Design & Construction

The Jaybird Run XT is the successor to the 2 year old Jaybird Run, Jaybird's first truly wireless in-ear headphone. For simplicity sake, I listed the full control scheme for your easy reference. It takes about 2 hours to charge both the case with the earbuds. A Blue LED lights up when connected. Both earbuds bear the Jaybird logo. The earbuds also come with different size silicone ear tips to ensure a tight seal and secure fit. As a sports earbud, the Run XT boasts a IPX splash-proof rating for those intense sweaty workout, giving users the ultimate peace of mind. The earbuds also do a great job at resisting fingerprints smudges. Moving on to the case, it is rounded and fits right into my palm of my hands. The earbuds do docked in fairly easily and will fall out when the case is flipped since there are no magnets inside to keep them secure. 

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Sound Quality

As with all sport-focused in-ear headphones. bias on a bass-boosted sound signature is expected out-of-the-box. During my time testing, the drivers do a great job in reproducing the mids and highs clearly. The bass is strong and boomy but was kept tight and punchy to prevent it from bleeding into other frequencies. If you are not so much of an EDM or Hip-Hop fan, I am glad to report that the Run XT works perfectly with all other genres ranging from Pop to Jazz after you fiddle with the customisable sound settings in the Jaybird App available for download from the App & Play Store. Soundstage and instrument separation wise, the drivers do a decent job of distinguishing the left and right channels.

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Connectivity & Portability

The earbuds supports the basic SBC codecs together with Bluetooth Version 4.1, which is considered dated in 2019 where Bluetooth 5.0 has already been released for a while now. The earbuds also automatically power on/off when docked and taken out from the case. The battery life peaks at 4 hours per use and 2 additional charges from the case; a total of 12 hours. The package also comes with a micro USB cable for charging, again dated since USB Type-C has been appearing on almost every new product. The headphones' connectivity to the app is perfect as it is able to detect my headphones when its already connected via Bluetooth all the time. If you try to watch videos or movies with these, they have a reasonable amount of latency in transmission, hence it is not recommended for users to do so.

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PROS​​

• Durable Construction

• Ergonomic Fit

• Customisable Sound Settings

• Controls For Music Play & Calls

• In-App Equalizer

• Low Profile

• IPX7 Waterproof

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CONS​​

• Bad Call Quality

• Video Latency

• Lack Of Volume Controls

• Micro-USB Charging

• Non-Magnetic In-Ear Case Holder

 

The Bottom Line

The Jaybird Run XT is the definitely the go-to choice for all sportmen.  With a decent battery life of 12 hours, waterproofing and customisable sound, it is all one could ask for in investing in getting their very own sports wire free earbuds. Two colours are offered for this model to fit users of different genders; Black and grey