Waterproof Bluetooth Headphones

The JayBird JF3 Freedom earbuds are supposed to be some of the nicest wireless sports headphones on the market.  With a price that has hovered consistently at around $100 (Update- Click here to check the new, better price at Amazon.com!), they'd better be. I've actually been wanting to try them for a while, but I'll admit, I mainly bought them because I figured if I was going to run a blog reviewing these things, it would be a totally reasonable expenditure, despite all the working headsets I already have.  These are popular, so my site's got to have a JayBird Freedom review, right?  I've been using these about a week now, and I'm ready to tell you what I like and what I don't like about them.

Pros

• Wireless, can use it to take calls, too
• Really good sound for a BlueTooth device, great bass
• "Lifetime" warranty against sweat
• Super customizable and comfortable fit
• Super compact

Cons

• Lousy mic
• USB charging cable only
• Cord and buttons leave something to be desired
• Sound is prone to cutting out in some situations

Eye-Popping Packaging, How About The Product?

Well, I'll say this: the JF3's certainly come in luxury packaging!  It was kind of impressive to unpack, but I'm honestly not that concerned with that.  Give me a solid product in a garbage box over the opposite any day.  The earbuds themselves feel more solid than I expected them to, but do still feel like they might break if I'm not careful with them.  Fortunately they come with a solid carrying case so I can carry them in my gym bag without fear.

Straight out of the box, there are a number of ways to customize the fit.  There are 3 sizes of buds for your ears, as well as 3 sizes of silicon pads ("gecko strips") that help hold these on from the outside of your ear.  The gecko strips are optional, as are some included ear hooks.  I've spent some time fiddling with different combinations, and I think I like the gecko strips without the hooks.

Pairing with my iPhone was no problem, so a few minutes after picking earbud and gecko strip sizes I was ready to take them for a test run (literally!)

A New Standard For BlueTooth Stereo Sound?

They fit nice and tightly in my ears, and most outside noise is blocked out.  More importantly, though, ​THE SOUND IS AWESOME!  These are a little better in sound than my Motorola S10-HDs, which I previously thought was the limit of Bluebooth audio.  The bass is really good, surprisingly good for an earbud, which typically have the worst bass of any style of headphone.  I had to turn the treble up a little bit on my EQ, but that's no big deal.

The first time I ran with these, I wondered how they would really stand up to the amount of sweat I was going to give them, but the LIFETIME WARRANTY against sweat had me more at ease than I often am when I'm trying a new, expensive pair of headphones.  The warranty is actually just for 2-3 years, or the average lifespan of a rechargeable device, which is fair.  Honestly, in 2-3 years, I expect this kind of technology will have come along a way, and these will be outdated.  They've held up remarkably, though, never crapping out on me as they got coated in a glossy coat of my hard work.

A Couple Compromises…

I thought they shorted me when I took everything out of the box, but no, they just don't come with an AC adapter, just a USB cable. Frankly, for a pair $100 BlueTooth headphones, this is just crap.  Seriously.  At least I figured out the cable would plug into my iPhone charger, but others may not be so lucky.

The cord that connects the two earbuds is sort of wide and thick, and made of rubber that has a tendency to get stuck on your neck when you turn your head, threatening to rip one of them out of your ear.  I have no idea why they used this material.  I found myself either wearing the strap in the front or looping the excess around my ears so there was no slack.

The Jaybird JF3s are tiny, and this design means they just can't make them as full featured as larger headsets.  For this reason, the microphone is lousy, but usually acceptable for calls.  The buttons are hard to press, and my first instinct when trying them out was to mash the whole unit painfully into my ear.  You have to hold a button for 3 whole seconds to skip a song, which is about 2 seconds too long, and you have to hold the power button for 7 seconds to turn them on, which is just stupid.

The biggest compromise, though, is the JayBird's BlueTooth range is just not very good.  There's a note right when you open the box explaining that you need to wear it strapped to your right arm, and you really do if you're using it outside.  In a gym or your home, the signal will bounce off walls to reach the device, but outside, they'll just go off into the ether if your phone isn't really close.  Even with my phone on my arm, I'd still get short cutouts every few minutes when jogging or even walking outside.  I use the music to pump me up, so this was kind of lame.  On the bright side, I can wear my sunglasses outside without knocking these out of my ears.

Worth It Or Not?  That Depends…

With the best BlueTooth audio I've heard and a warranty against sweat, these really are the nicest headphones you can use in the gym.  However, I'm not sure I can recommend them to somebody who will be taking lots of calls with them, and if you want to use them outside, you'll have to consider whether or not occasional cut-outs are something you're OK with.  If you're looking for a pair with a little more utility, there are cheaper options out there, but the sound won't be quite as good.  If you want the JayBird Freedom Earbuds, I recommend getting them Amazon.com.  They're an authorized retailer, so you'll get the warranty, and they offer FREE Super Saver shipping.