Back in 2019 I took a look at a set of wireless earbuds from Jaybird called the Vistas and was extremely impressed with their performance. Even with having multiple other wireless earbuds come in, I have stuck with the Vistas as my go-to earbud using them anytime I’m doing outside work. Especially when mowing the yard. They don’t have active noise cancelation, but they sounded great and did a good job of sticking in my ears even with the vibration of riding around on the mower. When I saw that Jaybird was introducing a new earbud, the Vista 2 I was very interested in what they had changed. Low and behold, one of the big changes was adding active noise cancelation. Today I’m going to check out the new Vista 2’s and see what else Jaybird has changed as well as putting them through the normal use to see how well they work. Will they replace the originals for me? Well, I can get a little attached to what I’m used to, but we will see!

Product Name: Jaybird Vista 2

Review Sample Provided by: Jaybird

Written by: Wes Compton

Amazon Affiliate Link: HERE

 

Specifications

Type

In-Ear Style

Noise-isolation

Passive & Active Noise Reduction

Impedance

23 Ohm +-15% at 1KHz

Speaker sensitivity

103.5 +-1.5dB at 1KHz

Output

12 mW RMS (with level limit)

Total Harmonic Distortion

<3% (1KHz, 1mW)

Audio Format

16-bit Stereo

Codec

Bluetooth® SBC Implementation & AAC

Response Bandwidth

20Hz - 20kHz

Driver Size

6 mm

Bluetooth Version

5.0

Frequency Band

2.4 GHz

Profiles

Handsfree , Headset , A2DP , AVCRP , SPP

Wireless Range

Class 2 standard range 10m/33ft

Microphone Type

Digital MEMS, Omni directional

Microphone Sensitivity

-38dB +-3dB (Test conditions: 1KHz, 0dB = 1V/Pa)

Play Time

8 Hrs* + 16 Hrs in the case

Charging Time

2 Hrs

Quick Charge

5 min = 1 hour play time

Charging

Via charging case with USB-C connector & Qi Wireless Charging

Input power

DC 5V 500mA

Type

Lithium Ion

Battery Voltage

3.8V

Energy Voltage in Watt Hrs Per Battery

0.26 Wh

Case Dimensions

Width: 74.6mm

Height: 38.5mm

Depth: 25mm

Earbud Dimensions

Width: 15.7mm

Height: 16.2mm

Depth: 20.3mm

Weight

Weight with medium eargel: 6.7g

Weight without eargel: 5.4g

Weight case without earbuds: 42.8g

Compatibility

Any Bluetooth enabled with HFP, HSP and A2DP

Warranty

1 Year

 


Packaging

Well to start things off, the new Jaybird Vista 2’s have a new look for their packaging. The first Vista’s has a white background with mountains in the background with a bright yellow trim. This time around for the Vista 2’s the box has a grey stone look for the background. They have a picture of the headphones on the front which I like then down at the bottom they have the model name but it is very small.  Below that they have a series of dashes and dots in green. They are missing spaces, but this is morse code for jaybird. Around on the back, you can see that same green trim is used on the outside of the box and on each of the main titles on the back. Each of those highlights a feature which then has a description below that. The back has a picture of the carrying/charging case as well and down at the bottom they have a line drawing that shows you everything that comes inside of the box.

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When you open the packaging up, the carry case is right there up on top along with a bottom box that covers up all of the accessories inside and has a QR code that helps you get started. Under that lid, you have a stack of paperwork which includes a quick start guide, a small paper with an appendix to the specifications, and then a warning paper with all of the safety information. Also up under the lid, you have two other accessories, the cord and a pack of eargels.

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So the charging cord that comes with the Vista 2’s is short and has a typical type-a connection on one end and type-c on the other so most people with type-c charging on their phones will be able to just use their phone charger. As for the eargels, I like how Jaybird has packaged these. They come in a plastic tray and are sealed. This tray gives you a place to store the four extra eargels. These give you different sizes to help find what fits you best and they also all have different “wing” designs as well. One comes without wings at all, the set that comes preinstalled on the Vista 2’s has a medium sized wing, then the last set has a thick wing. That wing hooks on the inside of your ear to help hold everything in. This tray keeps the eargels from being smashed and deformed so they should work well right out of the box. BTW, you can order new replacements from Jaybird if you lose any of these and they have them in black like here, white, and in a midnight blue color.

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Photos and Features

Just like the original Jaybird Vista’s the new Vista 2’s come with their own carry/charging case. The design for the case is similar to the original, but not completely the same. It is black on the outside and has the Jaybird logo on top but the shape is a little more rounded this time around. On the front the single LED of the original is now gone with three extremely small LEDs in place of it, you can hardly see them even in the picture below but they are above the charging port. These will let you know the charge level beyond using colors like before. The charging port is type-c again which I love. This keeps it matched up to a majority of cell phones for easy charging. The case also now has wireless Qi charging as well built-in which with most of the high-end phones including Qi charging gives a second easy charging option. The case has a rope on one side that you can use to attach the case to a lanyard or something else to keep from losing it.

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All together the carry/charging case is 74.6 mm wide 25 mm deep, and 38.5 mm tall. It is small enough to fit in even small pockets which makes it easy to bring with you if you want to use the Vista 2’s later in the day or so you can use them when walking/biking to work and home.

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The carrying case also doubles as the charging case as well. That is why it has the three status LEDs on the front which will light up to show you the overall charge when you open the front. But the new case design doesn’t have the small area to get a nail in to help open up the magnetically latched case. Inside the two headphones, each has its own spot. This isn’t any different from the originals other than the interior is now black not the bright green used before. In the center between the, is a single button. This is for syncing Bluetooth or removing sync to attach to another device. When you pull the Vista 2’s out you can see how they charge as well with two contact pads on each side that line up with pads on the headphones for charging. Then like I mentioned before the case itself charges using the USB Type-C on the front or with wireless Qi charging. The case also has its own batteries, this allows the Vista 2’s to get charged back up even when you have them stored in your pocket. The case can get two full charges which total 16 hours in playtime. This combined with the charge that the Vista 2’s have gives you 24 hours in total playtime. Then as far as charging goes they can recharge in 2 hours and there is a quick charge mode that gets you an hour's worth of charge in five minutes when you just need a little charge for a run or your trip home.

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So the initial shape of the Vista 2’s is similar to the original design. They did change things up with the fabric on the outside which makes sense because the Vista 2’s are adding active noise canceling and those microphones are behind the fabric. You can see the oval shape of the main housing which is unchanged from the original Vista and the winglets on the eargels to help hold things in place. They hook into the top of your ear to give a second point of contact which given Jaybirds focus on audio for being active, is a good addition. You also have the multiple eargel options as well that all come with the Vista 2’s including options without the wing as well. The default eargel is the size 2 which you can see labeled when you look at the underside. That video also shows the two contact pads as well and the magnet they use to keep that contact surface tight together in the case. The top of the eargels has the L and R so you know which side is which, but with the design, they don’t fit in the wrong ear so you will figure it out even if you ignore that and that they sit in the case on their respective sides.

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Now unlike a lot of in-ear headphone designs, the Vista 2’s eargel design covers almost the entire headphone. But they are a larger design and most of this is going in your ear, so it does make sense and helps keep things cleanable and more comfortable. This view also gives us a better look at the

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I of course can’t look at the Vista 2’s without putting them next to the Jaybird Vista’s that I’ve been using for the past year. The differences in the charging/carrying case are a lot more noticeable when you have the two next to each other. The new design is all rounded and most likely easier to drop into your pockets. But I can say that the older design was easier to open due to the small lip it has on the front edge for better grip. The new housing feels like its magnet is a little weaker to help compensate for that. I also miss the bright interior color, even though it is purely cosmetic.

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As for the headphones themselves. The main changes that are visible from the design would be of course the fabric outside design and the left and right labels now stick out and have small nubs on them to make them easier to feel. The driver inside at least going off the spec sheet hasn’t changed. It’s the same 6mm size and the range is still the same at 20Hz - 20kHz. Impedance and sensitivity are the same as well. The same goes for the built-in microphone which has the space specs as well across both products. The main performance changes are with the battery life which is now 8 + 16 vs 6 + 10 of the original and the addition of active noise canceling as well as surroundsense which is important when running or riding to keep you safe.

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Audio Quality and Performance

As I mentioned in the opening, the main thing I use the original Vista’s for is when I’m doing lawn work. So of course when testing the Vista 2’s that was the first thing I set out to test as well. While it isn’t jogging, the vibrations are good at loosening them out of your ears and it is a perfect situation to be able to push the limits of the active noise canceling.  

So in my initial testing while mowing I was able to see a difference flipping between the active noise canceling and having it off. The mower however is still loud enough that the Vista 2’s aren’t able to cancel all of the noise out. The combination of the Vista 2’s being in your ears which you would call passive noise cancellation, the ANC, as well as playing music together was enough to take that noise down to a low hum which was a nice improvement. On the other end of that spectrum, I was able to completely cut out the sound of my neighbors mowing using the same setup when in my office. Having even a slight buffer to cut the noise down a little made a big difference.

In my experience, active noise cancelation works best when cutting noise out like in a waiting room or coffee shop. Even trying to reproduce those sounds doesn’t do as good of a job as the real-life situation. But overall I would say the active noise canceling that the Vista 2’s offer is good, but not on the same level as Sony or Bose. Even the Airpods Pro will most likely perform better with the ANC. So there is still room for improvement, but I like that it is included. Cutting out background noise is one of the main reasons I use an earbud or in-ear solution. Beyond that, I gravitate to large over-ear headphones or speakers.

As for the fit and fitment, the Vista 2’s didn’t change. So while they are a little large I find them to be very comfortable. More importantly with the wing on the eargel that hooks into the top of your ear, they do a great job of staying in. The number 2 eargel that comes preinstalled worked well for both my wife and myself. But having the two other size options can be helpful as well to fine tune things. I do wish that complyfoam had an option available for them as well. But they have had all over Jaybird products, but with the full cover that the Vista and Vista 2’s have they haven’t brought anything out.

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For audio performance, the Vista 2’s didn’t change from the original Vista’s. They sound great though they are a touch bass-heavy. A lot of people will prefer than anyhow and it can be tuned out in their app by using the flat profile and dropping the bass down one 1 decibel. The audio performance is exactly what I loved about the original Vista’s and while I wouldn’t ever be against even better performance. I’m glad that playing with things didn’t hurt their performance at all.  

 


Overall and Final Verdict

Wireless earbuds or in-ear headphones if you prefer to call them that have been around for a while now and are very matured. One of the big issues that I had with wired and wireless options that I always run into is keeping them secure in my ears. Especially when mowing where I use them the most, the vibrations can quickly move them around. For wired earbuds that isn’t a big deal, but with wireless, if you don’t catch them you can lose them. Especially in my situation where they could end up lost in the yard or even sucked up by the mower. So in-ear stability is extremely important for me and this is where the Jaybird Vista 2’s, just like the original Vista’s are the best. They give you a few eargel options and two of the three have small wings to help lock them in your ear and they work well. They also manage to be comfortable while doing it as well.

Last year when I took a look at the original Vista’s I was impressed with the audio performance and for the Vista 2’s nothing has changed. They still sound great. But I will say that in the past year a lot of the other wireless options have improved as well so the gap isn’t as big as it was previously. Now Jaybird did improve the battery life of both of the Vista 2’s which now will run up to 8 hours with a full charge, but also with the charging/carrying case which can get you an additional 16 hours for a total of 24 hours before needing to get the case back to a charger. For charging options you have Type-C which is great to see. You can also now charge with wireless Qi charging which is something I thought was missing from the original Vista’s. Now you can just drop the case and your phone (if it supports Qi) and never have to worry about charging ports failing or unplugging and plugging everything in.

So the Vista 2’s are still the same size as the original. So they are still a little large when compared to a lot of the competition. I don’t think it is too big of a deal though, the case isn’t too large and is easy to pocket. They just look a little big in your ears.

The addition of active noise canceling is a welcomed addition when compared to the original Vista’s and this is the same direction that most of the higher-end wireless options have been heading as well. The ANC for the Vista 2’s does still have room for improvement before you can start comparing it with the highest-end options. But it is enough to cut out background noise. Of course, ANC when out and about running, walking, and biking can be dangerous. You need to be able to hear around you to listen for traffic. So adding the SurroundSense option which uses the same microphones to pipe outside noise in might be the biggest and most useful thing added to the Vista 2’s if you are using them while being active.

As far as pricing, the original Vista’s when I previously took a look at them was $179 which at the time I thought was a little on the high side. Well, those are now down to $149 which in my opinion is a solid price. The new Vista 2’s then sit above that at $199.99. This is still expensive, but with Apple, Sony, and Bose all bringing out even more expensive options it has a little less sting to it. If you are active, these might still be your best option given how well they will stay in and with them being IP68 rated meaning they are dust and waterproof beyond a meter underwater.

fv5recommended

Live Pricing: HERE

 

 

Author Bio
garfi3ld
Author: garfi3ldWebsite: http://lanoc.org
Editor-in-chief
You might call him obsessed or just a hardcore geek. Wes's obsession with gaming hardware and gadgets isn't anything new, he could be found taking things apart even as a child. When not poking around in PC's he can be found playing League of Legends, Awesomenauts, or Civilization 5 or watching a wide variety of TV shows and Movies. A car guy at heart, the same things that draw him into tweaking cars apply when building good looking fast computers. If you are interested in writing for Wes here at LanOC you can reach out to him directly using our contact form.

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