Buzz
Design
Jaybird X2 is a modification of the immensely popular Jaybird Bluebuds X, a wireless in-ear sports headphones that was widely beloved back in 2012. After several years, the company decided to remake it.
Retaining what was originally beloved, Jaybird simply adds some modern features to the X2. Most upgrades are found inside the earphones, where old technology has been replaced with newer, more premium platforms.
Firstly, the X2 earphones come in five contrasting colors compared to the original's binary choice, and the glossy finish is replaced with a matte one. These new color combinations bring a distinct athletic feel without being too attention-grabbing.
The new case brings numerous necessary improvements, as the old one had a very cumbersome clasp mechanism. But more importantly, besides the three pairs of ear fins, you now also receive three pairs of silicon and Comply foam ear tips, each in small, medium, and large sizes.
Fit
As we've mentioned, these are sports headphones. A snug fit is always crucial with in-ear headphones to allow for optimal noise isolation and consequently, the best overall sound quality. In sports headphones, this aspect is even more emphasized, as the headphones need to stay securely in place despite all the jolts, shakes, and jumps happening around them.
Jaybird has packaged these headphones with customizable ear fins and ear tips for a reason. Thanks to this, most customers will be able to find a suitable fit, although the trial-and-error process to achieve that may be quite exhausting. Once secured, not even an earthquake can shake these headphones out of your ears.
There's a slight chance you may not find a perfect fit for yourself even with the combination of ear tips and fins, but this is very rare.
Durability
Durability is paramount when it comes to sports headphones, and the X2 doesn't disappoint. Not only is the exterior tough enough to withstand occasional drops, but the headphones also have water-resistant capabilities. Combine this with a lifetime sweatproof warranty, and you've got yourself a pair of headphones with longevity for years to come.
Furthermore, the battery life on this device is astounding. Eight hours may not seem impressive when it comes to on-ear and over-ear wireless headphones, but because these are in-ear headphones with the battery fitting snugly into the small plastic piece in the right earbud, this is nothing short of remarkable.
Moreover, it only takes two to three hours to charge via the neatly packed micro USB charging port in the right earbud. However, this will vary depending on how you plug in the other end of the cable as it doesn't come with a separate power source.
Cable
The last thing we want to address before moving on to sound quality is the cable. Clearly, these are wireless headphones, so we're not talking about the 3.5mm jack cable or even the micro USB charging cable. What we mean is the cable connecting the right earbud to the left one.
For some inexplicable reason, it's 540mm long. This isn't unreasonable, but at over half a meter, or nearly two feet if you prefer, there's certainly a lot of excess cable to dangle around. Granted, you do get a few cable clips that you can use to coil up the excess cable, but it's not the most elegant solution. At least it's tangle-resistant.
The cable also features a neat in-line control near the right earbud with a microphone and three buttons for answering, ending, and rejecting calls, volume control, switching between tracks, and of course, powering the headphones on and off.
Sound Quality of Jaybird X2
If you've owned the Bluebud X, then you pretty much know what to expect in terms of sound quality. There's little if anything changed here, but that's a good thing. The signature sound manages to stay clear throughout without being flat.
The bass is gently emphasized but not overly so. Unless you like feeling the rhythm of the music in your chest, this isn't an issue. It also helps keep the midrange afloat so it's definitely a sensible choice.
What often happens is the midrange gets overshadowed, but that's not something you need to worry about with the X2, as there's an even distribution across the frequencies. Moreover, the treble is very good. There are of course some accents, this being in-ear headphones, but it's kept within reasonable bounds, which can't be said for many in-ear headphones.
The signal is also great, easily connecting at heights of up to 30 feet. As long as your phone is in your pocket or nearby. there won't be any issues with interference even when jumping around in the gym.
Considering all these factors, we confidently give the sound a minimum of 9 out of 10, but that's only if you find the suitable sound. Otherwise, the bass will surely lose its essence and everything else will become futile.
Conclusion
What makes the Jaybird X2 the best wireless sports headphones isn't just its sound quality, although it does sound pretty good. It's not even the remarkable battery life and durability. It's the excellent fit and compatibility with any ear size.
