Please Note: All views reflected in this review are my OWN and based on my own personal views and experiences, everyone experiences audio and hears things differently ears aren’t one size fit all and that’s a fact of life - this review isn’t sponsored or endorsed by JB HI FI, JBL AUSTRALIA or any companies mentioned here, Headphones were purchased using my own funds and any support through BUY ME A COFFEE allows me to bring you more reviews of this caliber.
JBL CLUB ONE - OVERVIEW
JBL CLUB ONE are the Flagship of the CLUB series which includes Club 700BT, Club 950 & Club Pro+ true wireless buds. These are marketed as CLUB/DJ headphones but rock some features that are pretty dope. These are a luxury headphone and should be treated and viewed upon as such, they have a hard case included, they don’t fold flat, they have a DJ Coiled Preset, they have the Stage+ presets like we’ve seen in the 950s and they retail at 499.00 AUD. They also boast a 40mm custom orange graphene driver
Design:
These won’t be for everyone in the design field but that’s perfectly okay, we all have our different unique tastes when it comes to headphone designs, a lot of people hated on the Bose 700’s design and form factor but I personally loved the design so much they were my daily for 2 years.
As I have another pair of CLUB headphones I ain’t go to get in to a spitting match of whose the better pair, I will do that in another review for you all.
Club ONEs look like the CLUB 950NC’s and that’s just a fact of life but they have levelled up on the design and that’s just a fact of life but that’s definitely not saying that 950NC’s were built badly cause they definitely weren’t and that’s a fact of life. They come in at 378grams which isn’t heavy so that’s a good thing.
So the headband has a leather feel to it and looks hella stylish but provides more than ample comfort for long sessions, the ear cups seem to be a memory foam leather as well and they don’t make me sweat when wearing these cans.
The JBL logo is on both ear-cups but not on the headband, the logo blends in to the ear-cups and doesn’t really stand out in my opinion relating to these.
Buttons are of high quality and easy to identify and build a muscle memory to. The extending of the headband is metal band and the ear-cups are on metal hinges too, and that adds to the build here, the silver around the ear cups really mono tones and stands out in the crowd.
These still don’t fold flat though. Cables included are of high quality and the airplane and quarter inch are included in this kit which is amazing.
Battery Life:
So the Club One’s rock a 45 hour battery life which at this price point is definitely impressive and i have been able to push it close to that, but I haven’t really ran these pass 65% of volume, these rock an amazing battery.
Application:
It’s 2021 so it comes second nature that a application is with the headphones many Bluetooth buds and headphones now have a application and some of these applications are what I often refer to as JUNKET Applications but the JBL application definitely isn’t that.
The JBL application has all the information you need and then some, it shows you ANC on/off, Battery percentage, Stage+ DJ Profiles like DJ TIGERLILYS preset, and so much more you can even custom EQ these.
Versatility:
Are these a Versatile headphone? Yes they are, their custom 40 Orange Graphene drivers make these a very versatile headphone for multiple purposes.
Can you track Vocals with these? Yes they are clear enough to track vocals on the episode “JBL GO 3 - First Impressions” on the DJ NATDOG PODCAST I tracked, recorded and mastered the whole track on them, and played back on my usual mastering headphones.
Can you DJ with them? Yes you most certainly can and they make those beat drops nice and juicy and you can hear every detail in every scratch and loop back, they include your traditional DJ cable which is a nice touch. One of the Cons I had with the Club 950.
Can you produce with them? Yes I have plugged these in to my Novation Circuit and other synths and you can hear all the finer details.
So to sum it up with the versatility of these are they are a excellent all rounder from DJing to producing to casual listening nothing is better or more divine with these, these are vastly becoming my daily drivers on the daily.
Presets:
The Stage+ presets are awesome, the DJ TIGERLILY is the best one in mind I didn’t really listen to many of the other ones on this pair I did on the other headphones.
ANC - MICROPHONE - BLUETOOTH.
Okay the bluetooth was a GREAT i didn’t experience any issues with connectivity at all, and didn’t have any drop out as I was walking around the house and that gave me a really good feeling about these.
ANC on these is AMAZING and that ANC is better than the ANC on the Bose 700 and definitely takes it up two notches on the Club 950 headphones and is more than ample to block out crying kids and a bus load of them when you’ve got these on these are truly immersive and blocking there noises which is a great thing.
Microphone is good for calls it’s crystal clear and does a awesome job of blocking out excess wind noise and on a pair of cans when your walking especially if they are your daily drivers you want them to be equipped with a top notch microphone.
Comfort, Fit and Sweat:
Damn the comfort on these headphones are next level every time you put these back on it feels like heaven on your head these are not tight fitting these are comfortable and fit well they are big head approved they have a lot give.
The leather pads and band don’t seem to bother me too much but I noticed I did sweat a lot more on 38 - 42 degree days they made me sweat a lot more than normal cans but that’s leather for you but it wasn’t a big issue it definitely wouldn’t stop me from listening to them on a hot day.
Pricing:
In Australia these are retailing for $499.00 and to me that puts in them in the league of Bose 700’s, Sennhieser Momentums 3 and even the Nuraphone. I think for what you get these are definitely the better choice out of the Bose 700s and the Nuraphones, I feel like at 499 you’ve been getting really good value for these headphones and I feel like they could have even pushed them in to the Nuraphone Pricing point without a doubt.
Included Accessories:
So these include a airplane adapter and yeah an airplane is a big plane that we go on for travelling I feel like a lot of people may’ve forgot about the flying kangaroo lol, I know a lot complained that the Bose 700 didn’t have them.
They include a woven cable with an inline push to call button, they include a 3 meter coiled DJ cable with the 6.5 mm screw on adapter and all of these cables are high quality. 9
the carry case is the same we’ve seen with Club 950, but it seems a bit more rugged than the 950 though.
Music:
I tested these with my stock playlist, and the instrument separation on Here without you by Hilltop Hood is amazing and it feels like your in the front row.
Everything I tested these with I heard the finer details in music that I had never heard before and that’s a truly an inspiring experience.
Conclusion:
These offer amazing value and clarity for their price and they stand alongside of some of the best headphones I have tried for ANC, Build (Nuraphones are built better, but they are virtually tank proof I think), Clarity and Comfort.
Audio is better than the Bose 700’s and the ANC, the ANC on here is easily better than my 700s and that is why these are awesome for those noisey buses with the kids that just won’t shut up.
Taking everything in to consideration, these are my new drivers for 2021 with the case and every thing included these are a no brainer for a all rounder headphone however they don’t fold flat which is the same problem I had with the JBL Club 950 that’s really my only complaint I have with these.
I rate these 10/10 headphones they win in Comfort, Audio Quality and ANC. I think they are really good value high end headphones but they might not be value for money depending on your budget but I think if you need a jack of all trades then these are exceptional value. I would like to see these come in different colours to stand out in the crowd though, and I have noticed these do some one sale from JB HI FI and JBL Australia direct for around 349 - 399 and at that price it's definitely a no brainer to be honest with everyone, you couldn't find a pair of headphones in that the sale price bracket that would be these or come near these! 499 is still an excellent price for these headphones.
We have a new king these are my new daily drivers for 2021.