The JauBird BlueBuds X - Wireless Comforts For Yuppies

First Impressions

JayBird Gear's BlueBuds X are the company's top-of-the-line Bluetooth wireless in-ear headphone model, and they're one of the better pairs of wireless sports headphones we've used. Outstanding? Well, that depends on how good a fit you get, but we have no doubt that the folks who do get a great fit will rate these very highly. Or at least it does appear like that by looking at the nice build and excellent spec sheet. But do they suck or are they awesome?

The BlueBuds X are JayBird’s top-of-the-line Bluetooth wireless, sports, in-ear, noise-isolation headphones.

They ultimately don't look and feel like premium Bluetooth eaphones, even if they sound like them

 

Review

What's impressive about the BlueBuds is how small and lightweight they are in comparison with other Bluetooth in-ear headphones. They share some similarities with the compact Plantronics BackBeat Go earphones, which cost less than 5K and have the same tangle-resistant flat-cord design with an integrated remote/microphone. However, the Plantronics' battery life isn't as good as the Jaybirds' and they aren't sweat proof (Jaybird offers a lifetime warranty for any sweat-related issues the earphones may encounter). You can go with an over-the-ear fitting and then shorten the cord length so the cord ends up resting very close to the back of your head. You can also just let the cord dangle down from your ear as you would with typical wired earphones. You can choose to have the cord sit in front of your neck or behind it (most people will wear the cord behind their necks). This setup is better if you plan on making calls because the microphone sits closer to your mouth, rather than on the back of your head just behind your ear. We thought the BlueBuds sounded very good for Bluetooth headphones. You lose a little something with Bluetooth because you're dealing with compressed music, but the BlueBuds sound pretty dynamic. They also sound fairly open with good detail and decent bass. Though on most rock and techno based songs, the bass wasn't that great. The Bluetooth connection too, suffered a bit when we had our smartphone in our jeans pockets and the BlueBuds in our ear and roaming in and out of buildings or while riding. Jaybird says you'll get up to 8 hours of battery life, but your mileage may vary depending on how loud you play your music. At a more moderate listening level I was able to hit the 8 hours.

BlueBuds X earbuds are impressively small and lightweight in comparison with other Bluetooth headphones.

Verdict

As with all in-ear headphones, these won't fit everyone equally well. Some people will get an even better fit than we did, some a worse one. For those who get a perfect fit and are looking for small, lightweight wireless sports earbuds that sound quite decent, they may be. But we think the price is a little steep. They ultimately don't look and feel like premium Bluetooth earphones, even if they sound like them.

There is a cap on the right earbud that securely covers the microUSB port, attached with a small tether to avoid becoming lost or misplaced.

The BlueBuds come with three different-sized silicone buds and three “wings” that are designed to keep the earphones in place during workouts.

The BlueBuds X are designed to be inserted into your ears. A tight seal is crucial to getting better sound with deeper bass.

Specifications Audio §  Type: In-Ear Style §  Noise-isolation: Passive §  Impedance: 16 Ohm §  Speaker sensitivity: 103 +-2dB At 1KHz §  Output 12mW RMS (with level limit) §  Total Harmonic Distortion <5% (1KHz, 1mW) §  Audio Format: 16-bit Stereo §  Codec: Shift™ custom SBC implementation §  Response Bandwidth 20-20000Hz Integrated Microphone §  Type: MEMS omni-directional (2.75 x 1.85 mm2) §  Sensitivity: -38 dB + /-3dB (1KHz, 0dB = 1V/Pa) Bluetooth §  Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth Class 2.1+EDR §  Frequency Band: 2.4 GHz §  Tx Power: Class 1 §  Profiles: Handsfree 1.6, Headset 1.1, A2DP 1.2, AVCRP 1.4 Pairing §  No of Paired Devices: 8 Battery §  Play Time: 8 hrs §  Standby Time: 250 hrs §  Charging Time: Less than 2.5 hrs §  Charging: USB (included) §  AC power: DC 5A 100mA §  Type: 83 mAh Lithium Polymer Operation §  Operating: 14F – 122F (-10C – 50C ) §  Storage: -4F – 140F (-20C – 60C) Weight & Dimensions §  Width: 22 mm §  Height: 29 mm §  Depth: 13 mm §  Weight: 13.8 g §  Cord Length: 540 mm Button Controls §  AVRCP Music Controls (Play/pause, next, back) §  Call Controls (answer, end, reject call, etc) §  General (Volume, pair, power) Warranty §  1 Year Limited Warranty §  Lifetime Warranty Against Sweat