My very first pair of wireless earphones was the Jaybird X3, and I really loved the fit and the customisable EQ. Then when the true wireless phase came along, Jaybird released the Jaybird Run – which failed to impressed me due to poor and unreliable connectivity problems.
So when Jaybird released the Jaybird Vista, I knew I had to try them as there will definitely be improvements over the Runs. The Jaybird Vista retails for S$299.
Unboxing
The Jaybird Vista comes in three colors – black, nimbus gray, and mineral blue. The one I have is the black variant. Unboxing the Jaybird Vista, you will get
- Jaybird Vista
- Charging case
- Secure-fit ear tips (Size 1 to 3)
- USB-C cable
- Quick start guide
Tech specs
- Driver Size: 6mm
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
- Bluetooth version: 5.0
- Charging time: 2 hours
- Music playtime: 6 hours (10 hours in charging case)
- IPX7 waterproof rating
- Weight: 6g (each earbud), 44g (charging case)
- Codecs: SBC
Build quality and features
Jaybird products always had pretty good build quality, and the Jaybird Vista is no exception. The charging case has a rubberised plastic texture and even has a woven strap on one end for easy carriage. And for the black variant, the interior of the case reveals a nice neon yellow color which exudes sportiness. The earbuds are held securely by the magnets in the case which is really strong.
But what’s impressive is the size and compactness of the charging case. It is the smallest and lightest case I have ever used. Previously, I thought the Plantronics BackBeat PRO 5100 had a small case, but the Jaybird Vista takes it up another notch. I really like how slim the Jaybird Vista case is. I mean, it is half the thickness of its predecessor, Run. Putting the Jaybird Vista case in your pocket feels like keeping a Swiss army knife in your pocket. The Jaybird Vista could easily be my go-to earbuds just because of its convenience of carrying it around if I’m not bringing a bag.
Af for the earbuds, the Jaybird Vista have a simple blocky plastic build and design yet retains its ruggedness for the extreme fitness activities. They are extremely lightweight and have a small form factor. Most of the earbud’s surface is covered in rubber due to the fully connected ear tip housing.
The Jaybird Vista is very durable and is built to withstand all kinds of workout conditions. Jaybird claims the Vista has ‘EarthProof’ capsule construction which can protect the critical components from dust and dirt. I am unable to test that, but what I am able to test is the IPX7 waterproof and sweat-proof rating. IPX7 means that you can even able to submerge underwater up to 1 metres for 30 minutes. The more important thing to note here is sweat-proofing due to the acidity of sweat. You can definitely feel confident wearing the Jaybird Vista to survive the nastiest of sweaty workout.
As for controls, the Jaybird Vista employs physical buttons instead of touch, which I believe is the best choice considering they are targeting fitness individuals. Sweaty fingers ain’t gonna work very well with touch controls. The buttons used on the Jaybird Vista is one of the best implementation I have experienced. The buttons react well and do not cause any discomfort when pressing them. The default control are shown as below, but you can customise them in the Jaybird MySound app.
Jaybird MySound app
The Jaybird Vista has a companion app called the Jaybird MySound app. This app is truly a must have to elevate your Jaybird experience to the next level.
With the app, you can customise the buttons press functions, type of voice prompts and even locate your buds if you lose them.
But probably the biggest selling point of the app is the ability to toggle the EQ or sound profile of the Jaybird Vista. Other companies have apps that does this, but they usually only lead to minute changes. With the Jaybird MySound app, you are really able to truly change the sound profile to any extremes, to one that you truly enjoy. Besides customising your own there is a whole community of shared presets where you can saved and use them!
There is also this new feature called ‘Personal EQ’ where it leverages on your hearing abilities of different frequencies to formulate a sound profile. I have tried it, but still prefer other presets.
Battery life
You will get up to 6 hours of play time on a full charge, with another 10 hours from the charging case. 6 hours is an average duration for battery life but the 10 hours in the case is pretty little, which is probably due to small charging case. However, I do feel that the trade-off of battery life for the compactness of the charging case is worth it.
There is a single LED at the latch of the opening, but unfortunately the LED only lights up when you open the case or to signify charging. The LED do not show a gauge for battery life, other than to pulsate red light to tell you charging case battery is low.
If you for got to charge your Jaybird Vista when you hit the gym, an insanely quick 5 minutes of charging will give you 1 hour of play time. And I’m happy to write that the Jaybird Vista charges via USB-C.
Fit
The fit on the Jaybird Vista is pretty good, very reminiscent of the Plantronics BackBeat PRO 5100, whereby the ear tips design contribute to a good seal and fit. The Jaybird Vista do not jam into your ear canal to maintain a secure fit. Instead, they fit snug along your outer grooves of your ears, with the ear tips doing most of the the support.
The ear tips used by Jaybird Vista are unlike regular true wireless earbuds. Jaybird Vista uses a fully integrated rubber ear tips in combination with wings, and attach to the ear buds like putting on clothes. Despite coming in 3 sizes, the ear tips itself can be quite large for people which means that the wing tips will have to do more to keep the ear buds in your ears.
Due to the angled nozzle and tapered ear tips, the Jaybird Vista is able to fit snuggly and securely while remaining comfortable in my ears. The small form factor the lightweight of the Jaybird Vista helps to make it feel like you are not wearing any earbuds at all. As for the wings tips, they are actually pretty soft, so they do not cause any discomfort for me. The fully connected ear tips comes in 3 sizes, with size 1 having just a small ridge instead of a wing.
Pairing and connectivity
Pairing the Jaybird Vista to your phone is fairly easy. You remove the both earbuds and the name ‘Jaybird Vista’ should appear in your Bluetooth settings. The earbuds are seen as one unit in your Bluetooth settings. Having Bluetooth 5.0, the connection was really stable and I have not experienced any audio dropouts. This comes as a great improvement over the old Jaybird Run.
You can use either side of the earbuds (left or right) if you just want to listen on one ear.
Sound quality
I will talk about the sound quality of the Jaybird Vista based on the out of the box ‘Flat’ sound profile.
The Jaybird Vista has an energetic and dynamic sound signature, great for pop, hip-hop and EDM. Bass on the Jaybird Vista is boosted by default, but it isn’t overdone. Bass is fast and punchy, sub-bass thumps with enough reverbs on the low ends which is apparent with the song Fantasy by The xx. Midrange are forward and bright sounding, with vocals and instruments taking the spotlight with great clarity – My Immortal by Evanescence is a good example. As for treble, they are bright sounding and clear but can get a little grainy at the very high ends.
Soundstage is good, it has a relatively wide sense of space and stereo imaging as demonstrated with Desafinado by Ana Caram, where the instruments can be heard in an open environment.
So this is what you will experience with the stock ‘Flat’ profile on the Jaybird Vista. But if you ever want a little more boost in the lows, mids or highs, you can easily increase the intensity of any frequency to however you like with the MySound app. The beauty of Jaybird Vista is the ability to get a truly customised sound profile to your liking.
Audio-Video sync & call quality
Audio video sync works with no lag – tested on iPhone 11. And as for call quality, the microphone is average – gets the job done in a normal room environment, but anything more noisy than that would have be tricky.
Conclusion
The Jaybird Vista is definitely Jaybird’s best true wireless earbuds to date. It has a secure fit, amazing durability for all workouts conditions, great sound quality with the added bonus of customising your sound profile.
For S$299, it is quite expensive. It may not be for everyone who do not make use of their “features”. If you’re fitness enthusiast, then these earbuds are definitely one you should consider due to it’s rugged durability and convenient carrying case. But if you are a regular user who buys for sound quality, there are other earbuds who can give you a similar experience, but the ability to tune your EQ to your customised liking may not be present.
Overall, I do enjoy the Jaybird Vista very much. I love the sound of these and even more how unobtrusive these fit in my jeans pocket.
Where to buy
As with Jaybird products, price tend to fall a little after months of release. So despite the retail price of S$299, you can get them at a slightly price at reputable shops on Qoo10.