JBL Tune 660NC Wireless On-Ear Active Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black) review

The JBL Tune 660NC is an earlier on-ear ANC model whose strongest evidence is unusually clear about its separate listening routes: up to 44 hours for Bluetooth with ANC, up to 35 hours for AUX with ANC, and a passive cable fallback described for when the battery is out. These are three different states. The exact U.S. Black item reviewed is JBLT660NCBLKAM; JBL’s selected U.S. page currently reports that item unavailable, so this assessment is not a stock claim or a recommendation to buy any specific offer.

Identity, form and package

JBL describes Tune 660NC as wireless, on-ear and actively noise cancelling. The U.S. selected pages identify White item JBLT660NCWHTAM and Blue item JBLT660NCBLUAM, with the exact finish images shown below; they are finish references within this shared model review, not separate performance tests. The English spec sheet is copyright 2020, which, together with the exact Black page’s unavailable message, is why this review treats it as an earlier reference. That page observation does not prove that every retailer has stopped selling it; if you find an offer, check the exact Tune 660NC item, its condition, warranty, included parts and return rights.

The documented in-box list contains a USB-C charging cable, a detachable audio cable, a quick-start/safety sheet and a warranty/warning sheet. No case appears in that list. JBL publishes a 166 g weight and 32 mm dynamic drivers. A lighter stated mass may be useful in a comparison table, but it does not say how these on-ear pads will feel on a particular head, with glasses, or over a long session. There is no independent comfort or noise-reduction measurement here.

Three battery claims, three conditions

For Bluetooth listening with active noise cancelling on, JBL rates up to 44 hours. With Bluetooth on and ANC off, the published maximum rises to 55 hours. The manufacturer’s English sheet separately states up to 35 hours for AUX with ANC enabled. The 55-hour ANC-off figure should not be substituted for ANC listening, and the 44-hour wireless result should not be transferred to a wired ANC session. These are maximum manufacturer ratings under its conditions, not a promise about a used battery or an individual day’s listening.

JBL lists Bluetooth 5.0 and two microphones. Its quick-start guide documents multipoint for a maximum of two devices, but also gives useful limits: to switch music, pause the current source and start playback on the second; phone calls take priority; and if one device leaves range or powers off, the remaining connection may need to be made again manually. This is more precise than treating “multipoint” as automatic mixing or assuming every computer and phone will behave identically.

What the cable does—and does not do

Unlike an analog jack whose ANC behavior is unstated, Tune 660NC’s specification sheet explicitly assigns a 35-hour maximum to AUX with ANC on. That gives a wired listener a model-specific powered ANC plan to consider. The number remains distinct from the 44-hour Bluetooth ANC maximum, and neither rating measures the headset’s cancellation performance.

JBL also frames the included cable as the fallback when the headphone is out of charge and says it can keep the music going. That supports passive playback after battery depletion, but not passive ANC. The sheet’s 35-hour AUX+ANC mode and the depleted-battery fallback cannot happen simultaneously: if ANC is needed, use the powered wired plan and plan to recharge; if the battery is flat, the cable may preserve audio but the ANC is off. This interaction matters more than the bare fact that both a wire and ANC appear on the feature list.

How to compare it with current JBL on-ear options

Current-reference Live 460NC has a 40-hour Bluetooth ANC-on maximum and JBL explicitly says its cable keeps audio going with a flat battery; Tune 660NC’s 44-hour Bluetooth ANC maximum is higher on paper and it uniquely has the documented AUX+ANC 35-hour rating. Current-reference Tune 670NC is also rated at 44 hours over Bluetooth ANC, but its AUX+ANC rating is 30 hours and passive power-off audio is not confirmed. These model-level figures do not establish better ANC, comfort, sound quality or reliability; they only distinguish the documented operating arrangements. Tune 660NC’s two-device guide also warns that calls preempt music and that reconnection might need manual help.

JBL’s selected U.S. page and official English specification sheet provide the product identity, features and package baseline. A refurbished or retailer offer may have different condition or contents, so treat those as seller-specific checks. No price, availability beyond the page observation, customer review, personal use, measurement or test result is asserted here.

Primary evidence: JBL’s U.S. Tune 660NC Black page, English specification sheet and multilingual quick-start guide. This is a source-based review, not a hands-on test.