The JR 460 NC headphones, which come in white with grey and orange accents, include circumaural earcups with thickly padded earpads. Additionally nicely padded on the underside, the headband should fit snugly and be comfortable even during extended listening sessions. A frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz and a maximum volume of 85dB are delivered internally by 32mm drivers. That is louder than some of the pairs with volume limits that we test, but it is still within the WHO-recommended volume limits (WHO). Additionally, you cannot turn off the volume limitation in this situation, which is not usually the case with headphones made for children. On the side panel of the right earcup are power and pairing buttons, an ANC button (which is denoted by a winking smiling face), and a multifunction button for playback, track navigation, and call management. The multipurpose button on your associated device can also activate the voice assistant. The USB-C connector at the top can be used for charging; JBL offers a USB-A to USB-C charging cable. You can put the provided audio cable into this panel for passive listening. Although the headphones can be folded at the hinges, no carrying case or pouch is provided. The SBC codec and Bluetooth 5.0 compatibility of the headphones are both supported. JBL claims a battery life of about 20 hours (or 30 hours without ANC), however your mileage may vary depending on usage. The headphones offer tremendous thud, especially for this category, on songs with heavy sub-bass content, such The Knife’s “Silent Shout.” Even at highest sound levels on your sound source, the volume never rises above 85dB, which makes things sound fuller than most competing models. The music “Drover” by Bill Callahan, which has far less deep bass in the mix, offers us a better idea of the sound. While never sounding unduly loud, the drums on this tune receive some additional bass boosting and pack some more wallop. Callahan’s baritone vocals also gain some additional low-mid richness, and the acoustic strum and higher-register percussive impacts benefit from crisp high-mids and highs. Although we generally hear significantly more high-mids and highs in the mix, the kick drum loop on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild” receives enough high-mid presence for its onslaught to remain punchy. The drum loop benefits from the extra wallop, thus this does not imply that the JR 460 NC’s drivers sound flat. It’s impressive that volume-limited headphones can summon this much low-end push for the sub-bass synth hits that break up the beat. The vocals on this track are driven cleanly and without any additional sibilance by the headphones.
