Review on JayBird BBX1MB BlueBuds X Sport Bluetooth Headphones - Black: Discontinued Model for Active Music Enthusiasts by Veronica Smith

Quick Cons ## Headphones lightweight and often fall off You can damage them if you clean the earbuds too aggressively No clip to hold them to you # #Full Review ## I have loved these headphones for a number of years now and have only a couple of issues which I hope are resolved in a newer model like the new Freedom. The rubber tips will fall out due to the accumulation of earwax on the pins (see attached image). I clean them with alcohol and at the end of the day they fall out again. They don't taper to hold tips and there's no recess to snap into, it simply sits around a cylindrical post. I actually broke my first pair by cleaning them with a twisting motion and broke one side of the headset sound. I contacted Jaybird about this issue and they apologized but don't offer any discounts or anything, although I lost a couple of tips because I took them out of my ears and the tip flew off. That means I had to buy replacement tips several times. I thought about supergluing them and if I wasn't going to switch to something else I would. Honestly, if it wasn't a problem these things would be amazing, at least for functionality when making calls and listening to music. If that's your only concern, they're BIG. The mic is great and the sound quality is really good, especially when you EQ them (they're a bit harsh with the default EQ). The controls on the panel are great, including double tapping the play button to redial. Hold volume up to skip track, hold volume down to skip track. Isolation is really good if you play with them in your ear a bit to "fix" them. This is a Class 1 Bluetooth device, meaning they can fly up to 328 feet when paired with a Class 1 receiver. That's probably a plus for some. This also means that they have a maximum output of 100 mW for a radio chip. To put this in perspective, most consumer Bluetooth headphones/devices are Class 2 only, with Class 2 only working up to a distance of 30 feet. You may be wondering, why would you cripple yourself at 30 feet when you can go 328 feet? Well, Class 2 Bluetooth devices only emit up to 2.5mW at maximum power. Then find out that they plugged a Bluetooth chip directly into the earpiece (tested by Jaybird). That problem is mostly solved with the new Freedom headset, as they've moved the chip to a control panel that hangs on you, rather than in the earcup. Their battery life is excellent. I have a very long battery life even after owning it for a few years. One of the only other issues I have is that I went through a few units because there is no clip to attach it to myself (or a shirt). I had moved it around my neck so much that it fell off me without my knowledge. They're really expensive to lose. I bought a cheap cable clip and attached it to the wire in the middle, now I attach it to my shirt and tuck two earbuds under the front of my shirt when I'm not using them. If you don't need to add anything like this and think you might have the same problem, take a look at the LG Electronics Tone Pro HBS-750 series headsets. There are other devices of similar design from Sony like the Sony H.ear in (MDREX750BT/B), Motorola like the Motorola Buds and I think even the Skullcandy (Skullcandy Smokin' Buds 2) where the device sits on the neck which makes it versatile . harder to fall alone I had LG for a long time, I tried Motorola and thought that the headphones are uncomfortable and the sound quality is not good. I haven't tried Skullcandy's yet.