Mid-tier BT in-ears - Jaybird still one to get?

[LogicalDrm]

I'm looking for new Bluetooth in-ears in sub-€150 category. Reason being that my current Sony budget ones are dying. They are still couple of months under warranty, but that would be 4th unit I'm getting, that's how low-quality they are.

 

Looking for ones with wire in between. My ears are something which would need good luck with stock pieces, or specifically molded to be secured. So wire means they don't just fall off (and got lost easily). No other special features needed. I did like the feature on some Anker ones where they would shutdown when pieces were connected by magnet.

*** UPDATE ***

 

After doing what I normally do when paying for something I have no good experience from, I pulled all possibilities to Sheets, grouped them by price, removed ones with design or features I didn't like, looked at reviews and that stuff.

 

The fact is that I'm not comfortable spending same amount to BT earphones that I paid for HD-555's 10 years ago. Considering these will be in daily use, and probability that warranty doesn't cover physical issues from normal wear (like what happened to those cheap Sony's). So price range dropped to sub-100€. And I managed to narrow list to just 4 options. Title still stands, would like to still hear opinions, even from brands if not units.

• Jlab Audio Epic Executive €95
• Jaybird X4 €90
• Urbanista Chicago €80
• Studio Vasa Blå €70

 

***

Spoiler

 

Buying from Finnish stores only. From quick glance, the top options (Sony, JBL and Jabbra excluded) are:

• Jaybird Tarah Pr
• Sennheiser Momentum 2
• Marshall Minor II
• Jaybird X4
• Jaybird Freedom 2

And some others from Verkkokauppa and Gigantti.

 

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by LogicalDrm

[rice guru]

My favorites personally right now are Samsung galaxy buds plus. But that's just me cause its very Harman compliant and for many the upper mids can be a bit shouty

[LogicalDrm]

59 minutes ago, rice guru said:

My favorites personally right now are Samsung galaxy buds plus. But that's just me cause its very Harman compliant and for many the upper mids can be a bit shouty

So you didn't actually read what I'm looking for?

 

E: Like at all. Besides them not being what I want, they are 20e over the max price while the expensive Jaybirds listed in OP are same amount under.

 

Edited July 31, 2020 by LogicalDrm

[rice guru]

2 hours ago, LogicalDrm said:

So you didn't actually read what I'm looking for?

 

E: Like at all. Besides them not being what I want, they are 20e over the max price while the expensive Jaybirds listed in OP are same amount under.

 

Ah sorry I was half asleep when I commented. I like the jaybird x4 when I had it though easy to eq and sounded pretty good while being durable

[HM-2]

Do you mean the Momentum Free rather than the Momentum 2? IIRC the latter are wired in-ears. I've got the Momentum 2 and they're pretty good, currently relegated to backup in-ears though.

[LogicalDrm]

27 minutes ago, HM-2 said:

Do you mean the Momentum Free rather than the Momentum 2? IIRC the latter are wired in-ears. I've got the Momentum 2 and they're pretty good, currently relegated to backup in-ears though.

It's listed as Momentum 2 and picture has wire. But looking at product pics, looks like they are Free.

[LogicalDrm]

Aaaand Sony ones are dead. If I find receipt, I try to get one more pair. Or try to carry on with wired pair for a week it takes me to evaluate options and make a decision.

 

This one has same fault as the first unit. Rubber for control piece ripped and most likely some dirt got in.

[LogicalDrm]

Added update with now 4 options only. Still would like some feedback.

[HM-2]

How wedded are you to the "wire between them"? Some of the current "true wireless" are brilliant and should offer decent fit as they come with memory foam tips out of the box.

[LogicalDrm]

3 minutes ago, HM-2 said:

How wedded are you to the "wire between them"? Some of the current "true wireless" are brilliant and should offer decent fit as they come with memory foam tips out of the box.

I would need to check if any fit to my other needs. Some recent review of another earphones said that those have pretty limited battery life. Plus I want actual tactile buttons for controls, not any tapping etc.

 

But I could do another round of checking. Not gonna buy until next Friday anyway.

[HM-2]

I would have a look at the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1. They're what relegated my Sennheiser Momentum Frees to living in my "going away with work" bag.

9 hours playback out of the box (well, case) and 4 full recharges from the battery within the case for ~45 hours total playback so I wouldn't worry about battery life for one...Not sure what pricing is like in the US but they're currently reduced to £99.99 here in the UK

[LogicalDrm]

19 minutes ago, HM-2 said:

I would have a look at the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1. They're what relegated my Sennheiser Momentum Frees to living in my "going away with work" bag.

9 hours playback out of the box (well, case) and 4 full recharges from the battery within the case for ~45 hours total playback so I wouldn't worry about battery life for one...Not sure what pricing is like in the US but they're currently reduced to £99.99 here in the UK

Well, the price would be good, actually bit better since deal is same in Euros. But I can only see them listed on Amazon.de and only by Cambridge Audio themselves. So overall not something I can get.