Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsWorks as promised, holding up well.
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2015
I purchased these after a long search for quality Bluetooth earbuds to use during a variety of activities (gym, running, hiking, biking, lawn work, etc.). The prospect of being able to leave my phone at home (or at least conserve its battery) seemed worth the extra expense, and after using them regularly for almost a year, I'm very glad I got them.
Initial Setup
This is pretty easy: unpack, plug into the dedicated cradle (lining up the contacts), and plug it into your computer to transfer media. My Windows 7 machine recognized it as a storage device, and even though the manual tells you to install some sort of transfer utility, I was able to click and drag my MP3s without any additional drivers/steps.
Functionality
It's a little different not being able to see track names and other information, and the minimalist design means you'll have to take it off and maybe squint a little to find the appropriate button until you memorize them. Early on, I pressed Next/Previous Track when I meant to adjust the volume, but after I got used to it, I have no major complaints.
Comfort
I assume this varies quite a bit depending on your ears/preferences. Based on previous buds, I have medium-sized ear canals, so the covers that came on the device are comfortable. If I'm sweating especially heavily during a workout, I might wipe them with my shirt, but most of the time, I forget they're there. The cable that joins the two buds hangs on the back of your head, but comes with a flexible band that takes up the slack and keeps it from moving around. Since the device is standalone, there are no wires to get in the way of your movement and no heavy/expensive device to keep in your pocket or strapped to you somewhere.
Battery Life
Mine seems to last anywhere from 5-7 hours, though I do a variety of activities, so my guesses might be a little off. Regardless, I have never considered the battery life span short enough to be problematic/frustrating, and the LED shows the battery state (green, amber, red) at startup and shutdown. Charging time seems to be about an hour.
Sound Quality
I listen almost exclusively to old Loveline episodes recorded off OTA radio, so they're not exactly Vivaldi. That said, I will say I can easily tell the difference between the higher quality encodes (64kbps) and the lower quality ones (32kbps).
Build Quality/Durability
About the only thing I haven't done with these things is swim. In the last year, they've survived 100+ gym trips, extended lawn care sessions, probably 200+ miles of running/hiking, some kayaking, and even long afternoons of house cleaning. I haven't noticed any degradation of the casing, buds, or wire. The only maintenance I do is wiping off the contacts when I charge it.
Long Track Reset
If you listen to podcasts or other long-form programming, be aware that every time you plug this into a computer to charge it or transfer files, it will start you back at the beginning of the current track. This is doubly annoying since there is no fast forward functionality. However, I've found that if I use a USB/AC adapter to charge (almost every smartphone comes with one nowadays), the track does not get reset. Transferring files still means a reset, but considering 4GB of Loveline episodes means about 117 hours of media, that's pretty rare for me.
Summary
I highly recommend these to anyone who is looking for basic audio playback during intense activity, especially if you want to leave your expensive phone/media player at home. Yeah, they're significantly more expensive than Bluetooth buds, but there are no sync/communication issues and you never have to worry about getting caught in the rain while running/biking/hiking. I personally consider it a blessing that I have one more excuse to leave my phone at home or in the car.
