JBL is a continually big name in audio, I’ve owned many of their products myself and still do today. Their name is almost unavoidable it seems, and perhaps that’s for a good reason. JBL makes headphones across a wide variety of price points, and today we’ll be looking at their bluetooth over ear headphones: the Tune 660NC. These run for $99, sitting in the middle of their price range. I also did a video review on these if you’d like to watch it.
The Tune 660NC features JBL’s “Pure Bass” which they claim to have been perfecting for decades. They offer up to 12 hours of battery life while using both Bluetooth and active noise cancelling function, and take 2 hours to fully recharge. They also include a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, which allows them to work without charging like non-bluetooth headphones.
Looks and comfort:
These have a pretty standard shape and design, though they do come in numerous colors: black, pink, white, and blue. They’re lightweight and sleek enough to look stylish, or at least to not interrupt your existing style. The ear pads are very soft and the adjustable headband works smoothly. The feeling of them sitting on your head fades into the background quickly, as it should. They can also be folded up too for easier storage.
Sound:
I tried the Tune 660NC across a wide variety of genres, from folk to pop to rock to electronic, and found them quite versatile. Their noticeable width and tight bass response are some of their best qualities, and their successful noise cancelling gives each song an uncluttered stage to perform on. They have a sharper sound in the mid range, which brings vocals, guitars, horns, and drums to the forefront. Outside of their bass and mids, elements with more treble are still well respected, with the 660’s relatively crisp high end.
I decided to first pull a song from the Top 100 that a lot of people will know right now, and chose “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat and SZA. The vocals felt especially up front, defined, and well articulated. They were fairly crisp, but more so in terms of tonality than syllables or breathiness. Vocals definitely cut through the mix a bit extra on these.
The drums on this track came across with substantial punch and body. The width and detail of the song was good, maybe not a life changing immersive experience, but really solid for the price. Their bass is definitely clean as advertised, maybe not the most low-end heavy headphone on the market, but definitely not shy about their sub-frequencies.
Next, I tried the song “Breathe Deeper” by Tame Impala. This was a very vocal and drum forward song already, and the Tune 660s brought them even closer. The stereo feel of the drums was very well conveyed, especially the toms rolling from ear to ear. The vocals translation on this song came off slightly sharper than I would’ve liked. The midrange on these was not always quite as tailored as I wanted it to be. But this didn’t take away much from their overall sound, which was still very balanced and well laid out overall. If you like a thinner sound from your headphones, be aware these have some bite to them. If you want a pair of Bluetooth headphones with a softer mid range, check out Strauss and Wagner’s SW-ANCBT501. You can compare their sound to other JBL headphones or other headphones in this price range from all brands using our Headphone Ranking Tool.
I listened to Blue Ridge Mountains by Fleet Foxes next, to try something more folky and natural sounding. The wide guitar recordings on this encapsulated the listen in a nice blanket of warmth. The vocals and plucking guitar melodies in the center had a resonant, colorful tone to them. The reverb drenched singing felt safely stored in the headphones’ tightened sound, and the thorough noise cancellation ensured the song felt properly intimate and serene.
Overall:
For $99, these are a pretty solid pair of headphones. Their noise cancelling abilities are very good, especially for over ears, and they’ll satisfy most low end lovers without overwhelming the less bass-inclined. Their midrange ensures consistent presence and fullness across all genres, and that vocals will always get plenty of highlighting. The Tune 660’s punchy execution holds the listener’s attention and they keep the sound clean enough to make them feel like a bargain for the price.
JBL Tune 660NC is available to order at Audio46.
Compare the ranking of various headphones, earbuds and in-ear monitors using our tools.
Discuss this, and much more, over on our forum.
---MAJORHIFI may receive commissions from retail offers.
