Jays a-Jays Four Review

Review: Jays a-Jays Four approach iPhone perfection with inline controls and a microphone, but skimp on accessories.

When we reviewed the a-Jays Three back in August of last year, we thought they were as close to perfect as you could get for the price range they were in. They only lacked controls and a microphone to double as a headset for the Apple iPhone. Well, our Swedish friends listened to our pleas and recently introduced the a-Jays Four, which use the same design and flat cable as the a-Jays, only this time they have inline controls and a microphone for use with the Apple iPhone. Priced at around $75, the a-Jays Four are aimed squarely at the Apple user looking for a good set of buds to use with their trusty companion.

Features and Design

As with all of the other Jays headphones we have reviewed, the a-Jays Four stand out in a crowded market. The flat cable and minimalistic controls really help give the a-Jays Four that high-end look, almost like they were created by the famous Porsche Design firm. The other difference is that they stay true to the audio enthusiast. Sure, there are other headphones out there with radical designs (the Monster Beats line comes to mind), but when it comes down to pure audio quality, the rest fall short.

While the a-Jays Four look almost identical to the Three’s, there are some subtle differences behind the scenes. The Threes use an 8.6mm TCD speaker for their driver rated at 97dB, where the newer a-Jays Four use what the company calls a “Dynamic Driver” rated at a slightly lower 96 dB sensitivity level. The a-Jays Four also come with a silver-plated, L-shaped plug rather than the straight gold-plated plug found on the Three’s. The a-Jays Four are compatible with the Apple iPhone 4, Apple iPad and some iPod’s, although you will need to check the company’s website for a complete compatibility list.

We have always been impressed with the little extras that Jays throw in with their headphones. The Three series as well as the T-Series both came with a carrying case, airline adapter and headphone jack splitter, for example. Sadly, these are all omitted with the a-Jays Four’s. Instead, we were greeted with a cardboard insert where the case should have been, and five pairs of silicon ear sleeves – pretty standard fare. Shame on Jays for trying to cut corners here.

The company touts the Fours as using a MEMS silicon microphone, which removes GSM/TDMA burst noise and supposedly suppresses wide-band RF noise. Translation: The receiver on the other end of the call will not be able to hear a lot of background or phone interference – at least in theory.

The a-Jays Four come with a two-year warranty, which is better than most headphone manufacturers.

Testing and use

For our testing, we used an Apple iPhone 4, a 27-inch Apple iMac and an Apple iPad. Music selection is identical to what we used while testing the a-Jays Three and includes Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D., Broken English by Karsh Kale and World by Rodrigo y Gabriela.

We have been spoiled by the clear soft silicon tips that Thinksound provides with its ear buds, so it took some adjustments before we got used to the stiffer tips on the a-Jays Four. After finding the right-sized tips, we didn’t experience fatigue in our ears for at least a good three or four hours.

Immediately out of the gate, we noticed that the a-Jays Four sounded stiffer than the Threes we previously reviewed, so we decided to break them in for more than 10 hours to see how they sounded. After a couple days of use, the a-Jays Four really opened up and showed their potential.

As with the Three, the a-Jays Four have a strong emphasis on bass. The Jays website doesn’t mention this, but rather focuses on the inline controls and microphone on the headset. Midrange is warm, and the soundstage is forward where it should be, but highs sound a little distant and muddied at times.

The in-line remote controls work the same as all other headsets. You have volume controls on the top and bottom, while the middle button is used to play, pause, and skip forward and back. Make sure to read the instructions to figure out how use the controls correctly. In our tests, we found out that the controls even work while playing music from Pandora, just as if the app was native to Apple.

In our call tests, people on the receiving end did not complain of background noise. A couple of times we had to hold the microphone closer to our mouth so they could hear us in a crowded environment, but overall the microphone seems to be pretty high quality.

Due to the flat cord, cord noise (the thumping you hear when the cord hits your chest) is minimal.

Conclusion

For a mere $15 more, you get the same amazing sound as the a-Jays Three, but with controls for the Apple iPhone. You no longer need to unplug your headphones to take a call. The packaging is top-notch and we are happy to see that these too have a two-year warranty attached. Our only complaint is that Jays left out the popular accessories – airline adapters, splitter and carrying case. Come on, guys. Go for the gold and include everything this time around – people are willing to pay a tad bit more for the extras. As for iPhone headsets, the a-Jays Four are likely the best on the market right now. If the company threw in the extras like we wanted, they would likely have received a 9/10, which would put these headphones in a league of their own.

Highs:

• Solid build quality
• Excellent sound
• Microphone works well
• Responsive controls
• Flat Cord

Lows:

• Highs could be brighter
• No accessories included