Recently, I’ve been obsessed with wireless noise-cancelling headphones. More specifically, I’ve been obsessed with Bose‘s QuietComfort 35 headphones with active noise cancellation. They’re comfortable, light, sound great, and look so dapper. But, one could make the case that, Sony has the better pair of ANC cans with the MDR-1000X and its successor, the WH-1000XM2.
Sony’s headphones are definitely the better value proposition and they’re a lot more high-tech but I’ve always preferred the QC35’s fit. Now, though, there’s a second contender and it’s JBL’s Everest Elite 750 NC headphones.
These headphones were just launched in Malaysia alongside a whole bunch of other new products from the Harman family (AKG, JBL, Harman/Kardon). Of course, having scoured the internet for wireless headphones with ANC in the wake of the headphone jack genocide, the Everest Elite 750 NC immediately caught my eye.
In the past, I got to try out their older JBL Everest Elite 700 headphones with noise cancellation. However, didn’t really like them because they were enormous, very heavy and honestly didn’t sound very spectacular to my ears.
The moment I picked up these Elite 750 NCs though, I was glad to find that they were a lot lighter than the 700s. From my brief hands on, they felt pretty similar — at least as far as weight was concerned — to the Bose QC35s, which is great. Unfortunately, they still look very JBL and that’s not something my eyes are a big fan of.
These cans are over-ear headphones, which means when you put them on, they completely cover the entirety of your ears. Because of that, a snug but comfortable fit is very important. JBL’s Everest Elite 750 NC had an OK fit but I personally prefer the Bose QC35s. Thanks to the weight reduction though they’re definitely more comfortable than the Elite 700.
But comfort is just only part of the equation for a pair of great headphones. After all, good headphones also need to sound good. However, when I went to pair this thing up with my phone, I found out that there was no NFC. I mean, sure, it may not be a big deal on cheaper headphones, but these are a pretty premium pair of cans. Both the Sony and the Bose headphones have NFC, so what’s JBL’s excuse?
Only slightly deterred, I eventually got it working. As far as sound quality goes, I wasn’t really impressed. The bass was a little too boomy and overwhelming for me — and I like a warm, punchy music — so that’s a little bit of a bummer. Maybe you’ll like it but I think both the Sony MDR-1000X and Bose QC 35s do a better job with audio.
While sound may be more subjective, noise cancellation isn’t. And here, I can pretty objectively tell you that the 750 NC doesn’t even hold a candle to the Sony MDR-1000X or the Bose QC35s. Between these three, I think the Sonys are absolute magic and the QC35s come in a close second, but the 750NCs feel like a really distant third.
Til this day I still remember the first time I put the MDR-1000X on in a super noisy Sony Bravia TV launch. The second those puppies turned on and started playing music, it’s like I was transported to another dimension. It was amazing.
During the JBL launch — which I would say is comparably noisy — the 750NC just didn’t do much to drown out the noise. At first, I thought I forgot to switch it on, but as far as I could tell, it was as on as it would go. Granted, I only had a really short amount of time with the headphones but I don’t know if this is something that would improve over time.
And that’s a bit of a shame because, at RM1,499, it should have been a really solid competitor to the two amazing products from Bose and Sony. However, my first impressions indicate that this device falls pretty flat on its face. I would definitely spend the extra RM100 for the Sony WH-1000XM2s instead.
What do you guys think of the JBL Everest Elite 750 NC? Let me know in the comments below.
