Jaybird Tarah Pro vs. Jaybird Tarah: Which should you buy?

- December 18, 2018

We work in coffee shops and at home when other people are around. We understand the necessity behind excellent headphones, and we've tested A LOT of them. We also work out from time to time and take our tunes to the gym too.

Jaybird Tarah Pro

Workout wonder

$160 at Jaybird

Pros

14-hour battery life
Durable woven nylon cable
Earbuds rotate for wearing in different positions
Customizable EQ in the Jaybird app

Cons

Expensive
Sound only as good as the regular Tarah earbuds
Proprietary charging clip

Coming in $80 more expensive than the Jaybird Tarahs, the Tarah Pros are resilient earbuds with outstanding battery life, and that woven nylon cable is a godsend, along with full-on sweat-proofing. They may not sound fantastic, but they're passable in that department.

Jaybird Tarah

Great for less

$80 at Amazon

Pros

Comfortable fit
6-hour battery life
Google Assistant support
Customizable EQ in the Jaybird app

Cons

Proprietary charging cable
Cinch is useless
Expensive for what you get

The Jaybird Tarah earbuds are comfortable, have more than enough battery for even the longest run, and are made all the better by the Jaybird app. They don't sound awesome, but should do for most people.

The 'Pro' means a little extra

Despite the same name, these are earbuds of different classes. I'd put the Tarahs on the low end of what Jaybird has to offer, while the Tarah Pros are nearly at the top of the pile, with the Jaybird X4 in the middle.

	Jaybird Tarah Pro	Jaybird Tarah
Battery life	14 hours	6 hours
Charging time	2 hours	2 hours
Quick charge time	5 min for 2 hours of playtime	10 min for 1 hour of playtime
Water resistance	IPX7	IPX7
Bluetooth range	33 feet	33 feet

Aside from materials, battery life, and a slight difference in speaker sensitivity, these earbuds are nearly identical. So the decision lies firstly in whether or not you want to shell out the extra $80 for the Tarah Pro, and secondly in how much you value a durable cord and over double the battery life of the Tarah.

When it comes to water resistance, both sets can survive submersion in up to 3 feet of water for half an hour. Neither has been tested for dust ingression, but they're in your ears while you work out, so you should only have sweat to worry about, which actually isn't a worry at all.

Where the Tarah Pro pulls ahead is in its design. The cable is made from woven nylon, which is incredibly durable and won't tangle up as your run or even in your pocket. The Tarah's cable is a soft rubber that kinda just sucks. Fingernail marks are forever, and the cinch on it might as well not be there because it doesn't work.

The Tarah Pro features a better design, with its woven nylon cable and rotating earbuds.

The Tarah Pro also features rotating earbuds, so you can wrap the cord around your ears and wear the earbuds over the top rather than from the bottom. This is super handy if you prefer a more secure fit while you run.

The downfall of both pairs of earbuds comes twofold: proprietary charging cables and sound. The first on is simple; proprietary charging clips suck and no manufacturer should ever use them. Give me Micro-USB before you give me a charging clip. If you lose yours, you can buy one from Jaybird, but that hassle alone is a near-dealbreaker for me.

My feelings toward how these headphones sound is a little more complicated. As somewhat of an audiophile, I'm unimpressed with these earbuds, but when you take into consideration driver size, materials used, and price, it's actually par for the course. Don't get me wrong; these are not bad-sounding earbuds by any means. But for the price, they're underwhelming. Luckily, the Jaybird app saves the day, and EQing both the Tarah and Tarah Pro makes them more than passable — especially as workout headphones.