Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Tried 4 different brands and these are definitely the best. Summary of all 4: • Apple AirPods: Great overall sound, but fell out easily during exercise. Too expensive to sweat on and possibly ruin. • Taotronics 027 (New model - Black): Great Bass, lots of volume, do not stay in my ears. Somewhat uncomfortable. • SoundPeats Q30: Poor Bass, nice Midrange and Highs. More comfortable than Taotronics, still fall out of my ears. • Soundcore Spirit X (by Anker): Best Bass and best overall sound quality of any earbuds I've tried including my son's Apple AirPods. Fit is secure and by far the most comfortable of any of the models I've tried.. Sound is GREAT. Lots of volume, clean Midrange and Highs. Bluetooth 5.0 is a HUGE plus and my iPhone 8 has it (iPhone X has it too as well as some of the newer high end non Apple phones). BT 5.0 has twice the Data capability and 4 times the range of Bluetooth 4.2. and as far as I know SoundCore is the first company to incorporate it into their wireless headphones. So now the long version: In a previous life I was a sound engineer and made Fitness CD's for Cardio Instructors to use in their classes. Did all my mixing with headphones and I am very picky about good sound. I have been using Sennheiser wired workout headphones for years but with the advent of the new iPhone 8 with no headphone jack, I decided to finally get with the times and try a Bluetooth version. • Fit and Comfort: I didn't care for the new Apple AirPods as they fall out of my ears and look ridiculous, so I tried a step up with the Taotronics Model 027 that use the ear "wings" that go inside your ear. While better than the AirPods, they still fall out with little help from me. I was constantly shoving them back in every time I touched the controller. The SoundPeats Q30's fit much better in my ear and were much more comfortable. Unfortunately, they didn't have much Bass compared to the Tao's (and especially compared to the SoundCores) and I just wasn't that impressed. While they fit more snugly than the Tao's, by now I'd become disenchanted with the whole system and opted to see about a pair that uses Ear Hooks. My wired Sennheisers used Ear Hooks and it was never a problem.. So, the next step up was the Spirit X that uses the afore mentioned over the ear "hook" in conjunction with their own better version of the inner ear "wing". As soon as I put them on I knew I'd found my answer. They were very secure and I can adjust the volume at will without the bud popping out of my ear. They were the perfect size out of the box and fit securely and comfortably. The little adjustment puck on the cable allows you to cinch up the extra cable asymmetrically and it did a good job of getting the controller off my neck. The cord is easily adjustable but it also comes with a second Puck that you can attach if you want a more permanent cable length solution. • Sound Quality: Did some research. SoundCore is Anker's new high end audio product division and apparently they brought in a panel of experts to help them tailor the sound on these. In short. It worked. These are the best sounding earbuds of any I've tried, and it's not even close. They sound better than the Apple AirPods and those are 4 times the cost. The best part is their BASS! It's thumpy and DEEP... As far as I know these are the only exercise Ear Buds that are rated down to 16 hz! That's Bass you can feel, and best of all, it's clean, punchy and undistorted even at full volume. Speaking of volume... these get louder than any of the others in this review. The Taotronics get loud too, but these edge them out. Midrange and Highs are clean, crisp and detailed. They rival my wired Sennheiser workout headphones, and in fact, I'd say the highs on these are even a bit smoother while being just as detailed. • Honorable Mentions: If you have a newer Samsung/Windows/Google phone or an iPhone 8 or X you probably have Bluetooth 5.0. As far as I know SoundCore is the only wireless headphone brand on Amazon that uses BT 5.0. This is a HUGE Advantage! BT 5.0 has twice the data capability, and FOUR TIMES the Range of BT 4.2. I walked all over my house and never lost connection or experienced any skips. Could not do that with any of the BT 4.2 models. So that means a stable connection and instant pairing. The build quality is fantastic just like their cables and batteries. Circuit boards are coated with a waterproof coating (unlike Beats) and utilize the highest waterproof level available (level 7). These should last a very long time and at a price point of 40 bucks, they are the bargain of the century. Honorable mention also goes to the LED. Really like the Red/Blue. Much easier to see than the Red/Green for my eyes. It blinks red when the battery is low (Battery level also shows on the iPhone display), solid red means charging, and blue means full charge. You can use the multi-function middle button to answer calls and even hold it down to reject the call to voicemail. The Mic works well for Siri too. Today I was able to press the middle button for one second and say "Hey Siri, play playlist "Treadmill Faves" and it worked like a charm. Phone calls are also clear and I'm told the sound quality at the other end on phone calls is pretty good for this type of device. • To sum up: If you are considering one of the sub 30 dollar units as I was, consider stepping up to 40 bucks for these bad boys. Well worth it for the better BlueTooth range, and the exceptionally good Sound. Overall, I couldn't be more pleased with them.