**********EDIT 3 Months Later: **********
I’m going to update my review a little after having these a couple months. I’m not sure quite why but these are now my go to headphones for 90% of the time. They’re comfortable in any position including laying down which is an issue for most headphones and even ear buds. They still sound pretty good. Not great though by a small margin. They charge super fast although honestly the battery life seems to be less than 8 hours to me. They look great around the neck and on. I’ve really grown to love these things so I’m adding the 5th star.
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To be perfectly honest I’m pretty torn. These are very good ear buds. They have some unique features you really can’t find anywhere else and it’s those that will have to make it worth (or not) the $100+ price tag. For me I do quite like them but I’d have to say they probably aren’t worth the 5x higher price tag compared to Anker sound buds Lite for example. ($20). Especially if you’re on the fence about it.
Sound is good. Not great. Not particularly exciting. Just good. It’s surprising how much balance there is overall. The bass isn’t that typical Beats bass which honestly I’m fine with for earbuds. I’d personally prefer a bit more punch in the lows. On rare occasions I can tell that the high frequencies are muddy but the music I listen to doesn’t usually cause a problem.
The biggest positives about these earbuds are kind of design oriented. They are very comfortable. They are pretty stable in ear. I’ve not had any trouble with them coming loose but with the controller on the left wire they’re not quite perfect. Again I prefer the cheap Anker lite style slightly more with absolutely clean cables and neck band controls. They look pretty nice and the flexible neck band is very comfortable. By far my favorite thing is the charging though. 5 minutes for 2 hours and about 40 minutes give you 8 hours claimed. In my experience it's closer to 30 minutes for 6.5 hours but I still think it's great. And for any iPhone user having headphones with lightning charging is a very refreshing change. They do pair easily as well with the W1 chip but in my experience it's not THAT much faster than normal so I don't particularly care.
Overall I wouldn't buy these purely for the sound quality. There are headphones for half the price or less that sound better. That doesn't mean they're horrible though. These earbuds still make a lot of sense for people that just want something super convenient for every day listening and are already involved in the Apple ecosystem. Though honestly even for those people many of the cheaper options don't give up too many features so these make the most sense if you've got the cash to spare for mostly unnecessary niceties.
Reviews with images
Price of Admission is High but Quality is Good
I bought these directly from Apple and I actually own the Black pair.I was never particularly a fan of Beats or Bose. I didn't really care for their tuning and much preferred Klipsch, Audio Technica, or Sennheiser. I listen to most genres of music from classical to hip hop and everything in between and beyond. I do like a bit of a forward and punchy bass when the music calls for it but otherwise I prefer my audio experience to be somewhat neutral. While I am kind of a headphone junkie I wouldn't call myself and audiophile.I've been looking for a good wireless solution for work for a while now. I've been using my V-Moda Crossfade Wireless and I like them a lot but I don't like having something big and bulky on my head and sometimes it messes up my hair. I'll switch to my Klipsch S4i but I hate being tethered to my phone. I was considering the Apple AirPods because they seemed easy and convenient but after further research I found the battery life to be somewhat unacceptable at around 4 hours and I heard too many reports of people losing one side. Also they are kind of silly looking. I just wanted something with at least 8 hours of battery life, good noise isolation, good audio quality, and good comfort. I believe The BeatsX meets all of those requirements.The battery life has been good at around 8 hours. I'd love to get 12+ hours like on the Powerbeats but I preferred the smaller and more compact design of the BeatsX.The noise isolation is actually great. I have an open office so I can usually hear a lot of other people which can be annoying and distracting, these block out most of the noiseThe audio quality is good. It is not great. These won't be an audio revelation for anyone. They are fairly balanced with decent to good mids, decent highs, and pretty good bass. The clarity is ever so slightly lacking when compared to other better wired earphones but nothing too bad. It is good enough for me to enjoy classical music and hip hop or for listening to podcasts. It is important to keep in mind that these are closed back in ear monitors with wireless Bluetooth connectivity. All of those things combined dont typically translate to great audio but in this case I can say it's actually good.So far these have been very comfortable to wear over long periods of time. Wearing them while walking around or sitting at my desk has been great. I am using the earpieces that came installed and they fit great. I did attach the ear fin/hook pieces but found them unnecessary for a good hold. I have not found any discomfort in wearing these for extended listening of 3 hours plus. Mileage will vary on comfort because of the unique nature of everyone's ear sizes and shapes but fortunately they do provide 3 other ear pieces ranging in size and style as well as 2 pairs of fin/hooks. My only issue with fit is that they are kind of long and there is no adjustment on the length. They hang a bit low when you don't have them in and sometimes they loop out far from your face because the excess length. This has so far been a minor issue at best. Also I should point out that I have not tried to work out with these yet and I haven't had a lot of cable noise like others have complained about.The build quality seems good. The cable is flexible but rigid and the earpieces seem to be durable and sturdy for their size and weight. I also do appreciate that the backs of earphones do magnetically attach to each other so they won't as easily come off of your neck.Operation and functionality is great. They easily pair with your iOS devices and every time after is fast and simple. It has a 3 button remote on the left side as well as a mic. The buttons are appropriately clicky and tactile. I also really like that you can charge these with the iPhone lightning cable and that it comes with a short one. I can confirm that they do charge up fast and will get a 2 hour playtime from just 5 minutes of charge. Charging fully usually takes from 45 minutes to an hour depending on how drained they are.The only reason these get 4 stars is the price point. Yes it is Apple and it is Beats so you're paying a premium for just the badging but all things considered this is a great set of wireless headphones, it just would have been excellent in the $100-$125 range. While the audio quality and battery life are good they won't amaze anyone like they might had they been cheaper. If you're willing to spend the money and have your expectations in check then I can recommend these happily. They work well and provide everything I needed and then some. If I lost them I'd probably buy another set.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2017
**********EDIT 3 Months Later: **********
I’m going to update my review a little after having these a couple months. I’m not sure quite why but these are now my go to headphones for 90% of the time. They’re comfortable in any position including laying down which is an issue for most headphones and even ear buds. They still sound pretty good. Not great though by a small margin. They charge super fast although honestly the battery life seems to be less than 8 hours to me. They look great around the neck and on. I’ve really grown to love these things so I’m adding the 5th star.
***********************************
To be perfectly honest I’m pretty torn. These are very good ear buds. They have some unique features you really can’t find anywhere else and it’s those that will have to make it worth (or not) the $100+ price tag. For me I do quite like them but I’d have to say they probably aren’t worth the 5x higher price tag compared to Anker sound buds Lite for example. ($20). Especially if you’re on the fence about it.
Sound is good. Not great. Not particularly exciting. Just good. It’s surprising how much balance there is overall. The bass isn’t that typical Beats bass which honestly I’m fine with for earbuds. I’d personally prefer a bit more punch in the lows. On rare occasions I can tell that the high frequencies are muddy but the music I listen to doesn’t usually cause a problem.
The biggest positives about these earbuds are kind of design oriented. They are very comfortable. They are pretty stable in ear. I’ve not had any trouble with them coming loose but with the controller on the left wire they’re not quite perfect. Again I prefer the cheap Anker lite style slightly more with absolutely clean cables and neck band controls. They look pretty nice and the flexible neck band is very comfortable. By far my favorite thing is the charging though. 5 minutes for 2 hours and about 40 minutes give you 8 hours claimed. In my experience it's closer to 30 minutes for 6.5 hours but I still think it's great. And for any iPhone user having headphones with lightning charging is a very refreshing change. They do pair easily as well with the W1 chip but in my experience it's not THAT much faster than normal so I don't particularly care.
Overall I wouldn't buy these purely for the sound quality. There are headphones for half the price or less that sound better. That doesn't mean they're horrible though. These earbuds still make a lot of sense for people that just want something super convenient for every day listening and are already involved in the Apple ecosystem. Though honestly even for those people many of the cheaper options don't give up too many features so these make the most sense if you've got the cash to spare for mostly unnecessary niceties.
I’m going to update my review a little after having these a couple months. I’m not sure quite why but these are now my go to headphones for 90% of the time. They’re comfortable in any position including laying down which is an issue for most headphones and even ear buds. They still sound pretty good. Not great though by a small margin. They charge super fast although honestly the battery life seems to be less than 8 hours to me. They look great around the neck and on. I’ve really grown to love these things so I’m adding the 5th star.
***********************************
To be perfectly honest I’m pretty torn. These are very good ear buds. They have some unique features you really can’t find anywhere else and it’s those that will have to make it worth (or not) the $100+ price tag. For me I do quite like them but I’d have to say they probably aren’t worth the 5x higher price tag compared to Anker sound buds Lite for example. ($20). Especially if you’re on the fence about it.
Sound is good. Not great. Not particularly exciting. Just good. It’s surprising how much balance there is overall. The bass isn’t that typical Beats bass which honestly I’m fine with for earbuds. I’d personally prefer a bit more punch in the lows. On rare occasions I can tell that the high frequencies are muddy but the music I listen to doesn’t usually cause a problem.
The biggest positives about these earbuds are kind of design oriented. They are very comfortable. They are pretty stable in ear. I’ve not had any trouble with them coming loose but with the controller on the left wire they’re not quite perfect. Again I prefer the cheap Anker lite style slightly more with absolutely clean cables and neck band controls. They look pretty nice and the flexible neck band is very comfortable. By far my favorite thing is the charging though. 5 minutes for 2 hours and about 40 minutes give you 8 hours claimed. In my experience it's closer to 30 minutes for 6.5 hours but I still think it's great. And for any iPhone user having headphones with lightning charging is a very refreshing change. They do pair easily as well with the W1 chip but in my experience it's not THAT much faster than normal so I don't particularly care.
Overall I wouldn't buy these purely for the sound quality. There are headphones for half the price or less that sound better. That doesn't mean they're horrible though. These earbuds still make a lot of sense for people that just want something super convenient for every day listening and are already involved in the Apple ecosystem. Though honestly even for those people many of the cheaper options don't give up too many features so these make the most sense if you've got the cash to spare for mostly unnecessary niceties.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2017
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MohammadHossein
DEFECTIVE BEATSX: DOES NOT EVEN TURN ON
Reviewed in Canada on December 21, 2019