JBL Everest Elite 750NC Wireless Over-Ear Noise Canceling Headphones Review

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Whether you are flying around the world or working in a noisy office, there is nothing better than a comfortable pair of noise canceling headphones to make the time spent bearable. The JBL Everest Elite 750NC wireless over-ear noise canceling headphones are perfect for blocking out noise while serving up excellent sound.

JBL says that their Everest Elite 750NC have “adaptive noise canceling that lets you control the level of ambient noise you want to let in or block out, through the My JBL Headphones App or the ear cup buttons.” The headphones have a built-in microphone with echo cancellation for “crystal clear, hands-free calls.” The headphones’ battery will last up to 15 hours in adaptive noise canceling mode and up to 20 hours when used wirelessly; it takes 3 hours to charge the headphones fully. The JBL Everest Elite 750NC have TruNote Auto Sound Calibration which personalizes the audio performance based on ear cup fit,” and they can be further personalized by downloading the JBL EVEREST ELITE SDK.

Let’s start with what’s in the box: The JBL Everest Elite 750NC headphones come with a really nice hard-sided travel case, a flat tangle-free microUSB charging cable, a small hard case to store the cables inside the travel case, a detachable rubberized audio cable with remote, a two-pronged flight adapter, a user guide, warranty information, a safety sheet, and the headphones themselves.

Available in gun-metal (dark gray), silver, and the steel-blue I was sent, the Everest Elite 750NC headphones are slick-looking; they aren’t flashy at all, yet they aren’t necessarily plain.

The steel-blue is a lovely, unusual color. The headband is nicely padded, and the plush ear cups are about an inch thick. while they feel like soft leather, the headband and ear cups are actually a vegan-friendly “synthetic protein leather that is completely animal free.” The headband is flexible, and it will extend to cover a range of heads from approximately 12″ (not counting ear cups) to 14.25″; at 10 ounces, the headphones are quite light, and they are comfortable for all-day wear.

The outside of each ear cup has the JBL logo, and the metal band just above the ear cups says EVEREST.

All of the controls are on the back side of the right ear cup, and there are quite a few to learn. From top to bottom, you have the power button; you turn the headphones on by sliding it up for three seconds.

A blue LED will display when the headphones are turned on.

Past the power button, there is a volume up button (when pressed and held it will advance a song), then a slightly raised play/pause button which also answers and hangs up calls; a volume down button follows (which will go to the previous song when pressed and held), then a Bluetooth button, and an S button. Pressing the S button once will turn the Ambient Aware feature off (noise canceling will be on), pressing it again will turn Ambient Awareness on low (which is helpful if you are sitting in an airport and need to hear announcements), and pressing it a third time will turn Ambient Awareness on high (which is helpful if you are wearing the headphones on the street and need to hear if someone is shouting at you to get out of the way of somebody else). A helpful female voice will let you know when you press the S button which Ambient Awareness mode you’ve just selected.

The S button has one more feature: with ANC mode on (not one of the Ambient Awareness modes), when you press and hold it you’ll hear a quick sweeping noise and then a momentary silence. That’s the TruNote auto calibration doing its thing:

TruNote technology is composed of a new, proprietary software solution for auto-calibration and frequency response measurement in combination with a patented, dual-foam ear cushion and pistonic motion driver. The auto-calibration solution uses two microphones in each ear cup in order to measure the frequency response while you are wearing the headphone. This generates an accurate correction filter, all within a second. The dual-foam ear cushion and optimized pistonic motion driver are required to avoid unwanted reflections and cavity effects, deeming both necessary for the optimal accurate sound reproduction.

The headphones have a 3.5mm jack for plugging into a device, but they have a smaller connector for the end that plugs into the headphones

Here’s a shot of the remote (and the two-differently sized plugs); There is a play/pause button that will answer or hang up your calls along with a microphone.

You won’t ever have to wonder which ear cup goes over which ear, as they are labeled on the inside.

While the headphones are charging, a small red LED will glow next to the S button; it will go out once the headphones are fully charged.

There’s one more thing to discuss before we get into the way the headphones sound, and that’s the JBL Headphones app. Once you’ve paired the headphones to your mobile device…

… you’ll have the option of doing a quick TruNote Calibration …

From inside the app, you can adjust the Ambient Awareness so that it is high, medium, or low, but you can also adjust it so that it is only on in one ear (if you prefer). Bear in mind that having it on will add the noise from wherever you are on top of your music, so this is a great option if you need to be able to hear if people are talking to you (it sounds like they are speaking to you through a microphones), but you don’t want to totally let that noise in. This panel will also display the battery life remaining, but it’s worth noting that the battery life will also show in the iPhone’s battery widget.

You also have the option to use one of the three pre-programmed equalizer settings, no equalizer, or you can set your own and give it a name.

There’s a settings button in the upper left of the app; this is where you’ll find options like available updates (firmware updates are available over the air) …

The option to program the smart button set the level of Ambient Awareness or to turn noise cancellation on or off …

There’s also an option to set an auto-off feature or to turn the voice prompt on or off.

So … how do they sound?

Well, I have to admit that I have always liked how JBL headphones are tuned as they come out of the box. I don’t need to use the equalizer settings in the app, as the headphones already have a great balance of treble and bass, and midrange is clear. Bass-heavy songs like Coast Modern’s “Hollow Life”, The Weeknd’s “Starboy”, and Alt-J’s “Deadcrush” never bottom out; the slightly muddy “Less Than” by Nine Inch Nails is still completely legible, and Propaganda’s poppy “Duel” is crisp and clean. Glass Animals’ “Black Mambo” sounds like you are in the recording studio with the band. Manchester Orchestra’s “I’ve Got Friends” is a joy to listen to because I can’t hear myself singing along with the ANC on. Ha!

The overall effect when using the JBL Everest Elite 750NC headphones is truly enjoyable and symphonic. But best of all … even if you are listening to nothing, the active noise cancellation is there to silence everything going on around you — whether it’s a noisy office mate or a loud plane engine. The headphones are comfortable enough to fall asleep wearing, and that’s important on international flights.

The only real con to the JBL Everest Elite 750NC wireless headphones is … you can only connect them via Bluetooth to one device at a time. So if you like to listen to music on your laptop but you want to be able to answer calls from your phone at the same time, you won’t be able to do that. The simple solution is to use your smartphone as the converged device it was intended to be — your phone and your media player all at the same time.

Whether you are traveling, commuting, working at your desk, or sitting at home listening to music, the JBL Everest Elite 750NC wireless over-ear headphones are comfortable for long-term wear and they sound fantastic.

The JBL Everest Elite 750NC Wireless Over-Ear Noise Canceling Headphones retail for $299.95, and they are available directly from the manufacturer.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Light and comfortable; Active Noise Cancellation, Ambient Awareness for when you need to hear noises around you while listening to your music; Vegan-friendly; Excellent sound even without equalization; The app allows you to personalize things; TruNote

What Needs Improvement: You can only connect the headphones to one device at a time

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She got her start in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie has written for or been profiled by nationally known sites and magazines, and she has served on multiple industry hardware and software award panels. She is best known for her device-agnostic approach, enjoyment of exploring tech, gadgets, and gear, and her deep-diving, jargon-free reviews.