Quest to get hands on the best jogging headphones:
In the quest of searching for the best Jogging headphones I reached till narrowing down to the two best sellers ranging between $100 to $200 and are known for their quality and sound yes, all new Jaybird X3 & Bose SoundSport ! Remember here we are not talking about cheap bose or jaybird headphones but something which is premium & stylish.
So lets start of by looking at the technical specifications comparison table which I have prepared quickly for reference of writing this post, major differences are marked in bold.
Jaybird X3 Vs Bose SoundSport Pulse Specs Comparison Table
| Wireless Headphones Comparison | Jaybird X3 | Soundsport Pulse |
| Best deals online offer | Best Buy price | Best Buy price |
| Colors | Alpha Green, Blackout, Sparta White, Roadrash Red | Aqua, Black, Citron, Power red |
| Wireless range | up to 30 ft (9 m) | |
| Bluetooth | v4.1 | |
| Memory | Jaybird can pair and remember 8 phone/music devices | |
| Inline microphone | An inline microphone / remote lets you answer / end calls, play / pause tracks and adjust volume—without reaching for your phone. | |
| Sweat and weather resistant | Yes, X3 are Sweatproof with Double hydrophobic nano coating protects from rain, mud, sun, sweat and tears Jaybirds X3 are not waterproof |
IPX4 rating The acoustic ports are positioned to resist sweat and weather and Hydrophobic cloth keeps moisture out |
| Battery life Music & calls | up to 8 hours | Up to 6 hours |
| Fast Fuel | Quick Charge: 20 min = 1 hour Play Time | |
| Easy NFC Pairing | Yes | |
| StayHear+ tips for stability | Comply™ Isolation Foam Ear Tips: S/M/L
Silicone Ear Tips: S/M/L Secure-Fit Ear Fins: S/M/L |
3 sizes of StayHear+ Sport tips. tips unique shape creates a gentle seal in your ear and the extended flexible wing provides support and improved stability. |
| Free App | MySound App Compatibility: iOS 9+ (except iPad 2), Android 4.4+ | Bose Connect : Auto-off timer, volume control and battery readings. |
| Music share | You can share the music you’re listening to or the content you’re watching with another pair of X3’s or Freedom F5. Two Buds connected to 1 device – buddies. | connect two wireless Bose headphones to share music from your mobile device. It simplifies splitting music from one source, and you can do it right from the app. |
| Bluetooth device switch | You can go from a call on your smartphone to music on your tablet or laptop with a quick swipe | |
| Battery Charging time | Approximately 2.5 hours | 2 hours |
| Battery | lithium-ion | |
| Clothing clip | Yes | |
| Dimensions without the cable | 1.1″ x 1.09″ x 0.52″ | 1.1″ H x 0.9″ W x 1.2″ D |
| Weight w/o cable | 0.63 ounces | 0.81 ounces |
| Warranty | Both companies provides limited warranty of their headphones | |
Now lets look at major feature / aspects one by one, so that we can decide upon which is best jogging headset and why?
Design:
Jaybird X3 looks small & compact compared to Soundsport, maybe it is due to the built-in heart rate sensor of Pulse model.
[Bose® SoundSport® Pulse wireless headphones features a built-in heart rate sensor, further with the help of Bose Connect app you will be able to manage your paired devices and get real-time heart rate readings]
Jaybird features very nice & attractive logo on the back of driver, it looks far better than the Bose.
Wearing Comfort:
One of the determining factor of any headphone is how much comfortable it is during prolong use, say in 4 hours flight which is decided by the design of ear tips and supporting fins. And if you are using it for exercise, running, jogging, gym then its also important if it stays inside ears or fall off (maybe due to sweat and movements)
Imagine the headset sounds great but falls off during gym exercise workouts ! I think it would be waste of money !! so selecting headphones for jogging is determined by how comfortably it stays inside your ears during sweaty conditions and movements of jogging.
Jaybird X3 is clear about their intentions and hence cleverly moved the battery pack to the inline mic-remote, which means that the headphones has became more smaller and lighter, making it suitable for ear fitment as well as lessening the fear of drop offs.
Bose Soundsport concentrates on driver size as well as they have the battery hidden inside, although the StayHear+ Pulse specially designed tips take care of accurate fitting to most of ear canals, the headphones sticks out pretty well outside the ears. If you are using it for running or rope jumping, the big size troubles with drivers moving due to its weight! not so good na? so as the case with workouts !
Sound Quality:
While you speak on sound quality which is one of the prime factor for purchasing the headphones, you also need to check what are the App support of the equilizer support provided, so that you can fine tune the music listening experience according to your liking.
In this case Jaybird X3 is supported by the Jaybird MySound App which lets you customize the EQ, as well as memorize it fully or even share with your friends. Fantastic thing is that you can even download presets from some famous athletes and artists ! wow !! great !!!
Notes :
- Jaybird X3 does not use Apt-X, but use the latest SBC codec standard
- Jaybird MySound App Compatibility: iOS 9+ (except iPad 2), Android 4.4+
Comparatively Boseconnet app does not support fine tuning the EQ, but merely delivers the Bose proprietory sound signature, those who are bose die hard fans, go for it. and unfortunately Soundsport does not feature Bose patented ANC feature.
Music Play time & Call Time Support (Battery)
Here also Jaybird X3 provides extra long music playtime of 8 hours as against 6 hours in Bose Soundsport. (please note actual test results may vary depending upon music loudness, humidity, temperatures around during use)
Further to it Jaybird X3 features fast fuel delivering 1 hour Play Time with a Quick Charge of just 20 minutes, I think this is fantastic, for jogger who forgets to recharge the headphones, can simply plug in for 20 mins and the show goes on .. same is true while you are on the travel move …
Only one thing that tinkers to my mind is that Jaybird X3 does not have standard micro-USB charging port, however you have to use the proprietary charging pins provided at the bottom of the inline remote control and use the proprietary USB charging adapter. This is the only hitch I have in complete review. But no way out for this 🙁
Final Recommendation on best Jogging headphones:
Looking at the fact that Jaybird X3 is more elegant, thinner, lighter, quick chargeable design provided at much lower price than Bose soundsport (as on Jan 2018) I would rather choose, Jaybird X3 which are more customizable EQ, comfortable during exercise, gets retained to great extent. Best Buy black friday
I would not go for Bose Soundsport, which only has one more option available of Pulse where the heart rate monitor is built inside the headphones, but given the fact that they are heavy, bulky and tosses during exercise, looking at cost point I am not going for it.