Jaybird X3 Wireless  Headphones Review

The Jaybird X3 have a similar look and feel to the Jaybird X2. The earbuds are a bit smaller since most of the electronic components are now in the in-line remote instead. This makes the inline remote a bit wider than that of the X2 but it feels significantly better built. They also do not come in as many varied color scheme as the X2, for now, so you may not find the ideal color to match your preferences but they have an understated and sleek look that will work for most listeners.

They are about as comfortable as most in-ears. They do not change much from the fit of the previous X2 model but do offer many different tip sizes and some foam tips to help you achieve a comfortable fit. Unfortunately, like most in-ears, they won't be as comfortable for most during long sessions. In that case, consider the earbud design of headphones like the Bose SoundSport Wireless or the Jabra Elite 45e.

The in-line remote of the X3 is slightly different from that of the X2. The button design is almost the same, but there's a bit more room which makes them easier to use. They also provide decent tactile feedback, but the button can feel slightly mushy at times although you do get a definite click once pressed. Also the control module is not really sweat proof. On the upside, functionality-wise, they offer the essentials: call/play/pause, track skipping, and volume controls.

These headphones, like most in-ears/earbuds, are very breathable. They do not cover the ear so they will rarely make you sweat. Compared to the Jaybird Freedom or the Apple Earpods they're a little bulkier and the in-ear design does trap a slight bit of heat in your ear canal. But overall the temperature difference is negligible which makes the X3 a good option for sports.

The Jaybird X3 Wireless, like most in-ear headphones, are quite portable. They're compact and easily fit into your pockets or bags. The carrying pouch also doesn't add much bulk, so they won't be much of a hassle to have on you at all times.

They come with a carrying pouch that will protect the Jaybird X3 from scratches and minor water exposure but unlike the X2 it's not a solid case that will shield your headphones against impacts which is a little disappointing. On the upside, they do not add much bulk to the headphones which makes it easy to carry on you at all times.

They have pretty much the same build quality as the X2 but with a different in-line remote design. The change was due to some issues with the X2 and the charging port getting clogged or damaged by sweat. This makes the Jaybird X3 a bit more water resistant, but they're not waterproof. On the upside, the rest of the build is just as durable as the X2 and won't get damaged from a few accidental drops.

The Jaybird X3 are stable headphones that you can run or exercise with. They have differently sized stability tips that prevent them from easily falling out of your ears. That combined with the tight in-ear fit, makes these headphones ideal to use at the gym. Their wireless design also makes them less likely to get hooked on something and yanked out of your ears.

• Jaybird X3 Headphones
• Earbud tips (x6 sizes)
• Stability tips (x3 sizes)
• USB charging cable
• Carrying pouch

The Jaybird X3, like most other in-ears, have an excellent frequency response consistency. If the user is able to achieve a proper seal using the assortment of the tips, then they should be able to get a very consistent bass and treble delivery every time they use the headphones.

The Jaybird X3 have a very good bass range performance. Their LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 10Hz, which is excellent. They also have a flat low-bass and mid-bass, which combined with the excellent LFE, result in a deep and punchy bass capable of producing low thump and rumbles. However, the high-bass is overemphasized by more than 3.7dB, resulting an overall bass range which is deep and punchy, but slightly boomy and muddy sounding.

The Jaybird X3 has a very good mid-range performance. The overall mid-range response is consistent and well-balanced, but it shows about 5dB of recess centered around 700Hz. This pushes vocals and leads slightly to the back of the mix by giving more emphasis to bass and treble frequencies.

The Jaybird X3 have an average-sounding treble. The overall treble response is rather inconsistent, and the dip in low-treble around 5KHz, will have a small negative affect on the clarity and presence of vocals/leads. The peaks at 7KHz and 10KHz, however, could make the treble sharp and piercing on sibilances (S and T sounds).

The Jaybird X3 Sport have very good imaging. Their weighted group delay value is 0.13, which is among the lowest we have measured so far. This results in a tight and fast bass, and clear trebles. The L/R drivers of our test unit also showed very good matching, which helps with proper placement and localization of instruments and sound effects (like footsteps) in the stereo image.

The soundstage performance is poor, like most other in-ears and earbuds. Since activating the resonances of the pinna is a big factor in creating a large and in-front soundstage, the Jaybird X3, due to their lack of interaction with the pinna, will have a soundstage that is perceived and small and located inside the head. However, unlike open earbuds like the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless, these earbuds have a closed design which further reduces the spaciousness and sense of openness of their soundstage.

The Jaybird X3 has good isolation performance. Despite lacking active noise cancellation, they, like the Jaybird X2 and Beats BeatsX, outperform a lot of headphones that have active noise cancellation. They achieve more than 8dB of isolation in the bass range which is above average, and very impressive for passive isolation. In the mid and treble ranges, they reduce the outside noise by 20dB and 40dB respectively, both values being very good.

The leakage performance of the Jaybird X3 is excellent. They are one of the quietest headphones we have measured so far. Their leakage becomes noticeable only above 4KHz, which is great. Additionally, the overall level of the leakage is very low. Therefore the leakage of these headphones will be comprised of very quiet and mostly sibilant (S and T) sounds, but they will be barely audible even at loud volumes.

The overall performance of the Jaybird X3's microphone is sub-par. Speech recorded with the mic will sound slightly thin and muffled but will be easily comprehensible in quiet environments. In noisy environments, however, they will struggle to separate speech from noise in even moderately loud environments like a busy street.

The recording quality of X3's microphone is sub-par. Speech recorded with the microphone will sound thin and muffled. This is due to LFE being at 486Hz and HFE being at 3.4KHz. However, the limited high-frequency extension is actually a limitation of the Bluetooth protocol, and is a problem with all Bluetooth microphones. But, this doesn't have a significant negative effect on speech intelligibility.

The noise handling capabilities of the X3's microphone is mediocre. They Jaybirds achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of 14dB, meaning they will have a hard time transmitting clean and noise-free speech even in environments that are moderately loud.

The Jaybird X3 have a decent battery life but didn't last as long as the X2 in our battery drain test. They only manage to squeeze out about 7 hours of continuous playtime at moderate volumes. This should be okay for most listeners but may be a bit short if you need to use your headphones for long listening sessions throughout your day. They charged a bit faster than the X2 but not by much. However, the dongle charging mechanism will be a bit frustrating, particularly if you do not have it on you at all times. They also do not automatically turn off if you stop listening to audio (unless you disconnect your Bluetooth source), but they have a pretty good standby time. If you like the Jaybird design and want an even better battery life than the X2, then consider the more recent Tarah Pro instead.

The Jaybird MySound has an excellent parametric equalizer and a community-oriented design that lets you share your preset with other X3 owners. While they lack some additional features like room effects and an in-app player, the app still feels like a useful tool to personalize the sound profile to better match your tastes and mood.

Update: 08/03/2019: We've updated the app score of the Jaybird MySound app to reflect the customization level of their Equalizer. Unlike most phone apps, they have a parametric EQ compared to a typical 5-band graphic one.

The Jaybird X3 have multi-device pairing but no NFC on the upside they will easily pair with most Bluetooth devices.

The Jaybird X3 have quite a bit of latency which will be noticeable when watching videos. It's not more than most typical Bluetooth headphones but it won't be ideal for gaming and movies

The Jaybird X3 have no wired option. If you want a good sounding wired in-ear, check the 1More Triple Driver.

They do not have a dock. If you want a headphone that's versatile and has a dock, try the SteelSeries Arctis 7. However, it won't be as compact and easy-to-carry around as the Jaybird X3.