JBL launches headphones with a feature I've never seen before

JBL has been making interesting plays for the last couple of years by integrating touch displays into the cases of more and more of its true wireless earbuds, but now it's taking another big swing. For the first time, it's bringing that same functionality to over-ear headphones, in a quite intriguing way.

The JBL Tour One M3 headphones, which JBL has just announced at CES 2025, look for all the world like a fairly typical set of well-made active-noise cancelling headphones. The big difference is that they come with what JBL's calling the Smart Tx audio transmitter.

This little puck is basically one of the wireless earbud cases that JBL has been making for a few years now, minus the earbuds. It has a small touch display that lets you control your media without needing to touch your phone, but also houses a transmitter that can let it be useful as a travel adapter for an in-flight entertainment system, for example.

It can receive audio from any USB-C source, making it adaptable for PCs, tablets, consoles and more, and JBL says that its proprietary connection to the headphones will ensure low latency. You'll be able to edit your EQ settings, connection, playback and more, and even use it to broadcast audio out to Auracast-enabled devices.

That's a pretty wild pitch, one that undeniably ensures that the Tour One M3 offers some features no other headphones can match right now, including headliners from the likes of Bose and Sony. That said, the additional hardware has also doubtless played a part in raising the price of the bundle, which will launch at a lofty $399.95 in the US, £379.99 in the UK and €399.99 in the EU. You will be able to buy it without the Smart Tx for £329.99 or €349.99, too.

JBL is aiming to back that price up with other features, too, including a new adaptive noise-cancelling system which now has eight microphones to call on as it monitors outside noise to tune it out. The headphones will also boast new 40mm Mica Dome drivers, which should ensure it has JBL's best-ever over-ear audio – including spatial audio with head tracking.

It also brings 70 hours of playback on a single charge, which is mighty impressive – while fast-charging means a five-minute burst of charging will give five hours of playback. The headphones will launch on 13 April 2025, and come in black, blue or mocha (which looks a lot like gold to me).