Getting these instead of Airpods

[clerkpalmer]

The Gear Iconx shouldn't be overlooked IMO. They are lightweight, easy to use, have a great fit and are priced at $199. The only drawback is the battery life but for gym only buds, the 90 minutes is fine for me. Comparing Samsung to the Jabra, I would say
1. Sound - Jabra by a hair. Not a big enough deal to matter much.
2. Comfort - Samsung. The Jabra fit okay but you have to jam them in there pretty good. Can cause fatigue. Samsung fit is excellent.
3. Battery. Jabra by a mile. Plus the Samsung battery drains in the case so you always have to charge them.
4. Features. Jabra of course. The HR monitor and other tech in there is impressive. I use an apple watch when I run so the Jabra is a bit redundant for me.

I think it's a pretty close call and both are good options right now.

I agree with eg2007, that once you go wireless, it's hard to go back particularly for gym stuff. The freedom they give particularly when paired with an apple watch is amazing. No phone and no wire!

 

[blairh]

The Gear Iconx shouldn't be overlooked IMO. They are lightweight, easy to use, have a great fit and are priced at $199. The only drawback is the battery life but for gym only buds, the 90 minutes is fine for me. Comparing Samsung to the Jabra, I would say
1. Sound - Jabra by a hair. Not a big enough deal to matter much.
2. Comfort - Samsung. The Jabra fit okay but you have to jam them in there pretty good. Can cause fatigue. Samsung fit is excellent.
3. Battery. Jabra by a mile. Plus the Samsung battery drains in the case so you always have to charge them.
4. Features. Jabra of course. The HR monitor and other tech in there is impressive. I use an apple watch when I run so the Jabra is a bit redundant for me.

I think it's a pretty close call and both are good options right now.

I agree with eg2007, that once you go wireless, it's hard to go back particularly for gym stuff. The freedom they give particularly when paired with an apple watch is amazing. No phone and no wire!

If/when I go truly wireless, I expect to get at least 5 hours of battery life because I want to use them for more than just the gym.

I'm seriously considering AirPods now. I think they are so flawed, I really do, but they have great battery life and that charging case is so compact and pocketable, which is a big deal to me. Otherwise I strongly prefer what the JLab Epic Air's are offering come next February.

 

[eg2007]

If/when I go truly wireless, I expect to get at least 5 hours of battery life because I want to use them for more than just the gym.

I'm seriously considering AirPods now. I think they are so flawed, I really do, but they have great battery life and that charging case is so compact and pocketable, which is a big deal to me. Otherwise I strongly prefer what the JLab Epic Air's are offering come next February.

I've never run out of juice for my Jabra Elite Sports yet. After I work out I drop them in the case and it gives you a 1 hour charge in 20 mins. I also use them all day at work. Probably my schedule, but the 3hr battery capacity is a non-issue for me. Also, there's no way the Apple AirPods will sound as good. They don't have a great seal or even a volume control. I hope I'm wrong and they blow me away. Not to mention that long Q-tip design. Oy. Most headphones this size have a tiny battery. Apple probably put theirs in the long Q-tip area. Random thoughts for what they're worth...

 

[AppleRobert]

Depends on what you like. I have no problem spending the extra $ for wireless. Once you go there, it's very hard to go backwards. They're amazing. Again, IMO.

I can relate cause I tried the gear icon X but for the money they were not worth it cause of the battery life. It was great having no wires certainly so we'll see how the Airpods fair. I am not concerned about the sound but if the darn things will stay in my ears. I don't see why the Airpods will not mimic the icon X in sound quality, I do have a concern about leakage though.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Jabras.

 

[tevion]

PowerBeats 3 Wireless ordered, should get them Tuesday.

I already have a set of Bose QuietComfort 20i noise cancelling earphones, they're fantastic.

I'd normally avoid beats, figured I'd give these a try though. The hook should keep them secure doing workout and the battery life / W1 makes wireless earphones finally viable for me.

Looking at the reviews, mainly up against the Jaybird X3. This seems to be the consensus.

- X3's have better sound, it's not a wide gap and more a marginal difference.

- Jaybird app is a definite plus, especially for adjusting the out of the box sound.

- PowerBeats 3 sound is considerably improved over the PowerBeats 2

- Battery life and pairing on the PowerBeats 3 is impressive, far more so than X3.... but I think we all know that due to W1 chip

- PowerBeats 3 fit and stability due to hooks is better than X3s, another a couple of reviewers like the X3 wing design. All concede that the PowerBeats is a better fitness or sport earphone when it comes to keeping them in place.

Mainly though, in pretty much all Head to head and individual reviews I watched. All said both are great, having their own advantages. So you can't go wrong.

For me personally? When sound is my #1 priority, say at my desk in work... I'll be using my wired Bose QuietComfort 20i noise cancelling, as I can't see anything beating them. They're the best earphones I've ever experienced when it comes to sound. If Bose release a version of them with the W1, hooks, and a wire design rather than their current fixed neck band for wireless - I'd likely jump on them.

When being on the move, I really prefer hooks on earphones. They just stay in and feel secure. I'll post back on my thoughts on my Bose QuietComfort 20i vs PowerBeats 3 when it comes to sound.

 

[bunnicula]

PowerBeats 3 Wireless ordered, should get them Tuesday.

I already have a set of Bose QuietComfort 20i noise cancelling earphones, they're fantastic.

I'd normally avoid beats, figured I'd give these a try though. The hook should keep them secure doing workout and the battery life / W1 makes wireless earphones finally viable for me.

Looking at the reviews, mainly up against the Jaybird X3. This seems to be the consensus.

- X3's have better sound, it's not a wide gap and more a marginal difference.

- Jaybird app is a definite plus, especially for adjusting the out of the box sound.

- PowerBeats 3 sound is considerably improved over the PowerBeats 2

- Battery life and pairing on the PowerBeats 3 is impressive, far more so than X3.... but I think we all know that due to W1 chip

- PowerBeats 3 fit and stability due to hooks is better than X3s, another a couple of reviewers like the X3 wing design. All concede that the PowerBeats is a better fitness or sport earphone when it comes to keeping them in place.

Mainly though, in pretty much all Head to head and individual reviews I watched. All said both are great, having their own advantages. So you can't go wrong.

For me personally? When sound is my #1 priority, say at my desk in work... I'll be using my wired Bose QuietComfort 20i noise cancelling, as I can't see anything beating them. They're the best earphones I've ever experienced when it comes to sound. If Bose release a version of them with the W1, hooks, and a wire design rather than their current fixed neck band for wireless - I'd likely jump on them.

When being on the move, I really prefer hooks on earphones. They just stay in and feel secure. I'll post back on my thoughts on my Bose QuietComfort 20i vs PowerBeats 3 when it comes to sound.

The Powerbeats3 don't sound even SORT OF as good as the Bose QuietComfort 20i.

And, they aren't anywhere near as comfortable to wear.

If you just need some for fitness, the Powerbeats3 might work. I took mine back.

 

[CoriG]

Got to test out my Jabra Elite Sport today on a hike (short parts trail run).
Better sound quality compared to the Dash. Easier to control overall than the Dash too (tapping buttons vs optical touch). It took me a while to figure out the right fit but once I did it felt quite comfortable. I heard less of the 'thud' sound in my ears while running. Like the Dash, the Elite Sport felt secure in my head the whole time both while hiking and a little trail running (4 miles 600 feet of gain). Connectivity was better than the Dash. The Activity app worked well (I like the voice coaching), apparently tracked my V02max too even without choosing the Running app. It showed a different heart rate zone though than my Fenix3HR.

The audio transparency didn't work as well as I hoped it would so I might end up just using one earbud most of the time. The thing is though the music skip and volume controls on the Elite Sport are on the left bud while the pause/play button is on the right bud. I use a Garmin that can control the music and my iPhone is easily accessible in my running vest so I can still control the volume if I choose to just use the right earbud. On the Dash you can control the music (volume skip tracks rewind forward) with just the right earbud.

Will see how it holds up on a longer trail run next weekend.



Got them yesterday and tested it out today. Sound quality was better the the Dash, I would say almost as good as the X's. I actually almost gave up on the Elite Sport because it sounded so tinny at first and kept popping out my ear. Turns out I didn't need those ear wing things and just needed the small foam tips. Proper fit made a huge difference.

I ended up getting the Jabra Elite Sport (using the jabra.com coupon at best buy) and I have to say - I am really impressed with them. The sound quality is very good for wireless and they are pretty comfortable - I have not used them to work out yet.. but just to wear around the house.. they were great! I am still keeping an eye out for the Crazy Baby air to come out in January and the airpods to come out.. well... whenever....

 

[eg2007]

I ended up getting the Jabra Elite Sport (using the jabra.com coupon at best buy) and I have to say - I am really impressed with them. The sound quality is very good for wireless and they are pretty comfortable - I have not used them to work out yet.. but just to wear around the house.. they were great! I am still keeping an eye out for the Crazy Baby air to come out in January and the airpods to come out.. well... whenever....

So awesome. Congrats. Glad you got BB to price match. I love mine.

 

[CoriG]

So awesome. Congrats. Glad you got BB to price match. I love mine.

Thank you for the fyi! You rock!!

 

[xthine]

I ended up getting the Jabra Elite Sport (using the jabra.com coupon at best buy) and I have to say - I am really impressed with them. The sound quality is very good for wireless and they are pretty comfortable - I have not used them to work out yet.. but just to wear around the house.. they were ....

Nice! Have you used them while working out yet? I've used it twice so far and each time though I forget to turn it on when I start my activity (i also use a Fenix3HR).
The Activity app I found informative.. I am not sure how accurate the v02 max reading really is with trail running. This is what I got halfway through a trail run last weekend:

 

[xthine]

Nice! Have you used them while working out yet? I've used it twice so far and each time though I forget to turn it on when I start my activity (i also use a Fenix3HR).
The Activity app I found informative.. I am not sure how accurate the v02 max reading really is with trail running. This is what I got halfway through a trail run last weekend:

This was hiking:

 

[xthine]

This was hiking: (i think i forgot to turn it on again)

 

[tevion]

PowerBeats 3 (blue) arrived on Tuesday.

Waiting for my matching blue comply tips isolation tips to arrive before I review.

Pairing is great though, so is range.

 

[cormo`]

I was really hyped for the AirPods, but the delay...and as I am travelling for my work most likely 2-4 hours on 2-3 day a week with Trains at the Moment, i needed something now where i dont mess around with cables from phone or macbook.

I already have a Studio headphone from Beyerdynamics, it's a german manufacture and not that famous as Bose or Beats and they just released new wireless inear Headsets, Byron BT (99€) and BTA (199€). I have the Byron BT for about two weeks now and i am realy happy with them. They have a good balanced Sound, not that bass overdrive some other products have and are also super comfortable for me and the battery lasts about 6-7 hours. You have no nice case to Charge them but i always have a powerbank with me, so that doesn't matter.

 

[Mike5254]

Jabra ROX for Bluetooth.

 

[AppleRobert]

While we are a small sample, it is obvious folks are looking into alternatives,

Nothing is etched in stone UNTIL the holiday return period expires for those. It is your call Apple if you want to lose some sales to alternatives at that time with people tired of waiting.

 

[clerkpalmer]

This was hiking:

Funny. While I'm by no means an athlete I work out at a decent intensity level 7 days a week and I also got "average" from the vo2 test in the Jabra. I'm not going to lose sleep over it. Still a very solid pair of true wireless but the vo2 thing may be a gimmick. Or maybe I'm not in as good of shape as I has hoped.

 

[xthine]

Funny. While I'm by no means an athlete I work out at a decent intensity level 7 days a week and I also got "average" from the vo2 test in the Jabra. ...

This was during an activity (trail run). I haven't done the v02 max test where you have to run on flat ground for 15mins. Not sure if that would make a difference, or if it's one of those things that it gets more accurate the more you wear it? I've gotten a 42 reading on my Fenix 3HR but that was running on a treadmill and once on flat ground. I'll give v02 max test a try.
*i mainly trail run/hike on the weekends and do light intensity rowing x 20 mins 3 days = maybe not much exercise? lol

-------------

I had to wear gloves this weekend while trail running and found it impossible to control the Jabra Elite Sport. I had to take my gloves off for the Jabra. The Bragi Dash however was still responsive and relatively easy to control. I was wearing thin gloves that are touch screen sensitive.

 

[SmogTM]

Anyone tried both the Jabra Sports and the Bragi Dash? I'm torn between the two.

 

[clerkp]

Anyone tried both the Jabra Sports and the Bragi Dash? I'm torn between the two.

Yes, I have owned both. While I have not experienced the Dash with the most recent FW updates, I think the Jabra is the superior product. Among the most important things to me are stability of Bluetooth connection and sound quality. The dash suffers from dropouts - even from a few feet away and I do not believe Bragi has fixed this yet. Also, unless you fit the dash with modified comply tips, the sound is hollow and lacks bass. Jabra has rich nice bass a very "fun" sound profile best used for exercise. Lastly is the issue of fit. For me at least, the Elite Sport stay locked in my ears. The Dash have no wings and fall out of my ears.

 

[Dmaynard83]

All the beats headphones/earbuds aren't really an option for me. I want the full wireless experience the airpods or bragi headphones offer.

 

[xthine]

Anyone tried both the Jabra Sports and the Bragi Dash? I'm torn between the two.

Jabra Elite Sport? I have that and the Dash. I've posted some comments about both here in this thread. If you're looking for something to use for work outs I'd recommend the Jabras. They seem to fit more securely than the dash and has better seal. Controls are easier except when you have to wear gloves.