The Tarah Pro are the second-most expensive earbuds Jaybird currently sells and they absolutely justify the high price. Having 14-hours of battery life is mind-boggling for something of this form factor, and along with that, you also get great sound and a unique design.
Pros
- Outstanding 14-hour battery
- Tighter seal in your ear
- Magnetized backs
- Personalized EQ feature
If you’d like to save a few bucks, the X4 deliver a truly great experience for $30 less. Battery life isn’t as impressive and the design’s more traditional, but they sound just as good and work incredibly well in day-to-day use.
Pros
- 8-10 hours of battery
- IPX7 waterproof
- Great cable management
- More affordable
Cons
- Battery life isn’t as legendary
- Rubber cable instead of a nylon one
The Jaybird Tarah Pro are among the best wireless sports earbuds you can buy and take the edge thanks to outstanding battery life and extra niceties like Snap Lock and Personal EQ. If you can get buy with 8-10 hours of battery life (you probably can) and just want solid, all-around earbuds that get the job done, save some cash and go for the X4.
You can’t go wrong with either of these earbuds
Jaybird’s been making wireless earbuds since 2007, and those years of experience shine through with both the X4 and Tarah Pro. Both of these earbuds are incredibly well made, but each one takes a slightly different approach to its design.
The Jaybird X4 has a more traditional look with a flat rubber cable that connects everything and has earbud units that go into your ears right side up. The Tarah Pro, on the other hand, has a woven nylon cable that feels better to the touch and is even reflective so you’re more visible when out running after the sun’s gone down.
When you’re wearing the Tarah Pro, the earbuds are designed to go in your ears upside down (Jaybird calls this Switch Fit). It may look odd at first, but Jaybird’s done this to provide a more secure seal in your ear so that they stay in better when you’re working out.
Switch Fit and Snap Lock on the Tarah Pro.
You can pause your music using the inline controller just like on the X4, but something unique to the Tarah Pro is something called “Snap Lock.” When you take the earbuds out of your ears, the backs of each one will magnetically connect to each other and automatically pause whatever’s playing. If you leave them in this mode for 20 minutes or longer, the Tarah Pro will turn off to help save battery.
Speaking of battery life, this is another area where the Tarah Pro takes the lead. I was already impressed with the Jaybird X4’s 8-10 hours of use between charges, but having the wiggle room of up to 14 hours is seriously amazing.
| Jaybird Tarah Pro | Jaybird X4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cable material | Woven nylon | Rubber |
| Interchangeable tips | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Waterproof | IPX7 | IPX7 |
| Battery | Up to 14 hours | 8-10 hours |
| Proprietary charging | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Snap Lock | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Switch Fit | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Custom EQ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Personal EQ | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Colors | Black/Flash Mineral Blue/Jade Titanium/Glacier |
Black Metallic/Flash Storm Metallic/Glacier Alpha Metallic/Jade |
| Price | $160 | $130 |
Sound quality is very similar between the Tarah Pro and X4, meaning that both sound fantastic. There’s a lot more power behind these earbuds than you might expect, with each one offering deep bass, crisp highs, and great sound no matter what you’re listening to. You can finetune how both sound using the Jaybird mobile app, but only the Tarah Pro has a Personal EQ feature that automatically tweaks the EQ for you based on the shape of your ears.
Battery champ
Jaybird Tarah Pro
Flagship earbuds with uncompromised battery life.
$160 isn’t a small amount to pay for sporty wireless earbuds, but you absolutely get your money’s worth with the Tarah Pro. Sound quality is great, there are a lot of extra features not found on the X4, and that 14-hour battery life is just damn impressive.
Best for less
Jaybird X4
No frills earbuds that are a joy to use.
You may not get as many bells and whistles with the Jaybird X4, but what it lacks there it makes up for with an all-around solid experience. The X4 look and feel great, sound just as good as the Tarah Pro, and the 8-10 hours of battery is still more than plenty.
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