MashButtons goes full wireless with Jabra’s Elite Sport

Jabra has recently provided me with their recent truly wireless earbuds, the Elite Sport, which isn’t just for listening to music cord free, but also provides heart rate monitoring and coaching while also being compatible with a number of fitness apps. Since these are completely wireless,  a clamshell charging case is included and in regards to charging, Jabra is boasting up to 13 and a half hours between charges. These ear buds integrate with Jabra’s Sport Life application, which allows for planning workouts, tests fitness levels, along with analyzing and recording fitness activity.

Out of the box and into my ears, these buds were easy to sync but uncomfortable, but after a few failed attempts to get the right fit with the various sized EarWings and EarGels, I was able to get them to stay in my ears comfortably. What I really liked about the Elite Sports was that when charging their case, Bluetooth would disconnect, then would automatically connect to my phone once the case opened. During use, I learned that one ear bud can be used should you want to be aware of your surroundings, but be aware that it must be the right side because once the right gets too far from the left side, the left side will shut off.

I was able to wear these comfortably through a workout, but got a little uncomfortable towards the end of a two hour flight. While there are buttons to control the volume, track, and heart rate, the buttons were very small and would have to firmly press the earbud into my ear to get the button to click. My only other complaint is probably just a personal preference but the sound quality, while crisp and clear with various music genres, was lacking in bass. I am not sure how the sound compares to apple’s wireless ear buds, but my comparison was with my Bose SoundSport that are similar in size but wired.

Being that the Elite Sport are completely wireless I was worried that they would fall out of my ear while active, but they fit snug and didn’t fall out, dry or sweaty. The amount of features are plentiful to help justify the heavy price and stand out among the handful of truly wireless earbuds and the sound quality stays clear at any volume and does well drowning out noise. These are best fit for active lifestyles with their ability to effectively stay in my ears, monitor workouts, provide coaching, and link to my Apple Watch so the phone wasn’t needed to be on me to listen to my playlist and track my activity. Jabra’s Elite Sport is available now for $249.99.

Pace, the latest wireless earbuds in the Jabra Sport lineup

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Next we have another wireless sports headset from our friends over at Jabra and this time around, they have provided us with the Sport Pace. The Sport Pace, following the recent releases of the active lifestyle inspired lineup, which includes the Pulse and Coach, was designed to keep you on track. The Pace wireless ear buds provide in ear updates, workout tips, and motivational guidance for training through the Jabra Sports Life app. Unboxed and app installed, it is time to see how the Pace stands against it’s Jabra Sport siblings.

I didn’t know what to think of the supportive arms that go behind my ears, but after wearing a short time, it was hardly noticeable unless while wearing a hat. What is particularly enjoyed was how light they were, weighing in at less than an ounce, while still being capable of delivering six hour of playback and the ability to take a hit. They take a few hours to fully charge but like a lot of new electronic devices being released, the Sport Pace offers a rapid charge ability, which allows an hour’s worth of music and monitoring in only 15 minutes of charge.

In terms of sound quality, Pace performs much a lot like the Pulse or Coach, with bass heavy delivery paired with clarity that didn’t disappoint regardless to genre or volume. The accompanying app, which delivers the feature that sets Pace apart from other wireless headphones was easy to use and was pretty convenient and delivered with just a touch of a button. Along with tracking my workout history, the Sport Life App also integrates with other sports applications preventing having to prioritize between apps.

After my time spent with Jabra’s Sport Pace, there is a lot of bang for your buck in this featherweight package. Being so light that they were hardly there to the lightning fast charge to get me through a workout when I forgot to recharge, I was hard pressed to come up with any downside, outside of not providing a travel case or enough playback time to tune out noisy neighbors on long trips. The Jabra Sport Pace is available now in three reflective colors for the price of $99.99.

Jabra's new Sport Coach: Made with the Cross Trainer in mind

Jabra has done it again and released a new wireless headset for the active minded, with the Sport Coach. The new earbuds are similar to the Sport Pulse, released last year, but with another trick up it’s sleeve as these headphones become your workout coach for a variety of different workouts. This is made possible through the Jabra Sport app and the TrackFit motion sensor housed within these compact buds to monitor distance, steps, calories burned, and more. As someone that still suggests the Jabra Sport Pulse as my favorite wireless buds, I am excited to see if these will take the throne. 

Out of the box, the Sport Coach looks strikingly similar to the Pulse as the color was the difference in which stands out. What’s inside on the other hand is significantly different as the TrackFit communicates well with the Jabra Sport app in tracking my activity, but the Coach function of the headphones were great. It is easy to customize or start your workout and select your music source so that you just put down your phone and get moving. The variety of included workouts is nice as well and the ease of use made me want to use the app more for tracking and goal setting, which I anticipated getting forgotten after just a few uses…I was wrong. 

The battery life is a bit short running five and a half to six hours between charges, but luckily they charge quickly. I do see that the silicon ear form that covers the charger port getting stretched out and needing replacement quickly depending on how often you go between charges. In terms of the sound quality, my biggest deciding factor in choosing headphones, these earbuds are bass heavy and perform clearly at high volumes with little sound bleeding, I would have just liked a longer battery life to use on the plane while traveling. This workout coach is available now in a variety of three colors for the price $149.99.

Life n Soul's new lineup of wireless audio products gets the MashButtons treatment

Life n Soul has provided us with their latest lineup of Bluetooth devices which consist of headphones, earbuds, and a speaker in a bright assortment of colors. This is a new company to which I am unfamiliar with but vows to bring high quality and trendy personal audio devices to you and me. All the devices come toting Bluetooth 4.0 wireless capabilities, four to six hours of talk and play time, and the ability to sync with two different devices. All devices come in an assortment of if eye catching colors so let's see if they not only look great but sound great too.

First up is the BN301 on ear headphones, which I received in red came in a bright and glossy color. On the headphones are the controls to adjust volume, change tracks, and answer calls without fumbling with an inline remote. Syncing up with my phone was fast and easy and had my playlist bumping wirelessly into my dome. In terms of fit, I actually found the top or the top to be uncomfortable as there was no padding incorporated during design, but the cushioning on the ears felt quite nice. Now for the biggest reason in which we buy headphones, the sound quality, and while it wasn't great, It wasn't bad either. The sound provided offered range for a variety of genres but leaned toward the flat side without the clarity or depth found in it’s competitors. These wireless on ear headphones are available now for the price of $99.99.

Next on the chopping block is the BM208 or the bluetooth speaker in which I received in green. This speaker comes toting two drivers, passive woofer, and on board controls. The sound quality is comparable to other speakers with the same features but what stands out is the design as the bass radiator is up firing under the top of the speaker and the onboard controls allow access to all functions like adjusting track, volume, or take calls. The color of the green is bright and vibrant, while the size is easy to carry with you. The speaker is able to fill a room or small patio with music, but if throwing a party or higher volumes are necessary, then the sound quality will suffer or get drowned out. The BM208 is available now for $79.99.

Last up is the B106 wireless earbuds and I have saved these for last as they were my favorite of the three even though mine came in purple. This was my choice of the three as the earbuds were comfortable and stayed in place during use while sounding great during physical activities whether running or working out. Since these are a small wireless earbud, the controls have been placed on the buds to easily control your playlist and take calls without having to access your phone. Additionally since they have to ability to sync to multiple devices, it was a one a one and done process to sync with my MacBook and phone. The B106 is available now for the price of $99.99.

Libratone's Zipp brings hi fi audio on the go wirelessly

Next up is an Airplay speaker in which I did not know what to expect with little knowledge of the brand. I have received the Libratone Zipp, the unique Italian wool wrapped speaker that provides 360 degree wireless hi-fi audio quality through ribbon based tweeters, Digital Amplification and Signal Processing, topped with an active 4" bass driver. This big drink of water packs an internal battery for four to eight hours of wireless playback, USB port to charge wireless devices, leather handle for easy transport, and two additional wool wraps to change the color to match the environment. It is time to crank it to ten and see if it lives up to high end price range.

Wow. Like I said not hearing much about Libratone's other products made me curious, but minutes after tearing away from the box's clutching grasp, I was connected and was impressed. Libratone offers a sound app for the speaker to make sure the best sound is provided and to fine tune the powerhouse,and then I was able to set up sound profiles based on the room it was in and the distance from surrounding walls. The sound quality is top notch, crank it up and you can fill a house with music or a large backyard with no problem, but if you are in a smaller area or just need to tone it down a bit, a quiet mode is available, and because the connection is wireless there is no quality loss like that with a Bluetooth connection. The connections supported are Airplay, Play Direct to create a wireless network, and DLNA is supported so connection isn't limited to Apple devices. 

I was incredibly apprehensive of this speaker as they have gotten bigger but still lack deep bass or require a power source. The huge amount of sound and large spaces that this little wooly speaker provides made this beast flawless in my opinion.The wool covers were nice and easy to swap, but the additional colors I received were yellow and maroon, so I just stuck with black. With big sound you can expect a large price tag, but with that being said, even the big Bluetooth speakers I have recently reviewed can not hold a torch to the Zipp as the active woofer, tuning app, and 360 degree sound makes it well worth the $399.95 price tag.

MuseMini brings wireless audio to earbuds with the UberBuds

Next up we have Musemini's answer to Jabra's Sport + Wireless headphones with the the Uberbuds. Rightly named, these buds cut the cord and offer an even more compact solution to active people looking to reduce time spent adjusting headphones while working out. The Uberbuds are minimalistic on the outside, but inside the buds Bluetooth 4.0 is used to help deliver the signature UberTone high quality sound. Outside of the buds, but still in the package came three pairs of various sized tips and UberStays for the most stay protection and a hard clamshell case to provide safety when stored away. Jabra was the first “sports” wireless headphone we have had the opportunity to review, so lets see if they still carry the torch or if the UberBuds will take the throne.

For starters, these buds are much easier to just stick in my ear and go. Sure I wrestled with the tips at first, like most other earbuds, after time and figuring out the UberStays, it was a quick sync and go process without fumbling with the 90’s hearing aid look to support the receiver and stay in place. I was a bit worried that I would be fumbling here and there during movement but on a bicycle, eliptical machine, or skateboard I had no issues outside of how often I was removing them to hear what people were saying. The battery life is nice, especially with how small the UberBuds are, I got a whole work shift in without them dying, which means that those looking to only use while working out, should likely only have to recharge once a week. The charger was a bit difficult to figure out at first but is nice that no port covers need to be removed, which can be even more diffucult if you lack the amount of nail needed to unplug. Most surprising though was the sound quality, they were loud, clear, and packed a punch with a lot more bass than I am used to from earbuds.

MuseMini’s UberBuds threw me for a loop, as I was expecting to get a very compact set of wireless earbuds, and while I got just that, but both the size and the amount of bass that came from them were a very, very nice surprise. With wireless fitness headphones, it is very important that they stay in and with the UberBuds, they were much easier to put in without struggling to get them in place to start moving. Sure the charger is not a universal micro USB input, so you have to make sure not to misplace it and the hard clamshell case is a nice added touch to prevent wrapping the headphones and risking damage over time. The UberBuds are available now with a black or yellow cable for $129.99.

SMS Audio follows up the Streets with the Sync by 50

I am thinking Mr. Cent may have grown a fondness of MashButtons after the review of the Street by 50, that or this latest delivery of the Sync by 50 On Ear Wireless headphones hot on the heels of my last review is a metaphorical horse head. The key feature to the Sync by 50 is the Bluetooth capability and SMS Audio has placed the controls on the headphones so you do not have to reach for your phone. In terms of sound, SMS has chosen to equip the headphones with professionally tuned 40mm drivers for big sound and included a folding design and carrying case for portability. The features aside, it is time to sync up and see how they perform at high volumes.

The main differences between the previously reviewed Street by 50 and the fresh out of the box Sync by 50 would be the on ear fit and lack of Active Noise Canceling, but the cutting of the cord still makes for a great experience. Syncing the headphones to a Bluetooth supported device was easy and once synced, they are fast and easy to use whether by way of laptop or smartphone. You wouldn’t think these headphones would be as clear as they are without being wired and they are lightweight to take the pains out of extended use, topped with leather wrapped memory foam pads to make a great seal to eliminate outside noise and prevent sound bleeding. Speaking of sound bleeding, the Sync does a much better job at keeping the music between you and them rather than you and anyone in a ten foot radius. Between the two headphones I preferred the look of the wired Streets as these headphones came in a glossy silver as opposed the flat black. The build quality did not feel as solid as that of the Street, but the smaller stature and lack of cord make for a newly discovered feeling of freedom.

When all is said and done, the Sync by 50 headphones once again surpassed my expectations, and are a superior headphone for audiophiles. I had thought that the Street over ear headphones would be my new go to for daily use, but after a week of using the smaller, lighter, and cordless Sync, they have become my go to cans for work, but when it comes to traveling or trying to tune out roommates and family members, the Street by 50’s still take the honors. SMS Audio’s Sync by 50 on ear Bluetooth headphones are available now in either Shadow Black or Cool Silver for the price of $229.95, in which I feel are a great pair of wireless headphones at a reasonable price.

Prong sends us their latest successful Kickstarter, the PocketPlug

This next review is a bit different and it is easy to tell that the designers behind this product did not like cords. Prong has provided us with their recent successful Kickstarter project, the PocketPlug. The PocketPlug is a case that wraps around the iPhone 5/5s and contains flat plug prongs that fold out to recharge without having to worry about making sure you have the lightning cable on hand. In case you need to keep playing Candy Crush while charging and you don’t want to be face to face with the wall while charging, there is a micro USB port on the bottom to give more slack to operate while charging.  Lastly, Prong included their advanced charging technology that allows charging in just a matter of minutes.

I admit that I was rather curious about Prong’s cable-less charging case, as someone that hates having cables lying around, I hoped that it was going to blaze a bold new trail. Functionally, the case works as advertised but there were a couple things in which I realized during use that weren’t so convenient. On the plus side, the lack of cable is great when traveling light and the case has a soft rubber texture with hard lines on the side that makes a great attempt to prevent from dropping. The plug folds out smoothly without requiring much pressure, but the speed of charging is where the PocketPlug really shines as it charges faster than when connected to the lightning cable. I did think that this case was a bit bulky, especially when it does not include an internal battery pack. Also, I quickly learned that there aren’t many locations in which the PocketPlug was convenient to use outside the the kitchen, bathroom, or airport.

At the end of my week of usage, the PocketPro proved to be useful on the go due to it’s ability to charge quickly without the need of a cable. The inclusion of the micro USB port did allow me to still link to and charge my phone from my vehicle’s head unit and make it easy to use connected to the cord if I didn’t want to stare at it from the floor while plugged into an outlet. Some improvements to the case would be a change in design to make it easier to remove from the case, slimmer in build design, or include an internal battery for extended use between charges. Prong’s PocketPlug is available now for the iPhone 5/5s in black or white and can be purchased for $69.95.

Jabra's Sport Wireless+ makes me want to be more active

This next review is for the jogger, cyclist, hiker, fitness fan, or anyone that wants to take their music with them on the go without having to worry about swinging cables or having to spend precious time constantly adjusting their earbuds. Jabra has brought a solution to this problem to market with the  Wireless Sport +, a sweat and elements proof wireless headset with the additional abilities to get FM radio reception and an app to improve your workout, Endomondo. To make sure that precious time isn’t taken away from a workout routine reaching for a swinging in line remote, Jabra has made sure to include the necessary controls to the ear piece. Now that I have determined that these wireless ear buds fit comfortably under my helmet, I am ready to put them to work, so let’s see how they hold up to the test.

When I first opened the box and pulled out the Sport Wireless +, I was not too impressed by the looks as they strongly resembled hearing aids from the early 90’s connected by a flat cable. Where these really shine is functionally, as they are a wireless headset that is both light and did not fall out of my ears prevent me from having to constantly readjust. The inclusion of an FM radio was one of my favorite features as my phone is uncomfortable in my pocket while jogging and my Nano does not have Bluetooth capabilities. My biggest problem with earbuds is the fit as they either fall out or get uncomfortable after short usage, but Jabra kept this in mind by providing seven different sized and fitted tips to insure a good fit and best sound delivery. The battery life was shorter than I have seen with other wireless headphones, but these are also the only bluetooth earbuds that did not require a remote that hangs from buds and houses the heavy battery. After using for a couple weeks, I have determined that I will always look like a slow person trying to figure out how to get them in my ears, and that are uncomfortable to wear with most sunglasses.

At the end of the day Jabra’s Sport Wireless +, were a great pair of workout headphones. As someone that works inside at a desk, I still prefer my over ear headphones for the comfort and sound quality, but refuse to use them when running or bicycling. With these wireless earbuds, I can do almost anything aside from swimming while wearing. Being able to wear under a helmet while riding my ATV and still able to hear my playlist over the motor without discomfort was great as some of the longer trail rides can lead to in depth conversations with myself. The fitness tracking app that comes with a 3 month subscription, Endomondo, is a nice additional feature as it is an easy app that tracks your workout routines and numerous other fitness data points to share socially or for your own records. At first, I was not too impressed by the sound quality and fit, but after trying the numerous eargels and finding the best fitting, it completely changed the whole experience from sound quality to comfort. Jabra’s Sport Wireless + are available now for the price of $99.99 and a must have for the fitness fan that has had it with their current earbuds.

Urbanears lets us play with their Plattan

It’s been a while but we have another headphone review; this time Urbanears has provided me with the Plattan on-ear headphones. The headphones were provided in the Dark Grey color, but are available in ten different colors along with a special edition in collaboration with Pax, which each set purchased goes towards preserving five square meters of the rainforest in Costa Rica and you will get the GPS coordinates of your saved plot. The features to the Plattan headphones consist of ZoundPlug for daisy chaining, in line remote with microphone, along with fabric wrapped cord/headphones and folding design. The sound comes to life with a 40mm driver to each eardum, so lets see how they perform out of the box.

Immediately I noticed how light the headphones were and I was not immediately a fan of the design, but after some use, the Plattan's single color look with subtle accents on each side really grew on me. The sound had a pretty average range across the board and volume was good, loud when needed and not complaining about the lack of not having enough. Surprisingly these headphone had significantly less sound bleeding than a lot of the other headphones I have had the chance to get my hands on. There is not a lot of pressure on the ears, which is nice for extended use but is also necessary to provide a seal to keep outside noise out. That was really the only concern as regardless to which way I used them, I could hear my co workers trying to get my attention.

When all is said and done, the price point is what makes the Urbanears Plattan stand out to me. With a price tag of $59.90, the Plattans are ten to twenty dollars more affordable than others in their class. There is a reason in which I feel that the Urbanears headphones look and are named similarly to that of products from a certain Swedish retailer in which I can hardly stand to step foot in, and that would be because Urbanears is another Scandinavian collective. When not in use or on the go, the Plattans fold up small enough to fit in the palm of your hands and have a place to wrap the cord and take up very little space in most any on-the-go bag.