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The Jaybird x3 headphones are small, light and really do look the part. Many consider these as the main competitor to sports headphones such as the Powerbeats 3 which I have recently reviewed, so I thought I’ll give these a spin.

**I paid for and used these headphones every single day for a week and a half before writing this review. This is my opinion based on real experience to help you make an informed decision if you’re considering buying a pair of wireless sports headphones**

3 THINGS GOOD

1.The sound quality

I’ve recently been using a lot of what some would call ‘premium’ headphones when I work out. My ability to tell good from bad headphones has improved during this time. These Jaybird x3 sound very clear and crisp, not muffled or distorted at all. Very good. Bass, however, is nowhere near as strong as the Powerbeats 3 so keep that in mind. Comparing the same song on the Powerbeats and the Jaybird x3, the bass drum doesn’t even sound like it’s there! Bass in your headphones is really a subjective matter of preference though. The preset EQ features in the Jaybird ‘MySound’ app can bring in more of that rich bass, but I just couldn’t get it perfect using the custom EQ settings, this was quite frustrating. But all in all, they sound OK.

2. The Enthusiastic American Lady…

When you turn them on you get a really enthusiastic American lady saying “Power ON, Battery 60%!”She also says “headphones connected” upon successful pairing to your device. This may seem like nothing at first, but having a voice tell you this is handy as you don’t need to pair it to a device to know how much battery is remaining, with other headphones such as the Powerbeats 3 there is no sound to tell you if its switched on or not, only a sound to tell you that it’s connected or paired..

3. The MySound App

The MySound app (above) works well at customizing your sound EQ settings. If you’re very particular about the lows, mids, and highs of your music then you’ll like this app. However, third party apps like Mola and Equalizer Plus do the same job.

3 THINGS BAD

1. Don’t move your head too much…

Avoid activities that require movement such as jumping up and down vigorously like skipping, they will fall out. I put them in, shook my head making sure they were secure then began skipping, soon enough they fell out. The ear-tips fit snugly, but the inline remote is so heavy that it bounces when you move vigorously. The weight of the remote pulls the headphone from the right ear so eventually, you’ll have one earpiece dangling precariously. For me, I don’t feel I can classify them as sports headphones if they fall out so easily during a jump rope session.

2. The Charging Attachment 

The charging attachment that comes with the Jaybird x3 is very small and very easy to lose. It’s a small plastic piece that attaches to the micro USB connector which then connects to the back of the inline remote. Surely they could have just made a flap that you plug a micro USB into for charging like most other Bluetooth headphones today. I believe the little connector clip can be replaced, but they won’t be cheap to replace.

3. Battery life

The battery life did not impress me. The batteries lost about 30% charge after only 25 mins of use. This is disappointing because and pales in comparison to other headphones in the same price range.

Conclusion

I’ve reviewed headphones that do not advertise themselves as ‘sports headphones’ (AKG Y50 BTs) and they performed better than these Jaybird X3s did. The bad points for me definitely outweigh the positives and I cannot see past them. Sports headphones should stay in your ear when you work out otherwise they need constant adjusting which takes away from your concentration. This is a deal-breaker for me, but it may not be for you if your workouts involve less movement.