Swedish headset maker Jays is aiming to rock the portable headphones boat by challenging more established players - such as Monster and Beats by Dr Dre - with its v-Jays headset that is light on price but not on audio performance.

The thin v-Jays headset boasts a highly portable but unassuming design compared to the most recent Monster headsets that have come across our desk. You will barely notice the headset on your head thanks to it being very lightweight (less than 60 g), with the flipside being that its thinness and lightweight construction making the device feel somewhat flimsy.

We have to add though that despite this, the earphones do stay securely placed and will fit many different sized heads thanks to the headband being adjustable.

By default, the v-Jays use a 60 cm audio cable that is way too short for our liking, since most headsets come with a cable of at least one meter long. Luckily you get a 70 cm extension for this cable in the retail package, which comes in handy if you want to use the earphones on your gaming rig.  

The v-Jays are really lightweight and pack an adjustable headband, making it comfortable to wear over extended music listening periods.  

Audio performance

You do not get any fancy inline music playback controls or a mic to handle incoming calls via the v-Jays, with the sole focus of the earphones being music playback. As a result we expected big things from this small headset and were actually not disappointed, since it delivered a surprisingly loud sound bang from the 40 mm speaker drivers.

At medium sound volume the earphones produce a clear, undistorted sound when listening to R&B, pop, a movie soundtrack and rock music. We did wish for a bit more bass oomph when enjoying the auditory stimulation provided by our favourite hip hop and dance tracks though.   

When you crank the music all the way up, a hint of distortion and tininess begins to creep into the produced sound.

To the point

Jays’ v-Jays headset ticks nearly all the right portability requirement boxes thanks to its lightweight design and surprisingly stellar audio quality at moderate volumes. We just wished that it had a bit more bass kick and some inline controls that cut down on the need to pull your smartphone out of your pocket to skip or pause tracks.

It is available exclusively from Musica stores and goes for a recommended retail price of R600, which is less than a third of what you would pay for premium headsets such as Monster’s NCredible N-Tune headphones (R2 000). However, the Monster does pack a more eye-catching design, mic, inline controls and the ability to fold up to fit neatly into its travel pouch, all of which are not included with the budget-friendly v-Jays.   

Pros

Excellent sound quality at any volume.

Clear, undistorted sound even at the loudest volumes.

Affordably priced.

Thin and lightweight.

Audio cable extender.

Adjustable headband.

Cons

Lacks the bass punch of any pair of Beats headset.

Design is not very flashy, lacking the eye-catching appeal of Monster’s new earphone lines.

Feels a bit flimsy in hand.

No travel pouch.