Jaybird Bluebuds X Review

Introduction:

Harder, faster, and stronger are some of the words that come to mind as you’re sweating it out in the gym, trying to keep your New Year’s resolution going on. In order to keep the motivation and drive going, there has to be a pair of Bluetooth enabled stereo headphones to keep the music popping – all the while staying firmly in place as you’re constantly in motion burning those calories. Well, if you’re a fitness fanatic, you’ll undoubtedly find the Jaybird BlueBuds X as the perfect companion for your workout goals, since it features a very different design than most other sporty style Bluetooth headphones out there in the market.

Design:

Wow, can these pair of Bluetooth headphones be any different from the competition? Honestly speaking, the design of the Jaybird BlueBuds X is undeniably its main attraction, as it’s nothing more than a rubbery wire connecting its two ear buds together. Furthermore, it employs a cross-over dual fit design where it’s worn behind the head/neck, which depends on whether you prefer the ear buds being wrapped around the top of the ear or the bottom. No doubt, they’re super light in weight and compact enough to travel discreetly in your pocket. In terms of construction and choice of materials, we really can’t complain about it, especially when the sweat-resistant nano coating of the wire does wonders in fending off perspiration.


Taking a look at both ear buds, they’re actually the same, but it seems as though the right one is what houses most of the components – even its battery because the microUSB port is accessible behind the plastic lid. Likewise, the tri-button controls are found dangling below the right ear bud as well, which are enabled for quick volume up, volume down, and pause/play/pick up call/end call functions when they’re pressed quickly. With long pressing, though, you can obtain additional function like fast forwarding a track, reversing it, and turning on/off the unit.


At first glance, the ear buds might appear menacing with their razor shaped patented secure fit ear cushions. However, they actually help to keep the bond in the ear intact, seeing that they conform to accommodate the crevices of the outer ear. Combined with the rubbery ear bud tips, which come in different sizes, we’re amazed how it’s able to stay snugly in place within the ear. Even with some intense and abrupt movements, they’re able to maintain their position in the ear – with no issues of ever becoming loose, unless they’re pulled out of course. At the same time, the tight fit doesn’t ever become irritating after prolonged usage, plus, it eliminates any white noise to interfere with the audio quality.

Performance:

When it comes down to purely listening to music, we have to admit that the audio quality is surprising – even more when we think about the micro size of these headphones. Backed by 6mm drivers, which put out 103db of power and a frequency range of 20Hz – 20kHz, we’re undoubtedly blown away by the powerful tones it’s able to deliver. In fact, the warm bass tones really help to accentuate the quality so that it maintains a pleasant level even at the highest volume setting – and without exhibiting any evidence of strain or distortion! Therefore, it’s absolutely a joy listening to music with this pair of Bluetooth headphones. If there’s one complaint we have in this department, it’s the slight tone that interferes with the music as the volume is being adjusted – it would’ve been nice if it were more subtle. Furthermore, unlike some rival models, it’s lacking equalizer settings to better adapt to specific genres of music. Then again, we really can’t complain about its uniform performance, since it’s exceptional and clean to say the least.

As much as we’re raving about the wonderful quality with listening to music, it honestly falls short with phone calls. Sure, it’s convenient that we can go from listening to a track to accepting a call at a moment’s notice, but its feature set is rather weak. In fact, it’s lacking modern conveniences such as voice guided prompts and voice activation that other models offer. Well, there’s no problem on our end of the line, seeing that its volume level is adequate enough to make out voices – even in noisy environments. Instead, the issue lies mostly on the other end of the line. To be specific, since the Jaybird BlueBuds X lack the modern convenience of active noise cancellation, the microphone picks up all ambient noise. Ultimately, our callers complain that voices are somewhat difficult to comprehend when it’s being used in noisy settings – though, it’s not a problem with quiet environments.

Battery:

Again, we can’t help but think about its size. For something “micro-sized,” it really makes you wonder how they’re able to fit all the components into its ear buds. Rated for 8 hours of play time, we’re able to actually reach the 7 hour mark with a fully charged battery. Indeed, it misses the mark by an hour, but regardless of that, it’s still a good tally in our books taking into account its size. And finally, it requires roughly 2 hours to fully bring back its charge to 100%.

Conclusion:

Right now, you’re probably logging in some serious gym time at the moment, since it’s still January, you know. Well, if you’re a gym rat, you’ll unequivocally find the Jaybird BlueBuds X as the best training partner, thanks to its robust audio quality and unique design. However, it’s not something we’d recommend using as an everyday Bluetooth headset replacement for phone calls, since it’s a bit lax in that area. Regardless of that, it’s perfectly adept in handling the needs of any active individuals out there – plus, it helps that it has a lifetime warranty against sweat. Looking at its price, though, it’s definitely on the steep side at $170 a pop.

Jaybird Bluebuds X Video Review: