For years, bone conduction headphones have been my go-to tool for running. The main reason I opt for them is because I sweat a lot and that I have damaged the ones of many brands that claim to resist large amounts of sweat. I’d say I’ve easily destroyed close to twenty different pairs of headphones over the years, simply because they were no match for my xenomorph sweat.
The three takeaways from the Soundcore Aerofit Pro headphones
- These Soundcore Aerofit Pro headphones cost €170.
- Exceptional sound, comfortable wearing and great battery life are their strong points.
- The control buttons are not easy to operate.
Bone conduction headphones don’t have this problem because they aren’t inserted into the ears, where sweat collects and seeps into any opening it can reach. The other advantage is that I can hear what is around me, which prevents me from being hit by a car, a cyclist or anything else.
But bone conduction headphones have a major flaw: the sound quality is not up to par. I’ve pretty much given up on finding a pair of bone conduction headphones that live up to my rather impossible standards. I don’t think I’ll ever find this magical pair either…
However, I recently received a pair of headphones that outperform every pair of bone conduction headphones I’ve tried so far.
The characteristics of the Soundcore Aerofit Pro headphones
- 16.2mm titanium coated charts.
- IPX5 water and sweat resistance.
- Battery life of 14 hours on a single charge, 46 hours with the charging case and 5.5 hours on a 10-minute quick charge.
- Open ear design.
- Flexible, aerospace-grade 0.7mm titanium support wire used for earhook adjustment.
- Detachable and adjustable neck strap.
- LDAC technology for higher data transmission than standard Bluetooth.
- 4 beamforming microphones (concentration of reception) for clarity of phone calls.
- Multipoint connectivity.
- Application for improved equalizer, custom buttons and enabling spatial audio.
- Price: €170
My experience with the Soundcore Aerofit Pro headphones
Traditionally, I’m not a big fan of over-ear style headphones (although I prefer over-ear headphones for the clarity of sound. The Soundcore Aerofit Pro converted me. As soon as I hooked them around my ears and turned up the volume, I knew, instantly, that they would easily outperform even my best bone conduction headphones, while still providing me with the same level of benefit.
The biggest surprise was that the default EQ (Soundcore Signature) sounded great.
What Anker [propriétaire de Soundcore] has done with this equalizer is remarkable. It took me a while, but I managed to get a better sound with the custom EQ. This is of course a personal choice, and I repeat that these headphones will not produce sound quality that will appeal to an audiophile, but considering their use, the sound I managed to get from these headphones was impressive .
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
As for the soundstage (the space between the instruments and the voices which allows not only to discern the different sounds, but also to locate them), it is rather narrow. You’re not going to close your eyes and be able to imagine where the musicians are standing while they serenade you. Still, for over-ear headphones, the Soundcore AeroFit Pro are impressive.
I put these headphones through my usual test, starting with Rush’s “Signals” album, and found that they far outperformed my usual exercise headphones, the Mojawa Run Plus. For the first time, mid-run, I was able to discern Geddy Lee’s bass the way it was supposed to be heard (instead of the flabby, muffled sound I’d become accustomed to with bone conduction headphones).
One of the most fascinating pieces of music on my playlist is “TV 5/4 Chan” by Ministry. This track shifts from one channel to another almost violently and the AeroFit Pro headphones reproduced it to such an extent that I had to move forward in the song.
Coal Chamber’s song “Rowboat” had just the right deep punch and made me want to hit myself in the head as I reached the halfway point of my run. Led Zeppelin’s song “Kashmir” (from the Live: O2 Arena concert) was no longer as flat as with my previous bone conduction headphones. In other words, music came to life during my runs, something I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
The only downside of the Soundcore Aerofit Pro headphones
The only complaint I have about the AeroFit Pro headphones is that the buttons are placed in such a way that my ears prevent me from easily pressing them. This is of course a personal issue as your ear shape differs from mine.
But when I’m running, I need easy access to these buttons to pause, skip, or repeat a track. With a playlist of over 1,000 songs, there are a lot of tracks to skip when running more than 10 miles, which can be a problem with these headphones.
Purchasing advice for Soundcore Aerofit Pro headphones
If you have a very active lifestyle and sweat a lot, traditional headphones really aren’t going to be for you. And if you can’t get used to bone conduction headphones (or find the sound they produce isn’t up to par), these Anker Soundcore AeroFit Pro are a great option.
Not only do they fit well, but they also produce great sound.
Source: “ZDNet.com”