4 min readNew DelhiSep 27, 2026 12:08 PM IST
I have always believed audio is a deeply personal experience. So how can everyone experience an audio product the same way? The short answer is, they don’t. This is why companies like JBL have been letting users personalise the experience. The Live Beam 4, which builds on what was already an innovative product, showed me exactly what this means for a user like me.
The Live Beam 4 is JBL’s latest truly wireless earphones, with a smart case that gives you full control even when your smartphone or laptop is not nearby. Along with noise cancellation, JBL seems to have perfected its Personi-Fi feature, which creates a sound signature tailored to you after a hearing test.
I have tried similar features on other earphones before. But this time, combined with the near-perfect fit of the silicone tips, personalised audio made a real difference. I suspect this is partly because of my age, which is making some frequencies harder to hear. You can sense this during the hearing test you take in the app to set it up.
When locked, the case shows the time, or you can set a wallpaper from the app using a picture you cherish. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
The Live Beam 4 comes with ANC 2.0, which blocks out most of the ambient noise around you, and does so without creating that uncomfortable pressure in your ears. The ANC is customisable too, with the app letting you find the level you are most comfortable with. Transparency mode can be switched on directly from the charging case, which makes a lot of sense when you are travelling and want to quickly catch a boarding announcement.
The smart charging case now has an improved interface. Swipe through and you can see what’s playing, adjust ANC, switch equaliser presets or change the volume. Swipe down and you get the battery levels of the case and the earphones. There is an ANC button here too, in case you need to switch it off in a hurry. When locked, the case shows the time, or you can set a wallpaper from the app using a picture you cherish.
But with any JBL device, it is the audio quality that impresses me every time. The Live Beam 4 is no exception, and Personi-Fi lifts the experience a notch higher this time. Listening to my favourite Leonard Cohen album felt like being wrapped in a cosy blanket in winter. The sound profile is warm, spacious, deep and personal. I didn’t need to touch the equaliser at all. The default mode felt balanced for the kind of music I love.
The smart charging case now has an improved interface. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
Willie Colón’s Gitana was a good test of what these earphones can do. The percussion played in my right ear, the trumpet in the left, and his sharp vocals floated in the middle. Every channel stayed in harmony throughout, coming together as if I were listening to the salsa musician perform in a studio. The Live Beam 4 does justice to the highs and lows as they were recorded, without letting either overpower the experience.
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My only grouse is that at times, even when music was playing fine, the app could not connect to the earphones. Thankfully, you don’t really need the app after intial setup.
At Rs 24,999, the JBL Live Beam 4 is one of the most accomplished truly wireless earphones on the market, building on the legacy of its predecessors. It offers a great audio experience with technology that is both innovative and practical, putting more control in the hands of the user than ever before.
