JBL Live Beam 3 Review
Pros
- Enjoyable, powerful sound
- Impressive ANC
- Long battery life
- Above average call quality
- Exhaustive customisation options
Cons
- Better-sounding options available for similar outlay
- Stronger alternatives for ANC
Key Features
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Review Price: £179.99
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LDAC support Wireless hi-res audio streams via LDAC Bluetooth
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Smart Charging case Customise the performance of the Live Beam 3 through the case
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Battery 48 hours of battery life in total, 12 per charge
Introduction
No one is struggling to find a pair of wireless earbuds. Every audio brand offers one, so to stand out, you need something interesting: enter the JBL Live Beam 3.
Truth be told, the Live Beam 3’s smart charging case isn’t new – JBL introduced it with the JBL Tour Pro 2, but the Live Beam 3 isn’t the flagship model and, therefore not as expensive, bringing this tech to a potentially wider audience.
In usual JBL form, the Live Beam 3 packs all the features. Considering how much I liked the Live Pro 2, which these are sort of successors to, I’m expecting more great things from JBL’s mid-range true wireless.
Design
- Smart charging case
- Waterproof and dustproof design
- Touch controls
Available in blue, black, silver, and purple, the JBL Live Beam 3 look like any other true wireless pair with a stem design. That’s admittedly not saying much but given the ubiquity of the design, it’s hard to find something interesting about it.
It’s tried and trusted, and this model comes with ear-tips for those who want a secure fit – the JBL Live Flex 3 goes down the AirPods-inspired look – and I found the fit on this pair to be snug, comfortable over long periods and the seal good but not too tight. It’s exactly what I want but if you don’t find it to be to your liking, there are small and large ear-tips for a better fit.
The IP55 design is tougher than the Live Pro 2’s IPX5, and ensures the earbuds are both waterproof and dustproof.
Operation is via touch controls that are responsive in terms of presses and holds – the right-hand side covers playback and track skipping while the left cycles through various ambient/ANC modes. You can customise the controls to a limited degree in the app.
The smart charging case is what JBL wants to draw your attention to the most, and like it was on the Tour Pro 2 it’s a useful alternative if you don’t want to fish your phone from your pocket. But it’s not just that it’s an alternative to a mobile-based app, its usefulness comes in connecting to a device that doesn’t support the JBL app (say a laptop) and still be able to customise the performance.
The clarity of 1.45-inch screen means settings and text can be seen clearly, and swiping from setting to setting is responsive. You can choose EQ presets on the case although you can’t create one yourself.
The case offers a means to change the volume and there are features such as ‘Find My Buds’ and a flashlight you might find useful if you misplaced the earbud or are looking for something in the dark respectively. It’s added convenience and while some might consider it a gimmick, I like it as quick resource to change things on the fly. You can even customise the picture on the lock screen to make it yours and yours alone.
Features
- LDAC Bluetooth
- 48 hours of battery life
- No built-in voice assistants
JBL stacks its headphones for features to the point where I’d feel as if I’m listing them out rather than explaining them. It’ll be best for me to (try and) point out the differences between this and the Live Pro 2.
Firstly there’s no longer any built-in Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. A hold on the left earbud will access any voice assistants available on your device.
Bluetooth support is good for SBC, AAC and new for a JBL headphone (at least I haven’t spotted it before) is LDAC for higher quality streaming over a Bluetooth connection. Enabling LDAC disables some features such as the Personi-Fi 3, Adaptive EQ and Spatial Sound.
The Bluetooth connection is better than it was on the Live Pro 2. I didn’t come across any issues walking through London Victoria, and though there were a couple of stutters walking through Waterloo Station, it was nowhere near as spotty as the Live Pro 2.
JBL claims battery life has been boosted from 10 to 12 hours per earbud and from 30 to 36 hours in the smart charging case, making for 48 hours in total (although that’s with ANC off). The battery drain test I carried out over an hour’s streaming of Spotify at 50% volume brought them down to 93 / 91% for each bud. Split the difference and say 92% and with ANC activated, 12 hours per charge seems doable.
Fast charging provides an extra four hours from a 10-minute refill and wireless charging has been added.
The Live Pro 2 were less expensive when I reviewed them but I thought they were the best ANC earbuds for their price level, and the Live Beam 3 further improves upon them.
They’re good at cutting through ambient noise around me, whether it’s on public transport, or a plane; as well as minimizing the impact of people’s voices. The music helps in shushing general noises but a good sign with ANC is when the volume doesn’t need to be pushed up to get rid of intrusive sounds.
The Ambient Aware does sound a touch noisy when music is paused but it’s successful enough in filtering outside sound through to the ears. Considering how loud the Live Beam 3 can go, I’m surprised the audio volume doesn’t reduce automatically. Music can be so loud that it’s difficult to hear what’s around me with Ambient Aware enabled.
The older model was weak for call quality but the Live Beam 3 is above average for a true wireless. It’s fine in terms of clarity and voice pick-up in quiet areas though not as good in busy areas when it gets loud. It’s still a reasonable performance as the clarity of the call is better than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds.
To speed run through the rest there’s the option of creating custom EQs in the app, choosing from six presets or picking the Adaptive EQ that balances sound automatically to adjust for how the buds fit in your ears. Personi-Fi offers a ‘hearing test’ that adapts audio to your listening ability.
There’s Smart Automation in auto play/pause or auto call pick-ups: you can check the strength of the earbuds’ fit, enable the Smart Audio & Video feature to optimize audio quality or improve video lip-synching. Spatial Sound support is included, and you can change the settings for calls (the tone of people’s voices) and control how much of your own voice you hear. Google Finder allows you to locate the earbuds if they go missing. There’s more but as you can see, JBL has been exhaustive.
Sound Quality
- Enjoyably powerful sound
- Strong bass performance
- Spatial Sound mode is pointless
Coming from the Live Pro 2, JBL has tweaked the sound of the Live Beam 3 but I don’t feel it’s drastically changed. It’s a similarly neutral approach that edges towards warmth, with more of an emphasis on bass, which digs deep and sounds big.
Listening to the Noisia remix of The Prodigy’s Smack My Bitch Up, there’s more detail to the instrumentation at the start of the track while the bass that hits around 25 seconds in has more weight and power. The bass delivery is more energetic and powerful, resulting in a weightier, more exciting sound than the Live Pro 2.
The richness of the bassline in Jain’s Makeba is dialled down on the Live Beam 3 but it’s a positive as the low frequencies are clearer and more defined. That’s not the only uptick with the Live Beam 3’s audio – the soundstage is a touch more expansive with the Makeba track and brought forward, so voices and instruments sound closer, immersing the listener in the track better.
Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black shows the benefit of bringing the soundstage closer with her voice clearer and more defined in the middle of the soundstage. You hear more of her, whereas on the Live Pro 2 she sounds slightly distant.
Tracks like Rage Against The Machine’s Bulls On Parade or Commitment from the Jupiter Ascending soundtrack don’t feel as flowing or as energetic as I’d like them to be. The energy the Live Beam 3 produces comes from its bass. While they’re more detailed than their predecessor, the similarly-priced Sony WF-1000XM5 are more nuanced and expressive.
If there’s an aspect of the Live Beam 3’s sound that feels most qualified, it’s at the top end of the frequency range. While the treble is delivered clearly and with a degree of brightness in Greg Foat’s Symphonie Pacifique, it could benefit from increased levels of definition and sharpness. In tracks like Symphonie Pacifique or Isfar Sarabski’s Deja Vu, the slight warmth of Live Beam 3’s sound rolls dulls the highs.
The Spatial Sound feature is rather meaningless. It stretches the soundstage but little else. It doesn’t alter the tone of the sound much but the Live Beam 3 sounds clearer without it on. I find the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 better for immersive audio.
Should you buy it?
If you want an all-round performer
Sure, the JBL isn’t the best in every category but they are very good across the board. Call quality, Bluetooth performance, battery life, sound quality – the JBL covers all the bases.
You do want the outright best
There are better options for audio (Sony, Sennheiser) and better noise-cancellers (Bose) available, and they’re both around the same price as the JBL. It’s up against tough competition.
Final Thoughts
Aside from the Sony WF-1000XM5 and Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, there aren’t many true wireless earbuds as featured-packed as the JBL Live Beam 3. What they offer to any listener for features and customisation is exhaustive.
They sound better than the Live Pro 2, cancel noise better and offer better wireless performance and call quality. Compared to the older model, it’s sizeable improvement.
But the Live Beam 3 doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Efforts such as the aforementioned Sony and Sennheiser sound better, while the ANC falls short of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, though I’d say it’s marginally better than the Sennheiser. They cancel noise more consistently than the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100.
There’s also the Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 to consider, which aren’t anywhere near as feature-packed but offer more compelling sound quality.
The Live Beam 3 are an excellent pair of mid-range wireless earbuds, with an all-round performance that’s undeniably strong. Despite areas where they could be better, in terms of the ‘proper’ mid-range true and not reduced flagship models, I’d say these are the pair to beat.
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every pair of headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
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- Tested over several months
- Tested with real world use
- Battery drain carried out
FAQs
The Live Beam 3 supports SBC, AAC and LDAC (which is enabled via the app).
Full Specs
| JBL Live Beam 3 Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £179.99 |
| Manufacturer | JBL |
| IP rating | IP55 |
| Battery Hours | 48 |
| Wireless charging | No |
| Fast Charging | No |
| Weight | 82 G |
| ASIN | B0D44JYTRL |
| Release Date | 2024 |
| Model Number | JBLLIVEBEAM3BLU |
| Audio Resolution | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Driver (s) | 10mm dynamic |
| Noise Cancellation? | No |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Colours | Black, Blue, Silver, Purple |
| Frequency Range | 20 40000 – Hz |
| Headphone Type | True Wireless |
| Voice Assistant | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant |
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