I am 36 years outdated, and I have been exercising in some type or one other for about 25 years now — the majority of which has been spent going to conventional gyms. Whereas I am not a health skilled, I would wish to suppose I do know a factor or two, particularly about what regimens and habits work for me. And the most important factor that retains me motivated is listening to music. As such, a pair of headphones or earbuds are a completely important piece of my health club gear equipment.
I’ve tried all types: the outdated wired ones that used to come back with aux-port iPhones, cumbersome over-ear ones, the sort that hangs round your neck (with a pseudo-AI “digital coach” onboard, no much less), Apple’s lauded AirPods and extra. So once I say that Jaybird’s Vista 2s are one of the best health headphones I’ve ever used, I need you to know that is not a flighty declare. However I do not need you to simply take my phrase for it, so I am sharing my expertise with them right here.
Jaybird Vista 2: What We Assume
I used to be truly skeptical of how a lot I would like these headphones and the way nicely they’d work with my iPhone 14 Professional. That was over six months in the past, and right now, I can not go to the health club with out bringing these earbuds with me. They are not good — I do have uncommon connectivity points (which can be simply remedied), and the match is not precisely customized — however they’re one of the best health club ‘telephones I’ve ever used, and I have been going to the health club in some type or one other for almost 25 years.
Their noise-canceling tech helps drown out the grunts of different gym-goers, in addition to the crashing of plates on the bottom. There is a bevy of onboard sound shapes and you’ll program customized ones for your self. And the battery life is excellent — I spend in all probability round 5-8 hours within the health club every week, and I’ve solely needed to cost the case a couple of instances in six months. Pair that with sweatproofing and an inexpensive value level and you’ll see why I am so enamored with these health club earbuds. And sure, I like them higher than AirPods Professional for figuring out.
To be taught extra about our testing methodology and the way we consider merchandise, head right here.
In comparison with AirPods Professional, the Vista 2s Are High-Notch
Apple’s AirPods Professional have just about set the usual for earbud tech, however their $249 MSRP is asking rather a lot. By comparability, the Jaybird Vista 2s will value you simply $149.99 — almost $100 lower than their Apple competitors. And whereas they possibly do not look pretty much as good — Apple has all the time received product design locked down tight — they ship the place it counts.
As an example, the battery lifetime of the earbuds (sans case) is eight hours. Should you’re utilizing them for the health club, as I do, that rounds out to about 4-6 makes use of per cost. Add within the charging case and also you get a further 16 hours (that is 24 hours in complete). AirPods Professional, by comparability, have an extended total cost (30 hours complete) however solely six hours in simply the ‘buds themselves. In observe, these are comparable numbers, so the worth distinction is an enormous win for the Vista 2s.
Moreover, the Vista 2s have a water-resistant (sweatproof, in my case) ranking of IP68 in comparison with the AirPods’ IP54, giving the Vistas one other edge. And whereas I am actually no audiophile, the ANC tech within the Vistas additionally appears comparable in regular utilization to that discovered within the AirPods Professional. If I am basing my shopping for alternative on these numbers alone, I am going with the Jaybirds, even with the Apple identify considered.
Some Connectivity Points (That Resolved)
As Jaybird is a subsidiary of Logitech, I used to be a bit frightened about how nicely these headphones would connect with my iPhone. In spite of everything, that was the most important hurdle for me — I do know from expertise that Apple merchandise work nicely inside their very own ecosystem. Nonetheless, I took the leap and picked up the Vista 2s over one other set of AirPods Professional due to their value and sweatproofing.
Sadly, I did expertise a wierd connectivity problem a few weeks into utilizing my Vista 2s. Whereas in the course of a exercise, the proper earbud stored disconnecting from my iPhone. I may nonetheless hear music enjoying out of the left one, however the proper went silent. I must pop it again within the charging case, take it again out, and manually reconnect it to my cellphone to get round this downside.
After a couple of extra instances of this taking place, I began to get pissed off. Then, in the future, it simply stopped taking place. I am undecided precisely why it went away, however I’m grateful that it did (maybe a software program replace?). I’ve not had a connectivity problem since. Nonetheless, it must be stated that this did, in truth, occur as a result of it will not be an remoted problem for me alone.
A Nice Plug-and-Play Design with Imperfect Contact Controls
I’m the kind of gym-goer who likes to set a playlist and get to work. Not fussing with my music makes it far simpler to give attention to my exercises. On this case, the Vista 2s are nice — they’re simple to set and overlook. Nonetheless, I’ve discovered a little bit of a battle with the contact controls.
It is not that they do not work — the customized controls are simple sufficient: push on the earbuds as soon as for play/pause; faucet them twice to skip or begin a music over; maintain a protracted press for quantity management; and so on. — it is simply that primarily shoving the earbuds into your ears time and again is a bit uncomfortable. And generally, I do not push shortly sufficient, after which they do one thing I wasn’t intending, like pausing as an alternative of skipping.
Fortunately, the app that pairs with these headphones and, extra importantly, their connectivity to my iPhone assist circumvent this problem. It is a easy prospect simply to seize my cellphone and hit the skip or quantity button. And it is actually not any extra irritating than some other headphones I’ve ever used on the health club.
They Keep Very Safe (Many of the Time)
My Jaybird Vista 2s got here with a trio of ear ideas, however I’ve solely ever used the smallest ones (I’ve slender ear canals). For probably the most half, they match nice. They keep safe, create sufficient of a seal that the ANC tech is clearly working they usually do not damage after sporting them for a very long time. For somebody who has had issue up to now with different earbud shapes, this can be a main win.
They are not good, nonetheless. Throughout exercises during which I am pushing myself significantly onerous, they do come free every so often. And, when toweling off my face or doing a little aggressive overhead strikes, I’ve jostled one of many earbuds out of my ear totally. This may be irritating, particularly in the course of the set. Fortunately, these occurrences — like my connectivity problem — are few and much between. And so they’re positively not any worse than some other earbuds I’ve used on the health club, Apple choices included.
Jaybird Vista 2: Alternate options
As talked about, the most important competitor to the Vista 2s (for me, no less than) is Apple’s AirPods Professional 2 ($249). And when you’re utilizing your earbuds for extra than simply the health club — maybe for work calls or to take heed to podcasts when you putter round in the course of the day — they could be a greater possibility. If you would like one thing that actually tells individuals, “Do not trouble me, I am figuring out,” Sony’s flagship WH-1000XM5s ($400) are one of the best over-ear noise-canceling headphones you should buy (though they lack an IP ranking). And when you actually need to avoid wasting cash, you’ll be able to rely on our funds health club earbuds choose, the Anker Soundcore Life P3s ($80).
