JAYS s-JAYS review

Jays’ s-JAYS noise-isolating earphones are designed so you can listen to music in noisy environments, such as an aeroplane or train, without having to turn up your MP3 player’s volume to dangerously high levels. But how do these wired headphones shape up?

The earplugs sit inside your ears and need a snug fit to be effective. Different-sized earplug sleeves are included, so all but those with the most oddly shaped ears should be able to get a comfortable, snug fit. We were generally impressed with the effectiveness of the noise-isolation. Although it’s not quite as effective as other noise-isolating earphones we’ve used, we were still able to enjoy acoustic tracks on the Underground that would have otherwise been drowned out by ambient noise using a non-isolation pair of earphones.

We were greatly impressed with the audio quality. Instruments sounded rich and warm, especially brass instruments in classical and jazz tracks. We were surprised by the deep, thumping bass, which made listening to heavy metal and drum’n’bass tracks a pleasure. Vocals sounded clear and didn’t distort, even at high volumes. Backing vocals were a little muffled on some pop tracks, but this was hardly noticeable.

The noise-isolation of Jay’s s-JAYS isn’t quite as effective as our current favourites, Shure’s SE102 earphones, but their sound quality is better, especially the rich and deep bass. Shure’s SE102 set are still the best choice for enjoying music in the noisiest environments, but the s-JAYS are a close second.