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The q-Jays earbuds are reborn, but are they worth $320?
When spending big on audiophile headphones, folks may look at over-ear models like Masters & Dynamic's MH40 or open cans from the likes of Ultrasone. But earbuds? I doubt those are topping many people's sonic bucket lists. With that in mind, it's rare to see products like Swedish company Jays' new q-Jays unveiled for $320 -- on sale, no less. Yet, quality earphones can sound just as good as high-end headphones, as companies like Shure have proved. And I believe Jays has put enough style, engineering and sound quality into its next-gen 'buds to justify that lofty price.
Jays to launch a-JAYS Five earbuds with dedicated iOS, Windows and Android versions
Does your Android sound different from your iOS or WP? Perhaps a little, but each has their own quirks when it comes to audio output and hands-free kits. To that end, Jays will launch the a-JAYS Five earphones this summer with a separate version for each. The new buds will draw from the company's experience with the a-JAYS Four, bringing its Swedish design flair along with revised ergonomics, refined sound, an updated version of its flat, tangle free cables, a new cable clip and a premium MEMS microphone. It'll carry a three-button control setup similar to the last model, but will be optimized work differently depending on whether you have the iOS, Windows Phone or Android version -- a concept the company calls "iWA." We're not sure if that'll simmer down any flame wars, but you'll be able to grab one for €90 (or $100) in black or white sometime this summer.
t-JAYS Four let you listen to your iOS device, look cool while doing it
The latest headphones from Sweden's Jays don't stray too far from the design that defined their predecessors -- but hey, if it ain't broke... The slick earbuds were built to work with iPhones, iPads and iPods, offering up 10mm drivers, a 360 MEMS microphone and a three button controller. The t-JAYS Four are available, as always, in black, and will be begin shipping in November -- or, as the company puts it "when [they're] ready" -- for $129 a pop. Press information can be located just behind the break.
a-JAYS One+ earbuds bring in-line remote, Swedish flair to your smartphone experience
JAYS has been dishing out slick looking audio gear for years, but before now it only offered models with inline remotes compatible with iDevices. Good thing the new a-JAYS One+ has arrived to bring some fashion forward 'phones to a bevy of handsets and give Klipsch some competition. The One+ still has tangle-free flat cables, sleek looks, and the matte-black finish you know and love, but it can now control devices from HTC, Samsung, BlackBerry and LG with its one-button inline remote. This is truly an egalitarian set of earbuds, as it works whether your phone's running iOS, Windows Mobile, or Android. Plus, there's a free JAYS Headset Control Android app that brings voice, volume and track controls to your little green bot. It'll be available sometime in Q4 of this year for $50, so get ready for its arrival.
Jays flexes its design muscle with svelte a-JAYS Four earbuds
Tired of finding every set of decent 'buds only available in the stereotypical white? Hello, beautiful! Jays has just outed its latest set of earbuds, the a-JAYS Four, and it seems that simplicity is the theme here. These guys rely on flat, tangle-free cabling and include an inline three-button remote that's made for use with Apple's iPod, iPhone and iPad. You'll also get five different eartip selections, a handy L-shaped 3.5mm plug, MEMS microphone and a pair of 8.6mm speaker drivers that handle frequencies between 20Hz and 21,000Hz. Regrettably, we've no price or release date to share, but hopefully that'll be cleared up in short order. Update: Jays hit us up with the two most important details: $69.99, shipping to America in January 2011. %Gallery-110539%
Jays aims for long-term comfort with stylish t-Jays earbuds
We heard that Jays was gearing up to ship a baker's half-dozen of new headphones this year, and we've got to say -- the t-Jays ain't a bad way to get things rolling. Designed with a "warm and wide soundstage," these 'buds boast an angled sound chamber optimized for delivering deep bass, and Jays proclaims that these might be the best earphones yet for extended listening sessions. They can be worn over the ear or straight in, and the cord has been designed to sit closer to the body in order to reduce burden placed on the ear. As with some of the outfit's other offerings, these too will ship in One, Two or Three flavors -- each will boast the same speaker size, but the frequency response and amount of bundled extras increases with each level. They'll be lookin' to take on Sleek Audio's SA1 and Klipsch's Image S4 when they land in May for $79, $89 and $99 in order of mention. [Thanks, Tommy]
Jays to ship seven new earbuds this year, prestige x-JAYS included
We hate to point out the obvious, but it's been a hot minute (or two, actually) since we've seen any new gear from Sweden's own Jays. Evidently the company's been hoarding up its wares for a mass introduction, as seven new products were brought to the public's attention this week. The new a-JAYS and t-JAYS are both slated to hit the market in Q1 of this year, with each series being available in three different styles with different sound features. Each will ship with a protective travel case, and for those with extra coin to spend, a gaggle of accessories should also be available. The x-JAYS (citing as the "prestige" model) will ship in Q2, and these are described as being the planet's smallest in-ear headphones with a quadro armature. Mum's the word on pricing, but we're guessing they'll be somewhere between "reasonable" and "are you kidding me?" [Thanks, Anders]
Jays BlueStreamer 2 stereo adapter: now in colors
It's been a good while since the BlueStreamer was hit up with a well deserved update, but those who've been waiting in tense anticipation can finally kick their shoes off and relax. Yep, Jays is indeed announcing the aptly-named BlueStreamer 2 Bluetooth stereo adapter, which not only features BT v2.0 and supports A2DP, AVRCP, HSP and HFP, but it's available in a trio of glossy motifs (black, white and pink to be precise). Weighing in at just 12-grams, this bugger allows users to "listen to music and receive calls simultaneously," and just in case that whole "stopping the jams 'til your convo is done" thing wasn't enough for you, it's also very compatible with Skype. Sure, there's nothing out of the ordinary here, but those captivated for whatever reason can grab one now for $62 (or €42.40 elsewhere). [Warning: PDF read link]
Tiny q-Jays earphones hit your neighborhood
Like small things? Really small things? Things that are so small you might lose them easily? If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, then we've got the totally ill-riffic earphones for you. Those tiny (but not tinny, apparently) q-Jays earbuds we told you about back in August have officially hit the scene -- so all that money saving you've been doing can be put to good use. The buds may be small, but apparently their sound is anything but, touting dual micro armatures, JAYS Sound Isolating System, a sensitivity of 95 dB @ 1 kHz, impedance of 39 Ohms @ 1 kHz, and a frequency response from 20Hz to 20,000 Hz. The earbuds come with a slew of accessories, including an I- and L-shaped connector, seven silicon ear sleeves, four canal filters, an airline adapter, a stereo splitter (for two-person use), and a carrying case. The tiny wonders can be yours in black or white right now, for the low, low price of $179.
JAYS unveils miniscule q-JAYS earbuds
It's been far too long since our ears could listen to a new pair of JAYS, but the company is finally introducing a brand new set dubbed q-JAYS. Deemed the "smallest earphones on the market," these diminutive buds boast dual micro armatures, the bass-enhancing AirBooster, silicon sleeves in a variety of sizes, and a flexible cable setup to boot. Additionally, the q-JAYS arrive with a white leather case, two extension cords, a flight / stereo adapter, and seven total pairs of sleeves. The price? Just $180 -- and those in the UK can look forward to a probable release in the not-too-distant future. Click on for a couple closeups.[Thanks, Adam]
Former Jens of Sweden head could face six years in the slammer
After Jens Nylander filed for bankruptcy in Sweden and moved to Switzerland, we sort of figured his troubled past was behind him, but it seems the law has reared its ugly head once again, and Jens could be facing six years and six months for failing to pay some customs back in the day with JoS. Jens claims it was all a misunderstanding: "This goes back to December two years ago. At that point we were importing 300 to 400 shipments of mp3 players per year. The problem stemmed from two shipments of mp3 players and FM receivers. Two of the boxes were mistakenly classified as mp3 players, without mentioning the FM receivers. That meant that we paid 320,000 kronor too little in customs and VAT." Customs authorities didn't take too this too lightly, and a prosecuting attorney has been holding onto the case for two years, finally to spring it on Jens this week. The wild thing is that not only did Jens of Sweden pay the charges as soon as it recognized its error, but Jens was at that point owed one million kronor by customs officials for over taxation -- which Nylander understandably partly blames for the company's bankruptcy -- meaning the 320,000 kroner in "underpayments" from JoS was just going to be deducted from that one million anyways. Of course, that's Jens' side of the story, the prosecuting attorney was unreachable for comment, but while Jens says "This is very difficult for me, for the colleague involved and our families," he seems confident that it'll be Jens FTW on this one, so that he can go back to whatever auditory tomfoolery he's getting into in Switzerland.[Thanks, Serge L]
Jay's BlueStreamer A2DP adapter: a world's first, for Jens
Jens Nylander is back with his latest, the JAYS BlueStreamer. He's calling it a world's first Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR stereo adapter with headset functionality. It must be the Enhanced Data Rate they're touting 'cause there's a truck-load of these adapters on the market already. But let's not cloud the truth with facts, eh? The device can be clipped to your shirt or slung around the neck and features 2x 3.5-mm jacks: one for your MP3 player, the other for the j-JAYS (or you can call them Rays). If a call comes in on your A2DP/AVRCP Bluetooth phone, the BlueStreamer will stop the music and put the call through. The whole kit is powered by a standard, AAA battery and goes on sale in January all bundled up cozy with Jens' j-JAYS earbuds. Yours for 695SEK including VAT or $69 excluding tax.
JAYS launches Jens' latest: j-JAYS, m-JAYS
We were wondering when Jens Nylander would be back to announce more JAYS products, and here we are, sitting on j-JAYS, and m-JAYS. So let's break this down, shall we? The j-JAYS (shown right, above, compared to JAYS' current d-JAYS), are actually aimed at Sony Ericsson Walkman phones, with the the m-JAYS (shown after the break with white j-JAYS) serve as a cord extender with mic and answering phone (in case you wanted to do more than just listen to music on your mobile); the d-JAYS are full-size device (i.e. 3.5mm) headphones, aimed at more regular use. j-JAYS, m-JAYS will set you back 495 SEK (listed in here for $50), 295 SEK (~$30), and will be sold through Swedish 3 stores in December before eventually making their way to the US -- sorry, no firm dates for Stateside launch just yet, but their US site says December as well.
Jens (of Sweden) unveils d-JAY earphones
They say you can't keep a good man down, and so it is with Scandinavian entrepreneur and rabble-rouser Jens Nylander, who keeps popping up with one or another device designed to enhance our portable audio experience. Usually we see Jens hawking digital audio players under the Jens of Sweden brand (now seeminlgly defunct), but today he's hit us up with a product from another one of his companies called JAYS: a pair of in-ear headphones which promise to reduce up to 90% of the surrounding noise by "producing the sound inside the ear." Known as the d-JAYS, these 'phones incorporate a proprietary Sound Isolating System built around a so-called micro armature, that Jens claims, in his typical fashion, will help reduce the risk of a hearing impairment he dubs "iPod ears." We'll find out if the d-JAYS live up to the hype come August, when they'll be shipping in a total of five colors (black, white, and three limited-edition shades) for a hundred bucks -- although you can get your pre-order on now for a 20% discount.
Jens Nylander is back with Jays
After having the rug pulled from underneath Jens of Sweden by CopySwede for not paying blood money royalties for copying audio to blank media (such as their MP3 players), and then kinda sorta transforming the company to Jens of Switzerland, it looks like Apple smack talkin' audio rebel Jens Nylander's making due on his promise to "still continue to sell digital products" with his latest company, Jays -- except this time he's not making MP3 players, but instead sound-isolating headphones. We couldn't easily tell from their early prototype images (like the one above), mockups, diagrams, or press release what it is that Jays headphones do differently than, say, some Shures or Etymotics, but according to Jays their phones won't have consumers paying "hundreds of dollars" for their isolated audio experience. Guess we'll all find out the deets come June 12th when Jens pulls the curtain on Jays.Update: Jens gave us a ring and sent over the above conceptual drawing of the squid-like q-JAYS (Quattro), which won't be what they're unveiling in June, but will supposedly be launched in 2007.
