Atomic Floyd AirJax + Mic Headset review

I tried a lot of headsets last year, and the one that stood out as the best was HiDefDrum from Atomic Floyd. Will the new AirJax live up to the achievements of it predecessor or will it be another spoilt sibling?

The AirJax looks amazing with the shiny metal earphones, ear hooks and cool fabric cord. Atomic Floyd is a company brimming with talent for design, and the headset feels timeless. Everything from packaging to the small printed slogans on the microphone breathes style and sophistication. These are made to be seen, behold and ultimately worshipped. I can see these used by executives on a plane, as well as by roller skaters in L.A. And yeah, by me, even though I am a pudgy pale Swede in my mid thirties I can at least feel like a million bucks.

The cord is a sort of rigid shoelace just like the one used for the HiDefDrum. It is not prone to tangle in itself, but the ear hooks of the AirJax can turn into a mess. Having the AirJax in a pocket is not a good idea as it takes several minutes of annoyance to untangle the mess. This is a actually a problem as there is no good way to transport the headphones. The accompanying round case is small and fiddly. To me the best way to transport them is to hook them onto my tee shirt, and this avoids entanglement and keeps them handy for usage.
The microphone is just as great as it is for the HiDefDrum. I have never had any complaints from the person I call. It picks up ambient noises, and is placed too low. To get the best possible audio it needs to be held somewhat closer to the mouth making it less hands free. The rugged design means that this is a microphone build to last. I have used the same design for about a year without trouble.

Getting the fit perfect is not that easy, as there is quite a lot of adjustment possible. Without the ear hooks they can be used when sitting down, but for any movement the ear hooks are needed. In my case the ear hooks makes them really sturdy, and I can easily go running at full speed without the earphones flying off. No matter how I adjust them I get a pressure sensation from the earphones, and after a while this starts to hurt the ear around it. This is due to the ear hooks forcing the earphones into place. After a quick adjustment the hurt goes away for a while. It arrives after a short while though. As I sit here typing this review I have turned the ear hooks outwards to relieve my ears.

There is rubber covers included for the ear hooks, and I had to use them right away. Not because of comfort per se, but because the metal only became really cold already at 15 degrees Celsius. The rubber covers are easy to install. A hex tool is also included letting you adjust the ear hooks in height. The best way to get the right fit in my experience is to place the earphones in the ears, and adjust the screws when they are in the best spot.
The sound is bright, vibrant and clear. The high to mid range is excellent. When it comes to bass these are quite weak. Even with a bass port that worked brilliantly for the HiDefDrum these feel almost on par with the stock Apple earphones the iPhone ships with. To get a decent bass you need to press the earphones against the ear. This is something the design can’t fix without external pressure. Of course this also means that noise isolation is quite limited.

The AirJax from Atomic Floyd is a great looking headset with cool design, and excellent materials. The weak bass, hard to fit ear hooks, poor noise isolation and transportation issues draw the overall impression down. Highlights are the clear sound, noise free cord, good microphone and rugged build quality. I can recommend it to those who dislike in-ear headphones.