Jaybird Vista Review
If you're an avid runner you'll struggle to do better than the Jaybird Vista
Verdict
The Jaybird Vista are excellent true wireless earbuds that are an ideal fit for any avid runner or gym goer. They offer one of the best seals you’ll find on a true wireless set, excellent build quality and one of the stablest connections you’ll find outside of the Apple Airpods
Pros
- Great seal
- Solid build quality
- Super stable connection
Cons
- No ambient sound mode or aptX
- Charging case only has 10 hours battery
Availability
- UKRRP: £160
- USARRP: $180
- EuropeRRP: €180
- CanadaRRP: CA$240
- AustraliaRRP: AU$350
Introduction
The Jaybird Vista are the latest true-wireless headphones from Logitech’s fitness focused audio sub-brand.
They aim to differentiate themselves from key rivals, including the Apple AirPods (2019), Samsung Galaxy Buds and the Powerbeats Pro by offering buyers an unashamedly fitness focused design and wealth of custom features that marathon runners and gym goers will love.
The combination works a treat and means, while you can get better sounding true wireless, the Jaybird Vista are the best set available for their target audience.
Design
- The Jaybird Vista are designed for runners and gym goers
- The earbuds are lightweight and waterproof to IPX7
- The Vista do miss out on some basic features, such as aptX support
The Vista have been designed from the ground up with runners and gym goers in mind. This means that, while they don’t have the luxurious feel of some sets, like the BeoPlay E8 2.0, they tick all the right boxes when it comes to fit and functionality.
For starters, they have a wealth of wing tip options. This makes it easy to get a solid seal and during testing they offered one of the most stable seals and fits I’ve ever had on a set of true wireless earbuds.
Their 6g weight makes them much lighter than competing sets and super comfortable to wear. I had no fit or performance issues while rock climbing or during a 10km run where in the past, less fitness focused sets like the Amps Air 2.0, started to lose their seal mid-workout.
As a final perk, build quality is excellent. Like all Jaybird’s, the Vista have an IPX7 water/sweat resistance rating. This means they’ll easily survive the wear and tear expected of a gym set.
The physical controls have a pleasing click upon actuation that’s missing on most of the gym and running headphones I’ve tested. A Jaybird spokesman told me they have some shock proofing, which will be a godsend if they accidentally drop mid-workout or climb.
The only downside to the design is that by focussing on fitness first, the earbuds are missing a few basic features. For starters, there’s no ambient sound mode – this is apparently due to the added weight the mics needed would bring. There’s also no Qualcomm aptX support, though given how rare the codec is on running headphones, this is hardly a surprise.
Battery life
- The Vista offer six hours of playtime in each earbud
- The 10 hours of battery stored in the case is quite short
- Mono mode allows you to switch between the earbuds to save battery
Battery life on the Vista is reasonably good. The six hour quoted live for the buds rang true during testing and is above average for a true wireless set. But the case’s 10 hour life is a little on the short side and means you’ll only get one full charge out of it before you need to reconnect it to the mains.
The intelligent mono mode partially makes up for this however. This lets the Vista intelligently switch between buds when you are only wearing one. This, in theory, means you can get up to 32 hours of music playback if you wear them one at a time and keep the spare bud in the charge case. I can’t see anyone but ultra-marathon runners needing this, but it’s a nice touch nonetheless.
Sound quality
- The Jaybird Vista offer an impressively stable connection
- Audio quality can compete with similarly priced true wireless earbuds
- The sound doesn’t distort even at extreme volumes
The lack of some features is more than forgivable, as the Jaybird Vista’s connection stability and audio quality are excellent by running headphone standards.
Connectivity-wise the buds feature Bluetooth 5 and JBS1 wireless technology. The tech works a treat and meant the Vista were able to maintain a connection and continue pumping out audio in busy signal areas that made my Galaxy Buds and Amps Air 2.0 all but unusable.
Audio quality isn’t as good as what you’ll find on more expensive true wireless sets, like the Sony WF-1000XM3 and Beoplay E8 2.0, but it easily matches – if not beats – some similarly priced true-wireless earbuds, like the Apple Airpods and Samsung Galaxy Buds.
The seal offers excellent noise isolation, once you fit the correctly sized tips. Tonal balance is reasonably good and the use of redesigned 6mm milled drivers mean the Vista are noticeably more distortion free than past Jaybird sets I’ve tested.
Even at extreme volumes, the earbuds don’t distort. My only minor quibble is that the low end can occasionally wonder. Listening to post rock with a strong bass line, the low end rumble could occasionally overshadow subtle mid-range parts.
The Vista’s Jaybird app support can be used to partially mitigate this issue though, so it’s hardly a deal breaker. The app includes audio profiles for various different types of music and a mixer for those who want to manually create a custom sound. However, I found the best way to get tailored results was to use the app’s in-built profiler. This doesn’t map your ears like the Nuraphone app, instead it runs you through a series of tests, asking you to raise a volume slider until you hear a noise.
Should you buy it?
You want a pair of running earbuds If you want a pair of true wireless earbuds for the gym or your morning run you won’t do better than the Jaybird Vista. The buds offer one of the best fits and seals I’ve experienced on a true wireless set, have a robust, sweat resistant design and offer above average audio quality compared to most competing running headphones.
You want the very best audio quality The Vista offer above average audio quality for their price, but they can’t compete with more premium sets. If your priority is sound, check out our reviews of the Sony WF-1000XM3 and the Beoplay E8 2.0.
Final Thoughts
If you want a pair of true wireless earbuds for the gym or your morning run you won’t do better than the Jaybird Vista. The buds offer one of the best fits and seals I’ve experienced on a true wireless set, have a robust, sweat resistant design and offer above average audio quality compared to most competing running headphones.
The only downside is that they are missing a few useful features, like an ambient sound mode and aptX support. But these omissions are more than forgivable given their fitness focus.
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How we test
FAQs
The Jaybird Vista do not feature active noise cancellation, but choosing the correct ear tips will give you good passive noise cancellation.
The Jaybird Vista have an IP rating on IPX7. This means they’re dust resistant and can withstand being submerged in one metre of water for up to 30 minutes.
Specs
Jargon buster
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth 5.0 is the latest iteration of the standard, and allows data to be sent at twice as much as speed over previous standards, cover four times as much in terms of distance and transfer eight times as much data.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.