Jaybird Vista Review – Are They Overhyped?

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If you’re reading our review of the Jaybird Vista then chances are you’re the sporty type looking for a pair of suitable wireless earbuds. Well, you’re in luck as this is what the Vista’s were designed to be. And they do a pretty good job at fulfilling their intended purpose.

These guys tick most of the boxes that somebody would want, but not as many as some of the slightly more premium sporty wireless earbuds like the Powerbeats Pros. Despite not offering all of the trimmings, the Jaybird Vistas are well worth your consideration, so let’s take a look!

If you want to skip ahead to a specific section of our Jaybird Vista review, then use the links below:

Overview

The Jaybird Vistaare most similar to the Powerbeats Pro with regards to what job they attempt to do. These guys are slightly cheaper than the Beats, but not by a whole lot (around $50 cheaper at the time writing on Amazon) – so keep that in mind. We found the Powerbeats Pro to be very good overall all the so Vistas have a lot to live up to. Being only slightly cheaper, these will be held to similarly high standards.

Sound Performance

Although these are aimed towards people looking to use these while working out, that doesn’t mean audio quality shouldn’t incredibly important. After all, if you’re feeling the music you put the extra work in! Let’s take a look at the sound profile and listening experience in detail.

Bass

The bass on these guys is fantastic! It has a real thump that almost forces you to bump your head. At no point did it become distorted, even when listening to bass-heavy genres like dubstep or drum and bass. This is something that is important to me as I usually listen to bass-heavy music while working out.

Mid

Overall the mids are very good. The vocals did seem very slightly overshadowed by the bass but not by much. This is honestly barely noticeable and for the average listener, they would likely never even notice. I’m only mentioning this since this is a review but don’t put too much stock into it, the mids are very good.

Treble

The Vistas were doing so well up until this point. Disappointedly, the treble really lets the Jaybird’s down. Cymbals and lead instruments just disappear to the back of the mix and result in a rather obvious unbalanced track. The usual bright spots from liquid drum and bass playlist just sounded dull and lifeless. Very disappointing.

Noise cancellation

Something else which I find important with this type of wireless earbud is the ability to block out the world and stay in the zone. Unfortunately, the Jaybird Vista do not have active noise cancellation and instead rely on passive noise cancellation.

The passive noise cancellation is poor. Deep sounds got through without much dulling but, to their credit, the voices of people talking were muffled quite a bit. People talking closely will get through without much of a hitch but if they’re a few meters away they are dramatically quieter. They do a good enough job, but I would much prefer ANC.

What Are They Like To Use?

It’s well and good talking about the Jaybird Vistas, but what are they actually like to use? Let’s cover the most common ways we interact with our earbuds.

The Set-up

This is super simple as you would expect. Just like almost every pair of wireless earbuds all you have to do is flip open the charging case and the LED should flick on and off to indicate pairing. Then simply switch to your music playback device and go the Bluetooth settings and hit pair! If for some reason the light isn’t flashing, then press the internal button which will manually start the pairing process. This paring is remembered by the Vistas and will automatically connect from now on.

You can’t really ask for a simpler pairing process and from my time using these I never had a single issue paring these to any device. This is likely due to the inclusion of Jaybirds JBS1 chipset. This chipset allegedly greatly improves the connection time and strength, and from my experience does an excellent job!

Controls

Controls are a big part of the user experience and Vista scores well. There is the option to customise what each input does through the Jaybird app, which is always welcomed. These guys use physical buttons rather than relying on touch inputs, which is my preference since I like the tactility of actually pressing something. Overall, the controls enhance the user experience.

Comfort

Comfort is arguably the most important aspect. There’s nothing worse than going for a run and then having to pop out your earbuds due to discomfort. These guys are pretty bulky and as result will start to become uncomfortable after an hour or, especially so for those of you with smaller ears. It’s worth mentioning that this a rather subjective thing so it’s always worth you’re time testing these out in person if possible.

What Are They Like For Workouts?

Short answer, good…for an hour. The Jaybirds do a stellar job of staying firmly in your ears without moving around. I’ve run in them and cycled in them and at no point did they feel they would come loose. They have an IPX7 rating which means they can survive in a meter of water for up to 30 minutes. So, running in the rain won’t be an issue or a bit of sweat but a swim will likely result in a trip to the shops. So far, so good. But then after around an hour of use, they just become an uncomfortable distraction…for me at least.

So, these are great and if you’re more a HIIT person, you might be fine, but if you like lengthy cycles or runs, then you might get frustrated by the discomfort.

What Are They Like For Office Work?

One of the reasons people like to listen use their earbuds in the office is to maintain focus and remove potential distractions, which is tough without ANC. The passive noise cancellation does ok but doesn’t block enough of the world out for my liking. However, if you work in an office where you need to be able to hear whats going on around you, then these are well suited. They put out enough of the noise but if somebody needs you, you’ll hear them.

The microphone quality is poor, but that’s par for the course on these devices. Your voice will sound muffled and distant but still clear enough to hold a conversation (Despite the infrequent and short cut-outs). Just don’t take calls in noisy (or windy) environments.

How About A Listening Session?

As discussed before, the audio performance on these is pretty good, but the treble is disappointing. If you want to sit down and embrace the latest album you’ve been eagerly looking forward to, then I would personally suggest a pair of wireless earbuds more suited to the task. The best I have tested is the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2’s.

Battery Life

The buds themselves hold a relatively standard 6 hours, which leaves a bit to be desired. The case, however, holds just 10 hours, which leaves LOT to be desired. That’s absolutely awful and is inexcusable really. Yes, these are targetted towards workouts and not travelling, but 10 hours is just embarrassing.

A saving grace is the quick charge time, with 5 minutes of charge delivering 1 hour of juice. It takes around 2 hours to charge the case back up to 100%

Overall, disappointing.

Charging Case

The charging case is nothing special or innovative, but it does its job well (except for storing battery). It very easily fits into a pocket comfortably thanks to its super compact and lightweight form factor. The is a really small portable case, and this comes at the cost of a small battery. So depending on what value more you may or may not love this. It uses a simple hinge mechanism to flip over, with a small lip on the front side to help open it.

Aesthetics

Jaybird opted for a subtle, yet high-precision aesthetic for the Vistas. The all-black colour scheme, with the grey logo, complement each other well. They have the profile of a sporty earbud which is partially due to the colour selection but also to the black ear stabiliser fin.

Because these are quite small buds, they don’t look silly sticking out of your ears like some other buds and are quite minimal overall. The black is certainly to my liking but they do come in two other colours, Mineral Blue and Nimbus Gray.

Specs (Courtesy of Jaybird)

Jaybird Vista Review Summary

The Jaybird Vista is an excellent pair of very portable true wireless earbuds that do an excellent job in most areas but let themselves down in key areas. The audio performance leaves something to be desired with poor treble, the charging case battery storage is disappointingly small and they do become a bit uncomfortable after an hour. However, if you want a pair of earbuds to use for your shorter runs that you won’t have to worry about in the rain, these could be for you!

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