Design
JayBird Endorphin Rush Earphones look a lot like competing products in their class, but unlike some designed to look like studio equipment, Endorphin has a sexy, high-end consumer look and feel. The larger buds on each earphone house the acoustical chambers, which not only fit nicely inside your (or at least my) ears, but also help give the earphones their impressive sound.
The wire that comes from one earphone meets up with its counterpart at a small hub, then the two join to form a single wire that connects to a 3.5mm audio jack. Before the two wires come together, there's a small, sliding "secure point" which you can move closer to for farther away from your neck to keep things tidy. This also helps keep the Endorphin wires out of the way ( and out of sight) if you wrap the cords around your ears and have the wire go down your back. |
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The box includes two ear loops, which can be attached to the wire coming from each earphone to keep them firmly attached to your ear. They are made of a somewhat rubbery-feeling plastic and do a great job keeping the earphones in place when you're running, hiking, or even gardening. Because they're not attached, however, they can be somewhat tricky to position; you have to carefully align the wires in the ear loops' channels to keep each bud correctly positioned to go in -- and stay in -- your ear.
Total wire length is about 50 inches, which is more than long enough to drop down your back and into a pocket. On the other hand, if you want to use the Endorphin Rush with an armband case, the length can be a problem. It would have been nice if JayBird had included a small plastic tether (or other similar device) to secure a section of bundled wire to make the length just right for this use, but if that's what you want you'll have to find a solution yourself. I suggest a velcro strap.
JayBird provides a lifetime warranty against water damage from sweat or even rain, which tells you that the company is pretty confident in at least this element of the product's design.
Comfort
When it comes to comfort, the Endorphin Rush earns high marks. The earphones themselves are comfortable in the ear, and the included detachable ear loops are light-weight and don't become aggravating when resting on your ear for long periods. I've walked for over an hour in them, and done yard work, gardened, etc., for longer periods, and never once wanted to rip the things off my ears, which -- for me -- is high praise.
I found that the most comfortable way to wear these earphones was to use the loops, run the wire down my back and keep my iPhone or iPod in my pocket. You can even run the wire down the back of your shirt if you want to keep the wire out of the way of snags or prevent it from flopping around.
Sound
I wish I were a true audiophile -- then I'd be able to describe in eloquent and educated detail every aspect of the Endorphin Rush's audio quality. But, at least for the purposes of this review, you're stuck with me, an average dolt who simply enjoys great sound. I will, however, attempt to describe the major points of the Endorphin's audio experience.
First, the bass is striking. When listening to music with strong bass, you can literally feel the beat from the earphones. At very high volume (which the Endorphin Rush can provide if your audio device can deliver), this can become distorted, just as with regular speakers. But at mid-to high volume, the bass is great.
The mid range and low-end sound is also very good, although I can't provide much more description than that.
The most striking thing about using the Endorphin Rush earphones is that the sound is perceived as coming from inside your brain -- that is to say, when I'm enjoying a song, I don't really perceive the sound as coming an exterior source. The sound seems to materialize inside my head rather than from a device sitting in each ear. I've experienced this same effect with one other set of earphones, the $250 Shure SE310, and I think it's the result of a combination between the sound-isolating factors of the two products, combined with their very clear sound.
Titanium Drivers
By putting titanium around the drivers, the designing engineers of the Endorphin Rush were aiming for not only clarity and crispness of sound, but also longevity. The protection provided by the strong, light-weight metal apparently helps the speaker diaphragm from degrading over time, giving you longer use without a substantial loss in bass quality. |
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Conclusion
With a retail price of $99, the JayBird Endorphin Rush won't fit everyone's budget; in fact, if you're totally satisfied with the earbuds that shipped with your iPhone or iPod, I wouldn't even bother. But if you truly love great sound and don't want to fork over $300 for "professional" earphones, or if you are an active person who has never quite found a pair of earphones that actually stay in place when you're on the move, you really need to try the JayBird Endorphin Rush.
You won't regret it.
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