Amazon chops $70 off Jaybird's Vista 2 earbuds for Black Friday
These durable sports buds list for $200 but are on sale for $130 for Black Friday, a new low price. Best Buy also has them for that price.
David Carnoy
Nov. 23, 2021 2:32 p.m. PT
David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
A lot of people loved Jaybird's original Vista true-wireless earbuds -- they really lock in your ears for sporting activities and were quite durable. The reception for the more feature-rich Vista 2 buds hasn't been as strong and part of the reason for that is their higher $200 price tag. However, the Vista 2 are down to $130 for Black Friday at various retailers now, including Best Buy and Amazon. (Amazon only has the white and black colors, however, not the blue.) At that price, they're a good value.
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David Carnoy/CNET
Jaybird Vista 2: $130
Known for their secure fit, decent sound and durability, Jaybird's Vista 2 buds have a couple of key upgrades missing from the original: active noise canceling and a transparency mode called SurroundSense, which allows you to hear the outside world, an important safety feature for runners and bikers.
Jaybird has added some fabric to the outside of the buds, which the company says helps cut down on wind noise a little (think of the fabric as a dampener), but I wouldn't say it cuts it down as much as advertised, particularly when biking. There is an ear-detection sensor, so your music automatically pauses when you take the buds out of your ears, and these have an IPX68 water resistance rating, which means they're both dust-proof and fully waterproof. Jaybird says they're also sweat-proof, crush-proof and drop-proof. And the compact case is now splash-proof and dust-resistant, with an IP54 rating.
They sound quite good once you tweak the EQ settings to your liking, but their sound quality isn't quite up to the level of some other premium earbuds in the $200 price range. Their noise canceling, transparency mode and voice-calling are decent though unspectacular (the AirPods perform better in all departments). But if you're buying these, you're buying them for the secure fit and durability. They may not be a good value at $200, but at $130, they're an enticing deal.
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