The tug-of-war between wired and wireless headphones has finally started to lean in wireless’ favor – but, as headphone company CEOs will tell you, there are still some who aren't ready to give up the wire.
To help conversion process pick up some pace, Jaybird is introducing a new pair of wireless workout earbuds called the Jaybird Tarah that will come in at $100 / AU$149.95 (around £76). That makes them about $30 cheaper than the recently released Jaybird X4 and puts them at price, Jaybird hopes, will cause people to give up the cord for good.
"We know a lot of dedicated athletes and fitness fans haven't yet made the switch to wireless headphones," said Jamie Parker, CEO of Jaybird, in a press release sent to TechRadar. "We designed Jaybird Tarah to be the perfect introduction to going wireless - tangle-free and easy-to-use while delivering on the Jaybird fundamentals: sweat- and waterproof, a secure and comfortable sport fit, incredible sound with customizable EQ settings through the Jaybird app, and great battery life.”
That said, the wireless in-ears will be IPX7-rated (waterproof down to one meter for up to 30 minutes), compatible with Siri and Google Assistant and will offer around 6 hours of battery life on a charge – around two hours less than the X4.
To compensate, the Tarah will have a quick charge feature that gives you one hour of play time after 10 minutes of juicing, reducing the frustration of picking up a dead pair of headphones right before you planned on working out.
Tarah will be compatible with the Jaybird app that allows you to set the EQ of the headphones, and offers light social networking features.
The Jaybird Tarah Wireless Sport Headphones are expected to be available for order exclusively at Jaybird's website on September 25 and in-stores and online starting in the US, Canada and Australia in October 2018 in three color combinations: Black/Flash, Nimbus Gray/Jade and Solstice Blue/Glacier.
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Nick Pino is Managing Editor, TV and AV for TechRadar's sister site, Tom's Guide. Previously, he was the Senior Editor of Home Entertainment at TechRadar, covering TVs, headphones, speakers, video games, VR and streaming devices. He's also written for GamesRadar+, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade, and he has a degree in computer science he's not using if anyone wants it.