JBL’s Excursion Professional 2 boast a sexy graph that mask the sheer loss of dynamism within the sound.
Rating Breakdown
- Wearing case lets in a large number of customization with out opening up the app
- Superb battery existence
- Comfy to put on for longer classes
- Excellent microphone efficiency
- Superb ANC efficiency
- BT multipoint
- Academically “nicely” tuned and not using a harshness
- No LDAC/AptX reinforce; L3 reinforce remains to be scarce
- Show at the case finally ends up being a party-trick
- Heavy, cumbersome sporting case
- Compression within the microphone
- Sound lacks dynamics
- Critically falls in the back of on the subject of solution, imaging, and staging
Unboxing and First Impact
The place to Purchase
Creation
JBL has an extended historical past connected to its title, with the mythical L-series of audio system being a mainstay of many families and recording studios all over the 70s and 80s. Since then, JBL has transitioned into the mainstream and has in recent times been most commonly fascinated with transportable audio system.
The Excursion Professional 2 are slightly of an oddball providing from JBL. Those flagship TWS IEMs intend to tell apart themselves thru an interactive sporting case show. It’s a unique concept that would possibly border on ridiculous for some, however let’s now not be too rash to pass judgement on.
On the other hand, greater than having a novelty is wanted on this cut-throat marketplace, as sound high quality is the top parameter – one the place the Excursion Professional 2 must end up their value.
Case
Battery
- Battery Lifestyles: 30 hours (no ANC), 24 hours (ANC)
- Connector: USB Kind-C
- Wi-fi Charging: Sure
- Battery Capability: 850 mAh
Battery existence is phenomenal, with the case preserving 24 hours of additional rate. This takes the overall battery existence to about 32 hours (with ANC on). I’ve to rate the JBL Excursion Professional 2 as soon as every week.
The Excursion Professional 2 reinforce Qi wi-fi charging. So, the type-C port isn’t your best option for a fast top-up.
UX
- Will also be opened simply with one hand: Sure
- Go the shake take a look at: Sure
- Show: Presentations detailed battery ranges, custom designed purposes
The case may also be simply opened with one hand. The earbuds themselves are held with sturdy magnets.
The entrance capacitive contact show is the celebrity of the display right here.
The display signifies detailed charging stats in regards to the case and each and every earbud. Additionally, you’ll make a choice ANC modes, make a choice EQ presets, and permit/disable a litany of different options with out ever opening the app. Nifty certainly.
Design
- Form of the case: Oblong with rounded edges
- Subject matter: Plastic
- Construct High quality: Top class
The case is constructed in reality nicely. The lid presentations no creak or wobble. The added weight makes the case really feel denser, leading to a way of robustness hardly present in TWS circumstances.
Portability
- Weight: 73g (case best), 97g (with earbuds)
- Quantity: 6 cm x 6 cm x 3 cm = 108 cm cu
- Portability: Reasonable
The sporting case has noticeable weight, and it’s now not one to vanish to your pocket. It’s not that i am a large fan of such bulk, however given the massive battery and the entrance show, the additional weight is comprehensible.
Earbuds
Battery
- Battery Lifestyles: 8 hrs (with ANC), 10 hrs (with out ANC)
- Fee Time (15 minutes): 240 minutes playback time
The earbuds final about 8 hours prior to they run dry (with ANC on). You’ll be able to flip off the ANC and get 10 hrs on a unmarried rate.
The JBL Excursion Professional 2 want about 2 hours to rate totally (with the case), however you’ll stand up to 240 mins of playback time with simply quarter-hour of rate.
UX
- Regulate Mechanism: Contact
- Contact Accuracy: Dependable
- Regulate Symmetry on each earbuds: Sure
- Mono Use: Sure, each side
The stem has a relatively responsive touch-sensitive panel integrated. Unintended faucets and activations are minimum. The more than a few contact controls may also be remapped to no matter you like by means of the app.
Design
- Profile: Low
- Subject matter: Plastic
- Convenience: Exceptional
- Have compatibility: Exceptional
The JBL Excursion Professional 2 have a bland, unremarkable design language.
The construct is all plastic, leading to a glance that doesn’t befit the cost tag. There may be a wear-detection sensor at the within, which matches nicely in follow. On the backside, there are the charging pins.
Thankfully, the are compatible is excellent. The earpieces are compatible snugly and are solid even if figuring out.
There’s one vent close to the nozzle. I didn’t understand any power buildup when dressed in the Excursion Professional 2.
Mic
- Noise Cancellation: Excellent
- Voice Select-up: Exceptional
Thank you to 6 devoted microphones, the mic has remarkable voice pickup in a quiet setting.
In very noisy environments, the very competitive noise cancellation ends up in some break-up. On the other hand, such excessive circumstances must now not stand up in a day by day scenario.
The VoiceAware function lets you reroute your voice again to the earpiece for a extra herbal sound all over calls.
Mic demo
Sound
- Motive force: 10mm unmarried dynamic motive force
- Sound Signature: Impartial with sub-bass spice up
- Bass: Reasonable
- Mids: Reasonable
- Treble: Substandard
- Sound Element: Substandard
The JBL Excursion Professional 2 make the most of a unmarried dynamic motive force. Sadly, that’s all of the information about the internals from the promotional fabrics.
The JBL Excursion Professional 2 observe the Harman goal carefully, with some deviations within the treble area.
Taken in isolation, the graph is very good if you’re a kind of “academically susceptible” listeners preferring their IEMs to hit a particular “goal” curve.
Sadly, the sound is best “just right” on paper. Right through precise listening, the Excursion Professional 2 develop into boring, missing in texture, element, and dynamics.
The bass is gradual and nebulous, with the sturdy sub-bass rumble being the one saving grace. Speedy basslines don’t seem to be rendered nicely, because the bass notes bleed into each and every different.
The mids sound right for probably the most phase, despite the fact that there’s some haziness within the lower-mids. The higher-mids don’t seem to be shouty and most commonly driven to the entrance, leading to well-articulated feminine vocals.
The treble is increased greater than the Harman goal, however has a tendency to sound very compressed and “low solution.” Given the differently “best” frequency reaction, it’s a bizarre phenomenon. The higher-treble extension may be missing, furthering the loss of total solution.
Staging is intimate, whilst imaging is most commonly left and proper and not using a sense of frontal projection or ordinal placement of tools.
The macrodynamic punch is first rate within the bass area however sounds compressed total. Microdynamic shifts are imperceptible, leading to refined adjustments in quantity now not being picked up in any respect.
Total, the sheer loss of solution and different “technical” parameters make the Excursion Professional 2 a critical letdown, particularly on the given worth level. They don’t sound “unhealthy” on the subject of tuning, a ways from it, however there’s no attractive issue within the sound. A disgrace, in reality.
ANC efficiency is superb total because it reduces low-frequency noise vastly, while high-frequency sounds are dampened to a point.
Connectivity
- Audio Codec: AAC
- Bluetooth Model: 5.3
- Bluetooth Chip: N/A
- Auto-connect when: Case lid opened
- Reasonable drop-outs in an hour: 0-Thrice
- Multi-point connection: Sure
Multipoint reinforce is provide, and it’s seamless to change between an Android telephone and a Home windows PC. The most recent Bluetooth 5.3 and category 1 reinforce is right here, leading to an extended connection vary and remarkable steadiness.
Water-resistant
- IP Score: IPX5
The IPX5 score implies that the JBL Excursion Professional 2 are safe from minor splashes and water sprays, however there’s no mud coverage.
Tool
The ANC may also be custom designed with particular ranges of “comments” from the surroundings that the person can dial in by means of settings. Most of the app functionalities may also be accessed by means of the show at the case, so that you don’t have to pick out up your smartphone for a fast EQ preset trade, as an example.
The EQ is relatively complete, providing 10 bands of adjustment. The Personi-Fi function is a variation of the “sound personalization” function that many competing TWS IEMs be offering. It tended to spice up bass persistently for me, so it’s most likely now not a just right audiophile answer, however your mileage might range.
The Spatial Sound presets labored nicely, with a resounding growth of the stereo symbol with out sacrificing main points or imaging. The higher-treble was once boosted an excessive amount of every now and then, so I discovered myself turning this option off for track.
In brief: class-leading better half app with a dizzying array of customizability.
Conclusion
The JBL Excursion Professional 2 get just about the whole thing proper excluding the sound. The ANC efficiency is very good, rivaling the most productive at school. The microphone array is competent, whilst the app is probably the most complete I’ve come throughout.
Additionally, let’s now not fail to remember that show at the case, despite the fact that it was once not anything wanting a gimmick for me ultimately.
Unfortunately, the Excursion Professional 2 sound unrefined, and the loss of solution for the asking worth is a deal breaker. As such, I will not counsel them since they fail on the maximum elementary facet – sound high quality.
The present catch 22 situation could be a mixture of deficient high quality motive force, sub-optimal acoustic chamber design, and codec compression. I’m hoping JBL can center of attention on refining the tuning and discovering an interesting signature within the subsequent unencumber as an alternative of depending on cool gimmicks.
Allow 48h for review and removal.