Free as a bird.
Yes, you can get
yourself a pair of sports earphones which emphasise fit over comfort
and sound, but why not get a pair you can wear all day long, even
when “working out” on the sofa? To try a pair that seem to manage
all activities that we get up to daily, we've been keenly listening
to the Jaybird Freedom Wireless Headphones.
The headlines here are
that these are a very small and compact pair of Bluetooth earbud-type
headphones, designed both for intensive activity and also casual
listening. You can see from the images, but they are of the
bud-to-bud wireless kind, without any dangling dongle or lower neck
base unit, as with a pair such as this. This makes them very small
and light.
In fact, these are by
far the lightest wireless headphones we've ever reviewed, despite the
buds and remote control featuring quite a bit of metal. They are also
exceptionally thin, with the buds being not that much thicker than
the actual wire. The remote is also small, partly because it does not
require a Micro USB port for charging, using instead a special
contact charger which is also included in the box (along with a short
USB wire to plug that into). So yeah... all very slim.
You can, however, beef
them up. Included also are three pairs of silicone ear tips, three
pairs of Comply Premium Isolation Foam ear tips (the squishy ones
that mould to the shape of your ear canal), and four pairs of
Secure-fit ear fins, used to better clip the bids into your
shell-like. In the box is also the aforementioned charger, a standard
cord clip, and two cord management clips which let you fold up the
excess wire behind your neck, keeping the headphones as neat and as
safe as possible. Oh, and a snap-closing carry pouch, too. Result!
Because of all that,
once you have them on it will be difficult to tell you're wearing any
headphones at all, as they really are that small and tidy. The lack
of excess weight and wires means they are great to run in, but also
for more energetic team sports when loose wires would normally be a
no-no. They are also very comfortable over prolonged periods, and
whether worn up and over the ear, or downwards using one of the fins
to keep them in, they fit right, they fit snugly, and they felt very
secure.
And the sound? Good
stuff here, and despite the small size the drivers in each bud
reproduced all genres of music we threw at them very well indeed. The
snug fit (especially when using the foam tips) helped to block out
ambient sounds, meaning music could be enjoyed at lower and far safer
volume levels. Bass reproduction was surprisingly good as well, which
is pretty important when most users will be selecting dance tracks to
accompany their workouts.
The Jaybird Freedom
Wireless Headphones also have their own app, available for iOS and
Android. With it you can adjust the sound profile, not just for your
current listening experience, but forever. The headphones will sync
with the app and then retain the settings, so no matter what device
you connect them to, they will always sound right. This is a very
nice feature, and it's nice to know you won't have to fiddle about
with the equaliser when you move onto a different device.
And let's be honest;
they look awesome. They are minimal and pretty, yet also
exceptionally functional and practical. The included accessories help
to get your own bespoke fit, while the clever cord management clips
help to keep anything as tight to your body as possible. Perfect
exercise headphones, and excellent sound. Buy.
£65
Available from www.amazon.co.uk