Review on JBL Live Free NC Plus - True Wireless Earbuds with Active Noise Cancelling, Bluetooth, Microphone, Up to 21 Hours Battery Life, Wireless Charging (Blue) by Katie Jones

The JBL Live Free NC+ headphones deliver the sound you expect from a JBL product. These are budget headphones, so understandably they lack some of the features you'd find in a $500 pair of headphones. With pre-made sound settings, the sound is good. But with the JBL Headphones app, you can adjust the audio on your headphones to vastly improve sound quality. After adjusting the EQ to my liking, the result was fantastic. The bass was deep and powerful, and the highs weren't suppressed. At maximum volume, the sound remains clear and undistorted. While it's very loud, the maximum volume isn't painfully loud like some speakers can be. For ear safety, I do not recommend high volume settings. The fit and comfort of these headphones are good. There are reviews criticizing the sound of these headphones, but most of them don't mention trying to adjust the equalizer settings. Almost every advanced audio device I've owned, whether they're in-ear headphones, headphones, or standalone speakers, had equalizer settings accessible through the app. There is usually a significant difference between the default sound setting and fine tuning within the app. This product is no exception. Once tuned, they sound great. This product comes with headphones, a rechargeable charging/carrying case, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, interchangeable earbuds and gel tips of various sizes and manuals. The instructions describe using the headphones and setting up the Google Assistant and Revain Alexa. The rechargeable case contains a battery that charges the headphones. The case is Qi-enabled, so it can be charged with any Qi charger. The earbuds will charge when placed in the case. With the quick charge function, you can charge the earbuds for 10 minutes to provide 1 hour of playback. Although I haven't tested it, the manual states the playtime is 7 hours with Adaptive Noise Cancellation (ANC) off and 6 hours with Adaptive Noise Cancellation on. When the headphones and case are fully charged, you can listen to music for up to 21 hours, 7 with the headphones and two full charges with the case. Typical operating functions such as taking a call, controlling playback, switching between ANC and Ambient Sound (AS) are controlled via the headphones. Advanced features must be controlled via the app. Functions such as equalizer, mode settings in ANC and AS, smart audio and video settings, programming of headphone buttons and voice assistant selection. ANC is a noise canceling feature that works well. AS lets ambient noise through and amplifies it a bit. The AS function comes in handy when you're in an environment where you want to know what's going on around you or when you want to talk without taking off your headphones. A nice feature is the ability to choose which earbud, right or left, controls certain functions. This is ideal for those who prefer to choose which hand controls key functions. The touch functions of the headphones work perfectly. This JBL model has a voice assistant function with touch support. Other JBL models have voice assistants. As I don't use Google Assistant or Revain Alexa, I don't use and have not tested this feature, so I can't rate its performance. When used for phone calls, these headphones delivered clear audio going in and out.