This might be an unwise confession, but wirefree earbuds are not comfortable to me. Finding the right tips for those noisy little pebbles can be a hassle, and I live in dread of informing a manufacturer that my review unit fell into a noxious puddle while I was out on a 5-mile trail run.
After two or three hours of listening, my poor ear canals usually need a break. Yet, I wore the Jaybird Vistas for five straight hours without a problem. I was startled when I realized how long I had worn them. Jaybird’s latest wireless sport headphones sound fantastic and weigh a minuscule six grams per bud. That’s a third smaller than the Bose SoundSport Frees.
The Vistas are quite comfortable for sport buds. They also have an IPX7 waterproof rating, meaning they’re rated for full immersion. Puddles ahoy! If you like to go on long trail runs or hikes, the Vistas are a great pick.
With sport buds, finding the right fit is key. Running and weightlifting are hard enough without the irritation of having to constantly poke an earbud back into your ear. The Vistas come with three sets of silicone gel tips, and the two bigger sizes have fins that fit into the whorls of your ear.
The smallest size don’t have wings, so I went with the medium tips. They fit securely and comfortably, but they also created a soundproof vacuum in my ear. The Vistas aren’t technically noise-canceling buds, but they don’t let in ambient noise at all. They silence so well that you should only wear one bud if you like to run outside.
Also, the fit is so snug that I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears when was working hard, providing an off-tempo counterpoint to the Menzingers. (I couldn't stop listening to this band.)
At first touch, the Vistas don’t feel like a pair of premium buds that weigh in at a moderately pricey $180. They have a nondescript plastic exterior, with one button per bud. The case is absurdly tiny. It’s flat and fits in the stash pocket of my running shorts, which normally only fits a single house key.
But that simple exterior disguises Jaybird’s EarthProof encapsulated construction. Each bud has a plastic bubble within it to protect the components from the elements—you can drop these buds in up to three feet of water and they’ll still work. I didn't do this out of excessive caution, but I did go trail running in 90-degree weather. I got extremely sweaty and felt like I was close to heat stroke, but the buds were in great shape.
The Vistas also have excellent battery life. They’re rated for six hours of use per bud, but after five hours of straight listening, I had only drained the battery about halfway. Though tiny, the case provides an additional 10 hours of power. I've worn them for a few hours a day for four days, and haven’t had to recharge the case.
They also have a sterling Bluetooth 5.0 connection. After some initial fumbles with establishing a connection—you’re supposed to put them in pairing mode while they’re in the case, I learned the hard way—the buds automatically connected to my iPhone 8 when I took them out of the case.