JBL Everest Elite 750NC - Review 2022

Noise cancellation and Bluetooth headphones don't ofttimes mix. Bose changed the game with its excellent QuietComfort 35 headphones concluding year, and competitors take been trying to play catch upwardly always since. JBL's Everest Elite 750NC headphones, at $299.95, cost a fleck less than the Bose model and evangelize powerful bass response that tin be adjusted using an app. But while the headphones are capable of delivering solid audio performance, the noise cancellation itself isn't very good, and has a major impact on audio quality.

Design

Available in steel blue, gunmetal grey, or silver, all of the circumaural (over-the-ear) Everest Elite 750NC models have a metallic, two-tone quality. It's a hitting look, specially the steel blueish, and information technology'south squeamish to come across an audio company experimenting a lilliputian with textures and finishes. Even the surface of the leatherette earpads accept an interesting sheen to them, while the memory foam padding inside is exceptionally comfortable, as is the padding on the underside of the headband.

JBL Everest Elite 750NC inline In that location's a power switch on the right earcup'southward outer panel, besides every bit a multifunction button that controls playback and call management, and plus/minus buttons that control volume and runway navigation. We're not huge fans of combining volume control and rail skipping on the same button, as information technology'due south besides like shooting fish in a barrel to accidentally hold the button downwards and skip the track you're listening to when you lot mean to adjust the volume.

In that location are ii more than buttons on the right earcup, including a Bluetooth pairing button and a smart button labeled S. This button allows you to turn the noise cancellation on, or switch betwixt Low and High Ambience Awareness modes. JBL's free app has an EQ section where you can listen through presets like Jazz or Bass, or create your own using a comprehensive ten-bands EQ. And of course, yous tin can too simply disable the EQ.

The headphones ship with a longer-than-usual micro USB charging cable (that connects to the right earcup) and an audio cable for wired listening (that connects to the left). You can listen in powered mode with noise cancellation on, or in wired, passive mode to save bombardment life. The audio cablevision features a single-push inline remote control and mic, which offers better intelligibility for phone calls than the Bluetooth mic. In addition to the cables, the headphones transport with a hard shell example they fold down into.

JBL estimates battery life to be roughly fifteen hours, just your results volition vary with your volume levels and your mix of noise cancellation and wireless usage.

Performance

The Everest Elite's noise counterfoil is merely decent. In noisy environments, like planes, trains, or rooms with loud Ac units, the it does a solid job of eliminating diverse low-end rumbles and distracting whirs. But the circuitry creates an audible hiss, which sounds like a very repose white noise blanket. In loud environments, or whenever y'all're playing music, you lot're less likely to hear the hiss, but it's always in that location. The Ambient Awareness setting lets in sound so you can monitor your environment, and works fairly well. The biggest event is how the noise cancellation impacts sound performance, which we'll get to presently.

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The headphones have drivers capable of delivering powerful bass. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife'south "Silent Shout," you get a full, rich bass response. With no EQ and noise cancellation disabled, the bass response is somewhat restrained, just yous can get seriously deep lows if you dial them up through the app. At superlative volumes, there is no distortion, though we should note that these headphones don't seem to become as loud as many competing models. At moderate volumes, the bass response is still quite substantial and can be additional or cut to your heart's content.

With the EQ and NC disabled, Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track without much deep bass in the mix, gives usa a better sense of the full general sound signature. The drums on this track sound natural, whereas on some bass-frontwards models, they tin audio ridiculously over the top. Once again, it's quite possible to boost the lows here and achieve some thunder, but JBL doesn't let things get out of hand. Even at top bass levels, the drums sound full, lively, and rich, but not insanely powerful. The headphones really don't demand much help from the app, though enough of listeners will prefer a picayune extra bass.

Back to noise counterfoil. If you turn it on while listening to sound, it'due south like you are basically wearing dissimilar headphones. With NC on, The Knife rails has far more than bass response, and at summit volumes comes very close to distorting. If yous add some bass into the mix using the EQ, things will distort wildly. Plough the EQ off again and play the same Neb Callahan track, and the drums now sound every bit similar the thunderous, over-the-top hits we mentioned competing models having.

So information technology'south a tale of two sound signatures here. The headphones are a wildly different beast in dissonance-canceling style, which should never happen. In fact, while switching NC on and off while playing music, you really hear the headphones sweeping from one sound signature to the other, as if an EQ filter is beingness enabled or disabled. This is not how racket counterfoil is supposed to work.

Conclusions

If you're looking for the best in wireless noise cancellation, the aforementioned Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones—and their in-ear sibling, the Bose QuietControl thirty—are the the best nosotros've tested. Nosotros're also fans of the AKG N60 NC Wireless and the Libratone Q Adapt On-Ear. Nosotros don't detest the JBL Everest Elite 750NC, merely the performance is just too inconsistent. If y'all crave the power these headphones tin can conjure and the versatility the adaptable EQ delivers, nosotros won't judge. Only JBL's noise cancellation is still not its greatest strength, and at that place are improve options available.