- Great sound quality
- Strong ANC and ENC
- Feature-packed app
- Good battery life
- Affordable
- Limited gesture options
- No ANC tweak during calls
- Overly isolating ANC
The JBL Tune Beam 2 offers impressive sound with 10 mm drivers, effective ANC, and a feature-rich app for customization. Its compact, comfortable design, IP54 rating, and affordable price make it a great value. Minor drawbacks include overly isolating ANC and limited gesture controls.
The first-gen JBL Tune Beam stood out among its peers, offering great sound for TWS earphones in its price range. JBL has now launched the second generation, the JBL Tune Beam 2.
This new model improves on what made the original successful, with big changes to its look, features, and sound quality.
I’ll give you my thorough take on these earbuds to help you make up your mind.
JBL Tune Beam 2 Specifications
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| Driver Size | 10 mm dynamic drivers |
| Frequency Response | 20 Hz – 20 kHz |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 with multipoint connection |
| Codecs Supported | SBC, AAC |
| Battery Life | Up to 12 hours (earbuds, ANC off), 10 hours (ANC on), plus 36 hours (case); 15 min charge for 4 hours |
| Charging Port | USB Type-C |
| Microphones | 6 (3 per earbud) with beamforming |
| Noise Cancellation | Adaptive ANC, Ambient Aware, TalkThru |
| Water/Dust Resistance | IP54 |
| App Support | JBL Headphones App (EQ, Spatial Sound, Personi-Fi, VoiceAware) |
| Additional Features | Google Fast Pair, Relax Mode, Max Volume Limiter (85 dB), Find My Buds |
Build Quality and Design
The JBL Tune Beam 2 comes in eco-friendly packaging, featuring a recyclable box printed with soy ink—a commendable step toward sustainability.
Inside, you’ll find the charging case with the earphones, a distinctive orange USB-C charging cable, small and large ear tips (with medium tips pre-installed), and some literature.
The charging case is more compact than its predecessor, with a smaller footprint that enhances portability. It sports a USB-C port at the bottom and the JBL Tune Beam 2 branding on the hinge.
The front features the iconic JBL logo and a cleverly designed cutout for LED indicators, which also provides extra grip for opening the lid.
The earphones themselves have a refined design, combining matte and glossy finishes on the stem, where the touch controls and LED light are located.
A protective mesh inside the ear tips prevents debris from entering the driver, ensuring durability with proper maintenance.
The charging contact points are larger than those in the previous generation, reducing the likelihood of charging issues due to dirt or misalignment.
Additionally, the earphones feature six microphones (three per earphone), an upgrade from the four in the first generation, enhancing active noise cancellation (ANC) and environmental noise cancellation (ENC) for calls.
Comfort has also been improved. The redesigned earphones fit snugly and can be worn for over an hour without discomfort, even for users sensitive to larger earphone housings. This makes the Tune Beam 2 ideal for extended listening sessions.
Features
The JBL Tune Beam 2 is packed with features, many of which are accessible through the JBL Headphones app.
The app provides a comprehensive interface to monitor battery levels for each earphone and the case, customize settings, and unlock the earphones’ full potential.
Key Features Include:
Ambient Sound Control: Toggle between Ambient Aware (lets in environmental sounds) and TalkThru mode (prioritizes conversation by lowering media volume). These modes are useful for staying aware of surroundings or engaging in conversations without removing the earphones.
Smart Audio and Video Modes: Smart Audio optimizes for the best sound quality, while Video mode reduces latency for gaming or video watching. The default settings work well for most content, with minimal lip-sync issues.
Gesture Customization: Users can assign functions like volume control or playback to touch gestures, though options are somewhat limited. For example, choosing volume control on one earphone restricts the other to playback controls, requiring app access for other functions like ANC toggling.
Equalizer (EQ) and Spatial Sound: The app offers preset EQ profiles and a customizable equalizer for fine-tuning the sound. Spatial Sound, available in Music, Movie, and Gaming modes, creates an immersive soundstage with a sense of elevation, making it surprisingly effective and non-gimmicky compared to competitors.
Personi-Fi: This feature conducts a hearing test to create a personalized audio profile, optimizing the sound for the user’s hearing. It’s best performed in a quiet environment for accurate results.
Max Volume Limiter: Caps volume at 85 dB to protect hearing, a rare and thoughtful feature.
Relax Sound: Offers ambient sounds like waves, nighttime recordings, or a running stream, with a timer for relaxation or sleep. However, the abrupt cutoff at the end of the timer could be improved with a fade-out effect.
Find My Buds: Helps locate misplaced earphones by playing a sound, useful for finding them in cushions or on the floor.
Power-Saving Modes and Software Support: Includes options to optimize battery life and access software updates or factory reset settings.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
The ANC on the JBL Tune Beam 2 is impressively effective, perhaps overly so for some users. It aggressively eliminates a wide range of frequencies, from highs to lows, making it ideal for noisy environments like busy streets or public transport.
The hybrid ANC setup, combined with six microphones, provides superior noise isolation compared to the previous generation’s four-microphone system.
However, the ANC can feel too isolating for users who prefer some environmental awareness.
The adaptive ANC feature allows customization of noise cancellation levels, with 50% isolation being a comfortable middle ground for those who want to hear some ambient sounds, like fan noise, for spatial awareness.
Ambient Aware and TalkThru modes are also available, with the latter prioritizing conversation by reducing media volume, which may catch users off guard initially.
Call Quality
The JBL Tune Beam 2 excels in call quality, even in challenging environments. Tested on a busy street with traffic, construction noise, and pressure horns, the earphones’ six microphones and environmental noise cancellation (ENC) deliver clear audio to the recipient. In quieter settings, like homes or offices, the performance is even better.
The JBL Headphones app enhances call functionality with features like:
- Sound Level Optimizer: Balances incoming audio to ensure consistent volume levels.
- Voice Settings: Options like Natural, Powerful, and Bright allow users to adjust how their voice sounds to the recipient.
- Voice Aware: Feeds the user’s voice back to them during calls, with adjustable levels for a natural or amplified effect. This iteration of Voice Aware is particularly refined, offering a surreal, clear experience.
While ANC settings can’t be adjusted during calls, the passive isolation is effective, and users can toggle between modes like Ambient Aware for situational awareness.
Sound Quality
The JBL Tune Beam 2 features 10 mm dynamic drivers, a significant upgrade from the 6 mm drivers in the first generation. With a frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz and support for SBC and AAC codecs, the earphones deliver a robust audio experience.
Key Sound Characteristics:
Volume: Slightly louder than the previous generation, with a sweet spot around 65–75% volume. The 85 dB limiter ensures safe listening levels.
Soundstage: Without Spatial Sound, the soundstage is comparable to other earphones in this price range, offering good left-right separation and a phantom center channel. With Spatial Sound enabled, the soundstage widens significantly, providing an immersive experience for music, movies, and gaming without sounding thin or nasal.
Detail and Imaging: The earphones excel in detail recovery, effortlessly revealing nuances and instrument layers. They avoid muddiness, making them suitable for complex tracks.
Highs: The highs are soft, supple, and fatigue-free, with a tasteful elevation following a Harman-like curve. Percussion instruments have a pleasing sparkle, ideal for classical or acoustic music.
Mids: Slightly recessed but improved over the first generation, with reduced sibilance for a smoother vocal presentation. The lower mids are well-rounded, avoiding the nasal quality found in some competitors.
Lows: The larger drivers shine in the bass department, delivering a powerful rumble in sub-low frequencies. This makes the earphones ideal for EDM, Bollywood, or action-packed movie soundtracks. The bass is prominent but doesn’t overpower the mids or highs, maintaining balance across the spectrum.
The default tuning is excellent, but the JBL Headphones app allows further customization via EQ presets or manual adjustments for those seeking a tailored sound profile.
Battery Life and Durability
The JBL Tune Beam 2 uses smaller batteries than its predecessor but still offers improved battery life, a testament to efficient design.
The earphones carry an IP54 rating for water and dust resistance, making them suitable for gym use or light rain exposure.
Final Verdict
I’m genuinely impressed with the JBL Tune Beam 2. For its affordable price, these earbuds deliver rich sound, powerful ANC, and a feature-packed app that rivals pricier models.
The compact design and IP54 rating are bonuses. Despite minor ANC and gesture limitations, they’re a fantastic value, earning my strong recommendation.
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Nick, the Co-founder of Earbuds Arena, is a seasoned freelance tech journalist with over ten years of experience covering wearables, apps, headphones, and gadgets. When he’s not immersed in the tech world, you’ll likely find him unwinding with video games, going for a run, or enjoying a game of soccer on the field.
