Ngl, was a little skeptical since I had zero experience with these type of headphones but to have the ability to hear outside of the music playing was something that I was very interested in.
I bought the newest model, from the reviews I read it just makes sense to start from the top because in most cases of it doesn’t hold up to your expectations, chances are the lesser of its product line wouldn’t either.
Music. It plays well, you can hear all the instruments, vocals, nothing is let behind. The bass seems to be the weakest link but understanding it’s whole purpose of its nature, it is acceptable and doesn’t throw the music off or feels inadequate because of the bass. There is definitely room for improvement and from the looks of its history, they are here to improve its quality so that is a huge plus.
Outside noise/sounds. Question is, can you hear and understand the sounds outside of the headphones itself? After all that is the whole point of this development. Short answer, yes, yes you can. Your volume with dictate how well can you hear outside of that. Even when you have the volume loud, you can still here noises and voices if they are close to you. Understanding what is being said may not be that easy. Again, if you have it loud enough that you can hear your music over noise you can certainly understand what others are saying to you. If anything you are aware of what is going on and I feel that is the whole point of this style. With over the ears or ear buds you are really isolated from your surroundings and usually needs a tap on the shoulder to get your attention.
Ease of use. Right? We don’t want things complicated or have to memorize pages of info to navigate your headset. This is cut and dry and basically does pretty much what you want to do when you working out. Volume/power buttons (only 2) on your right ear, left ear has one button that does 1,2 or 3 clicks and that’s it. You want more, use your phone otherwise you wouldn’t want more than this.
Cons. The only thing that really comes to mind aside from what I mentioned earlier is their special usb charging cable. It would be nice if they provided 2 cables, however I do wished the cable itself was a foot longer. You would still be able to fit it in the case easily.
Results. Yes Yes Yes! By understand it’s purpose and that is what you are looking for, you will be happy and pleased with these headphones. Easy to put on and take off, comes with a great case and a charging cable, smooth operation, navigation is simple and effective. Battery life is great and the produced sounds are above par. Super happy with these!