Test: Jays t-Jays Four

The Swedish manufacturer Jays has built a few years a good reputation in the field of good quality helmets at a reasonable price. Does The Four Jays want to continue this trend: they are as good in-ear iPod and iPhone to less than 100 €.

Does The Four Jays take the appearance rather sober the rest of the range, the shiny plastic t-Jays entry level has been replaced by a plastic matte and slightly textured, highlighted by a chrome accent on the back. Those who know the Jays q-Jays find the t-particularly impressive, as they have only one speaker 10 mm - but their shape is studied.

The t-Jays can indeed be worn 'normally' or over the ear: they are large enough to rank well and to "fill" the ear. Jays has the good taste to provide enough silicone tips (five sets of four sizes) so that we can find a set to achieve good insulation and a good performance. Everything is quite comfortable: after a period of adaptation, we no longer feel at all the t-Jays, a great feeling, especially since they are very lightweight (10 grams) and the sounds of friction of the cable are moderate.

Once the headset in place, it does not exceed the ear: it can be worn discreetly, but also able to grow with music in the ears. But - because it was necessary that there be but one - just add the extension cable so that this balance is broken: while there is light, the female jack connection is heavy, and regardless are the tips and the position selected, it is difficult to obtain good insulation. This is particularly unfortunate that this extension cable (70 cm) is almost mandatory as the cable is short default (60 cm) - everybody does not their iPhone or iPod into a pocket to the tune of Chest.

Other problem of this cable, a straight jack: it is certainly well-wrapped, but some models Jays have had many reliability problems of their decision, and cranked jacks are generally preferable. Jays did here even has the excuse of Release: taking t-Jays is very thin, but we found at least two covers for which it was too broad. The t-Jays offset however by their excellent remote control, big and therefore easy to find, but lightweight, practical, and with a good quality microphone. It is of course fully compatible with standard commands Apple devices.

The sound of t-Jays is typical of the Swedish brand: catchy, slightly warm, and above all easy to listen - for hours, without ever any fatigue. Here we find clear and detailed highs, with low slightly further forward than usual, to stick to the times. Nevertheless, they remain controlled, without significant distortion except at very high volume. Mediums are a little behind, particularly in terms of texture: the voices and podcasts are slightly smoothed and less aggressive, but some complex pieces also lose a little in attack. According to the songs, singing can sometimes appear a bit muffled.

This would describe the sound of t-Jays sound like a "round": this is not the most in-ear analytical market, allowing them to be tolerant with the faults of compressed music, while being good overall quality. They are mostly very pleasant to listen to: put your player to half volume, and you can listen to your music for hours without ever feeling the need a break.

At € 89.99, t-Jays leave behind the Apple In-Ear, which are certainly ingenious in form, but are inadequate in terms of sound. For the same price, the Shure SE 215 is more neutral and pêchus, but less pleasant to listen. In short, t-Jays are very good in-ear less than 100 €, provided with a rigid storage case and many tips, practical and enjoyable.