These $160 wireless sport earbuds have a battery life that beats competitors in the same price range - and you can customize the sound

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• The search for quality wireless sports earbuds ends here, with the Jaybird Tarah Pro headphones ($159.99).
• The headphones have great sound quality that's also customizable, they won't fall out of your ears even during your most intense workouts, and they boast a 14-hour battery life.
• Once you do manage to deplete this impressive battery, it recharges fully in just two hours, so you can get back to an enjoyable and comfortable listening experience.

Through my morning commute, work day, gym workout, and night commute, you can find me listening to music or podcasts. I usually switch off between wired earbuds (fast to simply plug in and go, doesn't need to be charged) and wireless earbuds (for exercising and commuting, so I don't get tangled up in a death trap of bag straps and scarves and cords).

I'd prefer to listen exclusively with wireless earbuds, but the main problem for someone who is constantly listening to music is that they run out of battery too quickly - hence, why I end up switching over to wired earbuds.

My habit of blowing through my earbuds' battery life is why the introduction of the Jaybird Tarah Pro wireless sport headphones ($159.99) to my life has been a major game-changer. With a 14-hour battery life and fast recharging period, they're more reliable than any wireless sports earbuds I've ever tried.

The impressive battery isn't the only reason why you'll rarely see me without these in my ears. Comfort, sound quality, and sound customizability also play a role in developing my love for these earbuds. You can learn more about all these features below.

Design, fit, and comfort of the Jaybird Tarah Pros

The earbuds are light, weighing just 20 grams, and can be worn two ways: over or under your ears. They come with three sizes of ear gels so you can test each pair to see which fit best. These squishy ear gels nestle comfortably and securely in your ear, refusing to budge as you run or do other high-intensity activities. Without the distraction of earbuds that keep slipping or falling out, you can concentrate completely on your workout.

They come in three colors: Black/Flash, Titanium/Glacier, and Mineral Blue/Jade. Also included is a shirt clip, speed cinch to adjust the length, and a carry pouch. When the headphones aren't in use, you can stick the magnetic backs of the buds together, which also happens to pause your music. You can't lose them when they're conveniently looped around your neck.

Whether you're an indoor or outdoor athlete or commuter, the Tarah Pros are safe to wear because they're IPX7 weather- and sweat-proof, able to withstand immersion in water up to one meter for up to 30 minutes. If you're caught in the rain, your run won't be ruined by faulty earbuds.

Listening with the Jaybird Tarah Pros

To set up and use the earbuds, you'll need to download the Jaybird app. The app will keep track of your battery life and is also where you can adjust the audio EQ (the bass and treble frequencies). Then, connect via Bluetooth and they're ready to use. Every time you hold down the power button on the earbuds, they'll connect automatically to your device.

The earbuds have a strong, well-balanced sound quality at the default setting, and it's even better that you can adjust it to your exact liking. The app includes presets, but you can also experiment with the EQ yourself to find a sound that best suits your different genres.

Personally, I love cranking the bass up, so I created an appropriate preset that brought out the bass of all my favorite songs. The app is also useful because you can connect your Spotify account and listen to songs directly from the app.

It's easy to control your music: click the power button once to pause/play and the up or down button for volume. To skip or go back to a song, just hold down the up or down buttons. Once you familiarize yourself with these controls, it becomes second nature to reach up automatically to stop your music or shuffle to the right song for your final mile.

At just my phone's half-volume, I felt fully immersed in the music. While I heard my music loud and clear, no one around me could - the earbuds don't leak any sound. There's also a built-in mic, which is nothing to write home about, but the sound and clarity is perfectly fine for making or taking calls.

Battery life and recharging your Jaybird Tarah Pros

A 14-hour battery life sounds almost too good to be true, but the Jaybird Tarah Pros really did live up to this claim. While listening at half-volume, which was loud but not ear-splitting, I kept a close eye on the battery progress. After six continuous hours of listening, the battery dropped down to 65%. Around the 14-hour mark, I started getting notifications to recharge the earbuds.

Luckily, you won't have to go too long without them because they recharge fully in just two hours, and if you only want a quick boost, a five-minute charge gives you two hours of playtime.

In the 12 hours of a day where I'm out and about, I usually need to pause and recharge my wireless earbuds once, but the Tarah Pros let me go the whole 12 hours, and then some, with entertainment always in my ears. I've never had a good work or workout flow cut short by dead earbuds, and the app helpfully keeps me updated on when I should break for a quick recharge.

Comparing the Jaybird Tarah Pros

If you're looking for wireless sport earbuds with good sound quality, you've likely considered popular options like the Bose SoundSport ($149), the Powerbeats3 ($199.95), or another one of Jaybird's models, the X4 ($127.50). They have battery lives of six, 12, and eight hours, respectively, so the Tarah Pros clearly top them in this regard. If battery life is a main priority, the Tarah Pros are a clear, moderately priced winner.

The Powerbeats3 are probably the most competitive alternative to the Tarah Pros: on top of having most of the same qualities, they're compatible with Siri, and can connect simultaneously to multiple Apple devices. However, they are $200, and reviewers have been disappointed that the quality hasn't matched up to this high price. At $160, the Tarah Pros aren't cheap either, but they do have a strong nylon cord and the advantages of customizable EQ and two more hours of battery life.

Potential drawbacks

The main inconvenience of these earbuds is that you have to use Jaybird's proprietary charger. I wish it used a universal USB charger since I have many of those lying around both the office and home, letting me charge my earbuds whenever, but I assume the proprietary charger is also what helps the earbuds charge so quickly. I can live with this drawback as long as the rest of the earbuds continue performing as well as they do.

The bottom line

The 14-hour battery life of these wireless earbuds is a huge benefit for anyone who listens to entertainment constantly and hates getting stuck in the middle of a workout without it. The fact that they feel comfortably secure and deliver strong, consistent, and customizable sound through all 14 hours means I won't be taking these earbuds off unless I absolutely have to.

Buy the Jaybird Tarah Pro wireless sport headphones for $159.99 at Best Buy here