We've had Bluetooth technology for the better part of two decades now, so it's surprising that it's still so hard to find a decent pair of headphones that use it. One of the more consistently good brands for wireless headphones, at least of the sporty variety, has been Jaybird. The company's using CES to show off the newest entries in its product lineup, and by "newest," I mean it will be three to six months at the earliest before you see either of them. Meet the Jaybird Freedom, an ostensibly new design (despite the fact that the company has used the "Freedom" name on models before), and the Jaybird X3, the latest revision of the popular original and the more recent X2.
The Freedom earbuds are meant to be the smaller and less obtrusive of the two options. While the slim buds are still connected with a wire between them, the speaker modules themselves are tiny, which should be a boon to anyone who has especially small earlobes. "Enhanced comfort ear fins" and memory foam tips will also help in that regard. Jaybird says that the Freedom buds should be good for eight hours of listening time, and they come with an inline metal remote. They won't come cheap: when they launch in Q2 they'll cost you $199.95 at retail, no matter which one of the five color options you choose.
The Jaybird X3 is the more conventional option, with a "SignalPlus" Bluetooth antenna that makes for a more reliable connection outdoors, plus passive noise isolation, a sweat-proof design, and the same trademark "earfins" as the previous model. Despite being larger, these buds have a slightly shorter 7 hour battery life. Like the Freedom the X3 model includes an in-line remote, and both of them need a separate app on Android or iOS to take care of the software equalizer and other goodies. The X3 will cost a more reasonable $149.95 when it hits retailers in Q3, and you'll be able to pick from five colors.
PRESS RELEASE
SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 5, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SPECIAL TO CESPremium active lifestyle brand, Jaybird, today announced the addition of Freedom and X3 to its growing line of high-end sport earbuds. Jaybird Freedom and X3 are the first wireless sport earbuds to include a customizable sound profile that moves with the user from device to device, and will be available in Q2 and Q3 2016, respectively.
Jaybird Freedom
The micro-sized, secure-fit Jaybird Freedom are the company's most advanced Bluetooth earbuds ever. The most notable feature of Freedom is its patented tapered step-down design, ensuring a comfortable, secure fit in any ear size. These sweat-proof premium metal buds fit perfectly in even the smallest of ears and come with Comply™ memory foam tips, as well as enhanced comfort ear fins to ensure a secure fit. Its passive noise isolation drowns out ambient noise to enhance the sound quality customers have come to expect from Jaybird's audio line.
With its new, patent-pending Jaybird MySound app -- available for Android and iOS -- users can now customize their equalizer settings, which are then automatically synced to Freedom, creating a unique sound profile that is saved on the buds no matter the music device they're paired with -- a first for the wireless sport earbuds market.
Freedom provides users with eight hours of playtime -- four hours in the buds and an additional four hours with the included charging clip -- for worry-free listening throughout the day or a week's worth of workouts. Equipped with Bluetooth 4.0, Freedom can be paired with up to eight devices, and its inline metal remote gives users complete control over their wireless music with volume buttons and allows for phone calls with its built-in microphone.
Freedom will be available for $199.95 and come in five beautiful color metal options -- Carbon (black on black metal), Blaze (red on silver metal), Ocean (blue on silver metal), Gold (white on gold metal), and Blush (white on rose gold metal).
"Freedom combines fashion and sport into the smallest and most elegant wireless earbuds we've ever designed," said Rene Oehlerking, Jaybird's CMO. "The product is both gorgeous and versatile and is designed to be the only buds you'll ever need for fashion, fitness and work. Freedom takes a huge step forward in wireless earbuds innovation by giving users the features of premium over-the-ear headphones in a micro-sized, in-ear package."
Jaybird X3
The successor to the wildly popular Jaybird X2, these secure-fit sport Bluetooth 4.0 buds also feature the proprietary Jaybird MySound app, which gives users complete control over their sound profile by allowing them to customize the EQ settings, and like Freedom automatically syncs on the X3 hardware. The seven-hour battery allows users to enjoy a week's worth of music during workouts on a single charge, and Jaybird's proprietary SignalPlus™ antenna architecture allows for a stronger signal resulting in skip-free music listening in outdoor environments.
Featuring the same powerful award-winning Jaybird sound, the X3 includes passive noise isolation technology to enhance sound quality. Sporting a smaller hardware profile than its predecessor, the new sweat-proof buds also incorporate the X-Fit™ system as well as enhanced comfort earfins to give users an even more secure fit during the hardest of workouts. The inline remote allows for easy wireless music and call control, and its Voice Prompts let you know when you've successfully connected X3 or turned the device on or off. At launch, X3 will retail for $149.95 and be available in five colors -- Blackout (black), Alpha (military green), Road Rash (red), Dune (tan), and Surf (blue).
"Jaybird has always prided itself on delivering world-class sound, and the MySound app in both the new X3 and Freedom will give users audio control like they've never experienced in a wireless sport earbud," continued Oehlerking. "We're excited to give users full musical freedom to crank up the bass or fine tune for that perfect acoustic sound. "
Jaybird Freedom and Jaybird X3 will be featured at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), January 6-9, 2016, at booth 21060 (South Hall). For more information about Jaybird, visit www.JaybirdSport.com.
