Not your usual earbud
So I’ve had these in my cart multiple times, and didn’t pull the trigger twice. Third time was the charm. These are an interesting set of headphones and may not be for everyone, but for certain use cases I’ve been very impressed.
The overall sound quality will probably not be the best you’ve ever heard, but it’s more than acceptable. The bass on these won’t compare with a high quality set of over-ears, or a great set of in-ears. But that’s not really what these are for.
Their strength lies in the fact that they are comfortable and still allow you to be aware of your surroundings, while still hearing the media you want to listen to clearly.
Pros
- They don’t get jammed into your ear canal so there is no usual earbud discomfort
- When sound plays, it’s as though it is just emanating from the air around your head. Multiple times, speakers in a YouTube video have startled me because it felt like someone was standing just behind me when the audio started. It feels like your own personal movie soundtrack.
- Audio bleed is very minimal. Even when I have thm cranked, people around me say they can’t hear them.
- They are very secure on my ears, even when shaking my head side to side/jumping around/running after kids.
- Perfect for listening to audiobooks or online learning. Excels at spoken voices.
- Not as loud as other types of headphones, and having outside sound making it to your eardrums can make them seem quieter than they are.
Cons
- Case is bulky
- Getting the fit right takes some experimentation. If they are not on quite right it can be uncomfortable on the back of the ears. This has gone down as I’ve gotten more used to putting them on
- Not as discrete as smaller earbuds like my Galaxy Buds Pro 2s.
- If you are looking for noise cancelling, this is the opposite.
- Music that is bass heavy and very busy can sound a little flat. That said, instrumental guitar or classical music sounds great. I’ve been experimenting with different types of music and most sounds good enough. There’s some techno/hiphop that I probably would save for my over-ears, which do better with bass heavy media.
Summary
If you want to try something a little different, give these a shot. They may not be my everyday drivers but for certain activities and certain types of media, I’ve been loving them. Keeping your situational awareness is great, especially if you need to keep an ear on your kids or pets.
Would these be good for the gym? Been looking for an inexpensive pair of open style pair of headphones.
That’s one use case I haven’t tried, but I did wear them for a short bike ride around the neighborhood and they stayed very secure.
I think you’d be okay for most things like lifting/treadmills/cardio. Not sure about if you were doing e.g. yoga poses or machines where your head is upside-down, or you’re inverted at an angle. Also not sure how they would do if you’re really sweaty- I haven’t done anything like that.
For 90% of stuff I can imagine, I think you’d be OK.