Jays a-Six Wireless: Price & availability
For around £30/US$30 more, you can get the RHA MA650 Wireless.
Jays a-Six Wireless: Design and build
When headphones are called wireless, you tend to imagine that there will be no wires at all, but unless you buy Apple AirPods, you’re going to find a wire between the left and right ears. The a-Six has a ‘neckband’ design which means the battery and remote are on a wire that runs between the earbuds. The buds themselves are machined from aluminium and look good with the two-tone black and copper finish. But you might prefer the white-on-silver version or grey-on-silver.
The remote has three buttons and a built-in mic. It can take a little while to learn all the functions, but you can control most things, from volume and skipping tracks to your phone’s digital assistant and answering and hanging up calls. If there’s one complaint, it’s the absence of any clips to hold the wire to your collar. Without this the battery hangs down and pulls slightly on the earbuds – something that’s exacerbated if you go running with them. RHA’s design for the MA650 is better: a thicker neck strap stays put and offers some slack for the thinner ear bud wires. In turn, this means they don’t suffer so badly from microphonics – the noises transmitted by the wires rubbing on your clothing or body. By contrast, these noises are much more noticeable with the a-Six. The advantage of the a-Six’s design is that it’s easier to fold up the headphones and pack them away in a smaller space, though it’s a shame no carry pouch is included. They’re also extremely light.
Jays a-Six Wireless: Sound quality
It’s crucial to get that perfect fit for two reasons. First, it’s the only way you’ll hear bass as it relies on an air-tight seal. Reviews you read saying they have no bass are simply down to poor fit. Part of the problem could be that the selection of silicone tips provided are on the small side: one of our testers simply couldn’t find a pair large enough. Second, you’ll only get the promised noise isolation with proper-fitting tips – again it’s the same reason as for bass. This reviewer found the factory-installed tips a perfect fit which led to excellent bass. In fact, the a-Six sounded just as good as the MA650 overall, with good mid-range clarity and no harsh treble. No matter what genre of music you prefer, or if you like to watch videos or listen to podcasts, the a-Six sounds good. Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.
