About me
Just giving you folks a little idea of where I am coming from. Up until my purchase of the iPhone 7+ I have been in the Android camp since the original droid on Verizon. In moving to the Apple ecosystem I have been slowly moving toward new hardware to support it. Apple Watch and Charge station finally went off processing this week. My last wireless headset was a Motorola S305:
So its been a while - although those lasted me a good long time. When deciding what headset I wanted to go with I had these factors in mind:
1) Lightweight
2) In-Ear.
3) Good for travel as I travel often for work.
4) Something I could work out or run with.
5) Something that didn't cancel sound (running and not hearing stuff around you isn't optimal).
6) Something that held a charge.
7) Something that took advantage of my new phone tech.
8) Something I could take calls with.
That said, early adoption would probably be limited to Beats X, Powerbeats 3 or Apple AirPods. The deciding factor for me was the over ear wrap to help secure the earpieces on my head.
Cost
Wireless Beats headsets usually come with a standard price tag. The new Powerbeats 3 comes in at 199.95. While similar to the PB2, a look at the inside of the boxing tells you they had to cut some corners to keep the price in the normal range.
Boxing
The outside boxing is pretty standard. I went with the neon greenish color ones. I mean what Green Bay Packer fan wouldn't? Visually these look great but I also liked the normal red ones.
The inside of the box contains the headset, standard Beats documentation, a charge cable (standard mini usb), 3 additional sizes of ear cup and a rubber carrying case. It is here that you start to see where Apple was forced to cut some corners to keep the price point. The cable does not come with a USB Plug adapter. Maybe I got spoiled in the Android world - but that kind of thing is standard in my book. In addition the case is just a cheap Rubberized pouch with a hole at the top. For the premium price, I would have expected better.
So I got these on Saturday. I went ahead and charged them to full and put them in my desk for Monday's test.
The Test
I had the headphones on for just under 10 hours. During this period of time I streamed Amazon Prime Music through them. The headset showed no power issues what so ever and I am confident that the 12 hours could be hit. I tested the range by leaving my phone in my office upstairs. I was able to walk around my 1900 square foot home with no break in the music. Volume controls worked flawlessly on the device also.
During the day I probably took 20 work calls. The sound was crisp and the person I was talking with told me that my voice was very clear and strong. Transitioning from music to incoming call was a snap and it worked flawlessly. As I was streaming music I did have to restart it when I finished the call - but no real complaints.
I took Loki (my dog) for two walks and was happy to say that the sound was clear on a windy day but I could still hear bikers coming upon me. I think these are great for running.
I should also point out that connecting these to any Apple device is a breeze. You hit the power button on the earphone and it just connects. A popup shows up on the phone and you are done. I can't wait to pair this with my watch when it comes in.
The Fit
So I'm a small guy.. I definitely do not have Lebron James earlobes (I know shocker). While the earclip is a quality soft rubber, I can't help but wish the height of the earclip was customizable like the ear cups. The clips almost feel too large and I can see some minor movement and a few corrections that I will need to do while working out or running. I may need to revisit the optional ear cups again to see if I can get a better fit.
I wore these for close to 10 hours. No in ear headset is going to be super comfortable for that long. These weren't that bad though. Normally I think I would wear them max for 4 hours (on flights in airports) or shorter times when at home. But my ears did not hurt and at some points I couldn't even tell they were there.
Sound
So this is the real meat of what most folks want to know. I have owned tube McIntosh amplifiers/pre-amps. I am not without some understanding of dynamic range and quality of sound. Keeping in mind that these are Beats and Wireless, I will say that the sound is superb. There is a little extra base because that is what folks seem to be after today - but these handled my eclectic taste in music very well. These are not your noise cancelling Bose headphones. They aren't meant to be. These deliver clean sound though and if you want to be active these are a solid choice.
Overall
Pros
- W1 chip: Increased battery life, extended range and a snap to connect to new Apple products.
- Lightweight and great for travel
- Fantastic sound quality on calls.
- Great looking
- Solid sound reproduction
Con
- Packaging elements cut corners to maintain price.
- Comfort suffers a little due to non-customizable ear clips.
So I know folks want me to put price down as a con - but as someone that has had plenty of PC headsets for gaming and communicating over the years, I just don't find the 199.95 pricepoint that outrageous. Many of the headsets I have bought for 200-300 for gaming, I usually said these should have come in at 150.00. I see the same comments about these. For 50.00 I will take the pros that these offer.
I tend to think the earclips are still an advantage over the Beats X or Air Pods that lack them (even though they are also listed as a con). I am pleased with my purchase and I look forward to using these to continue an active lifestyle.
If anyone has any questions just let me know. I will check this post every few days.
Thanks!
Just giving you folks a little idea of where I am coming from. Up until my purchase of the iPhone 7+ I have been in the Android camp since the original droid on Verizon. In moving to the Apple ecosystem I have been slowly moving toward new hardware to support it. Apple Watch and Charge station finally went off processing this week. My last wireless headset was a Motorola S305:
So its been a while - although those lasted me a good long time. When deciding what headset I wanted to go with I had these factors in mind:
1) Lightweight
2) In-Ear.
3) Good for travel as I travel often for work.
4) Something I could work out or run with.
5) Something that didn't cancel sound (running and not hearing stuff around you isn't optimal).
6) Something that held a charge.
7) Something that took advantage of my new phone tech.
8) Something I could take calls with.
That said, early adoption would probably be limited to Beats X, Powerbeats 3 or Apple AirPods. The deciding factor for me was the over ear wrap to help secure the earpieces on my head.
Cost
Wireless Beats headsets usually come with a standard price tag. The new Powerbeats 3 comes in at 199.95. While similar to the PB2, a look at the inside of the boxing tells you they had to cut some corners to keep the price in the normal range.
Boxing
The outside boxing is pretty standard. I went with the neon greenish color ones. I mean what Green Bay Packer fan wouldn't? Visually these look great but I also liked the normal red ones.
The inside of the box contains the headset, standard Beats documentation, a charge cable (standard mini usb), 3 additional sizes of ear cup and a rubber carrying case. It is here that you start to see where Apple was forced to cut some corners to keep the price point. The cable does not come with a USB Plug adapter. Maybe I got spoiled in the Android world - but that kind of thing is standard in my book. In addition the case is just a cheap Rubberized pouch with a hole at the top. For the premium price, I would have expected better.
So I got these on Saturday. I went ahead and charged them to full and put them in my desk for Monday's test.
The Test
I had the headphones on for just under 10 hours. During this period of time I streamed Amazon Prime Music through them. The headset showed no power issues what so ever and I am confident that the 12 hours could be hit. I tested the range by leaving my phone in my office upstairs. I was able to walk around my 1900 square foot home with no break in the music. Volume controls worked flawlessly on the device also.
During the day I probably took 20 work calls. The sound was crisp and the person I was talking with told me that my voice was very clear and strong. Transitioning from music to incoming call was a snap and it worked flawlessly. As I was streaming music I did have to restart it when I finished the call - but no real complaints.
I took Loki (my dog) for two walks and was happy to say that the sound was clear on a windy day but I could still hear bikers coming upon me. I think these are great for running.
I should also point out that connecting these to any Apple device is a breeze. You hit the power button on the earphone and it just connects. A popup shows up on the phone and you are done. I can't wait to pair this with my watch when it comes in.
The Fit
So I'm a small guy.. I definitely do not have Lebron James earlobes (I know shocker). While the earclip is a quality soft rubber, I can't help but wish the height of the earclip was customizable like the ear cups. The clips almost feel too large and I can see some minor movement and a few corrections that I will need to do while working out or running. I may need to revisit the optional ear cups again to see if I can get a better fit.
I wore these for close to 10 hours. No in ear headset is going to be super comfortable for that long. These weren't that bad though. Normally I think I would wear them max for 4 hours (on flights in airports) or shorter times when at home. But my ears did not hurt and at some points I couldn't even tell they were there.
Sound
So this is the real meat of what most folks want to know. I have owned tube McIntosh amplifiers/pre-amps. I am not without some understanding of dynamic range and quality of sound. Keeping in mind that these are Beats and Wireless, I will say that the sound is superb. There is a little extra base because that is what folks seem to be after today - but these handled my eclectic taste in music very well. These are not your noise cancelling Bose headphones. They aren't meant to be. These deliver clean sound though and if you want to be active these are a solid choice.
Overall
Pros
- W1 chip: Increased battery life, extended range and a snap to connect to new Apple products.
- Lightweight and great for travel
- Fantastic sound quality on calls.
- Great looking
- Solid sound reproduction
Con
- Packaging elements cut corners to maintain price.
- Comfort suffers a little due to non-customizable ear clips.
So I know folks want me to put price down as a con - but as someone that has had plenty of PC headsets for gaming and communicating over the years, I just don't find the 199.95 pricepoint that outrageous. Many of the headsets I have bought for 200-300 for gaming, I usually said these should have come in at 150.00. I see the same comments about these. For 50.00 I will take the pros that these offer.
I tend to think the earclips are still an advantage over the Beats X or Air Pods that lack them (even though they are also listed as a con). I am pleased with my purchase and I look forward to using these to continue an active lifestyle.
If anyone has any questions just let me know. I will check this post every few days.
Thanks!
. )
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