Well, Im all done, made my two choices for true wireless ear buds. Keeping both models as they will each fill a purpose.
ITs been a bit crazy 6 or 7 weeks of testing ear buds, buying and returning.
Models I tried;
Beats Studio Buds, Beats PowerBeats Pro, Jabra Elite 75T, Jabra Elite Active 75T, Sony SP900, Bose Sport Buds, Jaybird Vista 2
The above are all claimed Sport Buds (except maybe the Beats Studio Buds), for me they are stay in your ear buds, whether you are working around the house or doing physical activities. That was #1 criteria secure fit, 2 sound and performance (controls ect), 3 fun factor, 4 battery life ... pretty much all these things are important and no matter what earbud a compromise will have to be decided on what is important to someone.
-Beats Studio Buds = good sound, looked cool to me, No app for iPhone, that's about it, couldn't properly keep them secured in my ear.
-Beats PowerBeat Pro = Awesome construction, really unique, hugs the head, great controls, no app. Sound was good but for me, I had to hold them tight up against my ear to get the sound, they didnt ship with big enough bud tips I think. The hard casing will restrict who can use these buds at a good comfort level, would recommend to anyone to try if they can get a good fit if not return.
- Jabra Elite 75t and Jabra Elite Active 75t. Even though the "Active" claims sportbud its not, great app, great sound, really good, I liked them but always would work loose. BTW my wife bought her own set of these and ended up returning as well, hurt her ears.
- Sony SP900 Scratching my head on this one, maybe it was defective but heck, my wife and I both couldn't seem to get a great fit and even when we came close the sound was horrible.
The TWO winners for me (keeping both) are
1. Bose SportBuds
First set I got of these I had a sound issue it MAY because of a new firmware update gone wrong, dont know but the other set I ordered later came in last week or so and its awesome. Love these things, super comfortable, super secure, awesome spacious sound, dare I say Bose sound? Its warm for sure BUT doesnt over power or put a veil over the midrange and treble. I dont know, just loving the sound and typically I like a bright forward sound but these are just sooooo clean and nice. Listening to them as I type this.
The "fun factor" is nothing to write home about, they do what they do well, the app is so basic once I had them set up I deleted the app.
The touch controls are touchy at best but you will get used to it and master it. Once you do its kind of nice swiping to raise or lower the volume.
All I can say, when it comes to grabbing a set to put in my ears, this is the first choice if it is for any physical activity most times and oh the sound.
2. Jaybird Vista 2
This was a huge surprise, I didnt even know Jaybird existed until a month or so ago. Turns out they are pretty big in the fitness world and advertise in places like Cycle Magazine or wherever I first saw them in a write up.
Wow!
These things are tiny, amazing amount of controls built in and they work if a bit stiff push buttons for most functions, also a learning curve, so many options to use the controls.
Stays secure in the ear, look really good too. Comfortable enough, good clean punchy sound, fun factor is great if you like playing around with an app this is the earbud for you. To this day when I hold these little earbuds I am amazed. What works for me with these is I can use them in bed, if I wake up during night or want to lay down for a quick nap its easy to put these in and avoid laying directly on them since they really dont stick out of the ear. It also has "hear through" so if someone in the house starts talking to you, you can turn on hear through and the earbuds will play the voice through them instead of taking one out of your ear. (fun factor)
So that's it, I cant think of any others I want to try and thank god because I am burnt out on this. I cant even check for typo's *L*
Bose I grab whenever I want to be amazed for sound, comfort and secure fit.
Jaybird I grab when I want to lay down, listed to music, cut the lawn because it doesnt have a basic noise reduction system built in that helps a little, and feel like messing around with the awesome app. (fit of course is good too, just different from the Bose)
Oh and I almost forgot one big one, the bluetooth range on the Bose is MUCH greater then the Jaybird. The Jaybird recessed so far into your ear weakens the signal, I am certain of it, so if I am working outside the house I prefer the Bose, I can leave my phone central to where I am and walk around anywhere. The Jaybird isnt horrible but one annoying thing at times can be when you put your phone in your back pocket, sometimes the sound breaks up and sometimes not. Like anything, its easy to try these things out and return if it doesnt work for you.
What I have learned is not to pay to much attention to these so called "professional" review sites, keep in mind, some of these people know nothing about sound or much about earbud electronics, you will notice that when you read some of their comments.
I do find it a help at times reading the 1, 2, 3 starreviews on places like Amazon, just to see if there is any glaring issue.
So read reviews sure, but if you see something positive or negative, make sure you ask yourself is that important to you, just because its important to the writer doesnt mean anything.
An example, glowing reviews for the PowerBeats Pro (for the most part) and they are good, very well designed and made but fit will not work for everyone, Bose fit will, also PowerBeats Pro had a good "consumer" type sound that will sound good when you first put them on but that might get old if you listen to the Bose or want the control of the Jaybird.
Photo of Bose (top) and Jaybird (bottom)
