20 February 2009 16:00 GMT / By Paul Lester

Just about every set of in-ear ‘bud phones ever released have claimed to offer “superb sound” and “thumping bass” thanks to some fancy new audio technology that would be far too difficult for all but the geekiest of audio-heads to understand. JAYS’ new s-JAYS promise to offer a “completely new audio experience” and the “most thumping bass ever”, so it doesn’t look like much has changed.

What we were intrigued by with these new in-ear buds was the design, which features elongated earpieces that are necessary to utilise the headline SIREN technology, which is responsible for the above benefits. Since it has made an effort to at least look a bit different, then we were eager to see exactly how effective this was.

The s-JAYS are one of those pairs of ‘bud earphones that require a lot of fiddling about to establish the perfect fit. As well being able to switch out the attached rubber earpieces for one of the five others supplied, they are allegedly designed to be used both over and under the ear and should be inserted in a very specific way in order to get the best possible sound. This seems like a lot of messing about and while it is a bit of a pain initially, you only have to do it once and fitting them correctly soon becomes second nature.

The reason why all of this is so important is that the performance of the s-JAYS varies quite dramatically depending on fit, and in what we determined was the optimum position, results are pretty impressive.

High-, mid- and low-tones are very clearly separated but we did notice that the mid-range seemed a little over-dominant, which can affect the clarity of songs whose impact is based around the higher end of the audio range. The bass is certainly distinct but didn’t have as much of a punch as we’d have liked, though there’s certainly a decent amount of impact here. Tweaking the graphics equaliser on the source device can help to compensate for some of these issues and though you might end up doing this a little more often than you’d like, a very clean and dynamic audio experience is there somewhere as your reward.

In addition to the decent overall performance of the s-JAYS, it’s worth mentioning the range of accessories supplied, which is far better than you’d typically find with a pair of ‘bud phones. As mentioned there are a total of six different sized rubber caps to establish the right fit, a 3.5mm extension cable, carry case, stereo splitter and an airline adaptor, which means you won’t have to fork out a fiver for a pair of crappy foam imitations the next time you’re on a plane.

There are even a set of replacement filters to replace those attached when they get too dirty/clogged up, so there’s distinct added value from the extras provided.

Verdict

When comparing the s-JAYS against earphones at a similar price point it’s fair to say we’ve tested better, but from a usability point of view rather than performance, which really is very good if you’re willing to take the time to iron on the creases. If it’s a mid-range pair of ‘phones you’re after and it’s fair to say you typically prefer “bassy” music, we doubt the s-JAYS would steer you wrong.

Score

Review Recap

Made by

Jays

Price as reviewed

£64.99

The good

Potentially very impressive sound with the right fit and audio settings, excellent range of accessories provided, deep bass, solidly built

The bad

Mid-range can be overly dominant, bass could be punchier, quite a bit of fiddling required to get the right fit

Quick verdict

The s-JAYS are capable of some very impressive sound if you get the fit right, and despite being a little underwhelmed by the headline features it’s difficult not to like them as a mid-range solution

Score

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