Headphone Review: Jaybird Sports Vista 2

By Rebecca Trachsel

Back again with the SMM crew as I continue my quest to find the perfect pair of Bluetooth headphones for being active or, as in my case specifically, for running. This is my third review in the series and for this one I tested the Jaybird Sports True Wireless In-Ear Vista 2 Bluetooth Headphones. 

Jaybirds were my first foray into the Bluetooth world back in 2017. After using various types of headphones with cords, mainly purchased from airports and CVS, the wireless concept blew my mind. Not having to wind a chord beneath my shirt and between the straps of my sports bra up to my ears was pure bliss. Over time, the Jaybird product improved and eventually they landed where they are now with the Vista 1 and Vista 2 models. The Vista 2 is what I’ll be discussing today. I have a soft spot for these headphones given how much they rocked my world when they first came out. But over time, some things began to pop up that made me realize they were not, in fact, the perfect option. Good, perhaps, but not great. At least compared to what’s out on the market now. Quick reminder that I have worn every pair of headphones that I test for a minimum of 50 hours and in all types of weather conditions. Given how many pairs of Jaybirds I have gone through (minimum of 6), I’ve more than likely logged thousands of miles in these -- for racing, workouts, hiking, shopping, flying. All of it. And I’ve worn them in everything that Mother Nature has to offer including blizzards, hurricanes (that was dumb), heat, humidity, hail, sleet.  Again, all of it.  Let’s break it down, shall we?  

QUALITY: These are a seemingly good quality product that look, for lack of a better word, very sporty. Mind you, they are good quality when they work.  And this isn’t always the case. But more on that in a bit. They come in a sturdy case that has a short, vinyl loop which you can easily attach to your keys. I often did this to avoid losing them when I was out and about. A simple but appreciated feature. They are easy to start up and they connect to Bluetooth pretty much straight out the box. They claim to be totally waterproof which is more than most of their competitors can say. I’ve gone so far as to drop one of the earbuds in a puddle, mid-run and pick it up and put it back in without any issues. So, this feature is a big plus for Jaybird. They have an 8-hour battery life and then 24 additional hours when the case is fully charged. That said, I have run marathons in very cold temps (teens and twenties) and the battery life gave out notably quicker than usual; about 3 hours of music versus the typical 8. Losing your music mid-marathon is a major buzzkill and this was a definite strike against them when it happened. I’ve also had situations when one of the two earbuds would just stop working randomly; I’m guessing because of too much sweat or because I threw water down my back but I honestly don’t know.  It shouldn’t be water-related if they are waterproof, but it’s the only thing I could come up with. I can tell you that when this happens it is rare for that one earbud to come back to life. Jaybird will replace one for you if it breaks but you still have to cover the cost if it’s out of warranty. Of the many pairs I went through, this situation almost always happened and was ultimately the reason I finally switched. So, the net-net?  When they work, they’re great.  They just don’t always work.  And that sucks.

SOUND: The sound is rock solid. As I mentioned in the beginning of this project, sound and sound features aren’t that important to me. If the music plays and I can hear it, I’m good. They do have what they call SurroundSense technology which allows you to either tune into your surroundings if you’re running outside and need to hear traffic or to use the ANC feature which blocks out background noise when you want to focus.  Definitely important to have both of these options. I have tried other headphones that sound more intense or where the bass is deeper and while those features are noticeable, they aren’t a must-have in my mind.  But if sound and sound functionality is an important factor for you, then these are probably not what you should pick.  On the other hand, if you download the app, you can do a lot of sound-related stuff, so I should be honest and say I never played with that myself.

CONNECTION: The Bluetooth connection is absolutely fine.  I never had an issue with this in any that I used. As I said, it was easy to pair them up.  And I could take a call mid run and hear it perfectly.  I could also be on the third floor of my house with my phone in the kitchen and still get a connection which is pretty impressive.  

FIT: These earbuds fit my small ears perfectly. They sit snugly inside my ears, feel totally comfortable and I really don't even notice them when I get going. Their biggest plus is that they never fall out of my ears. Ever. For me, this is everything. And to date, Jaybird is the only brand I can say this for. Which is why I continued to purchase them over and over even when I knew they would likely die. I wanted them to work for me so badly. And having them fit was so nice. But, in the end, not enough.

PRICE: These are usually $149.99 but as of today, they are on sale for $79.99 which is a great deal.  I’m almost tempted to try them again.  Almost.  

OVERALL RATING: C+