Like all good headphone reviews, this headphone review begins with a WTF moment.  As I’m bopping along our stockroom with my customary morning Redbull and my brain still lurching to life, I pass the Jays section, where, out of the corner of my eye, I espy a brand spankin’ new headphone.  Cue Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is.”  Enter the u-Jays.

Jays u-Jays Review

Sexaaaaay! – Get your pair here!

Of course, the u-Jays won’t wow you at first glance.  That’s because they’re inside of a box.  But what a box!  Unboxing this box is like a seductive slow dance.  But with cardboard.  Inside, there’s some foam to hold the headphones in place.  The earpads are packed separately, and they lock onto the earpieces.  There’s also a manual, a small carrying pouch, and a removable cable with an in-line mic and remote.

Once you put the earpads onto the headphones, and extend the cups, you really get a sense of how well made the u-Jays are.  This isn’t just some cheap, plasticky, run-of-the-mill headphone, but a premium on-ear headphone designed from the get-go to wow your ears.

Wearing the u-Jays is a weird experience.  I have big ole’ dumbo ears, so for long listening sessions this headphone might wear on me a little.  However, the soft rubber padding on the headband allows me to pretty much forget the headphones are on my head most of the time.  And the padding on the cups is good too – it’s pleather, plush, and perfect.

When it comes to sound, though, this headphone is more than worth its $230 pricetag.  The sound is at once balanced and articulate, with smooth, natural-sounding bass.  Deep lows and high highs compliment detailed mids, leading to a dynamic sound that works with all genres of music.  Compared to the similarly-priced Sennheiser Momentum On-ear, the u-Jays sound more open, with better low-end and high-end detail, and with more clarity and separation.  Compared to the $300 Beyerdynamic T51i, the Jays sound more realistic and more natural.  A simple A-B test between the two headphones leaves me with the impression that the bass on the Beyerdynamic is like cardboard – downright sloppy, like it’s coming out of a sewer pipe.

The u-Jays feature a 10-20,000 hertz frequency range, and a 32-ohm nominal impedance.  They’re available in multiple color schemes, including black on black, black on gold, white on silver, and white on gold.  They’re also available in iOS- and Android-compatible flavors.  Yowza.

Add to the sound and selection the build quality, and you have one winning on-ear headphone.

Of course, it might not be for everyone.  Just who it isn’t for is hard to say, but if you’re the type of person who has big ears (like me), it’s imperative that you try before you buy.  For small ears, though, this headphone is easily the best in class.  Whether you like classical or hip-hop, indie gems or staple oldies, or if you’re the kind of listener who switches between choral selections and electronica, this headphone will do it for you, and do it well. Check out the Jays website here. Buy your pair here from Audio46 and get FREE shipping and a free gift. 

See more at the Jays Store at Audio46!