Headphones with booming bass but basic noise cancellation
JBL’s Live 670NC noise-cancelling headphones are something of a rarity given their on-ear design. For $129.95, they offer rich, rumbling audio, wireless or wired listening, and hands-free Alexa voice control, as well as the ability to adjust sound via a 10-band EQ. Disappointingly, their active noise cancellation (ANC) isn’t on the level of similarly priced competitors and their control layout can be confusing. Overall, the $99.99 Anker Soundcore Space One over-ear headphones retain our Editors’ Choice award in this price range due to their superior noise cancellation, similarly engaging audio, and better codec support.Too Many Controls to Manage
The Live 670NC headphones, which are available in black, blue, tan, or white, sport a semi-matte finish on their outer earcups and a fabric-lined headband. The generous cushioning of the earpads and the headband makes the fit generally comfortable. If you wear chunky glasses, the on-ear design may cause a bit of pressure around your temples. Fabric grilles on the interior protect 40mm dynamic drivers, which deliver a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz (or 20Hz to 40kHz in wired mode).
The headphones support Bluetooth 5.3, multipoint connectivity with up to two devices, and the AAC and SBC codecs. JBL says it will add Low Energy (LE) audio via a firmware update at a later date. The Soundcore Space One headphones add the hi-res LDAC codec for Android users.
The right earcup’s side panel houses the physical controls. A power/Bluetooth switch is furthest up on the side, while a three-button array is positioned lower. The central multifunction button handles playback and calls, while the plus and minus buttons control volume (quick taps) and track navigation (long presses). I’m never a fan of combining these functions since doing so leads to frequent misfires. Otherwise, a dedicated ANC button switches between the ANC and Ambient Aware (transparency) modes with a single press or engages TalkThru mode (for improved conversation intelligibility) with two presses.
Confusingly, the headphones also support a full range of capacitive touch controls on the right earcup above the logo. Tap once to control playback, twice to skip forward a track, or three times to go to the previous track. Tapping twice also answers or ends a call, while a long press mutes your mic. Finally, a tap-and-hold gesture lets you summon your device’s voice assistant.
Some users might prefer one set of controls over the other, but this combined layout could use improvement. For instance, I don’t see why JBL couldn’t add volume control to the touch panels. And having so many buttons all in the same place makes it easy to accidentally press or activate something. The companion app doesn’t allow you to make many adjustments to the touch controls, though you can at least disable them.
The headphones come with an orange USB-A-to-USB-C charging cable that connects to the USB-C port on the left earcup. The included 3.5mm audio cable, which also connects to the left earcup, supports both passive and active listening.
