Jaybird X3

A Sound Fit

Jaybird made their name by calling themselves an athletics company rst, audio company second. You’ll sooner nd them endorsed by sports personalities than fashion icons and so it’s certainly no surprise to nd that these headphones sport a basic, utilitarian design.

A large logo emblazoned on the back of each headphone works as the only design feature, with the headphone wrapped in plastic to help keep it perfectly sweat-proof. Compared to the X2, the X3 is smaller and slightly slimmer. For a good t, you get a whole range of ear-tips (both silicone and Comply) along with a set of ear ns and a handy clip to manage extra cabling.

Because the X3 supports Bluetooth 4.1, you can connect each pair with up to two devices simultaneously. Also, you can pair two X3s to a single device, so you can easily share what’s playing on your smartphone with a running buddy.

In terms of audio performance, we tested the X3 on its Signature EQ setting, and found that it gave fairly good clarity in the midrange with a slightly muted lower bass response. Listening to a recording of

Sweet Child of Mine by Guns N’ Roses for example, the guitar work comes out fairly clearly, but you can’t help but wish the drum work was slightly more impactful.

There’s good detail and imaging to be had with these headphones though, and that’s made evident when listening to an acoustic version of Fireopal by Ottmar Liebert. The guitar work on this piece really sings and you can almost feel the resonating strings as he works his way through the song.

Do note that audio can be further tweaked to your liking via the Jaybird MySound app on your smartphone. Unlike most EQ tuning, this is saved to the headphones themselves, so you’ll get the same sound signature no matter what app (or device) you use the X3 with after.

Overall, the Jaybird X3 is a nice package except that it requires a proprietary clip

Great for workouts and casual listening.

for charging, as opposed to a simple microUSB cable. That’s just one more thing to bring along and worry about.

Any prole changes you make in the app are saved to the headphone’s rmware itself.