If you want to get new in-ears and spend a little more money on it, you will probably come across the JBL Live 300 TWS when searching. These are currently being sold for $80. For this price, according to JBL, you get wireless headphones, which are characterized by high sound and recording quality and a battery life of up to six hours. This can be extended by 14 hours with a charging bag.
In addition, JBL advertises integrating Amazon’s Alexa or the Google Assistant and a TalkThru function with which one should be able to hear the outside world. The following test shows whether this overall package of functions is sufficient to justify the price of the headphones and how the various features perform in practice.
In addition to the headphones themselves, JBL includes silicone attachments in three sizes and other silicone rings in four sizes to adjust the headphones. There is also the charging above case, a short USB-C charging cable, and various instructions.
JBL offers them in black, blue and white color options for the same price. The color scheme affects both the headphones themselves and the charging case.
The ComfoBuds Pro, 1More is now delivering a design change towards a full-fledged in-ear. And although the two earbuds are very similar, there are apparent differences. Which are they?
As already mentioned, the Pro model is based on the Non-Pro version. That means we are dealing with a chopstick design again. This measures 42 x 17 x 20 mm (L x W x D) . 1More dares to approach a blue version with the Pro version. There are then three colors from Aurora Blue , Titanium Black, Mica White.Â
In terms of color, the headphones are stylish in every variant. The relatively dark lacquer on the earbuds looks almost like metal, but plastic is actually used.
Charging station (450 mAh, 5V)
3 pairs of silicone attachments (XS, S, L)
USB Type-C to USB-A charging cable (50 cm)
Plastic carrier bag (10.5 x 8 cm)
1More Bear Stickers
Multilingual operating instructions
| JBL Live 300 TWS | 1MORE ComfoBuds Pro |
| Sleek, sturdy construction | Multiple noise cancellation modes |
| Alexa and Google Assistant support | Good sound, strong bass |
| Comfortable for in-ear headphones | Good voice quality |
| User-adjustable EQ | BT 5.0, SBC, AAC & IPX4 rating |
| Mediocre battery life | Expensive |
| Heavy treble | No aptX |
Specification
| JBL Live 300 TWS | 1MORE ComfoBuds Pro | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE |
| Brand | JBL | 1MORE |
| Released | July 1, 2019 | March 15, 2021 |
| Model | Live 300 TWS | ComfoBuds Pro |
| Weight | 2.32 ounces | 0.141 ounces |
| Dimension | 3.94 x 1.81 x 6.3 inches | 1.65 x 0.94 x 0.82 inches |
| Type | In-Ear | In-Ear |
| Colors | Black, Blue White | Aurora Blue, Titanium Black, Mica White |
| Driver | 5.6mm | 13.4 mm dynamic driver |
| ANC | Yes | Yes |
| Foldable Design | No | No |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Water resistance | IPX5 | IPX4 rating |
| Music Controls | Volume-Control | ANC Strong/Mild/OFF, Transparency, Wind Noise Resistant |
| Impedance | 16 Ω | 32 Ω |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Codec | A2DP 1.3, AVRCP 1.5,HFP v1.6 | HFP / A2DP / AVRCP |
| Frequency | 2.402 GHz –2.48GHz | 2.400 GHz ~ 2.4835 GHz |
| Charging Time | 2 Hours | 2 Hours |
| Battery capacity | 55 mAh | 50 mAh |
| Battery Life | Up to 20 Hours | Up to 20 Hours |
| Connector Type | Wireless | Wireless |
| Compatibility | Windows, Playstation, XBOX | Windows, Playstation, XBOX |
Design
The JBL Live 300 TWS relies on a cylindrical housing in which the speaker membrane, the electronics, and the battery are located. From there, the sound waves are directed into the ear through a taper. The headphones are held in position by the silicone caps that can be attached to the taper. The replaceable silicone rings located further back, on the other hand, are used to fasten them in the ear: They are hooked over the ear canal and are intended to prevent them from falling out.
The material used for the headphones is plastic, which is pleasant to the touch. The quality of the headphones is excellent: The individual housing parts are excellent and connected without any optical flaws.
The charging case also uses plastic throughout. It is used to charge and transport the headphones: you can open them and put the headphones in the recessed slots. Charging takes place via three metal contacts that rest on the corresponding contact surfaces of the headphones.
The processing quality of the charging case is also impeccable: The plastic used here feels just as high-quality, and the housing is again very stable. The hinged hinge has a little play when loaded from the side, but that is not dramatic in practice.
1MORE ComfoBuds Pro- At the upper bending point of the style, the touch area is delimited by a different place. The microphone communication is, as usual, at the lower end of the stem and is turned slightly towards the mouth. There is also a two-color status LED at the end of the handle, but it only lights up in the station. The primary microphone is joined by another one directly on the driver and one above the touch surface.
Inside, there is an opening for pressure compensation and the area for the infrared proximity sensor, which detects whether the earbuds are being worn – sometimes even when they are on a table. The two charging contacts are also recessed inside, indicating that the earbuds are not placed in the station.
The 6 x 4 mm loudspeaker output is provided with a red aluminum grille, allowing other plugs. There is usually space in the charging cradle for attachments made of molded foam, but you need narrower attachments. With the larger ones, the station can no longer be closed.
The case measures 80 x 38 x 30 mm (L x W x H), but is still made of plastic. There was a downgrade for the hinge, which is now made of plastic instead of aluminum. The red-colored USB Type-C charging port has remained. A small multi-colored status LED was installed directly and in the middle below the notch for the opening. Inside there is the well-known pairing button and the socket for the earbuds.
Of course, the Pro version is also well processed and hardly allows any criticism. The design can be described as ergonomic and almost completely dispenses with edges. Transitions between the materials are easily noticeable here and there. It is a pity that the lid lacks a snap-in point at the maximum opening angle, so this closes relatively easily.
With the high-priced 1More models, the packaging is always an eye-catcher. Less from the outside because the different cardboard boxes are very similar. The concept drawings of the buds are shown inside again.Â
Connectivity
The headphones only get some functions through the corresponding app, which is designed and allows more extensive configuration. There you can, for example, activate the automatic pause or switch-off and the TalkThru as well as the ambient-aware mode. Activation of the two ways is possible after an initial configuration, but also by swiping the headphones.
The ambient-aware mode uses the microphones in the headphones to record the outside world and feed it directly into the headphones. This means you can stay in the action while listening to music without losing too much sound quality. We find the mode very useful and also successful – especially for conversations.
The TalkThru mode, which also records the outside world, goes in the same direction. At the same time, he pauses the music so that you can talk undisturbed. This mode works just as well, but you can hear slight background noise from the microphone recording.
The ComfoBuds Pro is very close to the normal ComfoBuds is the feature list. We get Bluetooth 5.0 with SBC and AAC codec, no aptX. This is a bit of a shame for the Pro at the significantly higher price point.
The same applies to the 13.4 mm dynamic driver. So you can assume that this is almost identical to the normal model. After all, 1More recognizes the opportunity and also integrates ANC. We use the raw data table to clarify whether the ComfoBuds convince us this time.
1More also has some settings that can be made via the app to adjust the sound profile.
ANC is available in several stages. These include “medium”, “strong”, “transparent” and “wind”. You can only hear a few differences between medium and strong. The damping is of course not quite as strong with medium. This mode, which is intended for rather quiet places, is not really worth it.
Different sound profiles can be selected via the equalizer in the 1More MUSIC app. In addition to Bass Boost and Bass Reduce, there are some other profiles, each with two levels. Here, among other things, the slightly restrained heights can be amplified, giving them the kick they need.
The ComfoBuds Pro needs their station to carry out the pairing, but the head in the station is not a must. When opening the charging case, the earbuds switch to pairing mode. If the device is already known, it will be connected again immediately, and new devices can now establish a connection.
The earbuds, of course, are controlled via the touch field on the outside. The following settings are possible as standard.
Tap R / L twice: pause / play
Press R / L for 3 seconds: ANC-strong / transparency / off
Tap R / L three times: Voice Assistant
Tap R / L twice, for a call: accept / hang up
As you can see, the controls are quite limited. In this case, it doesn’t matter because everything can be freely selected via the app except for switching the ANC modes, and even these can be adjusted to determine which ANC modes are chosen yourself.
App – 1More Music
1More is known to have two apps on the high edge. 1More MUSIC and 1More Assistant. The 1More Music app is your choice if you want to get the most out of your earbuds. Both are simply downloaded from the Google Play Store.
The app has a simple structure. Without a start page, you will land directly on the overview page of the earbuds. You can switch the ANC modes manually, choose how the proximity sensor should react, or activate the equalizer and change the touch control.
Audio Quality
The JBL Live 300 TWS are convincing in terms of sound quality. The precise, voluminous bass characterizes the sound, and the headphones also do very well in the medium and higher frequency ranges. The sound is detailed and, in our opinion, definitely appropriate for the price.
The JBL Live 300 TWS also delivers a similarly positive image in terms of usability. The headphones are still comfortable for us after long periods of wear, and they sit tight enough for sports. The operation also works well: It is done via the touch surfaces on the outside of the headphones, which implement the typing and swiping movements very reliably.
3 microphones per earbud are built into the 1More ComfoBuds Pro. Although only one is responsible for the direct recording of the speech, the other two improve the noise cancellation quality.
The ComfoBuds Pro goes one step further with an additional microphone. Voices are recorded again clearly and distinctly, and background noises are usefully eliminated. Compared to the normal ComfoBuds, the Pro do a better job when it comes to heights and sudden peaks in the background noise. These are not entirely suppressed but are intercepted much better.
Longer conversations are no problem with the ComfoBuds Pro. The partner should not notice much of your surroundings and at the same time receive a comparatively natural-looking voice.
The ComfoBuds Pro also does not have an unlimited range. 20 meters are also easy here, but then the connection breaks off quickly.
Battery
The Live 300 TWS does a decent job in terms of battery life, but they are a long way off new standards. We ran it with a somewhat above-average volume, which we find uncomfortable for continuous use – the measured battery life should be a minimum for genuine use.
With continuous music playback, the headphones achieved a battery life of around four and a half hours per charge with these settings, which could be increased to a total of 17.5 hours with the charging case. Unless you regularly take on long trips without music breaks, the battery life of the JBL Live 300 TWS should be sufficient for most situations.
1MORE ComfoBuds Pro- In addition to a 50 mAh battery per earbud, a 450 mAh battery is used in the station. Despite the large case, the battery is only increased by 40 mAh. That, in turn, is enough for full charges of the earbuds, plus something on top. When charging, the station then needs almost 2 hours for 100%.
The earbuds, on the other hand, are fully charged again after just under an hour. At 50% volume, you can get a good 5 hours with the earbuds if ANC is switched on. This is an excellent value that some other headphones can only achieve without ANC.
Conclusion!
The JBL Live 300 TWS is sold for $ 75, placing the headphones in the high-priced segment. They can meet the expectations placed on them: The app is very successful. Additional functions such as TalkThru, Ambient-Aware, and the well-implemented touch operation are essential to assert oneself. In the test, we particularly liked the latter two very much, even if a noticeable background noise accompanies the recording of the surroundings.
In our opinion, the Live 300 TWS can hold its well to very well in the core disciplines of battery life, processing quality, and sound quality. The bottom line is that we think the headphones are very successful in almost all respects.
Anyone who is willing to pay the necessary money for the headphones and considers at least some of the additional functions to be necessary should take a closer look at the JBL Live 300 TWS.
1More was more convincible with the ComfoBuds Pro than with the normal ComfoBuds. Most of the negative aspects of the half-open version are eliminated with the Pro version. Nevertheless, you expect a little more for $100. There is no high-quality codec to minimize possible compression, and the sound test lacks that feeling that knocks you out when you start your favorite song.
The sound of the ComfoBuds Pro is excellent, but you can also do it the safe way instead of, for example, working out the highs properly. Otherwise, there is not much you can do wrong here.
Overall, the 1More ComfoBuds Pro gets a recommendation. Perhaps one is waiting for an offer in which the earbuds slip into more competitive realms.
