As you may know by now, I love checking out workout headphones. By workout headphones, I mean headphones that are suitable for the gym, or for a run outdoors. I recently had a chance to check out the SMS Audio Sync by 50 On- Ear Wireless Sport headphones. That’s a pretty long name, so I’ll refer to them as the On-Ear Wireless Sport. We went to the launch of the on-ear wireless Sport headphones over a year ago, so I was happy to finally get a good try with them.
Design and Build
These are the first pair of workout -suitable headphones that I’ve tested to be on ear. I’ve only tested in-ear gym headphones in the past so this was a new experience for me.
The Sync by 50 On-Ear Wireless Sport headphones are lightweight, yet sturdy. With the build being mostly plastic with memory foam cushion on the ear pads and on the inner side of the headband, the Studio Wireless fit snug.
The right ear cup holds all the buttons and ports. 5 buttons to control the music playback and volume, you won’t have to touch your phone during your workout. The center button for play/ pause. Above and below the center the button, controls volume. And on the sides of the button, track playback.
On the border of the left ear cup you have the micro USB charging port. You also have the on/ Bluetooth pair mode button. The left ear cup doesn’t have any buttons. As for the pink color I am reviewing; the pink is more on the pink tone rather than the fuchsia tone the stock images show.
Experience
Sound
Pairing the device was easy with the bluetooth button. The studio wireless are very loud. Combine the loud volume with the noise isolation and you have incredible volume. The bass is very deep. You’ll have no problem hearing mids and feeling the thump. It’s important because gym music should be fast paced and felt to keep you motivated (well me at least). You’ll hear beats over vocal clarity. In my experience, I could put the volume at 100% and can block out nearly all the noise of the gym. The bass is great without overdoing it.
I’ve used the on-ear Wireless Sport with both iOS (iPhone 6 Plus) and Android (Samsung Galaxy Note 5) and haven’t had any glitches or interruptions with the bluetooth
Comfort
The foam hugs your ears enough to stay gripped even during an intense sweat session. That was a bit surprising to me, I thought they’d slip off. After 30-45 minutes of working out, I’d take them off to relieve the pressure. The memory foam adjusts very well. They do a great job of blocking out noise, which is great for me since I usually don’t like the music the gym plays. Outdoors however, I wouldn’t crank up the volume all the way up, for obvious safety reasons.
The carrying case is sturdy itself. It will take tons of space in your gym bag, but you can rest assured your Wireless On-Ear Sport headphones are protected.
The buttons are great. I usually click my “Gym/ Workout” playlist and set my phone down. Controlling music and volume was easy, and the buttons are easy to reach and control. I only touched my phone when switching stations.
Battery Life
The SMS Audio Studio Wireless charge through micro USB. They take a bit over an hour to charge. They last me a few days without charging. I use them about 45 minutes to 70 minutes at the gym. I charge them every 3 – 4 days, which is pretty good to me. You’ll see a red light when charging. The red light will turn off when fully charged. On a test run, the battery made it to over 9 hours. A little under the 10 hours promised, but not bad. If you do run out of battery, you can use the cable to keep the music going.
Pricing and Availability
The Studio on-ear wireless are available in 5 colors: pink, blue, yellow, orange, and black. You can get them starting at $199.99 on Amazon.com. It looks like the prices vary depending on the color. You can also buy them from SMSAudio.com. At $230 they are a bit over priced, but under $200 is not so bad.
Overall
As my first pair of on-ear workout headphones, these did an excellent job. Even using them on the daily, you won’t be disappointed. Especially if you use public transportation. The bright colors may not be to everyone’s liking, so I’d recommend the all-black; especially if you’re going to use them outside of the gym.The Sync by 50 On Wireless Sport headphones bring great sound, along with comfort, and sturdy build to help power you through your workout.
