JayBird X3 review: You’ll love these Bluetooth earbuds

I’ve been using the JayBird X3 headphones for about a week now. JayBird creates headphones for active folks, the type hitting the slopes, going for runs, mountain biking and more. Its goal is to create headphones that are not only comfortable but also won’t fall out while you’re running around during a workout, or bumping down the slopes. They’re also sweatproof, and JayBird promises to replace your headphones — no questions asked — if you ever run into any issues related to sweat. Another feature that’s great for active folks is the adjustable wire that connects the two buds; a set of clips allows you to tighten it so that it sits snug against the back of your head. I loved that the wires didn’t bounce around.

I found the JayBird X3 headphones to be incredibly comfortable, but you need to take the time to make sure you’re getting the right fit. They ship with several different sizes of ear fins and ear tips, and I recommend trying out the various sizes until you find the one that fits best. If you don’t take this time and instead simply pop on any set of tips, the headphones can be rather uncomfortable. If you get the fit right, you’ll be able to jump around without the headphones shaking loose. They’re also comfortable enough for everyday use; I wore the JayBird X3s during several commutes into the city for several hours without issue. JayBird also promises up to 8 hours of battery life which seemed to be accurate in my tests.

The design is pretty top notch, too. A small metal control unit houses the microphone and allows you to skip tracks, change the volume, access Siri and more. It’s also what connects to the included charger. I like the simplicity here, but also miss the microUSB charger included with the JayBird X2s, since I’m more likely to have one of those on me at all times.

My only early gripe with the JayBird X3s is that, from time to time, the Bluetooth signal seemed to stutter, causing small clips in the music I was listening to. This could have just as easily been my iPhone 7’s fault, though I haven’t experienced that issue with other Bluetooth headphones. The issue usually resolved itself after a few seconds, so it wasn’t too bad.

Finally, I dug the special MySound application that lets you tweak the sound of your JayBird X3 with different sound profiles. Maybe you want heavy bass, for example, or to highlight the mids. You can tweak and save the settings right down to the firmware of your headphones and, even better, you can browse through thousands of presets uploaded by the JayBird community. This function works on iOS and Android devices.

The JayBird X3 headphones are available for pre-order today at $129.99. If you’re in the market for a new set, definitely put these at the top of your list.

Disclosure: JayBird provided us with a set of JayBird X3 headphones for review and I used them for about a week before writing this review.