Jaybird has today unveiled the newest addition to its lineup of sports-focused headphones, taking its first shot at a truly wireless experience in the process. The new Run in-ears feature all of the active lifestyle features that one expects from Jaybird, including a sweatproof and water-resistant design. But in an already crowded market, will it will find a place dominated by AirPods and other major players?

I was able to get an early run with Jaybird’s latest over the last few weeks. Taken from an Apple-geared perspective, here are my thoughts on the new $180 Jaybird Run truly wireless headphones. expand full story

Jaybird RUN headphones free your run with a secure comfort-fit for any ear

I’ve had a real love-hate relationship with earbuds for many years now. They never seem to fit my ears correctly and even when they do, I don’t feel like I get the same sound experience that I do with a set of on-ear or over-the-ear headphones. Music always seems to be hollow and doesn’t have any bass boost. When wireless earbuds started coming to market, I sadly found something I disliked more than standard earbuds. I loved the idea of wireless earbuds, but had the same problems as I did with wired earbuds — plus I seemed to always have a connection problem. Sometimes one earbud would drop out and listening experiences were just not consistent. Some time ago, I heard about Jaybird’s wireless earbuds and thought that they might be a good option for me. I finally had the opportunity to try out their RUN Wireless Sport Headphones and I’m happy to say that I was not disappointed.

The RUN headphones from Jaybird are a different breed all on their own. They are individual earbuds that fit tightly into each ear. They are designed for active runners and provide a secure fit. The headphones are sweat-proof and water resistant so they are perfect for any type of environment. The main features of the headphones include:

12-hour playtime: 4 hours play time + additional 8 hours with included charging case
Interchangeable tips & fins to fit all ear sizes
Custom sound profiles through app
Controls on earpiece
Portable charging/storage case

UNBOXING
The headphones arrive in a well-designed kit. The box has Jaybird branding on it and a decent description of the product. Right away, you know that there is a mobile app experience designed for the headphones from the presence of the App Store and Google Play Store logos. In the box, you will find several sets of ear gels and ear wings for earbud fit adjustments, a charging case for the headphones, a charging cable and case, a storage pouch, and the earbuds themselves.

Setting up the headphones isn’t difficult. When you turn them on for the first time, they are automatically put into pairing mode. I paired them to my iPhone and they appeared in my Bluetooth menu automatically. The instruction booklet suggests that you try out all the ear gels and wings until you find the best fit for your size ears. I was fortunate because the stock gels and wings that came pre-installed on the earbuds provided a solid fit for me. So, within just a few seconds, I was able to start using the headphones.

Plus, you can play music via Spotify Premium through the Jaybird app. The headphones come with a built-in controller that contains three buttons and the microphone. The three buttons can control volume, play/pause, and accepting/hanging up on phone calls. The current version 1.3.2 of the Jaybird Freedom firmware offers improved Bluetooth connectivity. This requires either a Windows or Mac computer, as well as a data compatible USB cable. If you do not have a suitable cable, contact Jaybird Support. How to download and run Jaybird MySound on your PC and Mac. Jaybird MySound For PC can be easily installed and used on a desktop computer or laptop running Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and a Macbook, iMac running Mac OS X.

USER EXPERIENCE
The mobile app for the RUN headphones provides some basic information about the headphones and gives users the ability to use preset sound profiles to get a richer sound. You can design your own sound profiles if you want and save them for future use. I rather like this customized sound option. There are some mobile apps that only allow you to listen to predesignated music options to get the added features, but no matter what you are using with the Jaybirds Runs, you can utilize the sound profiles on top of that.

For the first time in a long time, I found a set of sport earbuds that are wireless that actually provide a good fit for my ears. I don’t feel like they are going to fall out of my ears and because they are solid in my ears, I get a better sound. One issue I’ve had in the past with earbuds that are a ‘tight’ fit is that they become uncomfortable. The RUN headphones have remained comfortable and I’ve used them for a couple of hours at a time. Listening to music was a very nice experience and I can’t say that much for earbuds. I could hear everything in great detail and thought that the sound quality was superb. I had a little issue with watching streaming videos, but I think that had more to do with the Internet connection than the earbuds themselves.

The only aspect of these headphones I don’t like is the control system. You can, of course, use your mobile phone to control the volume and playback of music, but the in-line controls really come in handy in most cases. The RUN headphones have buttons built into both earpieces. They are a hefty click-style button that requires you to press quite hard in order to engage the control. I found this nearly impossible when I had the earbuds in my ears. I had to take the earbuds out in order to click the button.

CONCLUSION
Even though I’m not typically an earbud user, I really appreciate the Jaybird RUN headphones because they give you freedom when being active when a lot of headphones do not.

Jaybird App For Mac

For more information, visit jaybirdsport.com
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Jaybird RUN headphones free your run with a secure comfort-fit for any ear

Jaybird App For Mac

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