While I really liked the Run, they definitely felt like a first attempt at something new. Jaybird has actually been a pioneer in the world of bluetooth headphones for fitness buffs, but its early models all had a thin cable connecting the two buds. Design-wise, the Vista are an improvement in practically every way: they're more compact and only stick out of your ears a bit while wearing them. Jaybird shaved off as much extraneous material as it could from the case, and the rest is something that just looks and feels far sleeker.

But just because they're smaller and lighter doesn't mean they sound worse. Jaybird moved up to a 6 millimeter driver that delivers much richer quality than before. The Run earbuds sounded fine, but they were bass-heavy and lost some of the nuance you'd find on wired headphones. With the Vista, I was able to hear the full range of Janelle Monae's vocals, and feel the delicious subtlety of Nicholas Brittel's If Beale Street Could Talk score. There's a huge leap forward in mid-range definition, but there's still a nice kick in the low end for bass-heavy tunes. And even though they don't have noise canceling, they do a solid job of blocking out external clamor. I was still able to listen to podcasts and music at reasonable volumes on incredibly noisy subway platforms.

The Vista's fins did a solid job of anchoring them to my ears, and their lighter weight also helped them feel more secure than the Run. They never jostled as I sprinted (okay, lightly jogged) through Prospect Park and ran through a few cardio routines. I can't really judge how they'd fair during more intense workouts, but if you're in that camp, you might be better served with something like the new PowerBeats Pro, which hook over your ears.

Wireless reception has also been massively upgraded, thanks to a new Bluetooth 5 chipset. You can use each Vista earbud independently — which is useful for weirdos like me, who like to walk around New York City while listening to podcasts through a single ear. With the Run, I'd occasionally run into interference on street corners and other electronically noisy areas of NYC, but I didn't encounter any of those issues with the Vista.