Customer Reviews

JayBird SB1B Sportsband Bluetooth Headphones (Black)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This is my first pair of stereo bluetooth headphones. I had read a lot about the drawbacks of these types of headphones, so I went in with that knowledge. I purchased the Jaybird SB1 Sportsband headphones without relying on a product review as I typically try to do, so I was a bit worried at what I might find...

I am happy with these. They seem to be well put together. They fit very well, and I have not had them fall off my head or flop around or slide out of my ear the way my other wired headphones tend to do. They also seem to live up to the promise of being sweat and waterproof. I sweat a lot (to the point of embarrassment sometimes), and these have so far held up very well. I have already destroyed 3 pairs of headphones due to my profuse sweating! The ear 'cushions' do tend to get soaked to the point of being able to wring them out, but it does not mess with the sound quality or the operation, or whether the headphones stay on your head.

The look is a bit of a throwback, some might classify as old school. I like it actually, as they stay in place and don't need to be messed with much. For whatever reason - with other headphones - they would constantly come out of my ear or need readjusting. These, however, stay in place nicely.

Overall, I am very happy to have purchased these. I think they fit my needs perfectly. And, while the look of them may not be great, they get the job done, free you from those darn wires, and for me - may even distract people I run past from the fact that I have no shoes on!

Hope this helps...

There are some things I like about these headphones. I like the way they look. They're fairly lightweight & comfortable. The sound is pretty good. They continue to play the music from the 3G iPod Touch as I walk around the room. Thought I'd have to stay closer to the iPod. The volume controls on the headphones work fine. (I knew the tracks wouldn't change via the controls.)

I had a heck of a time getting the headphones paired with the iPod. The "user manual" that came with these headphones is a joke. It's a tiny leaflet with pictures - no verbiage.

Once paired with the iPod, I was happy for a while. I bought these mostly to use while doing housework & walking the dogs. This is where they fail! Every time I bend over even a little, the headphones slide off. Bend over to grab the Frisbee. Grab the headphones before they hit the ground! I was leaning over a bit to tape up a box & they slide off then too. I eventually made them quite tight (as tight as they go), but they still constantly slip while doing normal activities around the house. Can't imagine they'd stay on at the gym!

If you only want to use these headphones while sitting, walking, or maybe running, they'd probably be fine. But, although they're marketed for active use, they're just not made for it.

UPDATE 5/9/10: I had planned on returning these headphones but ended up keeping them. I use them mostly while taking public transportation, and it is nice to ride the subway without having wires connected to the iPod. I'm pleased with the sound quality. Just wish they wouldn't fall off so easily!

UPDATE 6/30/10: Wanted to point out that the earpiece is rectangular. Which means that standard round foam replacement earpads will not fit the Sportsband! The pads WILL come off. Amazon doesn't sell the replacements. The only place I found them was Jaybird's website. They charge $9 for a set of 10. Quite reasonable. BUT, shipping is an absurd $12! So, replacement foam earpads cost a ridiculous $21!

Video review:
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The only reason this didn't get 5 stars is because the user would like it to be a bit cheaper. After all, we're still in a recession people!

User paired with iPhone 3GS.

Good for all activities but a couple of limitations...
1. Cannot change tracks from headset buttons, must use Voice Control. (Apparently an issue particular to iPhone.)
2. Probably cannot be worn with a bike helmet.
3. Doing various activities in gym, like abs and stretching, must be adjusted periodically to prevent from falling off. Never actually fell off, but felt like it was going to on occasion. (I hanged upside down. Did not fall off.)
4. Does not come with wall charger; comes with USB charger. (Not mini-USB.)
5. Black is cool, but other fun colors would be nice.

Otherwise...
1. Great sound, particularly the bass.
2. Voice Control does work.
3. Phone calls in stereo; other party reported clear sound, but a little "tinny".
4. Works great with iPhone 3GS. Phone can be worn anywhere on body, or even left several feet away. Didn't cut out until about 20 feet away and behind wall. My phone was carried during outdoor running in a fanny-pack, behind my back, in an Otterbox Defender Case.
5. No issues on iPhone while running apps. Not expecting one, but thought I'd mention. Listened to AOL Radio app, Pandora Radio app, and of course iPod, with great sound and no connection issues.
6. Pairing simple and easy with iPhone. Did not require any key (0000).
7. Quite light and comfortable.
8. Guaranteed sweatproof. Website says, "Run in the rain!"
9. Great for athletic or casual use.
10. All buttons work great - volume, on-off, power/answer/ignore call.
*I did a lot of research online prior to purchasing these. Although other reviews boast superior audio quality, if you're looking for a sweatproof/rainproof solution, Jaybird seems to be where it's at!*

GO BAREFOOT!

These headphones fit great and have great sound, but they are NOT sweat proof.

My first pair (the SB1B model) shorted out within a few weeks of getting them. Jaybird's warranty process was slow and frustrating, but they did send me a replacement pair of the newer SB2 model.

I got the SB2 replacement a couple days ago, and it shorted out on my very first run! I sweat a lot, and I'm training for a half marathon (so my runs are long), but these headphones are advertised for athletes and a 10 mile run is well within normal workout ranges.

I guess we'll see whether Jaybird sticks to their word and exchanges it again for me (hopefully faster this time). I really do love these headphones (great grip on my head, comfy, great sound), but that doesn't do me much good if they keep breaking...

These headphones feel great to wear. They are well-built, sound good, and do what they advertise. I bought them for working out because Jaybird has a lifetime sweat guarantee on them. Sofar they have lived up to that guarantee, and I sweat profusely when I work out. They don't slip at all while running, though if you bend over (e.g. to do pushups) they may fall forward. The audio quality wouldn't impress an audiophile, but my music sounds great in them and that is all I care about.

The main downside is that you cannot change the song on an iPhone. That is not Jaybird's fault though, it is Apple's. No bluetooth headset can change the song on an iPhone.

I don't use this for calling people, but the one time I picked up the person on the other side could barely hear me at all and when they could the audio was distorted. I don't use this feature so it doesn't matter to me.

I switch off between pairing with my laptop (using Linux) and my iPhone with no problems. Sometimes I have to re-pair them, but not too often.

Finally, the battery life is very good. It can last me through 3 or 4 one-hour workout sessions before dying, which is more than enough for me to remember to plug it in.

These were my first pair of wireless headphones and while for $90 i wasn't expecting top of the line but these do a pretty good job. They fit well, are quite comfortable, and have a good sound quality with and impressive bass. The one complaint that i have is the confusing connecting system, with the single button i often have to turn it off then on again to restart.
I primarily use it with my ipod touch and skype on my macbook and it works decently with both. With my ipod though if i have my headphones on and my ipod in my left pocket, the connection will often drop on and off which is kind of annoying.
All in all though the pair is good but could use a bit of fine tuning.

I was skeptic about getting a pair of bluetooth headphones. I have been browsing for about six months and every pair I came across there was always one thing I didn't like. If I found a pair that I was almost set on I would find a number of reviews that said sweat broke them.

Then I came across this pair and looked at the jaybird website. The website is very inviting, and then I saw the deal maker....LIFETIME sweatproof guarantee. The also challenge you to go run in the rain with them. So I took the plunge.

Today was my first day using them, and had a vigorous 2 hour workout at the gym.

First thing out the chute, it came fully charged so I picked them up at the post office and 10 minutes later I was at the gym.

It took literally 10 seconds to sync them to my iphone.

Song foward/backward buttons don't work, but this is due to the iphone not the headphones.

The sound is great. Didn't cut out once, and sounded like a good set of wired headphones. Sound stays clear even at max volume (which is louder than the comfort level).

After one day of use, I would recommend these to anyone and everyone. I will edit my review when/if anything goes wrong with them in the future

'K, I see a very wide range of experiences with the JayBird SportsBands. Acknowledged.

MY experience is very positive:

Usage: Workouts of 1-2 hours, 3-5 days/week, including running, lifting, stretching, indoors and out, including a couple days running in the rain. Paired with my BB Storm 2 to play music and listen to podcasts.

Overall Results: Great! Comfortable, stay in place during exercise, very good sound, easy to use controls, no problems so far from sweat or rain.

Breaking it down...

Sound: Very balanced frequency response, plenty of volume. Large drivers make for a very smooth and unstrained sound, especially on the low end.

Comfort: Still comfortable at the END of a workout, which is what counts. They fit my head very well and do not slide around during exercise. Can't beat open (foam) for comfort as long as the band is not too tight (which this is not, another good design result) ... air flows into the ear, much better than sealing the ear canal and the itchy, sweaty isolation I feel with fully isolating in-ear buds. While the SportsBands are physically large by today's standards, they are not heavy nor all that big in the absolute. The rubbery surface on the hair side of the band helps them stay in place, gotta adjust the sliders to keep that surface in moderate contact with your hair/head. Freedom from a cord is of course fantastic!

Style: Hey, I LIKE retro, but these are actually much more stylish than old fashioned over the ear headphones from back in the day. One solid matte black band, visually subtle but finger-friendly controls, size adjustment sliders that work and look great, and modest sized ear pieces that match the width of the band. Another point I appreciate - the 'Bands have their own strong, elegant design language, one that speaks for itself, and at the same time makes an anti Apple-clone statement as well (iPhone, iPod, iTouch, iEverything, iThinkImCool, but really iAmTheSameAsEveryoneElse). Look, Apple and their design agencies do great, elegant, even breakthrough work at times, but there are other great designs and designers in the world, and you can have too much of a good thing.

Controls: Excellent, simple 5 button controls, easy to find by feel during a run, work very reliably for me. All controls work with my Storm 2 - pause, play, advance, back, volume. Pairing was very simple, and repairing is both automatic and VERY fast.

Care: Have to wash the foam ear pads, of course. Very easy to remove and wash, and they dry VERY quickly, must have been made with a careful choice of polymer to get just the right properties. I can get several workouts in before needing to charge the battery.

Negatives (minus 1 star total):
*Foam ear pads lose a bit of their stretch and fit on the phones after several hand washings, may need replacement in a few more months.
*Non-standard charging connection!!! YUCK! Mini or MicroUSB should have been the choice! Please, manufacturers, one standard USB format charging connection for all! Now, I do just plug the SportBand USB cable into my iGo charger in the car via the USB iGo tip, so no big deal, but I do HATE having to keep track of one more specialized cable when I take the 'Bands somewhere else.

Conclusion: The SportsBand is my preferred workout headphone today. I just hope they last, unlike the unfortunate experiences of some reviewers here, where controls went bad. So far, so good for me after several months of use.

Context: I cooked several pairs of the Motorola S9/S9HD's with their terribly fragile controls, all broken and useless in weeks to just a couple of months. I've had several other stereo bluetooth headsets over the years including the decent Motorola 305s and the excellent sounding Plantronics 590s but none of them were suitable for exercise. I am looking forward to trying the JayBird BlueBuds when they finally come out to see about a smaller size set of bluetooth exercise phones, but the in-ear design may prove less comfortable for me depending on how completely they isolate.

For a wired connection during exercise, nothing beats my Sennheiser PMX 70 behind-the-head bands Sennheiser PMX70 Sport Line Stereo Neckband Headphones (I see there are newer versions from Sennheiser now as well Sennheiser PMX80 Sport Series II Behind the Head Ear Phones For Sports). SUPER durable, extremely light weight and comfortable (not fully isolating, which is great, the drivers rest on but not in the ear canal!), a non-tangling cord that really works, and very good sound. I even like the funky green color. While I hate having a cord to get hooked on things, I always have the Sennheisers in my gym bag as backups, 5 years and still rocking!

I bought this jaybird sportsband after my motorola m9 got the volume/sweat fail after the third workout. I have been using the SB now for a couple of months and I am very pleased with the purchase. It works as advertised, takes sweat without missing a beat, and has really good range. The sound is average for stereo headphones. I'd put it on par with standard apple headphones. The bluetooth pairs very easily and quickly. They are very comfortable for two hours, then I need a break. They don't work well with high impact athletics as they will fall off with rapid acceleration/deceleration or if laying horizontal without a slight adjustment. I would purchase again. Incidentally, no bluetooth stereo headset has the ability to change tracks with a button push if you are using an iphone. That is an apple issue. The volume buttons on the headset will work with iphone and so do all of the telephone functions, but the track change will not work. You have to change the track either on the iphone itself or using voice control. Hope this helps.

I have been using these headphones almost everyday. I can say I am very satisfied with them. I use them to see movies in my iPOD Touch 3G and, for that, they are great. I don't use them to work out.

Pros:

- No wires
- Good battery life (about 8 hours)
- Controls are easy to learn and use
- Bluetooth works perfect with the iPOD
- Supports Volume, FF, RW and Pause in its buttons
- Supports voice control
- Sound quality is acceptable
- They look durable
- Nice design

Cons:

- I find them a little too tight, but I am getting used to them. i guess that is an advantage if you use them to work out
- It takes about 2 hours to charge and you only have the USB option
- Sound could be louder, but quality is OK and better than in the original iPOD phones
- When in use, you can only control volume from the headphones, not the iPOD