Jaybird X4 (2018) vs AKG N40 (2016)

The Jaybird X4 (2018) is a great Canal Earphone for its $83 asking price.

The AKG N40 (2016), however, is merely passable at its $279 price point. If you're considering buying a Canal Earphone in the $230 range, you might want to check out some of its competitors.

The Jaybird X4 (2018) was loved by reviewers at PCmag, a highly trusted source that performs reliable in-depth testing. It did great in its "The Best Bluetooth Headphones for Running" roundup where it was named its "Best for Audiophiles", which, in itself, makes it a product worth considering.

Moving on to the AKG N40 (2016): it was loved by What Hi-Fi? and Gear Patrol - two reliable sources that conduct their own in-depth testing. In fact, it was named "Customisable in-ear headphones make the most of high-quality tracks." and "Ranked 3 out of 5" in their respective roundups, which points to it being a product worthy of consideration.

We couldn't find any sources that tested both of these Canal Earphones, so we only analyzed how they performed in reviews from different sites.

We first examined which sources rated each of these best and found that the Jaybird X4 (2018) got its highest, 9, rating from TrustedReviews, while the AKG N40 (2016) earned its best, 10, score from What Hi-Fi?.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Canal Earphones on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Canal Earphones being 7.4 out of 10, whereas the Jaybird X4 (2018) and AKG N40 (2016) managed averages of 8.1 and 9.5 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct Jaybird X4 (2018) vs. AKG N40 (2016) comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.