The Jaybird Run are great truly wireless sports headphones, decent enough for most uses. They have a stable and compact in-ear design that stays put thanks to the stability fins and multiple tip options. They isolate well enough for most commutes, and their low leakage means you'll rarely distract anyone around you even at max volume. Unfortunately, their latency is a bit too high for watching videos or gaming. Also, their case and control schemes could be improved.
Our Verdict
The Jaybird Run are decent truly wireless headphones for mixed usage. They're particularly ideal for sports. They're sufficiently comfortable for an in-ear design and isolate enough for commuting and loud environments. They're incredibly stable and breathable, which makes them suitable for running and working out. Unfortunately, they have too much latency for gaming and watching movies, and pairing can be somewhat of a hassle at times. They have a decent sound but can be a bit too sharp for more critical listeners.
- Compact and stable sports design.
- Above-average noise isolation.
- Good wireless range and app support.
- High latency not suitable for videos.
- Slightly too sharp on already bright tracks.
- Mediocre control layout.
The Jaybird Run are decent for neutral listening. They have a well-balanced bass and midrange, but a relatively sharp treble reproduction. Also, due to their closed in-ear design, they have a poor soundstage, which means they won't be the ideal headphones for more neutral listeners. Overall, their sound quality is good enough for most.
The Jaybird Run are above-average for commuting. They're portable and passively isolate from ambient noise better than some noise cancelling headphones. Unfortunately, the bulky case makes them a bit less portable than other truly wireless designs, and their control scheme can be a bit cumbersome to use at times.
The Jaybird Run are great headphones for sports. They're truly wireless headphones with a stable and decently comfortable in-ear fit. They're lightweight and portable, even if their case is a little bulkier than other truly wireless charging cases. They're also stable enough to workout with, provided you can achieve a good fit with the extra stability fins. Unfortunately, their button layout can be a bit cumbersome to use since you have to choose between volume controls and being able to skip tracks, which is a little disappointing.
The Jaybird Run are above-average for office use. They isolate well and barely leak. This makes them suitable to use in a lively or quiet office environment. However, they don't have many connection options, and their pairing procedure can be a bit of a hassle at times. Also, they have a bit too much latency, and their battery life isn't ideal for long listening sessions.
The Jaybird Run are below-average for gaming. They have a mediocre-at-best microphone, and way too much latency to be suitable for gaming. Their companion app is also not as customizable as most gaming-oriented software.
These headphones aren't suitable for this use.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Apr 04, 2019: We've updated the comfort section of the review to better reflect a typical use case for an average listener.
- Updated Feb 20, 2018: Review published.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Jaybird Run are good truly wireless sports headphones. They support the MySound app from Jaybird, which gives them good customization options. They're decently comfortable, compact, and isolate well enough for most environments. This makes them versatile enough for most uses, but they're best used for sports. They sound a bit too sharp for critical listening and have too much latency for gaming and watching movies. See our recommendations for the best Bluetooth earbuds, the best noise cancelling earbuds, and the best true wireless earbuds.
The Jaybird Run XT Truly Wireless are an upgraded version of the Jaybird Run Truly Wireless and are slightly better, but may not be worth the upgrade if you have the first ones. The XT have better wireless range and now have an official IPX7 rating for water and sweat resistance, which the original didn’t have. The XT also offer slightly more battery life, but that’s about it. Weirdly enough, the newer XT models have way more latency than the original model, which wasn’t great to start with.
The Jaybird Run Truly Wireless are different but similar in performance to the Jaybird X3 Wireless, especially for sport. The Run are a truly wireless headset that's a bit more compact when out of their case and more stable for running than the Jaybird X3. The Run also have a longer cumulative battery life but a lot shorter continuous playtime. On the other hand, the X3 are a lot easier to use with a full set of controls that's more efficient than that of the Jaybird Run. They also have a better latency and wireless range than the Run. But overall both headphones support the MySound App by Jaybird which makes them customizable and a good choice for sports.
The Jaybird Run Truly Wireless are a slightly better headset than the Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless. The Jaybird have a more compact and portable design than the Bose. They also have a customizable app that lets you EQ their sound profile to your liking, unlike the Bose. On the upside, the Bose have a better build quality that feels more durable than the Jaybird. They also have an earbud fit that most will prefer over the fit of the Jaybird. Lastly, the Bose sound a lot better out of the box than the Jaybirds, although they do not have an EQ so you won't be able to edit their sound quality like with the Jaybird.
The Jaybird Run Truly Wireless are a slightly better truly wireless headset than the Sony WF-1000X Truly Wireless. The Jaybird have a more comfortable and stable fit for the gym than the Sonys. They also have a much more customizable sound that you can fully EQ, unlike the Sonys, which only have presets. The Jaybird also have a much better latency performance, although they won't be the best headphones for watching videos since their latency is also fairly high. On the upside, the WF-1000X have a better build quality and a more premium-looking design. They also come with a more portable and sturdy case that also supports NFC pairing. The Sony also isolate more in noisy conditions with their more typical in-ear fit and active noise cancellation, though their ANC is not that strong and should not be the defining feature for getting these headphones.
We've upgraded our Headphones Test Bench to 2.0! This update brings several key changes to our tests and usages, making it easier than ever to interpret our sound results based on your personal preferences. You'll also find a brand-new interactive graph tool featuring multiple targets (including our own!) for you to explore and compare.
For a full breakdown, check out our changelog, which includes detailed commentary from our test designer explaining the rationale behind our update.
We'd also love to hear your thoughts: your feedback helps us keep improving, so join us in the comments!
Test Results
The Jaybird Run are rugged and decently sturdy-looking truly wireless headphones. They're not much bigger than typical in-ear headphones. They don't stick out of your ears like the Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless or the Sony WF-1000X Truly Wireless. They have a stylish two-tone color scheme that makes them a bit more recognizable at a distance. Unfortunately, they don't feel as premium as the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless or the Samsung Gear IconX Truly Wireless, which is noticeable in their build quality upon closer inspection.
Update: 04/04/2019: We've updated the comfort score after comparing the Jaybird Run and Jaybird Run XT Truly Wireless to more recent truly wireless releases. The comfort test is done as a group to better reflect a typical user's experience.
The Jaybird Run are lightweight and angled earbuds, which makes them a bit more comfortable than typical in-ears like the Jabra Elite Sport Truly Wireless or the Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless. They come with four tip sizes and four additional stability tips to help you find the right fit, but they still put a bit of pressure within the ear canal. If you don't find in-ears comfortable, then these won't be ideal for you even if they fit the contours of your ear a little better than average.
The Jaybird Run have a mediocre control scheme that delivers a decent set of functions but can be a bit cumbersome to use. They provide call/music, track skipping, and voice-enabled controls via Google Assistant or Siri, but no default volume control or triple press to rewind or repeat. Unfortunately, you have to switch between different control scheme profiles if you want to have access to volume controls, but then you can't use the voice-enabled controls or have track skipping at the same time, which is disappointing. The button placement also forces you to push the earbuds deeper into your ear canal just to change songs.
The wireless in-ear design makes them a super breathable headset to use for sports. The Jaybird Run barely cause any temperature change even after an hour of intense exercise since they don't cover your ears. They do trap a little heat in the ear canal due to their in-ear design and stability fins, but the difference is negligible and won't make you sweat more than usual.
The Jaybird Run are small truly wireless in-ear buds that will fit in almost any pocket. They're a bit smaller than most of the other truly wireless headphones we've tested, like the Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless. Unfortunately, they come with a pretty bulky case that reduces their portability overall.
The Jaybird Run come with a hard plastic charging case that will protect them from drops and mild impacts. However, the case is quite bulky compared to other truly wireless designs, which means they won't fit as nicely in your pockets as the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless or the Samsung Gear IconX Truly Wireless.
The Jaybird Run have a sturdy and durable build quality. The earbuds feel dense enough that they won't break from a couple of accidental falls. Unfortunately, the build quality of the case feels cheap and plasticky. Overall, they're decently well-built and should be durable enough to last you, but feel less premium than a lot of the other truly wireless headphones we've tested like the Jabra Elite Active 65t Truly Wireless or the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless. They also don't have an official IPX rating for sweat and water resistance, which is surprising. The newer Jaybird Run XT Truly Wireless model are rated IPX7, which is good for sports headphones.
The Jaybird Run are excellent sports headphones with a stable in-ear design and multiple stability fins for a more secure fit. Once in your ears, they rarely move around even during more intensive workouts. They have more tips and multiple stability fins to help you achieve a more secure fit than with the JBL Free X True Wireless. However, you can't adjust the stability tips on the go like the Google Pixel Buds 2017 Wireless, which means if you don't have the right tip sizes, then they won't be as stable.
- Jaybird Run headphones
- Earbud tips (x4 sizes)
- Stability tips (x4 sizes)
- Charging case
- USB charging cable
- Carrying pouch
The Jaybird Run have outstanding frequency response consistency. If the user can achieve a proper fit and an air-tight seal using the assortment of tips, then they should have consistent bass and treble delivery with each re-seat. However, if a proper seal isn't achieved, the user will experience a noticeable drop in bass.
The bass is very good. Their LFE (low-frequency extension) is excellent. Low-bass, responsible for the thump and rumble common to bass-heavy music, is quite flat. This means they have just the right amount of thump and rumble, without being overpowering. Mid-bass, responsible for the body of the bass guitars and the punch of the kick drums, is also virtually flat. However, high-bass, responsible for warmth, shows a 5dB bump, which can make the bass a bit boomy and cluttered. Overall, the bass is well-extended, balanced, and punchy, but slightly boomy and muddy sounding.
The mid-range is very good. The overall response is quite even and relatively flat but shows a wide dip centered around 700Hz. This nudges vocals and lead instruments towards the back of the mix by giving more emphasis to the bass section. Overall, their mid-range sounds slightly recessed on voices and instruments.
The Jaybird Run have mediocre treble accuracy. The dip around 4kHz negatively affects the presence and articulation of vocals and lead instruments. The peaks at 7kHz and 10kHz could make the S and T sounds (sibilances) sharp and piercing on overly bright tracks. Overall, the treble sounds a bit sibilant and lacks some detail.
The Jaybird Run have great imaging. Their weighted group delay is 0.1 which is among the lowest we have measured, and typical of most closed-back in-ears. This results in tight bass reproduction and a transparent treble. The L/R drivers of our test unit were very well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response. This ensures accurate placement and localization of objects, such as footsteps, voices, and instruments in the stereo field. However, these results are only valid for our test unit, so your real-world experience may vary.
The soundstage of the Jaybird Run is poor. This is because creating an out-of-head and speaker-like soundstage is largely dependent on activating the resonances of the pinna (outer ear). The design of in-ears and earbuds is in such a way that fully bypasses the pinna and doesn't interact with it. Also, because they have a closed-back enclosure, their soundstage won't be perceived to be as open as that of open-back earbuds like the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless, Google Pixel Buds 2017 Wireless, or the Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless.
The Jaybird Run have good noise isolation. They perform nearly identically to the Jaybird X3 Wireless in the isolation test. In the bass range, where the rumble of plane and bus engines are located, they reduce outside noise by more than 8dB, which is decent. In the mid-range, which is crucial for blocking speech, they achieve 19dB of isolation, which is very good. In the treble, occupied by sharp sounds like S and Ts, they also achieve a very good reduction of 42dB.
The Jaybird Run have an excellent leakage performance. The majority of their leakage is located in the treble range, around 2kHz, and the overall level of the leakage is extremely low. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away averages at 27dB SPL and peaks at 39dB SPL, which is way below the noise floor of an average office. It should be possible to play very loud music with them in a quiet place, like an elevator, and not have anyone notice it. This is something that isn't possible with open-back earbuds such as the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless and the Google Pixel Buds 2017 Wireless.
The Jaybird Run's integrated microphone is mediocre. In quiet environments, speech recorded or transmitted with the mic will sound, thin, muffled, and lacking in detail. However, it will still be decently understandable. In noisy situations; however, they'll struggle to separate speech from ambient noise, even in moderately loud environments such as a busy street.
This microphone has a mediocre recording quality. The LFE (low-frequency extension) of 258Hz indicates a recorded/transmitted speech that sounds a bit thin. The HFE (high-frequency extension) of 3.3kHz means that speech recorded/transmitted with this mic will sound relatively muffled and lacking in detail. However, it'll still be easily comprehensible since speech understandability is mainly dependent on the 500Hz-4kHz range.
The integrated microphone is mediocre at noise handling. In our SpNR test, the Jaybird Run achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of 13dB, which is below average. This means that they're best suited for quiet environments, as they may struggle to fully separate speech from ambient noise, even in moderately loud places.
The Jaybird Run have a decent battery life of 3.8 hours and their case provides around two additional charges which result in 12 hours of total battery life. It's decent for most uses and should be enough to last you a day if you don't have long continuous listening sessions. However, they won't be ideal for more heavy users. On the upside, they don't take too long to charge and have a quick charge feature that gives 50 minutes of play time from 10 minutes charge. It's a decent battery life overall but won't last as long as some of the more recent truly wireless headphones we've tested, like the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air Truly Wireless. They also don't have any unique battery features like a power bank that can charge some of your devices like the XFYRO xS2 Truly Wireless.
Update 05/17/2019: We've updated the review since we had previously listed the Jaybird app as not having an in-app player, but it has an integrated one for Spotify Premium users.
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 MySound is an above-average app for iOS and Android that gives you access to an excellent parametric equalizer and a community-oriented design to share your presets and playlists. There are also two extra features unique to these earbuds. You can find the last known location of the earbuds if you misplace them and you can switch to an alternate control scheme that changes the right and left buttons to volume controls instead of track skipping and voice assistance. While they lack some additional features like room effects, the app still feels like a useful tool to personalize the sound profile to better match your tastes and mood.
If you prefer a more bass heavy sounding truly wireless headset and don't usually dive deeper into customization options, then consider the Skullcandy Push Truly Wireless instead.
The Jaybird Run only connect to other devices via Bluetooth. They aren't compatible with consoles via Bluetooth, and don't support NFC or multi devices pairing simultaneously, but do remember the last synced device for auto-pairing when you open the charging case. However, they have high latency, which makes them poorly suited for watching movies and gaming.
The Jaybird Run don't have an audio cable or a wired connection. If you want a decent sounding and stable in-ear with a wired connection, try the MEE audio M6 PRO or the 1More Triple Driver.
The Jaybird Run have a charging case that delivers up to eight hours of extra battery life. However, it has no inputs and isn't used to pair the earbuds to new devices, which is done by pressing and holding the right earbud.