JBL's Live 4 earbuds do Auracast, and the Live Buds 4 have just dropped to £107

JBL's Live 4 earbuds came out in May with very little said about Auracast. Aurahear has now pointed out what JBL's product pages say plainly: all three models can join an Auracast broadcast. And on 3 November JBL's UK store had the Live Buds 4 at £106.99, down from £179.99.

That makes them one of the cheapest ways to get Auracast in a big-brand pair of noise-cancelling earbuds.

Three shapes, same broadcast support

The Live 4 range comes in three designs. They share the touchscreen charging case, Bluetooth 6.0 and the JBL Headphones app.

• Live Buds 4: a rounded in-ear bud with silicone tips.
• Live Beam 4: a stem design with tips for a sealed fit.
• Live Flex 4: a stem design that sits in the outer ear, for a more open fit.

JBL's wording on the Live Buds 4 page is "tap into Auracast broadcasts directly through the JBL Headphones app". There is no footnote saying a firmware update is needed, which is the warning sign we look for. The German site hifi.de tested the Live Beam 4 in October and says they are Auracast-capable "in theory and in practice". The reviewer joined active streams from a third-party speaker, a TV and a public venue without trouble.

We have not seen a hands-on Auracast test of the Live Buds 4 or Live Flex 4 themselves. They use the same app and platform, so we expect them to behave the same, and we list the Live Buds 4 as working because JBL documents it.

What else you get

JBL's UK page lists adaptive noise cancelling, six microphones for calls, IP55 dust and water resistance, wireless charging and Google's Find Hub location network. Battery life is up to 8 hours with noise cancelling on, and up to 40 hours in total with the case and noise cancelling off. hifi.de lists the codecs as SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3, the codec Auracast uses.

The case is the gimmick. Its touchscreen skips tracks, changes noise cancelling, shows calls and messages, and can display a photo.

TechRadar's review called them "some of the best wireless earbuds available in their price range" but found the noise cancelling middling next to Apple and Bose, and the call quality less clear than expected. It did not test Auracast.

Prices

JBL has not confirmed US pricing. TechRadar converted the UK price to about US$240.

Who should buy them

If you want everyday noise-cancelling earbuds that will also pick up a cinema, theatre or airport broadcast, the Live Buds 4 at around £107 are good value. If you specifically want earbuds that can broadcast too, JBL's dearer Tour Pro 3 has a case that plugs into a seatback or a TV and sends a stream out.

For more options under this price, see the cheapest Auracast earbuds that actually work.