Reviews
Review: SMS Audio BioSport earbuds
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A show of hands: how many of you are looking for a set of headphones that never fall out of your ears while you’re running or working out, all while providing features such as heart rate monitoring and seamless fitness tracker integration? All right, if you’re a couch potato and didn’t raise your hand, maybe this review will give you some motivation. For the rest of you that did raise your hand, I think I’ve found the best option: The SMS Audio BioSport earbuds.
Although they may not be for everyone, its intended audience is for the extreme rugged type folks you would expect to see in a Mountain Dew commercial. However, with its effortless union with RunKeeper, I can see how this may appeal to a broader reach.
Ready to learn more? Let’s go.
OK, so right off the bat, one of the things that set these headphones apart from the rest of the pack is that it utilizes fitness-monitoring biometric technology. This is done by a built-in optical sensor housed in the right earbud which allows it to continuously measure your heart rate, while reducing the sounds caused by your body’s motions during your workout.
This is really nice because it’s an easier way to measure your heart rate while on the move. Traditionally, you would have to wire yourself up with chest strap in order to achieve this. The only downside to this is that you have to lug around a smartphone instead of a tiny MP3 player. But seriously, who’s not attached to their smartphone by the hip these days anyways?
Setup
To use the optical sensor, it is as easy as putting the headphones on. There’s no set up required. Plug and play. Since the headphones are not wireless, you’ll never have to worry about charging them. This is a huge benefit and is one less thing to worry about. However, the headphones are not compatible with every smartphone out there, which is somewhat of a bummer, but let’s be real here, most everyone has either a Android or iPhone, and it works with both of those. It also works with Windows devices. You’ll have to check the list of supported devices to see if your phone is supported, but the headphones work with a wide assortment of phones. I tested these on my OnePlus One and it worked it out fine.
The headphones are meant to work with any fitness tracker, but it seems that Runkeeper is the best option. When I tested the app with the headphones, I had no trouble getting the heart rate monitor to work. RunKeeper picked it up almost instantly. If you don’t have any experience with a heart rate monitor these headphones may be the best entry level device to get you started.
Sound
When it comes to the sound of the headphones, I would give it an average grade. I wouldn’t say they’re bad or anything, but they’re certainly not the best sounding earbuds on the market. Although they’re not the best sounding, they are certainly not the worst either. I found that the device delivered a smooth flow of lows, mids, and highs; something that many manufacturers fail to deliver. It’s either too much bass, or lack of. SMS found a good mix somewhere right in the middle, which in my opinion gives it a competitive edge.
Also, something that I found with these headphones compared to others is that they can get really loud. It gets to the point when I’m riding subway wondering if people can hear the pinching squeals of whatever metal band is blasting in my ears at the moment. I always find myself lowering the volume, but hey, that isn’t a bad thing.
Comfort
One thing I immediately noticed was that these headphones fit snugly into my ears. SMS utilized what they call secure-fit ear gels that form to the inner edge of your ear, meaning, they never fall off. Seriously, you can be running, jogging, jumping, or sprinting and they will not fall out. Nothing can sway an opinion on a pair of headphones more than well-fitting earbuds, and SMS delivers top-notch quality in this aspect.
For the really active folks who are wondering if sweat and moisture will affect the headphones, not to worry, the earbuds are IPX4 rated, meaning they’re rated for protection against sweat and water.
Design
One thing I really enjoyed about these headphones was their design. The company adopted all of the same aesthetics as other SMS Audio hardware, which I personally think was the right idea. Each earbud shows off the iconic “S” logo, along with a two-tone tangle-free cord. SMS built their headphone cables thick, which means they’re harder to get tangled. There were times I would pull them out of my back pocket to find a jumbled mess, but a few seconds later I was able to effortlessly untangle them.
Price
SMS are shilling these bad boys out for a cool $150, however, a quick search on Amazon will yield different results. The price may seem a little hefty for most, something I totally understand. I mean, you can go out there and find some really amazing alternatives that offer noise cancelation and other cool features for that same price. But if you’re fitness freak, then these might be the best option since it offers fitness app integration, as well as the built-in optical sensor for heart rate tracking.
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