This post was published 2 months 27 days ago. This info might have changed or might have become outdated.

I have been a fan of JayBird’s headsets since the review I completed for them on the JB-200 & iPod Adaptor, I jumped at the chance to try their new Tiger Eyes Earbuds. Since I have had my iPhone I have been using the standard default headset from Apple if I thought I might receive a call if out walking, my other headset is Smokin Buds Black by SkullCandy. Now the Smokin Buds are good but have no mic just a volume switch, so was limited to listen to music or movies and when a call came in having to unplug it and take the call. So when I found out that the Tiger Eyes had a built in mic, I thought it would be a great option as they were similar to my Smokin Buds. Well earbuds arrived via FedEx earlier than I expected as it was shipped to Perth, Western Australia. What caught my eye was the packaging for the Earbuds, (see my un-boxing video again be kind only my second attempt lol).

The Tiger Eyes earbuds feature 8mm high performance neodymium drivers. JayBird pushed the limits of acoustics to produce the balance of sound an athlete needs to push through the next barrier. Great bass, crystal clear clarity and presence of sound you’ll swear your listening live.

Engineered for those who enjoy rich, true to life sound with exceptionally warm bass. Surround yourself with your favourite music and experience it like never before. Turn it up and work-out with perfect sound isolation. The Tiger Eyes include a microphone for phone calls on iPhone, volume control for calls/music, and full remote music controls for iPhone or iPod. The mic button controls music during playback:

• Single click: Play/Pause
• Double click: Next track
• Triple click: Back track

"Spare no expense" was the mantra for the Tiger Eyes Earbuds. They feature a special titanium coating over the speaker diaphragms. The result? … you’ve just got to witness them to be a believer of how astounding and true to life the sound reproduction really is. The titanium coating contributes to a clear, crisp, true to life experience.

Additionally, regular speaker diaphragms deteriorate over time and get muffled just like the standard speaker diaphragms in a car. This becomes even more pronounced with personal audio products used for sports with sweat and moisture exposure. Most athletes don’t realize the deterioration over time. Titanium protection mean they keep pumping out the bass year after year without distortion. The Tiger Eyes may very well be the last earphones you’ll ever buy

The Test

I decided to test the Earbuds on one of the noisiest places – the train, you have the combination of the train itself and the people around you. When I tested them listening to music it was like I was in a small room by myself instead of being on a train with 100 people plus.

I found that the sound quality was excellent, I mean THE bass and THE music, for example while at work I was watching a movie and I heard all the thumps, explosions and other sound effects it was that great that it took one of my colleagues to wave her hand in my face to get my attention, if I had been using my iPhone headset or even my Smokin Buds I would still hear people, now add that the Tiger Eyes have a volume control as well then it is the total package.

I further tested the headset walking to work and running up a flight of stairs now as you all would now if you used the iPhone headset it would have fallen out after a few steps let alone running up stairs, I was not surprised that the Tiger Eyes did what Jaybird said they would do “Stay In”.

Conclusion

Why would I buy Jaybird’s Tiger Eyes? Why not… I mean for great sound and awesome comfort I would not look past them, I have used many brands from Sony, Philips, Motorola (on my Moto Q9h), SkullCandy and the dreaded Apple headset so far nothing sounds as good as the Tiger Eyes in my books. Even compared to Bluetooth headsets which I do like and have recommended for the short burst of music that you want to listen to, however for that long leisurely walk around the park then cabled earbuds are the way to go.

Most people that want great sounding headset go for bulky massive headsets that cost a lot and look like to have strapped earmuffs on in the middle of summer and pay over $200 USD for the pleasure, for those that want something a bit more discreet then Tiger Eyes would be the way to go at $89 USD ($104 AUD) still a cost effective headset with great sound.

• For Tiger Eyes Specs visit here
• To buy Tiger Eyes visit here

Watch for my next review on Jaybird’s Endorphin Sports earbuds, this time I will be getting my Wife’s thoughts.