By: Zachary Sniderman
Art by: Gustaf von Arbin

Q-JAYS EARPHONES

Technology has done us a disservice. In an effort to fit our growing musical libraries into pocket- sized devices, music files have been squeezed, literally compressed into formats that flatten their dynamic range and are served up over mediocre, stock headphones. This compression has benefited some artists—Justice famously used Apple’s tinny, raspy speakers to check the playback of their début album—but it has also created a void filled by a music community eager to recapture aural nuance. Founded in 2006, JAYS is a company of fifteen designers and engineers based out of Stockholm, all of them dedicated to designing a better listening experience. For two years, they have been developing a pair of in-ear headphones that are simple in design but rich in sound quality. “We wanted to push ourselves and technology to the very limits,” says chief technology officer Peter Cedmer. JAYS offers more affordable headphones, but q-JAYS, the first in a line of new headphones being released last year, is their most technically sophisticated yet, designed to help separate the subtle registers of any song, enhancing the interplay of individual tracks, musicians, and instruments. “In order to make a great product, there needs to be a balance of experience, mistakes, and passion in the mix,” Cedmer says. Years of development have paid off for the team, as Cedmer explains: “I love listening to ‘Danny Boy,’ by Johnny Cash, off American Recordings IV, since his voice really comes alive in q-JAYS. It’s in moments like this you realize the wonderful impact music can have on you. It’s like having your own time machine that can take you anywhere, whenever you want.”

For more information, please visit JAYS.se.

By: Zachary Sniderman
Art by: Gustaf von Arbin

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