a-JAYS four earbuds with mic & remote
Wednesday, 09 March 2011
I have reviewed several a-JAYs’ products before – excellently designed and put-together headphones and earphones with a crisp and detailed sound.
The sound is so crisp, in fact, I was a little worried by the declaration that the a-JAYs 4 had the “sound signature from our a-JAYS tweaked to perform even better in the voice frequency ranges”. That, I figured, might be too much.
These new models also have a three-button remote for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch, meaning you can take calls and record audio just like you can with the earphones that ship with iPhones, or Apple’s excellent in-ear speakers (these are available separately).
These iPhone ready earphones have flat cables which purport to be tangle-free. As well as being extremely practical and flexible, this 5mm wide cable will definitely make you stand out from the crowd.
The remote has ‘SMART-feel’ soft touch concave/convex buttons for grip. You can play/pause music and videos, answer/hang up calls, skip songs and use voice control etc.
Actually, this is easier to use, if bigger (or maybe because it's bigger) for moving to a following song, with a much more positive feel than the Apple In Ear Speakers which, after a year and a half, have become quite difficult to use. (That said, they still sound great.)
The built-in microphone is a digital, active surface-mounted MEMS silicone device that removes GSM/TDMA burst noise and provides wide-band RF noise suppression. The Swedish firm claims the best performance on the market for this mic, and the MEMS microphone works in 360 degrees meaning they can pick up your speech in any position, yet in my tests it didn't pick up as much sound when banging on the cable compared to the Apple's (ie, like when you're fumbling around with it while riding a bike).
I made a few calls and it certainly was clear, according to the recipients.
But how does music sound?
The hills are alive
Pretty good, actually. In fact, I found the sound of music more agreeable than the other earbuds I tried, with better, more rounded bass alongside the excellent definition.
Once again, with this kind of quality, you’ll soon be wishing all your iTunes files were in 256kbps and not lower resolution, as you van hear every imperfection of less bits.
Like the other a-JAYs, I could not make these peak out, and I have a couple of tracks that will peak out almost anything.
Conclusion — very nice sounding ’phones, especially for classical music, and with a classical, stylish look, too. The remote for the iPhone works well and it’s easy to use and more definite, and less fiddly, than Apple’s. Bass response doesn't go as low, but for most, the sound covers all the bases.
What’s great — well made, very detailed sound, good bass tone, positive controls and clear mic.
What's not — the ribbon cable may not be to everyone's taste, but it stays flat under a shirt and does seem more tangle-free.
Needs — someone who likes positive controls and prefers a black cable.
4/5
What — a-JAYS four earbuds with mic & remote, RRP of $129.95.
System — Type 8.6 mm Dynamic Speakers with sensitivity 96dB@1kHz; Impedance 16 Ohm @ 1kHz; Frequency Response 20 Hz – 21 000 Hz; Earphones; Rubber Coated Blac /Metal finish
Isolation JAYS Sound Isolating Sleeves Size (L)18.3x (W)11.8x (H)13.8 mm Weight 14 grams
TPE coated flat tangle free cable 115cm
Size Width 5mm / Thickness 1.2mm; L-shaped Silver-Plated 3.5 mm Stereo Plug
TPE coated flat tangle free cable 115cm
Size Width 5mm / Thickness 1.2mm; L-shaped Silver-Plated 3.5 mm Stereo Plug
Available from — MagnumMac and online at yoobee.com. Also available at most Apple retail shops, online at TotallyMac, and TelstraClear, and marketed via MacGear, manufacturers' site is JAYS SE.
