Jaybird RUN In-Ear Sound Isolating Truly Wireless Earbuds review

Wireless earbuds have come a long way. They’re no longer the heavy, bulky earbuds of days gone by. Instead, many of today’s earbuds are sleek and durable, with a true wireless design and Bluetooth connectivity. The Jaybird RUN In-Ear Sound Isolating Truly Wireless Earbuds are one of many, but due to their great fit, they’ve fast become one of my favourites.

Jaybird Run Earbuds: What’s in the box

The Jaybird Run In-Ear Sound Isolating Truly Wireless Earbuds come with everything you’ll need, right in the box. That includes a short, flat micro USB charging cable, two earbuds, and a storage/charging case, along with a pinch-top soft carrying pouch for your accessories and multiple sizes of silicone ear tips and “secure-fit ear fins.” (Each are included in 4 different sizes.) There’s also a Jaybird sticker in the box, for those who get really into their earbuds.

In terms of fit, Jaybird offers you four options for both the ear tips and ear fins. The tips fit the product into your ear canal; the fins go around the product and nestle in your outer ear for extra security. Upon arrival, the Run earbuds are “wearing” medium domed ear tips and size 2 ear fins. There are also small domed ear tips, as well as small and medium flattened ear tips, and sizes 1, 3, and 4 fins.

The Run earbuds use 6mm drivers and have a frequency response of 20 Hz – 20 kHz.

Charging and setting up the Jaybird Run Earbuds

I’ve always been wary of true wireless headphones (or any wireless headphones, really). I’m forever forgetting to charge things, so not having corded earbuds sounds like a bad joke to me … most of the time.

Jaybird, however, has already thought about that, and they’ve implemented a solution for it. The sleek, pill-shaped case that these earbuds come in is not just a carrying case, but also a charger. The earbuds themselves provide 4 hours of use, but they charge while they rest in the case—which has enough juice to power them for 8 hours more. In other words, if you remember on Monday to put your earbuds in their case and charge it, they’ll last you through 2-hour workouts every day until the weekend.

The Run earbuds work on lithium polymer batteries with a quick-charging function. On the off-chance that you do run out of power, plugging this case in with the earbuds inside it for five minutes provides an hour of playback. A full charge takes 2 1/2 hours.

And, despite their one-button design and lack of a visual interface, these earbuds tell you everything you need to know. Not sure if they’re charging? The discreet LED lights on the case will tell you if they are. (There’s one light per earbud, and the opening clasp notifies you of the status of the case itself.) When you press the button once power them on, they blink green and independently tell you what percentage they’re charged. When you hold the button down, a light on the earbud itself flickers to let you know it’s in pairing mode. And, when you hold the button down again to power them off, they blink red and tell you that they’ve been turned off.

Pairing is easy: just hold the single button down, wait for the light to blink, then select them on your device. (Only the right earbud will tell you they’re paired, but both are.) Once paired with a device, the device and these earbuds will remember each other, making switching devices extremely easy. For a more intensive setup, the JayBird MySound app also lets you create and custom sound settings for playback.

Jaybird Run sound quality and fit

To start off, I fitted my Jaybird Run earbuds with the correct tips and fins—the domed, small silicone ear tips and size 3 ear fins. (Don’t let the numbers fool you: the size 3 fins were more forgiving on my ear shape than the 2s, as their design features a cutout that gives them extra flex.) The earbuds themselves fit directly into your ear canal to form a seal, and the fins nestle into your concha for extra stability during activities and movement.

Both the soft silicone tips and fins are very easy to fit on and off of the earbuds. With the right fit, I can actually achieve somewhat of a sound isolating phenomenon with the Jaybird Run earbuds—enough so that I can barely hear myself typing, even when they’re not playing any sound. I’d like to try them with the Jaybird memory foam ear tips that Brad mentioned in his review of the RUN earbuds, as my ears do ache after wearing these for an hour or so, but I’m a lot happier with them than I have been with wireless earbud sin the past.

And folks: the Run earbuds sound fantastic. I’ve never owned a pair of silicone-tipped earbuds that have fit my ears before (my ears are tiny, and none of the other silicone-tipped earbuds I’ve tried have been the right shape or size for them), and it makes a world of difference. The sound isolating design makes every sound they produce seem louder, crisper, and clearer.

When listening to music in my quiet apartment, I can comfortably leave these on the lowest setting and hear my music clearly—meaning they’ll turn up plenty loud to be heard over the sound of a treadmill or airplane. My only complaint is the size: like a lot of products, these are likely designed for North Americans over the size of 5′ 4″. I’d love to see smaller fittings in the future to better serve a wide range of consumers!

What the Jaybird Run earbuds are great for

In a word: workouts. These wireless earbuds deliver a generous amount of sound, with impressive quality for Bluetooth headphones. There’s a bit of fuzz, of course, but it’s largely unnoticeable when something is playing.

The fitted silicone tips and fins make these the most stable wireless earbuds I’ve ever worn, and they don’t dislodge even during jumping or running. They’re sweat-proof and water-resistant, though they’re NOT approved for submersion. (So, rain is okay, but jumping into a pool isn’t.) Each earbud comes fitted with a microphone for taking calls without switching audio inputs, but they cannot be used for recording. Audio input is restricted to the right ear during phone calls, during which sound quality is significantly diminished and an audio delay is noticeable.

However, like any wireless device, there is a delay in the audio when you’re using these. It’s minimal enough that I don’t notice it when watching animated shows, but for anything live-action, I’d recommend implementing a positive audio delay. I’ve definitely used devices with more of an audio delay, but I personally find that Bluetooth devices are best for music, not movies.

I’ve heard a few reports of connectivity issues with the Run arbuds, but I haven’t personally experienced any, even when I leave my phone in one room and wear my earbuds into the next. In a busier city with more interference, it may be an issue, but I’ve found these to be very reliable. They’re stellar for those who work out, and I’d recommend them to those with a noisy commute, too.

Shop earbuds (both wireless and corded) here at Best Buy.