audiosplitz: Jaybird

Red Headphones for SG National Day!

August 03, 2017

Singapore's National Day that falls on 9 August is just around the corner! Folks take time to get festive by sporting the colors of red and white in the streets and this year is no different. What better way to set a patriotic tone than to sport red headphones to go with your attire? That said, here's five stylish headphones /earphones to set the mood for the occasion.

1. Beats Solo3 Wireless
Price - SGD 398 (USD 299)
The (Product) Red campaign in raising awareness for HIV has been going on strong for 11 years now. In the process, you get some great looking red colored products. The Beats Solo3 Wireless is already a great looking pair of on-ears to begin with and certainly made even more striking by the red finish.
Read - Beats Solo2 Wireless review

2. Bose SoundSport Pulse Wireless
Price - SGD 319 (USD 199)
Bose made its foray into wireless sports in-ears last year and upgraded the original SoundSport Wireless (SGD 239) with the 'Pulse' functionality. This adds a heart rate sensor and relays this information to the Bose Connect app. It looks pretty much the same as the non-Pulse version and comes in a single color variant - *drumroll* Red!
Read - Bose SoundSport Wireless review

3. Jaybird X3 Wireless
Price - SGD 215 (USD 129)
Jaybird's latest buds are generation 3 of their huge selling X-series of sports in-ears. They upgraded from the original (named Bluebuds X) with the Jaybird X2 and now the latest incarnation comes with app support. The red variant is called Road Rash and looks pretty darn striking.
Read - Jaybird X3 Wireless review

4. Plantronics BackBeat FIT
Price - SGD 129 (USD 84)
The Plantronics BackBeat FIT has been around for a while and while there are some new colors that were launched in late-2016, the original red version with a greyish hue looks great. Like the name implies, it fits great and makes for a great companion when jogging.
Read - Plantronics BackBeat FIT review

5. Sony MDR-XB950BT Extra Bass
Price - SGD 269 (USD 198)
Sony's Extra Bass series of headphones has been quite a seller for them and the sheer volume of reviews on Amazon (2000+) for the XB950BT can attest to that. They have a newer version called the XB950B1 but hey, there's nothing like the classic version, eh? They, of course, have a red variant.

Bluetooth

Jaybird X3 Wireless - Review

November 01, 2016

Jaybird is no stranger to sports wireless earbuds. In this niche, it single handedly catapulted this category to the spotlight after being ranked one of the top 5 brands in the premium headphone segment. After their CES 2016 announcement, the hotly anticipated Jaybird X3 Wireless (USD 129.99) finally sees the light of day with a launch last week. For the record, these Bluetooth buds are the direct follow up to the successful X2. Let's check out how the Jaybird X3 fares.

Pros (+): Decent battery life; High ambient sound blockage; Intuitive voice prompts; App support.
Cons (-): Charging clip needed on your travels.

Design
There will be 4 colors available at launch - Blackout, Sparta, Alpha and Road Rash, of which the first 2 can now be pre-ordered on Jaybird's website. If you are more familiar with basic color schemes like myself, you can read them as black, white, dark green and red.

The case opens like a book to reveal a transparent blister on the right side, practically similar to the Jaybird Freedom Wireless F5's presentation.

Spilling out the packaging contents, you get:

Jaybird X3 Wireless buds
Charging Cable + Charge Clip
Comply Foam Isolation Tips (S / M / L)
Silicon Tips (S / M / L)
Silicon Ear Fins (S / M / L)
Cord Clips x 2
Shirt Clip
Carry Pouch
Quick Start Guide

Jaybird X3 Blackout - Packaging Contents

The Jaybird X3 Wireless is incredibly light at 13g like its predecessor. The earbud exterior looks more streamlined (read flatter) than the X2 while the in-line remote, styled after the Freedom Wireless F5, is now fatter but easier to grasp. There is actually a direct relation between the earbud and remote which you will find out as you read on.

Jaybird X3 Sparta - Over-the-ears mode

Like the X2, you can wear these buds in over-the-ears or under-the-ears mode. The cord is flat-styled, making it convenient to fit on the cord clips to tighten the cord around your head for the purpose of microphonics reduction.

The carry pouch is marked improvement over the X2. Like the Freedom F5's pouch, it is lightweight, more portable and comes with a squeezable clasp to keep its contents in.

Let's take a break and check out a video of how the X3 is used:

Features
The Jaybird X3 Wireless is sweat-proof. The marketing blitz talks about a 'double hydro-phobic nano coating super-tight seam'. We prefer to just try them out with a jog and after one run, so far so good. The unit still works as it should.

Pairing over Bluetooth (4.1) is a breeze. Just hold the center button until the LED flashes red/green, select 'Jaybird X3' from your mobile device (up to 2 are supported simultaneously) and you're connected. One useful feature - should you be jogging with a friend, 2 Jaybirds can be linked to a single music player so both of you can hear the same tracks together, of course provided both of you are within 10 meters of each other.

The voice and audio prompts are indeed handy. The voice assistant somehow no longer has a name (it was 'Jenna' previously) but you get necessary prompts when pairing is in progress or checking the battery life percentage.

The in-line remote lies on the right side for under-the-ears mode and is flipped to the right on over-the-ears mode. It contains controls to play / take calls, adjust the volume and skip tracks. The LED indicator, previously located on the X2 earbud, is now aligned with the buttons on the remote while the charging point are now 4 contact points on the back of the remote. A niggling point is the charging cable needs to be brought with you at all times as you need to clip the X3's remote onto the charge clip to initiate USB charging.

Jaybird X3 - Blackout

The Jaybird MySound app works on iOS 9+ / Android 4.4+ and currently supports both the Freedom Wireless and the X3 Wireless earbuds. Key features include customization of equalizer and sound setting selections used by Jaybird endorsed athletes. What was useful to me was the ability to see the battery life on Android that only iOS users had access previously. The ability to switch left and right audio channels is excellent when using over-the-ears mode.

Jaybird X3 - MySound app

Performance
While not available in Singapore just yet, I had a chance to try out the X3 Wireless from someone who just came back from the US (how lucky is that).

Sound quality from the 6mm drivers was surprisingly bassy. The past 2 Jaybirds I'd tried sparkled with treble but I felt some improvement in the lower frequencies when trying Armin Van Buuren and VanVelzen's Take Me Where I Wanna Go. Should you want to tweak the sound, the Jaybird MySound app allows you to tailor a custom sound profile that will stick with you even when using other music devices.

Regarding the fit, over-the-ears mode like the past 2 Jaybirds I tried was really snug. You can jump up and down and the buds stay inside while nicely wrapped around your head. In other words, great fit and close to zero cable rustle.

Interestingly, Jaybird provided Comply Foam Isolation tips instead of Sport tips like it did for the X2 and Freedom F5. Isolation tips (vs Sports) tend to deliver a higher level of noise isolation which more effectively blocks off ambient sound giving an immersive sound experience. I personally like Isolation tips more as you are kept in your own world while jogging, though a little bit more attention needs to be paid to your surroundings to ensure unintended accidents.

(To understand more on Comply Foam Isolation, Sport and Comfort tips, do read our guide on how to use Comply Foam.)

Comply Foam - Sport, Isolation and Comfort

The Jaybirds deliver an 8 hour battery life on a full charge of 2.5 hours. Alternatively, you can get 1 hour of playback on a 20 minute charge. This is quite in line with sports wireless buds like the UA Headphones Wireless (8 hours) and the Jaybird X2 Wireless (8 hours).

Jaybird X3 Road Rash

Overall
The Jaybird X3 Wireless is a decent choice when choosing a pair of sports wireless buds. No doubt you'll need to bring the oh-so-tiny charging clip along on your travels but the X3 offers much from the customizable sound profile, good battery life and good ambient sound blockage. Do use these on over-the-ears mode and remember to swap the audio channels in the MySound app for optimal results.

Pricing and Availability
The Jaybird X3 Wireless is now available for pre-order from jaybirdsport.com at a price of USD 129.99. Their shipping date will be sometime in November.
Alternatively, they are also now available on Amazon at USD 129.99.

Update (3 May 2017)
The Jaybird X3 is now available as of today in Singapore for SGD 215.

Jaybird X3 Blackout

Bluetooth

Wireless Sports Audio Part 5 - Jaybird Freedom Wireless

September 13, 2016

Back in January at CES 2016, Jaybird announced the impending launch of two sports in-ears - the Freedom Wireless and X3 Wireless. This week, the former will finally be available on sale at SGD 259 in Singapore.

As Part 5 of the Wireless Sports Audio series of articles, we bring you the full review of Jaybird Freedom Wireless F5. I took these buds on my most recent trip to the relaxing Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort in Thailand earlier this month to better test these out.

Jaybird Freedom Wireless F5 - Carbon over-ears

Credit - Jaybird

Pros (+): Clear treble delivery; Convenient over-the-ears placement; App support; Good voice prompts.
Cons (-): Loose ear fin fit; Need for Charging Clip; Low battery life.

Unboxing
There are 4 color variants at launch - Gold, Blaze, Ocean and Carbon. I was provided the darkest of the hues for the review.

Jaybird Freedom Wireless F5 - Carbon Gold Blaze Ocean

Credit - Jaybird

Just pop the top lid open like a book to reveal an endorsement pic of Ironman Triathlete, James "The Iron Cowboy" Lawrence, on the left and on the other, the earbuds under a transparent plastic blister.

I was provided the X2 Wireless in 2015 by Jaybird and seems like they did quite a few (positive) changes to the packaging process. For one thing, they reduced the amount of sticky tape to the extent that only one is needed to seal the transparent plastic down. Peel it up and you can already pull out the earbuds from the white inner foam layer.

Deeper beneath lie the carrying pouch, containing the necessary accessories, and an intuitive visual user guide.

Spilling everything out, the packaging contents contain a helluva lot of items:

Freedom Wireless Buds
3 x Silicon tips (S / M / L)
3 x Comply Foam Sport tips (S / M / L)
4 x Ear Fins (S / M / L / XL)
Charging Cable
2 x Cord Management Clips
Cord Clip
Charging Clip
Carry Pouch
Quick Start Guide

Jaybird Freedom Wireless F5 - Carbon packaging contents

Design
The stylish looking Jaybird Freedom Wireless (nicknamed F5 for fifth gen Freedom) weigh 13.8g, similar with the X2 Wireless and less than the Bose SoundSport Wireless (22g). One key difference is its sand blasted metal accented frame that is much sturdier but provides a smaller area for your fingers to manoeuver with. The cable which was previously a flat-type is now rounded. There are two modes to wear these - the usual under-the-ears method where you'd need to slip on the ear fins.

Jaybird Freedom Wireless F5 - Carbon ear fins

The other is the over-the-ears mode where ear fins are not needed. The good part over the X2 is that you no longer need to swap the left and right audio channels when toggling between modes.

While the X2's carrying pouch was undoubtedly solid, it was very bulky to carry around. By contrast, the Freedom's pouch is lightweight and hence more portable. It comes with a squeezable clasp at the neck to seal its contents in. Just make sure to insert all items within properly.

Jaybird Freedom Wireless F5 - carrying pouch

Now let's take a break from the specs. Here's a video on Jesse, Lauren and their son Jude. If you can't figure the connection, well click on.

Features
The Freedom Wireless F5 is supposedly sweat resistant, which I found to be accurate thus far from 2 barefoot jogs on the Nong Thale beach.

The in-line remote lies on the right side and is way bulkier than the X2's for a reason. Previously, the LED indicator and charging point was fitted on the earbud. Now, they lie on the remote and you'd need to attach the Charging Clip to the gold circular points on the underside to initiate charging.

Jaybird Freedom Wireless F5 - Charging clip

One point to note is you have to bring the Clip with you at all times 'cos the micro-USB point lies here. The remote comes with the standard controls for playback / taking calls, volume adjustment and skipping tracks.

To initiate Bluetooth (v4.1 for the record) pairing on the F5, just hold the center button for 4 seconds. The LED will flash red / green with an accompanying voice prompt. Just activate Bluetooth on your mobile device and you're good to go. The Jaybird can now conveniently pair to 2 devices at the same time. In addition, it appears to have a share mode where you can link 2 Freedoms to a single device, though I was not able to test this.

The audio and voice prompts come in handy during pairing and informing the battery percentage. The power on / off also comes with an accompanying tune that you'll either love or hate.

For microphonics reduction, it is preferable to tie up the cable with the 2 cord management clips. As for the cord clip, it provides an added option to secure the cord in place.

Jaybird Freedom Wireless F5 - Cord management clips

Using the cord management clips

With the new MySound application, Jaybird enters the app arena. It is compatible with iOS 9+ / Android 4.4+.
Key features include the customization of equalizer and sound setting selections used by Jaybird endorsed athletes. What was useful to me was the ability to see the Freedom's battery on Android (see the notification on the top left of the screenshots) that only iOS users had access previously. You can even switch left and right audio channels if you prefer the in-line remote on your left. Is the app a must have? I'd say it's not crucial but needed if you want a change from Jaybird's signature sound preset.

Performance
We test these sports earbuds in three areas when jogging:
1. Fit - Did it fit into the ears snugly? Did the weight of the cord tug on ears causing it to fall out?

2. Noise Isolation - We checked out the degree to which external noise is blocked. This is what you'd deem as 'passive noise cancelation'.

3. Microphonics - This is basically the sound of the cable rustle when there's any kind of friction, be it wind friction or the cord swishing when running.

On to the jog, a peaceful run along the crashing waves of Nong Thale beach. Out of the multitude of customization options, I settled on the M-size silicon and Comply Foam tips and used the default sound setting. When on the under-the-ears mode, I used the M-size ear fins.

1. Under-ears:
While the experience with the X2's was very acceptable in this mode, I cannot say the same for these buds. I could hear ambient sound very clearly whether using silicon or Comply tips. The ear fins were difficult to fit in. The curved design of the buds makes you instinctively want to press the buds toward your jaw and this dislodges the ear fins. I found that the way to insert is to press the buds in and tug them away from your ear.

Jaybird Freedom Wireless F5 - Carbon under-ears

2. Over-ears:
This is obviously the mode of choice to wear the Freedom Wireless F5. Unlike its predecessor, you don't need to insert ear fins in this mode. It is way easier. Just remove the fins, hook them around your ears and boom, you're good to go. I jumped up and down many times they rarely dislodged. Cable rustle is thankfully almost insignificant. The noise isolation is much improved compared to under-the-ears though waves can still be heard. As I like my sound with more bass, I used Comply Foam tips. Those who prefer clarity may use silicon tips instead.

Sound Quality:
The 6mm drivers provide a good balance of bass and treble though the emphasis veers towards clarity. Sarah Cracknell's vocals are sparkling clear on Saint Etienne's Tonight but that is not to say the bass is weak. It delivers enough oomph to compliment well enough. If somehow the bass isn't at your level, don't forget to use the MySound app.

Battery Life:
The buds last 4h on the go, much lower than the Jaybird X2 or the UA Headphones Wireless, both rated at 8h. And this is where the provided Charging Clip comes in useful. When attached, you get a total of 8h. Technically, you can actually wear this Clip on your jog but I wouldn't recommend it due to the cable tug from the added weight.

Jaybird states 2.5h is the charge time to power both the Freedom Wireless buds (60mAh) and Charging Clip (125mAh). The red LED on both units indicates charging is ongoing and green shows full power.

Overall
The Jaybird Freedom Wireless looks great and sounds great. Sure some work could have been done on the battery life and the fit, but there are a million and one customization options through both the accessories and the new MySound app. The recommendation is to use them over-the-ears with cord management clips for an optimal jogging experience.

If you already have the Jaybird X2, is this a must have? I would say no. The X2 is a brilliant product and it would be interesting to see what happens when / if Jaybird releases the X3.

Where To Buy
If you like what you have read, do support me by purchasing the Jaybird Freedom Wireless from Amazon via this affiliate link for Gold / Carbo n / Ocean / Blaze colors.

Prices start from USD 199.

Audio Sources
Tonight - Saint Etienne (Spotify 320kbps MP3 on Samsung Galaxy S4)
Silenced By The Night (Alesso Remix) - Keane (Spotify 320kbps on Sony Xperia XA)

Credit to Jaybird and Logitech for a review unit.

Wireless Sports Audio Series
Part 1 - Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless
Part 2 - Sony NW-WS413
Part 3 - UA Headphones Wireless - By JBL
Part 4 - Bose SoundSport Wireless
Part 5 - Jaybird Freedom Wireless F5
Part 6 - The Verdict (TBA)

Bang & Olufsen

Comply Foam - Sport, Comfort and Isolation Tips

July 08, 2016

Comply Foam is an increasingly common type of ear tip being used by the top audio manufacturers out there. The common question(s) that are asked are what is so special about these buds? After all, aren't the default silicon buds good enough? Let's find out together.

Background
Comply Foam is actually developed by Hearing Components, a company that 'develops products with an unrelenting passion for hearing'. They are primarily a US-based R&D company and it is spun off from 3M. They started with audiology products and have expanded to other areas like military and consumer electronics (that's where we are :)

What Brands Use Comply Foam?
We have reviewed a ton of in-ear earphones over the past year that actually provide Comply Foam tips within the default packaging. Apparently, 75 earphone brands choose Comply tips as part of their earphone solution. It's fair to say that these buds have developed a decent rep out there.

B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC - Comply Foam T-200 on the left

To list some out:

Jaybird X2 Wireless - Sport (Custom Jaybird)
Earin True Wireless Earbuds - Comfort (Ts-400)
B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC - Isolation (T-200)
B&O BeoPlay H5 - Sport (Sx-200)

Jaybird X2 Wireless - Sport tips

Earin - Comfort tips

B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC - Isolation tips

Why Use Comply Foam?
While default tips provide a decent level of fit and sound quality, Comply Foam tips are a customizable option that takes it a level further. If you want to run, you need to hear ambient sound while having decent ear fit / sound quality. If you sit in a plane or take the train, you need to block off ambient noise as far as possible. You get the idea :)

They feel and work like memory foam. Simply squeeze the tips, insert them in your ear and they expand to fill the void within.

Comply Foam Tip Types
Overall, there are 3 types available:

Sport (S)
Comfort (Ts)
Isolation (T)

We check out what are the general differences between these types.

1. Sport (S)
This is made of a more rugged and breathable material. The fit in the ear is great as we found out while reviewing the Jaybird X2 Wireless. Looks the most porous of the 3 types.

2. Comfort (Ts)
You can insert these in your ears for quite a while without much discomfort. And yup, that's where the 'Comfort' name comes from. These are the buds that came with the Earin and they provide a good balance between comfort and ambient sound blockage. They are soft to the touch and look the most spherical (ie. fattest) of the 3.

3. Isolation (T)
This type is the most intuitive to understand and apply. If you are in a train, the Isolation tips are the most effective of the 3 to block off the screeching of the rails for a more than decent passive noise cancelation. We had reviewed the LG TONE Active (HBS-850) with these tips and boy, were they good. Looks like a slimmer version of the Comfort tips.

LG TONE Active - Fitted with Isolation (T-400) tips

Each of these 3 types have a 'Plus' variant. They are called Sports Plus (Sx), Comfort Plus (Tsx) and Isolation Plus (Tx). The 'Plus' appended at the end of the product includes a layer called SweatGuard (for Sports) or WaxGuard (for Comfort / Isolation) where its purpose is to filter off the sweat or debris from entering the earbud hole.

Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless - Fitted with Isolation Plus (Tx-400) tips.
The WaxGuard layer is the whitish-grey area within the bud.

Sizes
No surprise here but the neck of every earbud tip of each audio product comes in a different size. For that reason, there are a series of numbers such as Size 100, 200, 400, 500 and even custom sizes to denote the differences. If you aren't sure what Comply Foam tip you need, you can check their site.

B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC - Size 200

LG TONE Active - Size 400

Now that we have a better understanding of Comply Foam, we will dive into further depth once we veer toward the conclusion of the Wireless Sports Audio series of articles. Stay tuned!

Pricing
From the Comply Foam website, 3 pairs go for the respective pricings from the Comply Foam website (USD) and Treoo (SGD). The following assumes a Size 400 bud (eg. Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless / LG TONE Active).

Sport (S-400) - USD 8.95
Sport Plus (Sx-400) - USD 12.95

Isolation (T-400) - USD 14.95 / SGD 31
Isolation Plus (Tx-400) - USD 19.95 / SGD 35

Comfort (Ts-400) - USD 16.95 / SGD 33
Comfort Plus (Tsx-400) - USD 21.95 / SGD 36