Beyerdynamic revealed its latest set of earbuds on Thursday, showcasing what the company calls its most flexible pair yet. Designed to meet all your daily audio needs, the Blue Byrd is a fantastic set of earbuds that Beyerdynamic promises deliver a fantastic listening experience, whether you’re talking on the phone or jamming out to your favorite music. I’ve had a few days to test out the new Blue Byrd, and I’m happy to say Beyerdynamic’s top-notch audio quality continues to blend with accessible controls and sound personalization options, but it never feels truly ground-breaking.
Ultimate Flexibility
In a lot of cases, finding a great pair of headphones or earbuds that can meet all of your daily needs isn’t easy. Some are designed mostly for talking on the phone, while others lean too heavily into the bass, making music difficult to listen to. With the second generation Blue Byrd, though, Beyerdynamic seems to have hit the sweet spot. Music sounds great while jamming out to heavier rock songs, but you also don’t lose any of the effects from slower, more acoustic-based tracks, either. Every type of music I threw at the Blue Byrd sounded good. The bass was balanced, and never felt overcharged the way it does with some earbuds. My only complaint here is I never felt the same level of oomph from listening to harder tracks that I would on other earbuds like my Nothing ear (1)s. Moving on from music, the Blue Byrd provides a very balanced level of audio for talking on the phone. I tested it in Discord voice chats, as well as on regular phone calls. Both times it delivered a solid listening experience that made talking with friends and family clear and easy. The microphone isn’t the best in the business, but I also have yet to use a pair of earbuds like this that truly deliver the quality of microphone I’d like, so it’s not necessarily a deal-breaker. If you’re a runner or like having a solid pair of earbuds to wear while exercising, the Blue Byrd can work, though it’s important to note they aren’t necessarily designed for sports usage. During a test, I found that the wires made my neck feel sweatier, and they often stuck to the back of my neck during extraneous activities.
Mastering Nothing
Perhaps the Blue Byrd’s biggest weakness, though, is Beyerdynamic’s attempt to make it fit into every niche. Sure, it’s nice that the Blue Byrd is as flexible as it is, and the ability to personalize your sound profile is a welcome feature. But because it focuses so hard on delivering a good performance across all these areas, it never seems to master any of them. Music listening is fine, but it isn’t great, not like it has been with other headphones. Call quality is also clear, though not with the same clarity that other earbuds offer. Considering the asking price—the Blue Byrd will retail for $129 USD—it’s difficult to recommend these to users who might be looking for something that works best for one particular area. The balance is nice, but it’s so balanced that nothing about them really stands out during use. Still, this isn’t a bad pair of earbuds, provided you’re okay with it just being good at everything. It also supports Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive audio, which we’re seeing appear in a lot of new phones lately. This means you’ll get the same performance from these wireless earbuds as you would from a wired set, including lower latency, an adaptive bit rate, and support for high-resolution audio across Bluetooth connections. At its core, the second generation of Beyerdynamic’s Blue Byrd is a solid buy. Just don’t pick them up expecting them to excel in any particular area, and you’ll be more than happy with the company’s latest offering.
