Hands-on review: t-Jays Three Earphones

Jays, a Swedish-based producer of sleek and high-performing audio accessories, sent over a pair of its latest headset: the t-Jays Three Earphones. Here's the review.

Just upon arrival, the packaging already screams classy and sophisticated with a soft yet sturdy box. Despite the beautiful exterior, it was a little frustrating at first as there is only one way to open the packaging. Convienently, there is a sticker saying "Open Here" over a tiny button that needs to pressed with something like a pen. I used the end of my scissors ever so gently, and then the top popped upward.

Inside, everything is laid out ever so neatly, as you can see in the photo to the right. Buyers get the earbuds, four additional ear pads (besides the pair already installed), a stereo splitter, a travel case, a flight adapter and a 27.1-inch extension cord.

While the travel case is a nice touch (the top swivels around to close itself), I find the last two items to be the most important accessories. I can't count how many times I've sat down in an airplane seat and looked to plug my headphones in only to find that there was a dual audio port, meaning the audio feed from the airline radio or whatever cheese romantic comedy I chose to watch only went to one ear. The extension cable is also incredibly useful because the wires of the headphones aren't that long. I had trouble when walking and listening to my iPod with t-Jays in my ears because the cords were being stretched...and I'm not exactly tall. But with the extension cable, there shouldn't be any problems.

USE

First thing I almost always have to do after trying on a new set of earbuds is change the ear pad size. I tend to require smaller ones, otherwise the headphones continuously pop out of my ear, especially when exercising. But once I found the right match (and attached the extension cord), things went very smoothly - especially the audio quality.

Built with a 10mm TCD driver with neodymium magnets, the music playback on the t-Jays Three is incredibly well balanced, from the bass to the instrumentals. Nothing was too strong or too soft to hear. I've never been that impressed with the audio quality on earbuds previously. Just because something is expensive and looks high-end doesn't mean you'll get great audio quality.

Furthermore, I was surprised by the power of the noise canceling feature. There isn't any button to turn this on as there are with some pairs of larger stereo headphones. It wasn't 100% perfect, but it was the closest I've ever heard to complete noise cancelation with a pair of earbuds. I couldn't hear my TV when it was turned to a high volume, nor the loud rumbling of my window fan or much of anything when walking down the streets of New York City (which could be dangerous if you're trying to cross the street, so watch out).

One little problem I had was that with the extra length of the extension cord, the headphone cords seemed more prone to tangling, not just in my bag but even wearing them. Otherwise, I found the t-Jays Three Earphones to be more than satisfactory.

AVAILABILITY

Unfortunately, it seems that the only way you'll be able to get your hands on a pair of these earbuds in the United States online. You can visit Jays' site to see a list of retailers here such as Amazon and Beach Camera, among others. Pricing starts around $99. The noise canceling feature truly was remarkable for a pair of earbuds, and all of the accessories you get within the box make the price seem almost worth it.