SubscribeAs part of my survey of music while you train devices I bought a set of Jaybird Freedom bluetooth headphones.
The Jaybirds come with a variety of different in-ear cushions, ear locks and over ear hoops to get the best fit for the wearer. They are a full bluetooth transceiver with a microphone for placing bluetooth calls as well as quality stereo sound for music, podcasts, etc.
In my testing I found the bluetooth reception to be very good, with very few drop-outs regardless of where my iphone was located. Jaybird suggests a specific body location, but I had no problems with my phone in my left hip pocket, or in a hip bag or fanny-type pack. I’ve also been really impressed with the 6+ hours of battery life that the Jaybirds have: one of my biggest complaints with wireless music is the almost constant need to recharge. Not so with the jaybirds. I really enjoy the sound quality that the Jaybirds provide and regularly use them in my walking-commute to and from work.
Unfortunately, when I’m running, I find the cushioned in-ear style ear-bud provide a noisy interface between my body and ear… i.e. I hear every jostling of my head, every foot-fall (no matter how soft), and while the general muting of the ambient environment would normally allow for lower volume levels, the increased, lets call it “exertion noise”, counteracts that.
I really want to love the Jaybird Freedom headphones and as a generic stereo headphone I do; however, for me, for running, I have a really hard time with the exertion noise and really have to be in a tolerant headspace to get past it. On the bike, I wouldn’t use them because of the in-ear muting nature of the foam inserts. In the gym, or on the stationary, they’d be a definite win.
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