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So these are the new JBL Club 950NC’s… they’re JBL’s new mid tier ANC headphones from their new Club series line up. Now even though these headphones are packed with features and they even have a bass boost mode for you bass heads… unfortunately I feel these headphones fall really short when it comes to fit and comfort. And I really feel that thats a real shame cause everything else about them is pretty good.
Now when it comes to price these headphones retail for $250, and for $250 these headphones bring a lot of value. But like I just said, I feel these headphones are just way too uncomfortable, so im going to link some better alternatives if you’re looking for a good pair of mid tier ANC headphones.
So first off I will not deny that these headphones have amazing build quality. These headphones are built like a tank. They have hard plastic ear cups, they have exposed stainless steel arms, whenever you extend this headband there’s a very satisfying click to it and the leatherette on these headphones isn’t half bad. And I also really like how they look. But when it comes to their fit and comfort thats a whole other story. First off I have to point out that these headphones are very heavy, and these are a pair of headphones you never forget that you have on. The 950NC’s weigh in at 372 grams… and for context the Sennehsier Momentum 3’s which I previously thought were a pair of heavy headphones weigh in at 304 grams, the Bose NC 700’s weigh in at 261 grams… which is typical for a lot of other headphones out there, the Sony 1000XM3’s weigh in at 252, and then there’s the Sennehsier PXC 550-II which weigh in at 230 grams making them very light weight when compared to most other headphones.
And just so that you can get where im coming from, whenever im not reviewing a pair of headphones I typically use and edit with my 1000XM3’s. And I can wear the 1000XM3’s for hours on end without any problems. Where as with the Club 950NC’s I couldn’t even get through editing half a video before tapping out. The main thing that I noticed with the 950NC’s was posterior neck pain from just having to hold these headphones up which is something that ive never felt with any of these other headphones that I mentioned earlier. But also you really notice these headphones whenever you’re walking around or even just turn your head cause their weight is just moving all around.
But lets just say you’re not a delicate flower like I am and you do manage to wear these headphones for a long period of time without any complaints. Another problem with these headphones is that this headband has very little padding. Combined with the fact that these headphones weigh in at 372 grams… this headband does like to create a hot spot on the top of your head fairly quickly. Now when it comes to the clamping force on these headphones… its firm but I would still feel comfortable saying that these headphones are big head approved cause they don’t actually squeeze your head. And the ear pads on these headphones are fairly spacious but sometimes they do snag on my ear lobes. But something that is pretty cool about these headphones is that their ear pads magnetically attached making them very easy to remove and clean. But over all for me I just can’t recommend these headphones cause they’re just too uncomfortable, and like ive said in the past comfort is the most important thing to consider when picking a pair of headphones. So if you are looking for a pair of mid tier ANC headphones then I’ll leave some better fitting options down below.
But if you’re still interested in these headphones lets talk about tech specs. Now first off these headphones charge via USB C port and these headphones have an advertised battery life of 22 hours with ANC turned on. And a 22 hour battery life on these headphones is decent but the average right now is around 25 hours of playback time. But JBL does promise 55 hours of playback time on these headphones with ANC turned off.
But just keep in mind that this USB C port is strictly used for charging. You can’t use this USB C port as a wired connection like you can with the Sennehsier Momentum 3’s. But if you do want to use a wired connection with these headphones they do have an easy to reach 2.5 millimeter audio jack.
Now when it comes to Bluetooth connectivity these headphones are using Bluetooth 5.0. but more importantly these headphones can be connected to two devices at the same time. But my critique here is that it does take these headphones a couple of seconds to switch from one device to another… where as with lets say the surface headphones 2, if im using my phone and then switch over to another device the headphones switch over instantly. Where as with the JBL’s you gotta give them a few seconds to go oh I should switch now.
Now when it comes to watching movies or videos on your phone… these headphones have zero latency across the board if you’re using an android device. But if you're an iPhone user these headphones have zero latency whenever you’re using apps like Netflix, Disney plus, or HBO max but there is a noticeable latency when watching YouTube videos.
And finally when it comes to audio codecs, these headphones top out at AAC.
Now when it comes to listening to music with these headphones… these headphones have a fully customizable EQ so you can make them sound of ever you want. But personally I really like how these headphones just sound with their stock EQ. With their stock EQ these headphones are classic JBL… they have very pronounced mids so vocals are front and center and then the bass comes in hard when it has too. But when it comes to their instrument separation and sound stage I would say these headphones are average. And when it comes to their over all performance the highs on these headphones never get tinny and only very rarely in very specific circumstances does the bass on these headphones ever bottom out… and if it does it only very slightly. Ive only ever heard the bass on these headphones ever bottom out twice. Now these headphones also have a bass boost mode. But the bass boost on these headphones is mostly on the audible side, these headphones are not going to physically rattle your head all that much like some other headphones out there do. But over all I do feel these headphones do have the makings of being people pleasers cause if you like a neutral EQ you can do that or if you like a bass heavy EQ you can also do that.
Now when it comes to the active noise cancelation on these headphones, its decent for a pair of mid tier ANC headphones and it is an improvement from JBL’s previous ANC headphones cause they have less cabin pressure… But so that you can see for yourself we’re going to jump into an ANC test.
Now even though the Club 950NC’s do block out a decent amount of noise… the Club 950NC block out the same amount of noise as the $200 entry level Sony WH-CH710N. But more importantly the WH-CH710N’s do manage to block out the same amount of noise as the JBL’s but with less cabin pressure making them more comfortable to wear. Where with the Club 950NC’s you do feel a little bit of pressure on your ear drums if you’re not playing music. But performance wise the ANC on these headphones isn’t half bad cause it doesn’t change how your music sounds and it also does a really good job of rejecting wind noise when walking out doors.
Now when it comes to the ambient mode on these headphones… its actually really good. It sound very natural and there’s zero hissing in the background which is very important for whenever you’re using these headphones to watch movies with… and the ambient mode on these headphones does a really good job of rejecting wind noise when walking out doors as well. My only critique is that I do wish that you could customize how much sound these headphones let in. Cause right now its one size fits all. But also keep in mind the ambient mode on these headphones isn’t the active kind, so they’re going to let in everything.
Now these headphones also have a talk through feature where if you press on this button the headphones will lower the volume of your music and let in all of the ambient sound so that you can talk to someone without having to take your headphones off like this.
The only thing that JBL needs to fix here is that you shouldn’t have to choose between being able to active talk through or Ambient aware with this button like you do now. A single press of this button should cycle these headphones from ANC ON, Ambient Mode, or ANC Off… and a press and hold should active talk through similar to what we’ve got on the Bose NC 700. Cause right now you can only have Ambient Aware or talk tru activated by this button, and pressing and holding turns your ANC on or off.
But finally here’s the microphone test, and the microphone on these headphones isn’t half bad either. They do a decent job of picking up my voice and they also do a decent job of blocking out that AC unit.
Cause for comparison, the microphone on the Club950NC’s does sound better than the microphone on the Sony 1000XM3’s which does sound notoriously muffled.
But for comparison sake, the microphone on the JBL’s don’t sound nearly as good as the Bose NC 700’s.
But over all, performance wise I feel the JBL Club950NC’s have the makings for a pair of great mid tier ANC headphones. They come included with a great hardshell carrying case, they sound decent, they have decent battery life, their ANC is decent with not a lot of cabin pressure, and they have a great sounding ambient mode that does a really good job of blocking out wind noise when walking out doors. But for me its just really hard to recommend these headphones cause of their fit and comfort. These headphones have spectacular build quality and they’re built like a tank. But I think JBL got carried away with too much build quality and just made these headphones way too heavy. At 372 grams and with very little padding underneath their headband these are a pair of headphones that you never forget that they’re there even when you’re just sitting still.