I’m a big fan of the idea behind the Jaybird style of wireless headphones. A tough set of headphones, designed for adventure and sport. They are made with a healthy amount of metal for increased durability. They are sweat proof and designed to be comfortably worn under helmets. The Jaybird Freedom headphones fulfill a certain niche that the market was missing. Bluetooth headphones are becoming big right now, and tons of companies are entering the market. The Freedom headphones seems to be carving out their own slice of the market.
Comfort
Comfort is critical in the use of headphones. I don’t want to jam something in my ear if it’s going to hurt. The Freedom headphones have a tapered step-down design that allows to easily fit into your ears. This doesn’t just increase comfort but helps keep them from falling out. The Freedom Headphones come with a massive amount of different size ear buds in both foam and rubberized components.
Staying Power
The inclusion of a series of small fins and the tapered step-down ear buds helps keep these headphones in your ears. They just don’t stay in your ears when you’re running, that’s easy. These bad boys stay in your ears during everything I tossed at them. Running, jumping, pushups, burpees, tire flips, mace bashing, and working a heavy bag weren’t an issue with these headphones.
When hitting weights I loved not having a cord hanging down. So many times have I been in the middle of a set on the bench and my elbow caught the cable and ripped the earbuds out of my ears. This painful and annoying experience isn’t an issue with the Freedom Headphones.
Battery Life
The battery life is listed as eight hours. This isn’t completely honest. The headphones themselves have a four-hour battery built into it. The additional battery clip adds another 4 hours. The 4-hour battery clip is also used to charge the entire system. You plug it into the Jaybird Headphones and then plug a micro USB to charge.
If you lose the battery clip you can’t charge the system. Extra battery clips can be purchased for less than 30 bucks. Extra battery clips would be pretty handy for overnight trips in the great outdoors.
Sound Quality
I’m not an audiophile. I messed with the app a bit, but it wasn’t a major concern. If you are big into how music sounds you may find the app a little handier than I. However, I can see the appeal. The app itself works wonderfully, it’s stable, intuitive and easy to use. It also monitors battery power.
With just stock settings the headphones sound great to me. The music is crisp and clear as long as your music is high quality. It’s not quite noise canceling, but it comes close. The Jaybird Freedom headphones can be used with your phone as a mic. It actually seems to work with HD calling, and delivers very clear communication.
Downsides to the Freedom Headphones
I like the Freedom Headphones, I do. There are some downsides we need to talk about. That extra battery clip is awkward when connected to the headphones. This battery clip throws off the balance of the system. When moving rapidly this little bit of weight makes the headphones swing back and forth. I also wish there was some way to adjust the cord a bit. There are some limiters but they aren’t very intuitive and become frustrating. Also the 150 dollar price tag seems high, a 99 dollar price tag would make them much more attractive.
Final Point
The Jaybird Headphones are well made, tough and sound great. They are a solid set of wireless headphones if you are in the market. They are great for working out, hiking, and just normal everyday music use. Is the price high? A little. Is the system perfect? No, but it’s far from terrible.
