We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-05 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a do-everything over-ear headphone for video calls — with adaptive noise cancelling, Ambient Aware and a 70-hour battery — choose JBL TUNE 770NC; if you need headphones that survive full submersion in water while staying open to the world around you, choose RR SPORTS IP68. Those two jobs barely overlap, and that's the whole story here.
• JBL TUNE 770NC — biggest strength: Adaptive Noise Cancelling plus Smart Ambient (Ambient Aware and TalkThru), Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio support available via OTA update, and up to 70 hours of playback.
• JBL TUNE 770NC — biggest trade-off: It's a 232 g over-ear design with no headphone jack, so it's the wrong tool for swimming or heavy sweating in water.
• RR SPORTS IP68 — biggest strength: IP68 waterproofing rated for submersion in up to 2 meters of water, a built-in 32GB MP3 player, and bone conduction that keeps your ears open.
• RR SPORTS IP68 — biggest trade-off: No noise cancelling at all, only up to 7 hours of battery, and Bluetooth doesn't work while swimming — you must switch to MP3 mode.
• Who each pick is for: JBL TUNE 770NC for desk workers, students and anyone living in video calls; RR SPORTS IP68 for swimmers, runners, cyclists and shower-and-sweat athletes.
The JBL TUNE 770NC is built around controlling what you hear. Adaptive Noise Cancelling tunes out the room, and when you actually need the room back — a colleague walking over, a train announcement, the barista calling your name — you switch on Ambient Aware to let the outside in, or TalkThru to drop the music and hold a conversation without taking the headphones off. Both live in the JBL Headphones app, and that app also handles EQ presets, Audio mode for maximum sound quality, and Video Mode, which keeps sound and picture in sync for movies and games.
For video calls specifically, the on-ear-cup buttons make volume and call control a thumb-press away, and VoiceAware feeds your own voice back to you while you talk so you don't end up shouting. Bluetooth 5.3 keeps the wireless link current, with LE Audio support arriving via OTA update, and the 40 mm dynamic drivers cover 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz with JBL Pure Bass tuning. The 232 g weight, foldable frame and plastic build are all aimed at long desk sessions and travel rather than sweaty outdoor abuse.
RR SPORTS IP68: Who It's For
The RR SPORTS IP68 answers a completely different question: how do you listen while swimming without ruining your headphones? The IP68 rating covers submersion in up to 2 meters of water, and the sealed body with a nano-hydrophobic coating is designed to keep sweat, rain and pool water out. They're shaped to sit under a swim cap and alongside goggles, which most headphones simply can't do.
The clever part is the dual-mode setup. There's no Bluetooth signal underwater, so these run as a standalone player: 32GB of built-in memory holds roughly 7,000 songs across MP3, WMA, WAV and FLAC, and you load files from a computer with the included magnetic charging cable. Bluetooth 6.0 is there for dry-land use — running, cycling, gym — with up to 10 meters of range and up to 7 hours of battery.
The open-ear bone conduction design is the other half of the pitch. Your ear canal stays clear, so you hear traffic, training partners and your surroundings while music plays through your cheekbones. Ultra-soft silicone keeps the fit comfortable for long sessions, and the ergonomic band is meant to stay put through intense movement. There's no noise cancelling here at all — that's the trade-off for staying aware by design. For anyone weighing a sweat-resistant on-ear headphone for video calls, this is not that product; but if you've been hunting for bone conduction headphones for video calls in a pinch, the Bluetooth 6.0 mode and built-in mic-less open-ear setup will get you through a short call, though it's clearly optimized for sport.
• Best for video calls and meetings → JBL TUNE 770NC. Ambient Aware, TalkThru, VoiceAware and on-cup call controls are exactly what a long call day needs.
• Best for swimming → RR SPORTS IP68. IP68 water protection up to 2 meters with MP3-mode playback is a category the JBL simply isn't in.
• Best battery life → JBL TUNE 770NC. Up to 70 hours versus up to 7 hours on the RR SPORTS, with a 2-hour charge time on the JBL.
• Best for hearing your surroundings → RR SPORTS IP68. Open-ear bone conduction keeps your ears clear at all times, while the JBL gives you Ambient Aware on demand.
• Best for noise control → JBL TUNE 770NC. Adaptive Noise Cancelling versus no noise control on the RR SPORTS.
• Best for phone-free workouts → RR SPORTS IP68. 32GB of internal storage means no phone required, which the JBL cannot do.
• Best for travel and desk work → JBL TUNE 770NC. Foldable, lightweight over-ear with app-based EQ and Video Mode for movies.
• Best for running, cycling and showers → RR SPORTS IP68. Sweat, rain and water resistance plus a secure silicone fit made for movement.
If you're buying one headphone for video calls, meetings and everyday listening, I'd take the JBL TUNE 770NC. Adaptive Noise Cancelling, Ambient Aware, TalkThru, VoiceAware and a 70-hour battery make it the more useful tool for a working day, and Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio support via OTA update keeps it current. In my opinion, the RR SPORTS IP68 wins only if water is your arena — swimming, showers, marathons — where the JBL can't compete. Pick the JBL for the desk; pick the RR SPORTS for the pool.
Ambient Aware is a transparency feature that pipes outside sound into your headphones so you can hear your surroundings without removing them. On the JBL TUNE 770NC it's activated through the JBL Headphones app alongside TalkThru, which lowers the music so you can hold a conversation. The RR SPORTS IP68 achieves a similar effect differently — its open-ear bone conduction design never blocks your ears in the first place.
How to turn off aware mode on JBL headphones?
It can work in a pinch — Bluetooth 6.0 gives a stable connection up to 10 meters and supports iOS and Android — but it's designed around sport, not meetings. There's no noise cancelling and no VoiceAware-style voice feedback, and battery runs up to 7 hours. For a daily video call headset, the JBL TUNE 770NC's call controls and Ambient Aware are the better fit.
No. The JBL TUNE 770NC has no IP water rating in its specs, and it's a 232 g over-ear design with no headphone jack. If sweat resistance or swimming is non-negotiable, the RR SPORTS IP68's IP68 rating for submersion up to 2 meters with MP3 playback is the one built for that job.
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