Is the JBL Tour One worth the upgrade from the Sennheiser HD 480 PRO?
Verdict
Downgrade
The JBL Tour One actually scores 38.5 points below the Sennheiser HD 480 PRO, so on aggregate review consensus this is a step backwards. It loses ground on sound (8.9 to 6.8). On paper: active noise cancelling and driver size 38 mm to 40 mm. One caution: this steps down a line tier (HD 480 PRO to Tour One), and base models usually trade away tier features - check the codec and ANC rows above before trusting the score gap alone. It is at least $99 cheaper, so the lower score comes with a saving. Only worth it if a specific feature above matters more to you than overall quality does.
What actually changes
Sub-scores both products have, on the same 0-10 scale. Bars extend right for a gain, left for a loss.
- Sound8.96.8
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | HD 480 PRO | Tour One | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active noise cancelling | No | Yes | |
| Driver size | 38 mm | 40 mm | |
| Driver | 38 mm dynamic | 40 mm dynamic | |
| Frequency response | 3 Hz - 28.7 kHz | 10 Hz - 40 kHz |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "HD 480 PRO to Tour One". The other direction is a separate question with a different answer. Scores blend published review verdicts across over-ear and shift as new reviews land, so a marginal call today may not be one next quarter.