“Jays’ affordable a-Jays Three offer balanced bass, great built quality and a wide variety of accessories for $60.”
- Solid build quality
- Excellent imaging and sound stage
- Nice tight, deep bass
- Flat cord
- Lots of accessories
- Highs could be brighter
- Carrying case is cool, but awkward
Introduction
Swedish-based Jays launched its a-Jays series of earphones this past March, offering a trio of different offerings: the a-Jays One, Two and Three series. They all come with 8.6mm drivers, but offer little extras as you move up the line to the more expensive model. For example, the a-Jays Three come with flat cables and airline splitters. Priced at $60, we take a look at the a-Jays Three in this review.
Features and Design
As we have mentioned in previous reviews, a good set of earphones will last you years and really are one of those products that cater to the individual who will be using them. From sound to look and build quality, every aspect of an earphone has to appeal to the user. In the $50 to $100 price range, there are literally hundreds of earphones to choose, coming from over two dozen or more manufacturers. Simply put, you would have to be nuts to enter this market – or truly passionate about your product. We think Jays is a little of both. The good thing is that they really get what it takes to be successful here. Headphone manufacturers need to understand that it’s the total package that will sell their product. This includes the accessories, carrying case, and even cord quality.
We saw our first tangle-free flat cable with the Monster Beats earphones a couple years ago. Jays follows this design element with the a-Jays Three. Covered in a matte black finish, the flat cable helps to minimize noise vibration in addition to cutting out tangles.
Jays includes five pairs of silicon tips to make sure these earphones fit most users. While the a-Jays Three are not marketed as noise canceling, the company does claim that with the correct set of tips installed, you can expect a reduction in outside sound by 40dB.
The driver size of the a-Jays Three is a respectable 8.6 mm with a sensitivity level of 95dB and a frequency response of 20Hz to 18,000Hz. To put things plainly, you do not need a powerful amp to reap the benefits of these earphones; any MP3 player will drive them just fine.
Testing and Use
For our testing, we used an Apple iPhone and a 2009 Apple iMac computer. Music selection consisted of Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D., Broken English by Karsh Kale and World by Rodrigo y Gabriela.
The a-Jays Three are incredibly comfortable to wear. Some earphones take a while for your ears to adjust, regardless of the size of silicon sleeve you choose to use. We didn’t experience any fatigue, even after prolonged use.
Jays markets the a-Jays Three as having a strong emphasis on bass reproduction. We found the bass to be nice, tight and not overbearing. Bass output is definitely not the deepest we have experienced, but deep enough without drowning out the mids and highs. Just perfect.
The a-Jays Three have an amazing soundstage for their price range. The only other earphones that come close would be the Sennheiser CX series, but we would put the Jays ahead of the Sennheisers here. Highs could be better. They are slightly flat, but we would take that over tinny any day. Imaging is fantastic and really helps the a-Jays Three give the listener that immersive feeling.
Other things to note include that we did not experience any cord tangling and minimal noise feedback. Cord length is on par with what you would expect. The carrying case uses a unique swivel design to open that makes it a little awkward when storing your earphones.
Conclusion
The a-Jays Three are amazing headphones for the price. Sound quality, bass and build quality are all right where they need to be to put these ear buds at the top of the pack in their price range. The packaging and included accessories that come with the a-Jays are top notch, and more than you would typically get from a set of earbuds in this price range. The a-Jays Three come highly recommended.
Highs:
- Solid build quality
- Excellent imaging and sound stage
- Nice tight, deep bass
- Flat cord
- Lots of accessories
Lows:
- Highs could be brighter
- Carrying case is cool, but awkward
