JBL Live Free NC+ TWS True Wireless Review (2024)

Type In-ear

Enclosure Closed-Back

Wireless Truly Wireless

Transducer Dynamic

TheJBL Live Free NC+have a straightforward look similar to the JBL CLUB PRO+ TWS True Wireless. They're mostly one color, and the brand's logo is visible on both earbuds. However, they're a bit bulky and stick out of your ears. They come in four color variants: Blue, Black, Pink, and White.

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Weight 0.03 lbs

Clamping Force

TheJBL Live Free NC+are comfortable. They don't put much pressure on your ears and don't have a deep fit. Using the touch controls doesn't hurt your ear either, and they come with differently-sized ear tips and stability fins so you can find the best fit for you. However, the earbuds themselves are a bit bulky.

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OS Compatibility

Ease Of Use Good

Feedback Good

Call/Music Control Yes

Volume Control No

Microphone Control Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing

Noise Cancelling Control On/Off

Talk-Through

Additional Controls Voice Assistant

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Avg.Temp.Difference 0.8 °C

These headphones have outstanding breathability. Since they don't cover your outer ear, they don't trap in much heat, so you shouldn't sweat more than normal when wearing them.

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L 1.1" (2.8 cm)

W 1.3" (3.3 cm)

H 1.0" (2.5 cm)

Volume 1.30 in³ (21.30 cm³)

Transmitter Required No

TheJBL Live Free NC Plus are incredibly portable. Like most truly wireless in-ears, they're small and lightweight, so it's easy to toss them into most pockets or a bag. They also come with a small carrying case, which should also fit into most pockets.

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Type Hard case

L 2.4" (6.1 cm)

W 1.2" (3.0 cm)

H 1.4" (3.6 cm)

Volume 3.90 in³ (63.91 cm³)

The case is good. It's made of sturdy plastic and has four LED lights to indicate the battery level. There's a button on the back of the case that resets or reconnects the left and right bud. On the downside, you may need to adjust the fins to fit inside the case for the earbuds to fit.

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TheJBL Live Free NC Plus have a good build quality. They're mostly solid plastic, which feels durable, and they come with three types of ear tips to help you get a more comfortable fit. However, they seem potentially weaker than the other parts of their build. On the upside, they have an IPX7 rating for water resistance, although we don't currently test for this.

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TheJBL Live Free NC+have a very stable fit. Thanks to their stability fins, they should stay in place, even during moderate physical activity.

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Bass Amount

Treble Amount

The JBL Live Free NC Plus have a very neutral sound profile suitable for a variety of audio. However, they lack a bit of low bass, so your mixes lack a bit of thump and rumble. Vocals and lead instruments are also veiled, while sibilants like cymbals are dull. On the upside, their companion app offers a parametric EQ and presets so that you can tweak their sound to your liking.

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Avg. Std. Deviation

The JBL Live Free NC Plus have outstanding frequency response consistency. Like most in-ears, once you achieve an airtight seal, you should get consistent audio delivery each time you use them.

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Std. Err.

Low-Frequency Extension

Low-Bass

Mid-Bass

High-Bass

The JBL Live Free NC Plus have outstanding bass accuracy. They lack a bit of low-bass, especially compared to other JBL buds like the JBL Tune Buds True Wireless, so your mixes lose out on some thump and rumble. However, the rest of the range is very flat and balanced, so mixes have punch and warmth without sounding overwhelming.

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Std. Err.

Low-Mid

Mid-Mid

High-Mid

These headphones have excellent mid-accuracy. Vocals and lead instruments are clear and accurate, although the dip in the mid-mid slightly nudges them to the back of the mix. However, this shouldn't be too noticeable.

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Std. Err.

Low-Treble

Mid-Treble

High-Treble

These headphones have good treble accuracy. The response is underemphasized across the range, so vocals and lead instruments are veiled while sibilants like cymbals are dull.

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Peaks

Dips

The JBL Live Free NC+ have excellent peaks and dips performance. Most of the peaks and dips are minor. A small bump in the bass range adds a bit of extra thump and punch, while a dip in the mid-mid slightly nudges vocals and lead instruments to the back of the mix. The uneven mid-treble makes sibilants alternatingly dull and piercing.

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Weighted Group Delay

Weighted Phase Mismatch

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch

Weighted Frequency Mismatch

The JBL Live Free NC Plus have outstanding imaging. The weighted group delay falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in a tight bass and transparent treble. Also, the L/R drivers of our unit are well-matched in phase, frequency, and amplitude response, so objects like footsteps and voices are accurately placed and localized within the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our unit, and your experience may vary.

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PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)

PRTF Size (Avg.)

PRTF Distance

Openness

Acoustic Space Excitation

These headphones have a terrible passive soundstage, which is typical for in-ear headphones. Due to their design, they completely bypass the outer ear. This is a key factor in creating a large and out-of-body soundstage. The sound seems like it's coming from inside your head rather than from speakers placed around you. Since they also have a closed-back design, their soundstage doesn't seem as open or spacious as open-back headphones.

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Head Modeling

Speaker Modeling

Room Ambience

Head Tracking

Virtual Surround

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WHD @ 90

WHD @ 100

The JBL Live Free NC+'s weighted harmonic distortion performance is great. The entire range falls within good limits, which results in clear and pure audio reproduction.

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Firmware

Power

Connection

Codec

EQ

ANC

Tip/Pad

Microphone

These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid in this configuration.

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Overall Attenuation

Noise Cancelling Yes

Bass

Mid

Treble

The JBL Live Free NC Plus have sub-par noise isolation. Their active noise cancelling (ANC) feature doesn't offer better performance than the headphones' passive noise isolation abilities. They struggle to block out bass-range noise like the rumble of bus or plane engines. They do a better job of cutting down office chatter, though, and can block out the high-pitched hum of an AC unit. If you're looking for similarly designed JBL earbuds with a better noise isolation performance, check out the JBL Tour Pro+ TWS True Wireless.

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Overall Leakage @ 1ft

The JBL Live Free NC Plus have an outstanding leakage performance. They don't leak a lot of sound, and escaping audio sounds thin. You should be able to listen to audio at high volumes without disturbing those around you, even in a moderately noisy environment.

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Integrated

In-Line

Boom

Detachable Boom

Mic Yes

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LFE

FR Std. Dev.

HFE

Weighted THD

Gain

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SpNR

Noise Gate

Speech + Pink Noise Handling

Speech + Subway Noise Handling

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Battery Type

Continuous Battery Life

Additional Charges

Total Battery Life

Charge Time

Power-Saving Feature

Audio While Charging

Passive Playback

Charging Port USB-C

The JBL Live Free NC+'s battery performance is alright. With their ANC on, they're advertised to last around six hours, but we tested a bit less than that. Their case holds roughly two additional charges, and you can use one bud while the other charges. Note that battery life can vary depending on usage, so your real-life experience may vary. If you're looking for JBL in-ears with a better battery performance, try the JBL Tune 130NC TWS Truly Wireless.

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App Name JBL Headphones

iOS Yes

Android Yes

macOS No

Windows No

Equalizer

ANC Control

Mic Control No

Room Effects

Playback Control

Button Mapping Yes

Surround Support

The JBL Headphones app is impressive. It has a parametric EQ and presets so that you can customize their sound to your tastes. You can also control the ANC, adjust the auto-off timer, turn the auto-pause on or off, see the battery level of the headphones and case, and set up gestures or voice assistant. The app has a couple of Smart Audio Modes: 'Normal', 'Audio Mode', which is advertised to optimize your Bluetooth connection for high-quality audio, and 'Video Mode', which is advertised to lower latency.

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Bluetooth Version

Multi-Device Pairing

NFC Pairing

Line Of Sight Range

PC Latency (SBC)

PC Latency (aptX)

PC Latency (aptX HD)

PC Latency (aptX-LL)

iOS Latency

Android Latency

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Non-BT Line Of Sight Range

Non-BT Latency

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Analog Audio

USB Audio

Detachable No

Length N/A

Connection

Analog/USB Audio Latency

The JBL Live Free NC+ can't be used with a wired connection. They have a USB-C to USB-A cable to charge their case.

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Analog

Wired USB

Non-BT Wireless

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PS4 Analog

PS4 Wired USB

PS4 Non-BT Wireless

PS5 Analog

PS5 Wired USB

PS5 Non-BT Wireless

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Xbox One Analog

Xbox One Wired USB

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless

Xbox Series X|S Analog

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless

These headphones aren't compatible with Xbox One or Xbox Series X consoles.

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Type

USB Input

Line In

Line Out

Optical Input

RCA Input

Dock Charging

Power Supply

The JBL Live Free NC Plus have a portable charging case that has roughly two extra charges. It charges via USB-C.

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