JAYS m-Seven True Wireless

Specifications

• Driver type: 6mm Dynamic
• Driver impedance: 16 Ohm
• Driver sensitivity: 85±3dB
• Frequency response: 20-20KHz

• Bluetooth 5.0; 15-20m range
• iOS/Android compatible
• Integrated Touch controls & Microphone
• Voice control (Siri, Google Assistant)

Physical unit

• Earphones - 5.9 g per earpiece / 16.1 x 13.2 x 0.8 mm - Sweat proof, IPx5 rate
• Charging case - 42.6 g / 61.5 x 43 x 29.4 mm - Sweat proof

Battery

• Earphones - 9.5 hours playtime; 1 hour to fully recharge; up to 90 days in standby.
• Charging case - 38 hours in total playtime; 2.5 hours to fully recharge; up to 180 days in standby

m-Seven product page

Price: $129 / €129

Now available in 4 color options: Black/Black, Black, Gray, Green and Pink.

Credits to the Jays team for providing the m-Seven for review.

Design

Like other products from Jays I’ve tried, the m-Seven share a similar solid build quality, sleek design and smooth finish. The earpieces are made all of plastic, but look of good quality and seem durable enough with a matte color finish. For wireless use they are rated IPX5 and sweatproof suiting the more active use.

Fit is great too on the m-Seven. Without a doubt one of the most comfortable earphones among in-ear sets, regardless the wired or wireless options. While these are not small as more micro-sized IEMs, the shape is super ergonomic sitting almost flawlessly on the ear with good angle towards the ear canal. The nozzle itself may look short but the inner part of the shells gives proper length and with the long flanged tips the seal is instant. Isolation is very good as well, there are no vents and manage to block a good amount of noise. A good option for more crowded areas.

The charging storage case build quality is nice as well; also IPX5 rated and has a thin rubber-like coating. It has the modern Type-C USB port and is compact and lightweight enough unlike larger metal cases on other true-wireless sets I’ve tried. There is a small button on the back of the case that lights the small LED lights at the front to indicate the current case battery level.

The m-Seven integrate touch controls on both sides. The usual playback functions for play and track skipping, phone calls, and also volume control and voice assistance with the corresponding apps. While it is not possible to manually power off the earphones, they will still turn off after a few minutes of being paused. However, they cannot be turned on without putting them back to the case, so need to take the case along everywhere.



Battery and Wireless performance

Battery time is excellent here. Nowadays the lowest records for True wireless set are about 3~4, and newer models manage to double that time. The m-Seven is even higher and among the few models that reach the 9~10 hours from a single charge.

Bluetooth version is the newer 5.0, a now more standard on true-wireless in-ear sets than portable headphones that still keep the 4.2v. The pairing is as usual very simple and once added to the paired devices list the future connections should be quick. The wireless connectivity is decent but not best. No interference or noise on the audio signal even on crowded areas, but the BT antenna on the earphones seems to be too sensitive; if there is something too close blocking the playing source then the transmission may become very unstable and in occasions the earphones will turn off. That aside, the wireless range is decent. Supported BT codecs are not listed, but seem to very be limited to only SBC and AAC, so despite the 5.0v BT chip there is not even AptX.


Sound

The sound is on the m-Seven is not difficult to describe. It is still a true-wireless set, so as much as freedom from wires it may get, the limitations of such wireless type are present nonetheless. Usually soundstage reach and imaging quality are mostly affected; not a major flaw considering the comfort of complete portability.

The m-Seven themselves have a dark sound presentation with strong emphasis on the low-end and smooth laid-back midrange and treble. Certainly it has the ‘fun’ factor with a full and thick texture, a bit more musical and very forgiving. The bass is strongly enhanced, always forward when it is on the track but not crazy overwhelming when not called for. In quantities, it is fairly well leveled from sub to upper bass, though expectedly limited in its extension and sheer rumble, and the main low-end focus is still on the mid-bass area. Speed is about average, not best suited for fast and too complex genres, and accuracy is not a key feature, but it is controlled for a bass oriented wireless set.

The powerful and dominating bass does blend into the whole midrange sounding very warm. It is more present on the lower mids, being thick and dense, missing in articulation and clarity, whereas upper mids though still affected sound cleaner and more precise. Whole midrange is more laid-back and more distant next to the dominant bass. The thicker and very smooth texture presents lack of air and separation between instruments. Vocals can sound more forward; especially female singers gain more presence over male that sound more muffled due the bass power. On more vocals oriented music where there is less bass, then vocals sound particularly nicer – still a bit dry but with good texture.

Highs are even more laid-back, very smooth and forgiving. This follows the dark signature with a more limited upper extension and early roll-off on the upper-treble. Even on more aggressive tracks there is not enough sparkle and bite on upper instruments, and clarity and detail are not the focus of the m-Seven either. Clearly better suited for a relaxed, casual listening or for the active use where precision and imaging are less needed.



VS Zolo Liberty+ ($100~150)

Build quality is good on both but the Jays are still better. They also have a better finish and boost almost perfect ergonomics and higher isolation. Battery time is below to average on the Liberty+ while m-Seven rank among the best.

In sound matters, the Liberty+ present a more lively v-shaped sound with a more even, balanced sub to mid-bass response. Not as warm as the m-Seven and so the midrange is cleaner, less thick but similarly in distant. Treble is much brighter on the Liberty+ next to the dark and smooth m-Seven. Detail is more upfront on Liberty+ and a bit less forgiving. m-Seven have a little more depth while the Liberty+ more width, but both about average, decent for these kind of wireless earphones.

Introduction

For those unfamiliar with JAYS, they are a Swedish company that's been in business for 13 years. Their most famous product is the q-JAYS ($279), a dual BA design in a tiny metal shell that has developed quite a following ever since it first came out in 2006, and then improved upon in 2015. I owned the Anniversary Edition ($349) and it was a constant companion for a couple years until I gifted it to a dear friend, the sound being brilliant in the upper frequencies. JAYS has been focused lately on releasing wireless models of different styles, both headphones and IEMs, and now have a nice lineup. I reviewed the m-SIX Wireless ($99) IEM about a year ago when it was released, and I found it to be a good value for its level of sound and Bluetooth performance.

Today's review is on the about to be released m-SEVEN True Wireless ($129), the first such product from JAYS. The future of portable IEMs is clear (no doubt due to the ubiquity of Apple's AirPods), and true wireless designs are being released from many companies at a heightened pace since there's no denying their allure. As wireless technology gets even better in regards to audio quality, I predict even higher priced/higher performance brands will follow suit.



Impressions

I'd like to thank Martin Nilsson from JAYS for providing me a free sample of the m-SEVEN for my forthright observations. My source component for my listening sessions was an iPhone SE. The source material was lossless music streamed from Radio Paradise, my favorite donation-based internet radio station owned and operated by a former DJ who personally curates his eclectic playlists. Downloads of his playlists in lossy and lossless formats are also featured.



The m-SEVEN comes in a simple but sturdy cardboard box and includes the battery case, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, three pairs of silicone tips in different sizes, and a multi-language manual. It uses Bluetooth v5.0 with its greater range than earlier versions, but the source device must also be v5.0 to take advantage of this greater capability—v4.2 and earlier are compatible. There is a microphone embedded in the right shell for voice commands (both iOS and Android) and telephony. Additionally, both shells have touch functions that allow for volume control, play, pause, skip, etc.

The battery life is specified to last 9.5 hours, and with three additional charges from the battery case, total usage is 38 hours. I don't think I've read about any other TWS design that runs as long. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on the volume level you like to listen at, and I found this to be the case since the low sensitivity (85dB/16 ohms) of the m-SEVEN required me to use the higher volume range of my iPhone. Still, I was very satisfied with the battery performance.

The shells on the m-SEVEN are made from plastic, but they have a very nice texture to them so they don't come across as cheaply made, the opposite, in fact, since the seams all line up perfectly. The m-SEVEN is IPx5 certified which simply means it can handle moisture well, JAYS referring to this capability as "Sweatproof." The compact battery case is made from the same material, and the lid with its nicely made hinge opens and closes smoothly. The IEMs attach inside the case magnetically, so no worries about them falling out by accident. There are four small white LEDs on the front of the case to indicate its battery level, and this is activated by a small round button on the rear of the case. Finally, "Designed in Sweden" is proudly engraved below this button. All in all, I'm quite impressed with the build quality of the m-SEVEN especially considering its modest price.

Before I get to the sound, I want to mention the fit. I recall when the AirPods first came out, there was a lot of angst about them falling out of one's ears. I don't believe this is a concern any longer, and it won't be with the m-SEVEN—their contoured design with its nicely textured plastic ensures they will stay put, even with vigorous movement. I tested this by quickly shaking my head in all directions, and they didn't budge. My only quibble is I wish JAYS had packed a couple more pairs of different sized tips since I found the medium to be almost perfect, yet the large to be too big. Since the nozzles are short without lips, finding aftermarket tips that won't come off without modification, i.e., glue, may pose a challenge.



Following my normal practice, I burned-in the m-SEVEN for about 75 hours before I did any critical listening. What we have here from the 6mm dynamic drivers are a big sounding, bass heavy tone; out of the box the bass was of the one-note variety, but as more play time occurred, this characteristic settled down. Let there be no mistake about it, though, this design is oriented for those who like accentuated bass. Yes, there is a little bleed into the lower mids that can obscure its detail, but I didn't mind this given the intended use of these IEMs. I can imagine those using the m-SEVEN during their exercise routines will find this characteristic quite appealing. I certainly did.

The midrange is v-shaped sounding, so it's as if one is sitting towards the back of the stage, in my view. The upper frequencies are nicely detailed with a little bit of the quality that I recall on the q-JAYS, just not to the same degree. There is absolutely no edginess or sibilance that calls itself out, so I found long listening sessions to be very enjoyable. Finally, the soundstage is atmospheric, surprisingly so, and it reaches outside of one's head provided the recording captures this quality.

One thing on the Bluetooth circuitry of the m-SEVEN ... there are no higher quality codecs like aptX or AAC included, just the default SBC codec that is standard with all current Bluetooth headphones/IEMs. Some may view this as a non-starter, but hear me out: I listened to lossless music in my evaluation which means there was only one compression process. As a result, SBC sounded fine for the application. If, however, lossy music is used, then two compression stages take place (e.g., lossless file to MP3/AAC then another compression stage for Bluetooth), and that is something to be considered for those whom would classify themselves as critical listeners. Given the price point of the m-SEVEN and its intended use, I doubt there will be many who complain about the audio quality unless one prefers a different tonal signature.

UPDATE - 08/19/19

I’ve been informed the m-SEVEN does support the AAC codec.

Conclusion

At $129, the m-SEVEN True Wireless is an outstanding value, in my view. The build quality is excellent for this price range, the fit secure, the battery life exceptional, the Bluetooth connectivity stable (and can be further improved upon with a v5.0 source device), and the audio quite fun sounding, especially during exercise routines. I normally gift free samples I receive in exchange for reviews, spreading the wealth to my family and friends, but the m-Seven True Wireless is a real keeper. My preconceptions of a wireless IEM in this price range have been shattered. Well done, JAYS!