Bluetooth earbuds

Underwater Audio Swimbuds MP3 review

REVIEW – Earbuds that can withstand sweat and weather are getting pretty common on the market, but what about waterproof sources for that sound you’re listening to? I was recently sent a set of waterproof earbuds with a built-in MP3 player designed for swimming. Is such a thing possible? I took the plunge to test the Swimbuds MP3 from Underwater Audio to find out. Let’s dive in, shall we?

What is it?

Earbuds and a built-in MP3 player designed to work while swimming.

What’s in the box?

The actual headpiece
USB charger for unit
11 pairs of ear tips
instruction sheet

Hardware specs

All-in-one MP3 player and headphone
8GB of storage (up to 2,000 songs)
Impermeable to 10 feet (3 meters)
7 hours of playback time
4 styles of earbuds with various sizes so you can find the fit that works for you

Design and features

The big question with a waterproof electronic device is “How are you going to power this while keeping it sealed?” For this unit, it’s an external USB-equipped clip that holds the main unit’s charging touch-points against a matched set of pogo-pins in the charger. It’s a very tight fit, and there’s an opening in the clip so you can see the LEDs that give you indicators of the charge and power conditions.

Setup

Setup is fairly straightforward. The unit will read .mp3 files only, and they are just placed in the root of the device, just like you’re loading a thumb drive. No folders, no syncing, no frills: just dump them in, and they’re available.
This brings up one of the irritating things – .mp3 files. I never use this old format anymore. To create a bunch of files to listen to, I had to convert the desired files to the format needed, and then delete the old version to avoid having duplicates. Plus, there’s no good way to organize the order the songs would play in.

Performance

I did have a bit of trouble at the start. The unit would not show up on my Mac, which is a brand new Mac mini running MacOS Mojave 10.14.5. The USB port would charge it, but it never showed up alongside the other discs that are attached. I sent an email to the support line, and after they finally got the message that I know how to attach and clip it into the holder and it’s an issue with the unit, they walked me through a hard reset, which was as simple as holding down the power button for 10 seconds. Once it reset, it never gave me a moment’s problem. (Note to support: I’d put hard reset at step one or two, not step 5. And maybe assume folks can figure out how to connect the clip after they tell you the first time that it’s charging.)

Wearing the unit while swimming laps at my wife’s gym was trouble free. I’m not big on laps, but having music to encourage me along made the time seem to pass more quickly. The raised controls for stop, start, volume up/down, or skip/replay are easy to use because the buttons are raised. One side controls volume, the other controls playback/rewind. Easy-peasy.

With a large number of ear tips included, I was able to have my ears sealed off from water, but full of my music. Much more fun than just listening to my labored breathing.

What I like

Simple content loading
Many various ear-tips
Raised controls make adjustments easy

What I’d change

Playlists would be nice
.mp3 file format is very limiting

Final thoughts

Swimming has been the most enjoyable exercise I’ve ever done. It’s time-consuming and monotonous, however, which makes it boring. Having music or an audiobook to keep your mind occupied while your body does what it needs to do really makes it a better experience. I’m going to try and do more laps, and I’m depending on the Swimbuds to carry me through. They were great to use during testing, and I recommend them to anyone needing a workout soundtrack.

Price: $80.00
Where to buy: Underwateraudio.com
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Underwater Audio.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds, Sports

Underwater Audio Swimbuds MP3 review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 12, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Baseus S17 wireless headphones review

REVIEW – Completely wireless earbuds require that the earbuds balance or seal into your ear canals through pressure, shape, or some combination of the two. There are many add-ones out there that add hooks, different shapes, and tethers for these small individual units. Baseus has created a new model – the Wireless Headphone S17 – that incorporates a soft ear hook into the earbud itself as well as a tether to connect the two halves. I was sent a set in black to test.

What is it?

Tethered IPX5 earbuds with ear hooks, in-line mic, volume control, and digital assistant access.

What’s in the box?

Earbuds
One set extra ear tips
USB2< ->microUSB charging cord
User guide (English and Chinese)

Hardware specs

Bluetooth 5.0
Independent sound cavity
High-resolution sound field
Tight sealing effectively isolates noise
Magnetic housing design, anti-tangle
IPX5 waterproof
3 control buttons
Comfortable ear hooks
Built-in 100 mAh dual battery
CE, RoHS and FC certifications
Battery capacity: 100 mAh, 3.7V
Call/music time: 6-7 hours
Standby time: 200 hours
Charging time: 1.5 hours

Design and features

Baseus makes a wide range of different shapes of wireless and wired listening products. This latest in their Encok Music line – the Wireless Headphone S17 – incorporates soft ear hooks to hold the actual speakers in place while you workout, run, bike, or just go about your day. Available in white or black, the earbuds have soft, flexible silicon ear hooks with no wire or stiffener inside to break or poke through. This makes the over-the-ear part almost undetectable while wearing. Paired with the hook is a hard plastic disk just under an inch in diameter (2 cm). Around the outside of each earbud is a metallic red decorative ring. Linking the two ends is a flattened oval cord 23″ long. A mic/control module breaks the link a few inches closer to the right earbud than center. A high power magnet in each earbud pulls the two halves together when not in use.

There are two sizes of silicone ear tips included, but it’s easy to make either fit since they are so flexible. With the addition of the permanently attached ear hooks, you don’t need to worry about the seal being what will prevent the unit from falling out.

The mic module is typical – a multi-functional button in the center with “+” and “-” buttons for volume on either side. A – sigh! – microUSB charging port is under a silicone gasket. Holding down the multifunction button will hail your digital assistant

You can wear the tethering wire over the back of your neck or in front. There is a bit of attenuation that comes through when it hits your shirt or neck, so I tended to keep it under my chin. Testing while on a phone call, I had someone tell me which sound they preferred, and they said the sound was better when the mic module was around front. Your mileage may vary.

Performance

The large outer rim of the earbuds gives ample room for a battery and good sized speakers, as well as the magnets that draw them together when not in use. The sound from the S17s is clear and crisp. I heard some nuances in songs that I’d never noticed before. (Did you know there was a trumpet riff with a Harmon mute in Steely Dan’s Babylon Sisters? After hearing it, I went back to my over-the-ear wired headphones and there it was, just waaayyy in the background!)

The bass range you hear with the S17s will sound thinner, of course, due to the smaller speakers, but acoustic music or female voices are absolutely magical, especially in a quiet environment. I’ve been rediscovering Imogene Heap’s lyrics, that were always over-powered by the instrumentals previously. Somehow, you feel closer or more present in the music.

What I like

Soft ear tips provide unnoticed security
Magnets keep the cable from tangling
Access to digital assistant through a single button

What I’d change

I’m so tired of microUSB charging cables.

Final thoughts

I like fully wireless earbuds much better than those with wires, but the ear hooks and not having to charge all the time keeps me trying out tethered buds as well. These are possibly the best-sounding pair of tethered earbuds I’ve used and the most comfortable by far. Not having to figure out what to do with the charging case or where to put the buds when you stop using them for a minute (for example, to tell a driver your destination or to chat with a friend you just bumped into) is another notable benefit of the magnetic cling feature.

Price: $25.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Baseus.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

Baseus S17 wireless headphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 8, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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ISOtunes Xtra Bluetooth Hearing Protection Earbuds review

REVIEW – It may be an understatement in 2019 to say that there are many Bluetooth wireless earbuds products on the market. Lots of them have very similar styling and features, but few are suitable for use in a work (or play) environment with levels of background noise high enough to cause potential hearing damage. ISOtune saw a need for a product that could do just that, and have been producing both wired and wireless earbuds with integrated professional-grade hearing protection for some time now. Their latest product is ISOtunes Xtra Bluetooth Hearing Protection Earbuds. Let’s check them out. Gadget onward.

What is it?

ISOtunes Xtra Bluetooth Hearing Protection Earbuds are Bluetooth earbuds that have special features that help not only block out noisy background sounds but do so at a professional-grade level while allowing you to listen to music or make and receive phone calls, and with a very long battery life.

What’s in the box?

ISOtunes Xtra Bluetooth Earbuds
Three pairs of “heat activated’ ISOtunes TRILOGY noise-blocking foam ear tips
3 sizes/pairs of silicone double-flange ear tips
USB to micro USB charging cable
Microfiber drawstring storage pouch
Instruction manual

Hardware specs

Options
- Black and Yellow (reviewed here) color scheme
- All Black color scheme
ANSI-certified 27 dB Noise Reduction Rating (NRR)
Up to 8 hour music playback and talk time, 180 hour standby time
Micro USB-rechargeable lithium-ion battery
OSHA-compliant, including ISOtunes signature SafeMax Technology with 85 dB volume limit
Bluetooth 4.1 + EDR, compatible with all Bluetooth-enabled devices
ISOtunes signature mic with background noise cancellation for phone calls eliminates steady-state noise like engines, mowers, fans, vacuums, and saws for clear calls in loud environments
IP45 dust, sweat and water resistant
Lightweight memory wire neckband for comfortable long-term wear
Magnetic earbuds: play/pause music, answer/end calls, and keep the earbuds safely around your neck
Includes 4 pairs (XS,S,M,L) of heat-activated ISOtunes TRILOGY foam earplugs for optimal sound quality, comfort, and noise isolation. Also includes 3 sizes/pairs of rubber double-flange eartips.
1 year warranty

Design and features

My initial impression of the ISOtune Xtra earbuds was that although they appear to be fairly similar to many other Bluetooth earbuds, they included two largish pods-shaped items in line with the cable connecting the left and right earbuds—the instruction manual refers to these pods as “Battery Boxes.” I thought this was an interesting design feature and initially suspected that they were perhaps part of a noise-cancellation system, or might help provide longer battery life. More on this below.

ISOtunes Xtra includes two types of earbud tips, each in multiple sizes. Shown in the photo above and starting from the left, the first three are ISOtunes TRILOGY foam ear tips in three sizes, and the next three are silicone double-flange ear tips. ISOtunes intends the TRILOGY foam ear tips to be used in noisy environments, while the silicone double-flange ear tips are to be used in non-noisy environments.

Each earbud has a threaded post onto which the TRILOGY Foam ear tips can be twisted, which helps keep them secured to the earbuds.

The photo above shows a closeup of the three size sizes of TRILOGY foam ear tips. Their threaded plastic cores that twist down onto the threaded earbud posts are color-coded and are, starting from the left: Large (blue), Medium (black), and Small (green). It should be noted that the IOStunes site states that this product includes not three, but four pairs of the TRILOGY foam earplugs in sizes XL, L, M, and S; however, as can be seen above, the product sample that I received to review only included three sizes.

In the above pic, I’ve threaded one of the Large size TRILOGY foam tips onto the left earbud and pushed one of the Large size double-flange ear tips onto the right earbud. The double-flange eartips are made from a soft silicone-like material and do not have threaded cores like the TRILOGY foam tips, so they do not thread onto the earbud posts; instead, they are easily pressed onto the posts.

Per the ISOtune site, the best way to use the TRILOGY foam tips is to start by compressing for a few seconds—I found this easiest to do while rotating them between my fingers. Next, place the compressed foam ear tips into your ear canals, and hold them in place for several seconds, allowing the foam to expand to fit your ear canals. I tried both styles of earbud tips, the TRILOGY foam type, and the double-flange silicone type. In full disclosure, in the past, I have had major issues with earbuds of all different types staying in my ears, certainly while exercising with them in, but often even while just working at my desk. I have tried a few earbuds that have utilized various types of foam tips similar to the TRILOGY, and I have also tried quite a few more that have had silicone tips, but never with the double-flange style of ISOtunes Xtra, so I was very interested to try them. I wore both styles of tips during multiple activities: sitting at my desk working in an office setting, working out in the gym, exercising outdoors, and mowing the lawn. While the TRILOGY foam type did block ambient sound better, they did not seem to stay in my ears as well. Conversely, the double-flange silicone type did stay in my ears a bit better but did not block ambient sound quite as well as the foam tips. I suspect that, had this review sample product included a pair of the XL-sized TRILOGY foam ear tips, as stated on ISOtunes site, these might have been large enough to fit more securely in my (apparently) large ear canals.

ISOtunes Xtra includes small magnets on the ends of each of the earbuds. These magnets are actually more functional than just being a useful way to keep the earbuds around your next when you don’t have them in your ears. when removing the earbuds from your ears and attaching them together with the magnets, music is automatically paused. This is great for if someone stops by for a quick chat—you don’t have fully shut the earbuds down, and the music doesn’t keep playing. Handy!

ISOtunes Xtra features an inline controller. This controller has three buttons, +, O, and -. Like many Bluetooth earbuds, these buttons are multi-functional depending upon the mode in which the IOStunes Xtra is operating. The “O” button in the center is the Multi-Function Button, or MFB according to the manual. Holding it down turns ISOtunes Xtra off or on and also answers or ends a phone call. The + and – button will either advance music track forward or backward if tapped or increased or decreased the volume if held down briefly.

On the reverse side of the in-line controller is the ISOtune Xtra’s microphone for phone calls or using voice assistants like Siri.

Located in one of the larger inline “pods” is the charging port, which is a micro USB port that is covered with a small silicone flap that helps with ISOtunes Xtra’s IP45 dust, sweat, and water resistance rating. Beware that this small flap is attached by a very small, thin piece of silicone, which could easily be torn off and lost, compromising the device’s water resistance. While ISOtunes claims 8 hours of talk time and 180 hours of standby time, I was curious to see if they would actually last for this duration of time, and I have to say that the battery life of the ISOtune Xtra’s rechargeable lithium-ion battery life was impressive. The first time I used it on a full charge, it lasted for almost my entire workday, which was around 8 hours. I suspect that those two in-line “Battery Boxes” probably assisted with this very generous battery life.

One of ISOtunes Xtra’s features is its “memory wire neck band”. I’m not quite sure what this feature is intended to do. “Memory wire” implies that the user could bend it into a position that is comfortable and it would retain that position, but that’s not how it works. It is basically a rigid segment of cable that is almost completely inflexible. Because of its flat cross-section, it did allow the ISOtune Xtra to sit nicely on the back of my neck while wearing it, but it also made ISOtunes Xtra very difficult to coil/fold down into a small space. More on that below.

ISOtunes Xtra includes a microfiber drawstring storage pouch, which is very handy and I always appreciate it when a company includes something like this. However, one thing I would point out here is that, as mentioned above, ISOtunes Xtra does not fold down into a particularly small space, which is mainly prevented by its memory wire neckband—which not only takes up a fair amount of space but because it is semi-rigid, it prevents ISOtunes Xtra from being coiled or folded down effectively. This is really not a show stopper issue considering ISOtunes Xtra’s impressive noise reduction capabilities and that in comparison to most full-on noise-canceling earphones it is still quite svelt, it is certainly not as small as pair of Apple Airpods, for example. If you are planning to slide ISOtunes Xtra into its pouch and then into your pocket, you may be unpleasantly surprised with how much space they take up, unless you are wearing cargo pants or put them into a larger jacket pocket; of course, if you are tossing them into a backpack or purse, you are golden.

Setup

Pairing of ISOtunes Xtra, at least the first time, was quite easy and I paired it with both my iPhone 6 Plus and later with my new iPhone XR without any issues. The first time powering on the ISOtune Xtra, it was automatically in pairing mode. I simply went to the Bluetooth settings on my iPhone, found ISOtunes Xtra in the list, selected it, and it was paired. Further, I don’t recall that ISOtunes Xtra ever lost pairing connection with either of my phones, which I’ve found to be a somewhat rare occurrence with Bluetooth devices. Further, ISOtune Xtra supports pairing with more than one device at a time, and I was also able to pair it with my work-issued Lenovo X270 laptop running Windows 10, though this required a few more steps than pairing it with my iPhones.

Performance

How did ISOtunes Xtra sound? Quite good, actually. First, keep in mind that although ISOtunes Xtra does not have noise canceling capability, it does boast an ANSI-certified 27 dB Noise Reduction Rating (NRR). That may sound impressive (pun intended), but to what does that translate in practice? Some pretty serious ambient noise blocking, that’s what. While the silicone double-flange ear tips do fairly well at creating a “gasket” effect in your ears which helps block ambient noise, but where ISOtunes Xtra really shines in this feature is when using the “heat activated’ ISOtunes TRILOGY noise-blocking foam ear tips. When using these, I can still hear ambient sounds, but they are greatly reduced. They work like this: when using ISOtunes Xtra with the TRILOGY foam ear tips while sitting in my cubicle at work, I can still hear my colleagues having conversations around me, but they are very muffled. When I wore them to the gym, I can still hear folks around me working out, but again, the sounds are very muffled and I barely notice them. When I wore them while mowing the lawn and using the trimmer, I could still hear the equipment running, but their volume was significantly reduced. After having suffered a freak episode of acute hearing loss several years ago (from which I fully recovered), I have been very careful to protect my hearing while engaging in activities that involve prolonged excessive noise. ISOtune Xtra left me feeling very safe about my hearing while wearing them while engaging in activities involving loud ambient noise. In fact, they work so well in this capacity that I would advise against using them while out walking, running or biking along roads because your ability to hear oncoming vehicles will be almost nil.

Ambient noise-blocking aside, ISOtunes Xtra produce solid sound. I found the sound to be just a bit on the bass-heavy side, but for music I tend to enjoy this, so it was not an issue for me. I’d say the sound was generally better than average. With respect to phone calls, ISOtunes Xtra did well generally, but I had to ensure that the microphone near my face or the person on the other end could not hear me. At one point I was stretching after a workout with my head down and the mic got out of position, and my friend on the other end suddenly couldn’t hear me until I sat back upright.

ISOtunes Xtra claims an IP45 dust, sweat, and water resistance rating, and in practice I found its moisture resistance to be impressive. As allude to above, I regularly engage in relatively intense exercise, and this coupled with my seemingly superhuman sweating ability has overpowered several of the Bluetooth earbuds that I’ve reviewed. Not so with ISOtunes Xtra. It kept on functioning despite my best attempts to short-circuit it (pun intended). As mentioned above, for exercise, the double-flange silicone ear tips did work better for my ears in terms of actually staying in my ears than the TRILOGY foam ear tips. Still, neither style of ear tips (even the largest size of each) didn’t stay in my ears all that well once I really got moving—-I don’t blame ISOtunes Xtra for this, because I apparently was blessed with cavernous ear canals and no pair of earbuds, Bluetooth or otherwise, have (yet) stayed in my ears during exercise to my satisfaction.

One last thing that must be explained here. I had a substantial problem with the review sample of ISOtunes Xtra that I was provided. I had been using it for a few weeks and it had been functioning fine when suddenly it shut off spontaneously and I couldn’t turn it back on. I didn’t think the battery was low, but once I plugged it back in to charge it, the ISOtunes Xtra did eventually come back to life. Fast-forward a few more weeks and it happened again, but this time plugging it in to charge it did not bring it back—it just would not turn back on or even charge. ISOtunes provided me with a replacement and I sent the defective one back to them so their engineers could analyze it. However, the situation is with the replacement unit was actually even worse. With the second one, I removed it from the package and charged it fully, then proceeded to use it until the charge ran out, at which time I plugged it in to charge it, but I would not charge and it would not turn back on, just like the first one. It was just dead. Very frustrating to have two review units in a row fail like this and it’s something I’ve never had happen previously.

What I like

Ambient noise reduction is more effective than any other wireless earbuds I’ve tried, period.
LONG battery life (8+ hours on a full charge)
Lots of eartips options in both type and sizes to match the wearer’s fit and preference

What I’d change

Both review products that I was sent died after a few uses and would not turn back on. Epic fail.
A bit bulky
Doesn’t fold/coil down into a very small space

Final thoughts

ISOtunes Xtra functions well as a pair of Bluetooth earbuds, but that is just the basics of what it can do. It has an impressive 8+ hour battery life, very strong ambient noise-reduction capabilities, and effective moisture-resistance. ISOtunes is a bit bulky and doesn’t coil/fold down into a very small space, but I could overlook these faults in favor of its impressive functionality and performance except for one thing—the two (original and replacement) ISOtunes Xtra devices that I was sent to review both dies and could be neither charged nor turned back on. Big fail.

Price: $79.99
Where to buy: Purchase directly from ISOtunes or Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by ISOtunes.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds, Health and fitness

ISOtunes Xtra Bluetooth Hearing Protection Earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 2, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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Rock Jaw Audio T5 Ultra Connect Bluetooth wireless earbuds review

REVIEW – With apologies to William Shakespeare…

To ear, or not to ear, that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The pains and aches of outrageous ear tips,
Or to take arms with compliant materials
And by opposing listen to them all day.

Rock Jaw Audio introduced an updated version of their T5 Ultra Connect wireless earbuds. Let’s see if they’re worth a listen.

What is it?

The T5 Ultra Connect wireless earbuds (T5) are the latest iteration of Rock Jaw Audio’s wireless earbud line. They have been updated with Bluetooth 5 and IPX5 water resistance.

What’s in the box?

T5 Ultra Connect earbuds
Large, medium, and small silicone ear tips
Large, medium (attached), and small Comply isolation ear tips
Neutral (attached), extra base, and extra treble tuning filters
USB-A to USC-C charging cable
Mesh carrying bag
Instructions

Hardware specs

Drivers: Titanium-coated diaphragm, CCAW voice coil
Frequency response: 15 – 25,000Hz
Impedance: 24 ohms (+/-15%) @1KHz
Bluetooth range (unobstructed): 12M
Chipset: aptX & AAC
Microphone: MEMS professional
Water resistance: (IPX) Water Resistance: IPX5 – Sweatproof & water resistant, in the gym or outside
Battery life: 11 hours

Design and features

The T5s are pretty typical for wireless earbuds. They have a thin wire connecting the two buds. Along the wire are a battery and a control pad. The buds themselves are nicely finished in aircraft-grade aluminum. The buds have a small “L: and “R” on them to identify the left and right bud. They also have a magnet in them so they snap together when not in use. This is handy if you need to take them out for a few minutes as it prevents the earbuds from falling off your neck.

Setup

Setup is pretty simple. First, use the included USB cable and your power supply to charge the earbuds.

There is a small LED indicator that lights red during charging. It turns blue when charged.

The LED doubles as the Bluetooth pairing indicator, flashing blue/red during pairing. Press the power button for 5-6 seconds and the T5 enters pairing mode. Run a scan from your audio device and choose T5 Connect to pair.

After pairing, you need to decide two things: what type and size of ear tip to use, and what tuning filter to use for your music.

There are three included pair of silicone ear tips in small, medium and large sizes. Since these are standard items, I didn’t test these tips. I was more interested in the Comply isolation ear tips. These also came in three sizes. The tips are made of a soft, pliable, memory foam material. For my mismatched ears, I chose the medium tip for my left ear and large for my right.

After attaching to your chosen tuning filter (more on that later), pinch/roll the material between your fingers to form the tip into a pointed shape.

Place the bud into your ear, holding it as the Comply material molds to the shape of your ear canal. Once in place, the material does a very good job providing isolation from outside sounds and holds in place very firmly, while still being comfortable.

Performance

After pairing I took a listen and found the music sounded pretty darn good. I wandered around my metal-stud built home and found the Bluetooth connectivity to be impressive. It was only after I was perhaps 50 feet away and behind walls that the sound faltered.

The next step was to try the tuning filters. To me, it sounded like marketing fluff. Could these little screw-in filters really make a difference in the sound?

Here’s what the tips are supposed to do:

Silver: This is mainly for genres such as rock, Hip-pop, R&B, and electronic music.
Gold: The natural tuning filters are engineered to offer a well-balanced, natural sound signature, suitable for all music genres.
Black: Emphasise the higher audible frequencies for enhanced audio in genres including classical, acoustic and jazz.

The gold tips come installed, and they sounded good. I put the silver tips in place, snapped the ear tips on and took a listen. Much to my surprise, there was a noticeable increase in bass response. Wow! I then replaced them with the black tips and sure enough, the bass was reduced and the treble range was noticeably sharper. I was suitably impressed.

The T5’s controls are simple. Press the center “0” button to turn on/off. You get a British-accented “Power on”/”Power off” audible prompt in the buds. and a “Paired” prompt when connected to your audio source. The “0” button also doubles and the call answer and call hang-up button.

Pressing the “+” and “-” buttons raise and lower the volume. Holding them briefly skips forward or back one track. Per the instructions, holding the “0” power button for one second should summon Siri or Android Assistant. This never worked with connected to my Samsung Galaxy S9+ with Android Assistant installed.

What I like

Comply tips are extremely comfortable, isolate you from outside sounds, and hold firm
Variety of ear tips to provide a comfortable fit
The listening experience can be tuned to fit your liking and music style
Great sound
Great battery life

What needs to be improved

The claimed Android Assistant functionality should work, but didn’t

Final thoughts

To come back full circle to the beginning of this review, there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. According to my thinking, these T5 earbuds are indeed good and are worth a look.

Price: $95.28 direct; $89.95 on Amazon
Where to buy: Rock Jaw Audio and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Rock Jaw Audio.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

Rock Jaw Audio T5 Ultra Connect Bluetooth wireless earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 3, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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IFrogz Sound Hub Tone Wireless Earbuds

REVIEW – All I want is a great pair of earbuds for the gym. You’d think that would be easy… but there are a lot of little things in earbud design that make a difference. Today I’m reviewing the iFrogz Sound Hub Tone Wireless Earbuds. How did they do? To the review!

What is it?

It’s a set of clip-on, sweat-resistant, workout-friendly wireless earbuds.

What’s in the box?

Your package comes with the headphones, a USB charging cable, and a user manual.

Hardware specs

IPX-2 water resistance
Bluetooth range of 30 feet
8 hour battery life
12mm audio drivers

Design and features

There’s a lot of nice detail in the iFrogz Sound Hub Tone Wireless Earbuds that demonstrates the focus of the design team. It’s all about great usability when you’re hitting the gym.

The earbuds are a one-piece unit, with a control pod that clips to your shirt. They are IPX-2 sweat resistant, so I wouldn’t take them on runs in a downpour… but the build feel solid and substantial for such tiny little things. The front clip design also means that they stay put if you’re doing more dynamic body movements. 18″ chords allow some flexibility for positioning the clip relative to the earbuds.

The control pod features only three buttons on the face: a multifunction/power button and your mandatory volume up/down toggles. You’ll activate all the functions through some combination of these buttons, which we’ll talk about shortly.

The clip on the back of the pod is made of flexible rubber with a magnetic weight on the end. This makes it easy to attach to whatever workout gear you may be wearing. No fumbling with snaps or slide-on clips!

The earbuds come with a silicone sleeve that includes a “wing” that secures in the whorl of your ear. Here’s a picture of the bud, followed by how it sets when in place. I found that this setup is extremely comfortable, and has yet to pop out during a workout.

If you don’t like that style of fit, then you can remove the wing. It has no impact on sound quality. Here’s how it looks and sets without the wing cover.

To be honest, I did find that the bud felt a little chunky in my tiny ears when I first used it with the wing cover in place. But I got used to that after a few days.

Here’s another neat little design trick: the earbuds are also magnetic and loosely connect with each other when not in use. Couple that with the flexible magnetic clip, and the whole unit wraps up nicely for storage.

Performance

There’s a lot that iFrogz gets right about the design of the Sound Hub Tone Wireless Earbuds. If you go to the gym on a regular basis like I do, I think you’ll be a fan.

I have some nice yoke-style earbuds that are great for running or the treadmill, but they flop all over the place if I am hitting the weights or doing exercises that involve different horizontal/vertical movements (like Yoga). The front-clip style design solves that problem right away. Clip the control pod anywhere on your shirt, and it stays put no matter what activity you’re into.

The buttons on the pod raised and nicely spaced, which means easy control management if you’re not looking at them. Everything is *just* big enough to manage without the pod being so big and clunky that it feels like it is dragging you down.

You’ve got your usual array of functions (play, pause, next track, previous track), but there are some bonus features here. These earbuds are voice-compatible with Siri and Android for voice commands. All of this is activated by some combination of buttons and/or short, medium, and long holds. It’s pretty straightforward stuff.

Sound quality is also excellent. I tested making and receiving calls, and got reports of clear sound on both ends. There is also an equalizer feature that enables a podcast and movie mode. I did notice a difference in the bass, treble, and overall tone in each setting. For relatively inexpensive ear buds, the audio drivers are really good.

My quibbles with the iFrogz Sound Hub Tone Wireless Earbuds are very minor. A heavier water resistance rating would be nice for outdoor activities. And while I really like the magnetic clip, just a wee bit more length and a heavier magnet would be nice to adapt to thicker clothes. But these are minor items in my opinion that don’t take away from an overall well-executed design.

What I like

Water- and sweat- resistant
Super lightweight and comfortable
Simple touch-friendly button design
Excellent sound quality
Rolls up and packs away nicely

What needs to be improved

Magnetic clip could be stronger
Higher water resistance would be desirable for outdoor activities

Final thoughts

I have been on a continual quest for the perfect headphones for the gym, and the iFrogz Sound Hub Tone Wireless Earbuds tick all my boxes. Simple usability, excellent sound quality, and some extra features that add flexibility. It’s a dialed in design that doesn’t get in the way when you’re working out. I think I’ll be using these for quite a while.

Price: $34.99
Where to buy: Zagg.com.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by iFrogz.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

IFrogz Sound Hub Tone Wireless Earbuds originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 20, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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