At SXSW 2026, JBL unveiled two new stylish pairs of noise-cancelling headphones: the JBL Live 780NC Over-Ear Headphones and the Live 680NC On-Ear Headphones.
By Timothy Beck Werth on March 16, 2026.
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Sadly, these orange headphones on display at SXSW aren’t available for sale yet. Credit: JBL
Bold colors and transparent casing were part of JBL’s showcase at SXSW, aiming to appeal to stylish music lovers. The new Live 780NC and 680NC headphones come in various colors, positioning themselves as tech-meets-fashion accessories.
The release coincides with JBL’s new party speaker, the JBL PartyBox On-the-Go 2 Plus, and the availability of their open-ear earbuds previously teased at CES 2026.
Introducing two new JBL Live headphones
The JBL Live 780NC over-ear headphones boast premium specs like 80 hours of battery life (50 without ANC), priced at $249.95, and available at JBL’s online store. Features include:
– Active noise-cancellation with 6 microphones
– 40mm dynamic driver with compound diaphragm
– JBL Spatial Sound 3.0
– LDAC support for high-resolution wireless audio
– Quick charge technology
– Beamforming mics with noise-cancellation for calls
The JBL 680NC on-ear headphones are priced at $159.95, sharing most features with the 780NC model but with four microphones for ANC and no premium EQ settings.
JBL also launched a new party speaker and karaoke accessories, available on JBL and Harman websites. The previously announced open-ear line from CES 2026 is now on sale.
The JBL Soundgear Clips, initially questioned for their appearance, look much cooler in reality and are available at JBL and Amazon for $149.95.
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Topics: SXSW, Gadgets
Timothy Beck Werth is the Tech Editor at Mashable with over 15 years of experience covering consumer technology and men’s style products. Previously Managing Editor of SPY.com, he’s contributed to various publications and is working on his second novel.