JBL launched the Tune Beam 2, the company’s latest TWS earbuds, in India last month as the successor to Tune Beam. This gets bigger drivers, better calling with more mics, and the weight of the case has also reduced without any compromise on the battery. So, are these the best true wireless earbuds with ANC in under Rs. 6000 range? Let us dive into the review to find out.
Box contents
- JBL Tune Beam 2 in Black colour
- Ear tips in Small and Large sizes (Medium pre-installed)
- USB Type-C to C cable
- User guide
Design and Build
The charging case for the JBL Tune Beam 2 earbuds features a compact and relatively lightweight design. It is designed to be easily portable, complementing the true wireless nature of the earbuds. It measures 61.5 x 29.15 x 47 mm and weighs around 42 grams, making it quite light.
The case has a smooth matte finish, and a rounded shape that is comfortable to hold and fits easily into pockets. It is designed to securely hold and charge the Tune Beam 2 earbuds. You can see the three white LED lights on the front to indicate the charge left in the case, and there is a large JBL logo below that.
The interior of the case is molded to fit the Tune Beam 2 earbuds, and they are held in place magnetically to ensure they charge correctly and don’t fall out easily.
You can see the TUNE BEAM 2 branding on the back, and the USB Type-C port is present on the bottom.
Coming to the earbuds, these feature an in-ear design with the stem that extends downwards from the main body of the earbud. In terms of build, these also feature a matte finish. It has IP54 ratings, making them resistant to both dust and water splashes. These measure 33.4 x 22.6 x 25 mm, and they weigh in at about 5.2 grams each.
The earbuds are designed for an in-ear fit, utilizing oval-shaped ear tips that are intended to conform ergonomically to the ear canal for a secure and comfortable fit, as well as to aid in passive noise isolation. These don’t have an Optical Sensor for Wear Detection, so they lack the ability to automatically pause the audio when you remove it from your ears and play when you put it back.
The earbuds have touch controls integrated into their design for managing playback, calls, and other functions.
Connectivity, Pairing, and Controls
The JBL Tune Beam 2 supports Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC and AAC codecs. The pairing process is very easy. Just place the earbuds and open the case for it to enter the pairing mode. Now open the Bluetooth settings on the phone, and it shows up as JBL Tune Beam 2, and you can connect to it. As soon as the connection is established, the blinking LED should go off. You can take the earbuds out of the case and start using.
Since it has Google Fast Pair option that supports compatible phones, it automatically pairs to the phone when you bring the case with the headset close to the phone with Bluetooth turned on. We tested it on the CMF Phone 2 Pro and the OPPO K13, and never faced any pairing related issue. Since the phone pairs with the case and not the headset, you will need the case if you want to reconnect it.
There is also dual-device connection that lets you connect to two devices at the same time, and the switch happens seamlessly when I tried it on a laptop and the phone. You can tap and hold any of the bud for 5 seconds and switch between the devices. When you get a call on the phone, it automatically switches to it, and when you play audio on the laptop after the call, it switches to it.
The touch controls are easy to access.
| Function | Left earphone (L) | Right earphone (R) |
| ANC / Ambient Aware | Single Tap | – |
| Accept / End calls, TalkThru ON / OFF | Double Tap | |
| Reject incoming calls, Mute / unmute mic | Tap and Hold during call | |
| Play / Pause | – | Single Tap |
| Next Track | – | Double Tap |
| Previous Track | – | Triple Tap |
| Activate voice assistant | – | Triple Tap |
You can customize the controls from the settings in the JBL headphones app on Android and iPhone. You can change actions for the single tap, and set it for volume control. The app is a hit-and-miss since the headphones don’t show up always, and I had to unpair and pair it again for it to work.
Audio Quality
The JBL Tune Beam 2 packs a 10mm dynamic driver covering an ultra-wide frequency range of 20 Hz – 20 kHz. The earphones are tuned for JBL’s signature Pure Bass Sound. You can expect a boosted low-end, providing a punchy and dynamic sound that is particularly well-suited for genres like pop, hip-hop, and electronic music.
While the bass is a highlight, the mids and highs are clean and clear. Vocals and instruments in the mid-range maintain a decent level of clarity and presence. The treble is present without being overly harsh or sibilant.
The inclusion of JBL Spatial Sound in the Tune Beam 2 aims to enhance the listening experience by creating a wider, more immersive soundstage, transforming stereo content into a more spatial presentation.
The app provides a full equalizer, allowing users to adjust the sound signature beyond the default JBL Pure Bass sound. You can either select from preset EQ modes or create your own custom equalization settings by adjusting different frequency bands. This gives users granular control over the bass, mids, and treble to tailor the sound to their specific preferences and the genre of music they are listening to. The app makes it easy to visually adjust the EQ curve.
With Personi-Fi 3.0, you can customize sound profiles, gestures, and audio settings through the JBL Headphones app. Personi-Fi 3.0 is designed to create a personalized sound profile based on your individual hearing and preferences. It typically involves a short test or series of questions within the app that helps to understand how you hear different frequencies. Based on this information, the app creates a custom sound curve that is optimized for your ears, aiming to provide a more tailored and potentially enhanced listening experience. This feature goes beyond standard EQ adjustments by considering your unique hearing characteristics.
Noise Cancellation and Call Performance
The JBL Tune Beam 2 features Adaptive Noise Cancelling. This is an upgrade from the standard Active Noise Cancelling found in some earlier models, suggesting the earbuds can automatically adjust the level of noise cancellation based on your surroundings.
ANC on the Tune Beam 2 is effective in handling daily noise, such as the sounds in cafés, public transport, and general street noise. However, it is not flagship-grade and in very loud environments, some ambient noise might still penetrate.
The JBL Headphones App allows for customization of the ANC levels, as well as providing Ambient Aware and TalkThru modes. Ambient Aware lets you hear more of your surroundings for safety, while TalkThru lowers the music volume and amplifies speech, allowing for quick conversations without removing the earbuds.
The JBL Tune Beam 2 is equipped with 6 microphones for calls, a notable increase from the 4 microphones on the original Tune Beam. These microphones utilize beamforming technology to pick up your voice clearly. The earbuds also incorporate environmental noise cancellation and echo suppression algorithms to reduce background noise and distortion during calls, even in windy conditions.
This does a good job in cutting down wind and traffic noise. During my use outdoors, the voice was clear, and wind noise was complete cut out to the receiver, even in busy environments.
Battery Life
The earphones pack 65mAh battery that promises about 12h (without ANC) / 10h (with ANC) standalone battery life. During my use with LHDC, I got about 11 hours with mixed use of with and without noise cancellation in about 60% volume, so it is decent. Talk time is about 6h if you enable ANC and 5h without it. It also has fast charging support, which offers up to 4 hours of music playback (Case and Buds) on a 15-minute charge.
With the 590mAh battery in the charging case, it promises up to 36h (without ANC) / 30h (with ANC). The LED lights on the case show the charge left. You can also see the charge left in the case in the app when the earbuds are placed in the case.
Charging the case fully take about 2 hours, and charging the earbuds fully takes about an hour. The charging case doesn’t have wireless charging, which is fine considering the price.
There are also auto standby and auto power off features, which are useful to save power.
Conclusion
Overall, the JBL Tune Beam 2 is a solid upgrade over the original Tune Beam, offering notable improvements in audio quality with larger drivers and spatial sound, enhanced call clarity, and more advanced personalization options through the JBL Headphones App and Personi-Fi 3.0.
The core features like ANC, battery life, and multipoint connectivity remain strong, making it a feature-rich and refined option in the price range. However, there are few options in the range with Hi-res audio codecs like LDAC and this also lacks wear detection for auto play pause.
You can get it for Rs. 5,499 from JBL.com, Amazon.in, and offline stores. With bank offer and coupon offer during sale, you can get it for under Rs. 5,000.
Pros:
- Good audio quality with JBL Pure Bass Sound
- Enhanced call quality with 6 microphones
- Good battery life with fast charge
- IP54 water and dust resistant
Cons
- ANC, while adaptive, is not the best in the range
- No Wear detection for auto play / pause