JBL's new open-ear buds promise big bass, Hi-Res and spatial sound – without audio leakage

JBL's new Sense Pro open-ear earbuds promise to deliver the best of both headphone worlds: powerful, bassy, open-ear audio without isolating you our leaking audio to everybody near you.

The titanium-hooked buds are lightweight and designed for long wear, and are likely to be more comfortable than bulky in-ears for protracted use.

The JBL Sense Pro pair are designed for wearers who don't want to be completely sealed off from the outside world, and that makes them good for running and wearing while working.

JBL Sense Pro: key features and pricing

The Sense Pro have large drivers to compensate for the lack of audio seal (in-ear headphones tend to be much bassier). Each earpiece contains a 16.2mm "diamond-like carbon" driver, tuned with JBL's OpenSound to deliver what the firm says is "detailed clarity and responsive bass".

They are certified for Hi-Res Audio Wireless with LDAC and will play for up to 38 hours – 8 from the buds and 30 more via the case.

Bluetooth is 5.4 with LE Audio and Auracast, and there's a 10-band EQ in the headphone app that enables you to tweak the sound to suit your personal preference.

The Sense Pro headphones feature JBL's Adaptive Bass Boost, which uses an algorithm to optimise the bass for a full sound. There's also JBL Spatial Sound for additional immersiveness, plus a clever system to reduce how much of your audio can be heard by the people around you.

Audio leakage is a common issue with open-ear designs. The same openness that ensures you don't step in front of a bus or miss an announcement makes it harder to keep your audio contained. However, to address this, JBL has carefully positioned the drivers to direct audio into your ear canal and is using a trick borrowed from active noise cancelling. It creates opposite-phase sound waves to minimise leakage.

For calling, there are four voice microphones, and there's environmental nouse reduction to keep your voice clear. There's also an AI-trained algorithm that filters out background noise and wind.

The JBL Sense Pro will be available in five colours – Grey, Blue, Purple, White, and Black – from mid-October 2025. Expect to pay £159.99 / €179.99 (about $215 / AU$335).