Review on JBL Live 660NC: Long-Lasting Battery Wireless Over-Ear Headphones with Noise Cancelling & Voice Assistant in Black by Todd Phillips

I personally like the design of the 660NC headphones. They have a subtle low profile and sophisticated aesthetic. I appreciate the matte black finish that helps prevent smudges and fingerprints. The fabric-covered headband isn't as flexible as we'd like, but the ear cups rotate nicely. The plush memory foam ear pads are a snug fit and feel durable. They're not that heavy, but definitely built like a tank. It's also nice that JBL included a nice canvas carry case in the box. I was a bit disappointed with the comfort. The headband is a bit stiff but due to the strong clamp I felt very little pain at the top. On the other hand, due to the very high clamping force, I have felt a slight discomfort on the sides of my ears, especially with glasses on. The memory foam pads are very soft and help a lot, but the ear cups are small and cause a bit of chafing in my ears. I couldn't wear them for more than 1 hour. These headphones can get very hot, so keep that in mind if you decide to exercise with on-ear headphones. Of course, every head shape is different, so your mileage may vary. It's Bluetooth 5.0 so they're easy to pair and stay connected well over reasonable distances. It is also worth noting that there is a Google Fast Pair. I've paired them with my laptop and pixel phone and it's great as this headset offers a seamless multipoint connection and is very comfortable. The autoplay/pause functions work well when the headset is on/off. I also like that the voice assistant only works with the activation word. The battery life is impressive. I mean 40 hours with ANC and 50 without so you're protected even during that long journey. They can also be charged quickly: 10 minutes of charging is enough for another 4 hours. And even if they run out of power, you can still use the included 3.5mm audio cable. Well done. The connection quality is excellent. It's still Bluetooth, but I've had no issues with conferences and phone calls. I did notice that some ambient noise and things like typing can still be heard, but it was never bothersome. The active noise cancellation (ANC) works perfectly. Although I could still hear most of what was going on outside, especially the traffic, I still felt isolated and enjoyed the sound. The "Ambient Aware" technology is good enough, but it just seemed a little "unnatural" to me. This is somewhat more pronounced with the "TalkThru" option. However, these are very handy features. I like the Live 5660NC's touch/physical controls. While it would be nice to have buttons on both earbuds, at least they're placed in a way that's easy to get used to. I'm also happy that everything can be controlled through the headset and the controls are responsive. The sound signature is classic JBL. Out of the box, it's designed for listening to simple music. There are no aptX codecs, which is not critical for me. The bass is powerful, punchy and solid. The mids are pushed back a bit, but not enough to miss vocals and rhythm instruments. The highs are also slightly emphasized, which ensures clarity. I would describe the sound as dynamic and full. It should be perfect for any genre. The channel separation is well done, the sound stage is sufficient. This makes watching movies and playing games just plain fun. If you're not happy with the default sound, you can try the companion JBL app with EQ settings. There you can also change things like the voice assistant, ANC/Ambient and update the firmware. Although the fit and comfort can be a little disappointing - in my case at least, there's a lot to like here. The build quality, amount of features and technology, and good sound performance make them a strong contender in the crowded BT headphone space.