HiFi PiG’S OSCAR HEADS TO LONDON FOR THE CLUB JBL LAUNCH EVENT

On Thursday, JBL invited members of the press, influencers, and top fans to an exclusive Club JBL Event in the heart of London.

CLUB JBL LAUNCH EVENT

This event was held at 26 Leake Street, in the iconic graffiti tunnel near Waterloo station, it started at 14:30 and went on until 22:30. HiFi PiG’s Oscar was there to bring you the lowdown…

The first part of the event consisted of a brief welcome presentation from Lucy Hedges about the event itself and what we could expect from it, then passing over to JBL’s head of communication to introduce 5 new products.

The 5 new products are the Tour One M3 headphones, Flip 7 portable Bluetooth speaker, Charge 6 portable Bluetooth speaker, PartyBox 520 and PartyBox Encore 2.

After the presentation of the new products, we were split into smaller groups and, after grabbing a drink at the bar, we headed back into the main hall for a podcast episode with Armin Prommersberger, the CTO of Harman.

In this conversation, hosted by Oisin Lunny, CTO Armin talked about the future of audio. There were a few key things mentioned. There is their AI Sound Boost, which uses a clever algorithm to dynamically adjust the EQ based on background noise; however, the intelligent part is its ability to distinguish between background noise and a conversation you want to be able to hear, for example.

Next up was the importance of ecosystems and interoperability – the way that JBL products seamlessly link together is a big selling factor and one that makes the products much easier for consumers to use. This includes the ability to link together different speakers from different product lines to create a versatile and flexible system. This leads on to the future of audio and the potential to be able to interact with a home system that has a Samsung TV, a JBL PartyBox and a Charge, for example. The use case talked about was being able to say to the speaker, I have friends coming over and we would like to do karaoke, the ability for the system bits and bobs to be able to see and interact with each other so that the TV shows the lyrics, the PartyBox has the microphones, and the speaker can reduce the vocals of the song during playback – without any complicated setup. Again, this is thinking ahead to the future of where things might be headed. It was nonetheless interesting to hear this.

After the podcast, we went off in groups to have a look at each new product in a little more detail, with some talks from the engineers behind the models. Our group’s first stop was the portable speaker room, where they had some demo units laid out on tables as well as headphones. Here, I learnt that the JBL logo is a homage to their original and very famous horn loudspeakers, which is a nice little detail. The new Charge 6 has a new strap that can be used as a small wrist strap, or as a handbag-style strap, depending on your preference.

We heard from the designer of the Tour One M3 headphones that the whole design is new; this isn’t simply an updated Tour One M2 (which I reviewed). The headband is slimmer and hugs the contours of your head a bit better, the earpads and headband padding have been changed, and there is the optional transmitter, which you can use with analogue and digital sources to stream content to the headphones.

Next up we had a look at the new Flip 7 in closer detail. It now has an additional 5w of output power over its predecessor and (we are told) better bass response. It’s got improved water/dust proof ratings and will support high-res audio over USB-C. It also includes both a leash and carabiner in the box. Here, we learnt that the Flip 7 and Charge 6 are made from recycled plastic and fabric, and the packaging is plastic-free – a nice touch, and I see (and recommend) more brands moving to this kind of eco-friendly packaging in the near future. One of the main features of the new models is Auracast support. This allows you to connect multiple devices to one source and helps when it comes to pairing the speakers to each other.

JBL have 55% of the market share in portable Bluetooth speakers, an impressive feat; they also have 87% market share in party style speakers, and whilst they are not an audiophile product, they do exactly what they say on the box. This leads me on to the new PartyBox 520 and Encore 2, both have removable batteries, allowing you to carry a spare should you need more juice, and the Encore 2 includes a wireless microphone with it for buskers/conferences/karaoke.

Lastly we had a demo of the new Tour One M3 headphones, we each got given a pair to put on and, bearing in mind this was a busy event, the ANC did an amazing job at cutting out background noise. They have tweaked the algorithm, and these provide even better hybrid ANC than their predecessor. The microphones for call quality are also much improved. JBL are using new Mica dome drivers in these headphones for better audio quality, and the new optional transmitter increases the flexibility of the headphones – perfect for travel as you can plug it into the plane’s entertainment system and still use your wireless headphones. It wasn’t the best environment to really tell how good they sound, for a consumer headphone, though, they are punchy, fun, and quite spacious.

There was food afterwards, and JBL brought along some live music to round out the night. I couldn’t stay until the end, unfortunately, and I did miss seeing Rudimental play in this small venue. The Club JBL 2025 event was really good fun. Seeing the new products in the flesh whilst being given some insight into their new features from engineers was incredibly insightful. JBL know their audience and are under no illusions as to who they are as a brand – this really shows when seeing its market share numbers. 

A huge thank you to Mark from JBL for the invite to this event. JBL are continuing to launch highly enjoyable products at accessible prices.

Oscar Stewart

Additional photography by Kelly Bowden