While the Jaybird X4s are the company’s flagship workout headphones, Tarah is positioned to be their entry-level product. They’re more affordable than the X4, but also don’t have all of the bells and whistles that the X4s do. In this review, we’ll discuss what we think of the Tarah earbuds and how they compare to the X4.
Tarah looks nearly identical to the X4
There are a few elements that Jaybird is promoting with these headphones. Some are interesting—some are not. Here are the main points about Tarah, at least according to their box.
Here’s the promo video for Jaybird Tarah. You can see that they’re sort of targeting women more so than men (if the name didn’t make it obvious enough). It looks like Tarah will be replacing the Freedom 2 as their sleek, slim headphones for women.
We thought the X4 were moderately priced with an MSRP of $130 [check current price], but the Tarah earbuds are even more affordable at $100 [check current price]. As previously mentioned, these are going to be their entry-level sport headphones.
They look nearly identical to the X4 and thus are comfortable with a secure fit. The Tarah earphones come with three sizes of silicone ear tips/fins, a cable management cinch, and a cable clip.
What’s in the box
The silicone ear tips/fins are super soft and actually quite nice, but unlike the X4s, they’re fused into one unit. In other words, you cannot use Tarah with just ear tips—you have to use the ear fins as well since they’re attached. Naturally, there are some pros and cons with this.
Super soft ear tips/fins
On the positive side, it means the whole system is simpler. You have just three attachments to work with—there is very little adjustment need.
On the downside, it means you have less control over the fit of the earbuds. You can only wear Tarah in the under-ear positions, as you can see in the image below.
Jaybird Tarah in the under-ear position
With the X4, you have the option to also wrap them around your ear and strip the cable up against the back of your head. Here’s a look at that.
Jaybird X4 in the over-ear position
To be fair, most people wear their headphones in the under-ear position, but we just prefer to have more options in terms of fit with Tarah. Additionally, Tarah does not come with Comply foam ear tips, which are pretty much the pinnacle when it comes to comfort. The silicone ear tips/fins are nice, but again, more options would have been nice.
As for the rest of the earphones, they have a tangle resistant cable with a cinch included. This allows you to tighten or loosen the headphones. You also have a clip to secure the cable to your shirt.
What’s in the box
The last thing is the remote. This is an inline remote and mic, compatible with iOS and Android devices. It works just fine. Nothing special, but that’s what you want in the remote on your workout headphones.
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We were disappointed with the battery life. Six hours on a single charge is fairly poor. Most earbuds have battery life of about eight hours on a single charge. The one nice thing is that they have a quick charge feature that basically gets you an hour worth of playback time on just 10 minutes of charging. So, while the battery life is not great, at least if they’re dead you can quickly charge them on your way to the gym.
A little river run never hurt nobody
Given that these are essentially the same shell as the X4, waterproofing is great. You can submerge these headphones down to one meter for 30 minutes. You shouldn’t have any issues whatsoever with rain, sweat, or even the shower.
The audio quality is pretty great with the Tarah earbuds. They have the exact same audio components as the X4 and therefore deliver solid, crisp, and clear sound. But that’s not even the best part. Just like on the Jaybird X4, Freedom 2, Run, and other Jaybird headphones you can fully customize what Tarah sounds like.
Inside the Jaybird app
What’s nice about the custom EQ feature is that you can alter the sound signature of the earbuds depending on your specific preferences. If you listen to mostly rap music, you might want to turn up the bass. If you listen to heavy metal, perhaps you’ll want the mids higher. It’s just nice that you have full control over how the earbuds sound. Your new sound signature even follows the earbuds rather than the Bluetooth device. In other words, when you switch from your phone to your computer, the sound preferences remain the same on Tarah. Pretty neat stuff.
I think this is pretty obvious. Tarah can play music and also manage calls.
The major reason to get Tarah over the X4 is price. Other than that, the X4s are the better sports earbuds, all things considered.
| JAYBIRD TARAH | JAYBIRD X4 | |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $100 | $130 |
| Battery Life | 6 Hours | 8 Hours |
| Waterproofing | IPX7 | IPX7 |
| Remote & Mic | Yes | Yes |
| iOS & Android | Yes | Yes |
| Under-Ear Fit | Yes | Yes |
| Over-Ear Fit | No | Yes |
| Silicone Ear Tips | Yes | Yes |
| Foam Ear Tips | No | Yes |
| Silicone Ear Fins | Yes | Yes |
| Cord Cinch | Yes | Yes |
| Cord Clip | Yes | Yes |
