JBL Tour One vs Club One (2021): Which Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones Should You Buy?

JBL is undoubtedly one of the most reliable names when it comes to audio gear and equipment. They have a wide array of very good and reliable headphones, but choosing one from their lineup can be a confusing ordeal, since some of them are very similar. The JBL Tour One and the JBL Club One are two similar headphones that share a lot of features. They both have adaptive noise cancelling, JBL’s TalkThru feature, integrated voice assistant and many more similarities. Today, we’ll be looking at the two mentioned headphones to find how they differ exactly. By the end of this JBL Tour One review and comparison against the JBL Club One, you’ll have a much easier time deciding between the two.

JBL Tour One vs Club One Comparison Chart

Design

The JBL Club One are better built than the JBL Tour One headphones.

Both the JBL Tour One and the Club One look like your typical over-ear headphones. They don’t really have any standout design features, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They are both well-built, with a slight advantage to the Club One, since they have more metal parts in them. The two headphones are made of plastic, but they have a metal frame for durability. The JBL Club One have metal yokes and hinges, and these contribute to their slightly better build quality.

When it comes to comfort, both headphones are sufficiently padded. The JBL Tour One have faux leather padding on the headband and earcups, while the JBL Club One have leatherette. They are both comfortable enough that they can be worn for extended periods without causing fatigue. The JBL Club One have thicker padding, but the JBL Tour One are lighter.

The JBL Tour One come with an aux cable, a hard case, a flight adapter and a USB-C charging cable. Meanwhile, included with the JBL Club One are the following: a coiled aux cable, an aux cable with in-line mic and remote, a flight adapter, a 6.3mm adapter, a carrying case and their USB-C charging cable.

Features

The JBL Tour One’s controls can be remapped, while the Club One has a “SilentNow” feature.

In terms of features, the two headphones have a lot in common. They both feature an adaptive noise cancelling feature that adjusts depending on how noisy your environment is. The two headphones perform similarly in this department. They can block out low frequency noise, but not entirely. They are more effective at blocking out mid-range and some high frequency sounds. Both the JBL Tour One and Club One also have an ambient aware and a talk-thru mode. One feature that is exclusive to the JBL Club One is their SilentNow. With this feature, you can keep the adaptive noise cancelling enabled even when you are not listening to music.

Both headphones use the JBL Headphones app and they have access to pretty much the same settings and options. The JBL Headphones app is compatible with both iOS and Android, and this app allows you to play with the headphones’ EQ settings and fiddle with the ANC controls. You also get to remap the buttons on the JBL Tour One, which is a nice bonus. The JBL Club One’s controls, unfortunately, can’t be remapped.

The two headphones can be used with a cable or wirelessly via Bluetooth.

Performance

The JBL Tour One have a more consumer-friendly, bass-heavy sound than the JBL Club One, which have a more neutral sound profile.

The JBL Tour One have a more bass-heavy sound profile where the bass is a bit overemphasized for that extra thump and boom. The mids are accurate enough and they aren’t pushed to the back, so you can hear them clearly. The highs are slightly underemphasized to prevent harshness, and they are quite accurate, clear and detailed.

On the other hand, the JBL Club One have a more neutral sound. The bass is just slightly overemphasized, but not to the levels of the JBL Tour One. The bass is not overwhelming, but it is tight and accurate. The mids are balanced and accurate, and the highs are slightly brighter for more detail.

Both headphones’ sound can be tweaked via the JBL Headphones app. If you don’t like how they sound, you can always play with the EQ settings on the JBL Headphones app to get your preferred sound.

Battery Life

The JBL Tour One battery can last a little bit longer than the JBL Club One, but the difference is negligible.

On paper, the JBL Tour One can last around 50 hours when ANC is disabled and 25 hours when you turn it on. The JBL Club One, on the other hand, have a battery life of 45 hours with ANC disabled and 25 hours when ANC is enabled. They have the same battery life if you aren’t using their active noise cancellation feature. However, when ANC is enabled, the JBL Tour One can last 5 hours longer, which is not really that big of a difference.

Charging both headphones fully only takes around 2 hours, which is very good. They both have a USB-C port and they come with a USB-C charging cable. You can use any USB-C cable that you have if you lose or damage the included USB-C cables.

Verdict

The JBL Tour One and Club One are quite similar in many areas, but we prefer the Club One since they are better built and we like their overall sound better.

Choosing between the two can be tough, but we have to give the advantage to the JBL Club One. They are better built and their SilentNow feature can be very useful. Also, we prefer their more neutral sound. The JBL Tour One are very good headphones and they are worth considering if you prefer their bass-heavy sound profile.

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