Great sound, in a durable, yet sleek build. The Jaybird Vista is a great adventure sports companion
Why We Chose The Jaybird Vista Headphones: Waterproof, crisp sound, sleek design
After growing tired of the lacklustre performance of sport-specific headphones in 2006, Australian athlete Judd Armstrong set about creating a sweat-resistant pair of headphones that won’t restrict you while you’re performing in the outdoors, no matter the conditions. A few prototypes later, Utah-based Jaybird were born, along with their first bluetooth headphones, the JB100 freedom.
“These headphones are designed to survive in conditions where traditional headphones simply can’t hack it”
Now after 13 years of making headphones and a buyout from technology giant Logitech, Jaybird have burst onto the fully wireless headphone market with the Jaybird Vista. From record breaking ultra-distance runners, to ski mountaineers, it seems as though every adventure athlete now has a pair of Vistas in their training arsenal.
Who Are The Jaybird Vistas For?
Waiting for your mates to join you at the crag, training to set a new personal best on your local hill repeat, or going for a solo wander up a dreich Scottish munro? Music can complement time in the outdoors the same way the violins harmoniously marry with the cello in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. However, one of the downsides of regular headphones for anyone who spends a great deal of their time in the outdoors (particularly in Britain), is that they simply can’t hack exposure to the elements.
While run-of-the-mill earbuds can get crushed under equipment while sat at the bottom of a pack, or can fall victim to a (sometimes inevitable) watery death, these headphones by Jaybird are designed to survive in conditions where traditional headphones simply can’t hack it.
The case provides an additional 10 hours of charge. Photo: Mike Brindley
Each headphone features a 6mm driver. Photo: Mike Brindley
Build
Given that weatherproofing are the main selling point of these headphones, we thought it would be best to address the ‘#Earthproof’ characteristics of the Vistas (that’s Jaybird’s hashtag for these ‘buds).
The headphones and charging casing all come in a clean design that’s finished with a tough rubbery texture. This construction has passed IPX7 certification and that essentially means that these earphones are waterproof, dustproof and sweatproof.
The two earbuds feature two respectably sized 6mm drivers that offer passive noise cancellation. That’s achieved simply through a good fit between your ear canal and the headphones. There is a small hook at the top of each tip, designed to help seat the buds in your ear, even when the going gets rough.
Features
Included in the (very slick) packaging is a USB C cable for charging, three different sized ear buds to tune in the fit of the headphones and, of course, the charging case with the headphones sitting in them.
The case is able to provide the headphones with an additional 10 hours of battery life on top of the 6 hours of charge. The case features some neat little magnets that keep the earbuds sat inside the case, whilst also providing charge.
A 5 minute charge can offer 1 hour of play time. Photo: Jordan Tiernan
Once the headphones have been removed from the case, they automatically pair with the last device they were synched with (most likely your phone or smartwatch). Once you’re done with them, you can just chuck them back into the case (the magnets mean that you don’t have to be too precise) and they’ll automatically turn off. If they’ve not been put back in the case, and no music is playing through them, then they will go into auto-sleep mode after 15 minutes (which can be adjusted within the app).
This app is certainly worthy of a mention here. It’s relatively simple, giving the power to control how you like your headphones set out (like the sleep mode mentioned above). Jaybird have also given you the option to tweak the highs, mids and lows of the earbuds depending on your favourite genre. This adjustment can be done with music playing, giving you clear feedback on the adjustments as you tune in your sound.
Once taken out of the case, the Vista will automatically turn on. Photo: Holly Burns
There are also a huge range of presets saved to the app for you to automatically adjust the sounds of your earphones. And, if you really fancy, you can also copy the favourite sound preset of some of your favourite athletes (who also happen to be Jaybird athletes); Tim Olson (ultra runner), Caroline Gleich (ski mountaineer) and Forrest Shearer (snowboarder) all have their own sound presets saved on the app if you want to copy these over.
Tester’s Verdict
Jordan Tiernan, Outdoors Magic Staff Writer
“I’m a self-confessed audio nerd. I’m usually plugged into my headphones for a large portion of my day; even when I’m writing this review right now. As someone who is used to using a pair of over ear headphones, it’s been great to have a pair of truly wireless headphones that can stand up to the rigours of life outdoors.
“These headphones have survived all the knocks, drops and sweat drenching that I put them through while training, trail running and hiking over spring and summer.
The Jaybird Vista are protected by IPX7 certification. Photo: Holly Burns
“In terms of fit, these headphones fit me right out of the box. There was no need to change to a larger or smaller ear tip, but it’s great to have that option to really dial in the fit. When running, the ear buds stayed secure in my ear and there was very little movement at all – I’d only really need to slightly adjust them once or twice over a 12 kilometre run, not bad really. And of course if they were to slip out, it’s great to know that they’ve got the IPX7 protection behind them.
“Onto sound, I love my music with a lot of drums and bass – the 174 bpm variety. I’m a huge fan of techy drum and bass, and for that reason, I love tracks with kick drums with a lot of weight behind them, snappy snares and basslines that delve into the lower hertz. The ability to adjust the EQ within the app really allowed me to tweak the earbuds to get the exact sound I was after.
“Many in-ear sport-specific headphones can sometimes rack up the bass, in an effort for a cheap win and perhaps mask out any shortcomings in the midrange frequencies. But this wasn’t the case with the Jaybird Vistas, the bass never felt too much, allowing the energy of the drum beats to carry through on each track. At £160 These may be on the slightly pricier end for a pair of true wireless headphones, but you’re getting crisp sound quality, a durable build, all in a pretty sleek package, giving you a solid investment that’ll see you right for a good few years.”
Please enter your email so we can keep you updated with news, features and the latest offers. If you are not interested you can unsubscribe at any time. We will never sell your data and you'll only get messages from us and our partners whose products and services we think you'll enjoy.
