Bragi Review: My Christmas Hearable
The near perfect workout companion (as compared vs the Jaybird x2)
Earlier this year I was stuck in JFK for 25 hours. It was horrible, but I was able to pass a number of hours at an Inmotion store playing with various headphones. After nearly three hours playing with the Bragi Dash, it shot to number one on my Christmas list.
Since that time I’ve read every review, positive and negative, and have been using the Jaybird X2 as a benchmark for bluetooth earbuds. I workout a few times each week, so after a few months I think the Jaybird has provided a solid benchmark. Why this comparison? The Jaybird are a generally high scoring pair of exercise/activity focused wireless earbuds which are sweatproof while the Bragi Dash are totally wireless and totally waterproof.
- The basics. Are wireless earbuds really a big deal?
Yes, wireless is a very big deal. If you’re someone who just gets on the elliptical or treadmill, it’s probably less of a big deal. But if you move around, doing Crossfit or HIIT, or frankly you just enjoy diversity in your activities, wireless is a game changer.
2. Is TRUE Wireless (Bragi) really THAT much better than corded wireless?
HELL YES. The Jaybird x2 has a wire connecting the two earbuds, which is fine. Except that no matter what comply eartips I tried, nothing can keep those Jaybirds in my ear. They are also very uncomfortable. The Bragi Dash on the other hand, are extremely comfortable and never once needed to even be adjusted during my workout. Bench work, jump rope, smash balls, ropes, deadlifts, pull-ups…the Bragi held in place perfectly, comfortable the entire time. By comparison I would have to adjust or replace my Jaybird earbuds between 4–8 times per session. It became prohibitively annoying.
3. Is the audio quality decent?
In the Bragi, absolutely. They seal well in the ear, which makes a huge impact on the audio. My take on the sound is that it is generally neutral but has a bit extra high and low end. They don’t sound like they are made by Bowers & Wilkins, but they are at least as good as any other in-ear headphones I have. Plus, these aren’t designed to replace your high-end in-ear-monitors, so don’t sweat the audio quality. The Jaybird x2 also have good sound, very similar to the Bragi.
4. Is the bluetooth connection decent?
This is a bit trickier. With the Bragi the bluetooth connection is generally good. I noticed I could lose the connection if my iPhone 5s was in my left pocket vs. the right pocket. Also, if I left my iPhone on the floor instead of in my right pocket I could get interruptions in the connection, but if I placed it at knee to waist level on something, I would have zero issues. By comparison, with the Jaybird x2 I can move pretty far from the iPhone on the floor (like when using the sled) and never dropped signal. I don’t understand enough about the technology to fully understand why there is such a difference in bluetooth connection quality between the two, but it exists. I had less connection issues with the Bragi as I did fit issues with the Jaybird. No matter what I threw at the Jaybird, they would fall out of the ear. With the Bragi, I can manage the audio connection so it doesn’t drop as much. In the end, I have been happier with the Bragi.
5. Bragi Setup and use?
Unfortunately, I find the Bragi setup a bit confusing. Not impossible, just confusing. I can appear to be completely connected and music will play on my phone’s speaker until I remember to tap the headphones for an audio connection. At one point I got the taps wrong and started playing music that I had added to the headphones on-board memory. That was all pretty frustrating, but no less of a learning curve than my Apple Watch. By comparison, the Jaybird X2 were really easy to setup and use. On a positive note, I was able to rename my Dash “Shazam” and this brought me a silly amount of joy.
6. Killer features?
Oh dear Barbara yes. Audio Transparency from Bragi is pretty freaking cool. Just swipe the left earbud and suddenly you can have a conversation. I don’t chat much when I’m working out, but at least once per session there is a need. With Audio Transparency you just quick swipe your earbud and boom, you can have a conversation without dropping your music, and then with another swipe pop right back into your playlist. It really is awesome. Almost every piece of tech has some quirky gimmick so it stands out, but this one is a real differentiator — especially with the touch interface on the buds.
4GB of onboard memory might be the real winner here. If you’re a swimmer, or someone who would like to be able to run without their phone or iPod strapped to their arm, the unique on-board memory of the Dash should be a huge selling point. Actually, I would argue this could be it’s real breakout feature for gym rats. You don’t need to worry about a bluetooth connection if the earbuds have the songs saved on them. This, of course, requires that you actually have mp3 versions of your music, which if you’re completely on Spotify or Apple Music, you probably don’t. (*If I were Bragi, I would be investing heavily in developing partnerships with Spotify and other streaming services to allow songs to be saved to the earbuds temporarily. If Bragi and Spotify had a partnership, I would switch from Apple Music in a heartbeat.)
Comfort. I’ve tried on nearly every wireless earbud option out there, and hands-down, no one comes close to the Bragi Dash. Apple’s Earpods are fantastic, but they aren’t sweat or waterproof and they aren’t likely to stay nestled in your ear canal during a very active workout. They are super comfortable, but they aren’t made to be companion piece for highly active folks. In this category, Bragi beats everyone easily.
I can’t wait to see what Bragi is able to do with firmware and software updates. Maybe they can goose a little extra out of the bluetooth connection, but even if they can’t these are the almost perfect workout hearable. If you’re an early adopter or live an active lifestyle, there isn’t anything better — best of all, you walk into a variety of stores and buy them. I expect these to replace all but my audiophile IEMs and my B&W P7. I felt 5 years old this Christmas, opening some seriously futuristic tech that has completely changed my gym experience for the better.
Hope you had a happy holiday season!
~Matt
