When it comes to exercising while listening to music, sound quality ranks as only one of many factors. You want pure, clear, nuanced sound, of course. But you also want a pair of headphones that you don’t really think about while you’re wearing them—which is usually a good indication that they’re close to perfect. Consider the Jaybird BlueBuds X ($170), one of the latest headphones in the wireless Bluetooth audio revolution. In prelim testing, the audio output is pretty stellar, with a good range of mid-range and base for such a tiny pair of speakers, long the Achilles heel of earbud models. But the real joys of these headphones are the simple integration into your workout. Pairing ‘em to your Bluetooth-enabled device is a breeze—as it should be. And if their boast of eight hours of uninterrupted playtime is to be believed, it’s one of the longest-lasting charges on the market. Voice prompts from their virtual femme personality named Jenna lets you know when the device is pairing and has been turned off or on, and the speakers also emit helpful beeps to indicate that you’ve successfully fast-forwarded a song or cranked the volume, a nice touch for mid-stride adjustment via the now-standard three-button control. You can wear the cord over your ears and around your neck, and it can be shortened to deliver a tighter fit thanks to an add-on that securely folds the excess cable into a figure-eight configuration. The buds are certified as sweat-proof, and didn’t wet out during several humid trail run tests, but they are a bit heavy, and can come loose during more active pursuits—crescent moon-shaped “ear cushions” try to remedy this fact. Trying on different-sized pads and cushions can be a chore, but once you’ve got the right fit, you’re good to go, and you’ll never use the crap headphones that came with your smart device. The device also accommodates call functionality, should that matter. Personally, we go running to get away from third-party noise…
—Nathan Borchelt
