Top positive review
14 people found this helpful
From a guy who is hard on headphones, these are the cats pajamas
By ISmokaDaMeats on Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2016
I've owned hundreds of dollars worth of bluetooth headphones ($20 to $40) at a time over the last few years. I'm an avid runner currently nearing my first half marathon, and I sweat buckets when I run. I also lift weights a couple of times a week. I've owned QY8 (terrible), AYL (okay), Blayz (decent), and several others I've forgotten. Background: Years ago, I got really awesome headphones in the form of these waterpoof beasts https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Walkman-NWZW273S-Waterproof-Swimming/dp/B00I05EFMG. With these I kickstarted my running habit and began to enjoy the sport more. From a physical standpoint, these are the best headphones I've ever owned. They are incredibly comfortable, lightweight, and easy to control aside from turning them on and off. The downside is that they are not bluetooth, and thus I can't use them with all my cloud-based music easily. Another downside is that they have trouble charging due to contact corrosion that has amassed over time exacerbated by sweat, and it's not great that they use a proprietary charger. If Sony made a bluetooth version of these in this same form factor, I would buy it in a heartbeat. However, Sony does not make a bluetooth version of these. Anyway, I knew that the rigid-back formfactor could really work well from my experience with the Sony headphones. Unfortunately, Amazon is full of terrible bluetooth headphones with fake reviews that make it hard to dig through them all, and most manufacturers make the kind with a soft cable connecting them. I really think the only reason that style took off is because it is cheaper to manufacture. Anyway, after trying lots of disappointing headphones, I decided to give these a shot when I was weighing getting some bone conduction headphones since my wife (also a runner) got some. I heard about these from a facebook ad oddly enough, and later found them again on Amazon. I was frustratedly comparing headphones when I stumbled across these the second time. The reviews appear to be genuine, which is rare in this product category. I've also owned Anker products in the past, and they have mostly been great. Even when one wasn't, they tried their best to make it right. Also, lots of friends of mine love their products in real life, and the price was right so I figured why-the-heck-not go for it. These are the best bluetooth headphones out there that I have experienced. The wrap around back piece appeared a little too floppy in the videos, but it is more rigid than I expected once I got my hands on it which is a plus. These stay in my ears pretty well. The retention rubber band piece across the back doesn't slide when sweaty doesn't budge whereas the one on my great Sony headphones would slip all the way to the back of the band, so these are even better in that regard. The bluetooth signal is reliable, battery life has not been an issue, the startup and shutdown sounds are pleasant (like a record spinning up and slowing down). Also, the charger cover is sturdy, and it uses a standard cover. The earpieces are big rubber one piece jobs (not a little earbud nub, but a cover that goes around the speaker and has an earbud branching off of it) which makes it easy to rotate them for optimal positioning. Sweat hasn't bothered these. As far as signal, these don't lose connection when I have the phone in my waist belt and them on my head while running, though sometimes they do when I turn my head to the side. This sounds lame, but I'm tall and there are many headphones that can't even maintain a connection when my head is straight. When my phone is not pressed up against my flesh, the signal is great. I can leave the room with these in my house and stay connected, and at the gym I can leave my phone in one place while getting water or using a machine some distance away without issue usually. My only real complaint with these is the controls. The controls are awkwardly placed. I have to scratch my ear to operate the buttons which are all crowded on the top of the right earpiece. I'm not sure why the controls weren't placed on the back or bottom of both earpieces. The sony's had track skip buttons and play on one earpiece bottom with volume on the other and power/lock on the back of one. It would also be nice if there was a track skip back button. However, while I'm bashing this one aspect of the controls, I have to commend Anker on the reliability of the controls for voice actions. I can reliably use voice dialing or control my music via voice by holding down the center button for a second or so. None of my other bluetooth headsets were as easy to do this on, and some (Blayz) totally omit that feature while costing more than these. It also helps that their instructions are very clear and well laid out, and they are probably the best headphone instructions I've seen. So there you have it, these are the best I've used. The combo of price, comfort, and usability is astonishing frankly compared to the other garbage on the market. If you are on the fence about buying your tenth set of bluetooth headphones, I wouldn't be any longer with these. They are the last type I'll buy. I'm already considering grabbing another pair so I can have a backup set in case anything ever happens to these.
Top critical review
Trying to find a good pair of wireless earbuds that provides a good quality ...
By Justin on Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2016
Trying to find a good pair of wireless earbuds that provides a good quality sound and actually stay in my ears has been quite a challenge for me, wasting time and money trying different pairs in either returning them or worse accepting them for occasional use. I have always loved Anker products and thought they made a good product so when I saw these I had to try them. The design of these earbuds is great I think they feel snug and high quality, and definitely stay in place no matter what you do with them. They are advertised as being waterproof and to test that I actually wore them while showering and they worked fine and continue to work fine afterwards. These come so close to being perfect it is almost frustrating but here is the big issue I had - earbuds completely rely on sealed connection to the inside of your ear to provide a good sound. What I mean by that is that the sound quality dramatically changes when I push on the earbuds and make them seal well inside my ears versus when they are not sealed and just kind of floating inside my ear. I tried all three included earbud sizes and could not find one that felt like it fit and worked well and provided that necessary seal for a good sound quality. Without the good seal in my ear the sound quality is very poor and has no bass, when the seal is made by pushing on them from the outside the sound is very good . What is frustrating sometimes I can get the earbuds to seal but over time or with movement they loosen and I lose the seal and the good sound quality . I believe this to be the reason there are so many varying reviews on this product from people that say the sound is fine or the sound is horrible - It depends on whether they are getting the buds to seal to their ears or not . The only other minor issue I hope they will look to improve on for future versions is the small difficult to manipulate controls - there are three very small identical feeling buttons on the right earbud that operate the power and volume and song skipping. They are extremely small and it is hard to hit just one button you almost have to use your fingernail to operate them and hitting the wrong button when you're trying to Power It off can be frustrating . Like all Anker products the bluetooth connection worked great, and unlike other brand products I have tried has no static or dropped connections.
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