with their active and passive noise cancellation and traditional remit, but you can understand the JBL Sense Pro as earphones for much more than the occasional podcast.

Now you just have to think about whether you've really been needing something like this for a while, perhaps as an alternative use if you already have noise cancelling headphones or as a primary use if you need something that doesn't isolate you so much or isn't so intrusive, literally, to your ears. I've found some ideal uses, such as whenever I'm cooking or listening to classical music at work, without having to shout the typical "headphones on!" However, the most beautiful use is when you go for a walk surrounded by nature. Because cars and noises from the more stressful areas of the city (not to mention a plane or a train) are something we all want to cancel out, but if we're talking about birds, the hissing of leaves this autumn, or the rushing of water from a spring, then it's a fantastic experience to accompany them with good music. Even the murmur of people in a quiet café can be a good thing!

Although this is as I said the first iteration and we will surely see evolutions in the future, this is a classy release. The sweet spot for the best listening requires a little adjustment of the flexible clamp on each unit, and this has to be repeated each time because the default position is reset when you return to the charging case. This is just normal. Also, in these adjustments you will activate the touch controls a thousand times, but that's the thing about the tiny, lightweight size. On the other hand, we did experience the system shutting down when using a single unit for a while, but we experienced this from an Android source, not on iOS. And I miss the zero lag of the Tour Pro 3 with my Nintendo Switch 2, but that's a tall order.

As for the calls, it's really a leap from other models that can only opt to add more and more microphones. The JBL Sense Pro user's voice can sound a little tweaked "or like an AI speaking," one caller told me, especially in noisy environments (imagine a busy, windy avenue), but this is corrected in private, and you also speak better when your own voice comes from the environment.

Of course, the product also incorporates all formats and protocols in their latest versions, such as Bluetooth 6.0, Auracast, IP54, wireless charging, multipoint connection, Hi-Res Audio, and 8+30 hours of battery life.

It's a bit of a magical feeling to listen to music on the JBL Sense Pro, as if the soundtrack of your life is accompanying you. I do see them as companions in specific moments, while their cousins with ANC isolate me in the most unpleasant environments. But now that we are all becoming more and more isolated, I like to have this new concept at hand when I find those moments of greater peace and connection.