The search for quality, reliable bluetooth headphones for working out seems to be never ending. With companies like Jay Bird, Beats, Bose, Plantronics, and Samsung all touting their offerings as the best choice, it can be hard to choose. When searching for a pair of bluetooth headphones to wear to the gym, I came up with a list of things I wanted in a headset and chose accordingly. I ended up with the Beats Powerbeats3 wireless headphones.
I knew I wanted these things:
• Water/sweat resistance, because I sweat a lot
• Decent battery life
• Ear hooks so they don't fall out of my ears during a jump rope session
• Acceptable sound quality
At the outset, it seemed like the Powerbeats3 offered me all of that. Best Buy was having a sale, so I pulled the trigger. So how did they hold up after a month of daily use?
Battery Life: 5/5
Nothing to complain about here. Beats advertises 12 hours of use per charge, and that seemed right on the money. I workout every day for roughly 60-90 minutes and only needed to charge up once a week.
They charge quickly as well, giving you roughly an hour of use after a 5- to 10-minute charge. If by chance the battery was running low and I forgot to plug them in, I could quickly charge up in the car on my way to the gym and be good to go for the whole workout.
Sound Quality: 3.5/5
Per typical Beats fashion, the sound profile of these headphones definitely favors more bass-friendly tracks. Hip-hop and EDM sound right at home, while some of my preferred pop-punk tracks seemed out of place. The nearly overpowering bass contrasted a little too harshly against the tinny highs and the mids seemed to get lost from time to time.
The Beats offer four different sized ear tips providing a decent fit, and while not fully noise canceling, the noise isolation works well to help keep your attention away from distracting background noise or generic gym music.
Fit and Comfort: 3.5/5
The ear hooks are adjustable and do a great job of keeping the headset in place during even the most jarring of cardio sessions. The cable that connects the left and right earpieces is discreet enough that it stays out of the way whether you wear it behind your neck or under your chin.
I did notice my ears getting rather sore after about an hour of use, no matter which ear tip I used. This could be due to the design of the headphones or the shape of my ears. It wasn't severe enough to make me stop using them, but it was certainly noticeable.
Reliability: 2/5
There's a reason why my review period was only a month. After four weeks of daily use, my first pair refused to power back on no matter what I tried. I had only used them at the gym and never took them swimming or out in inclement weather.
However, like I said above, I do sweat more than the average person, so I'm tempted to assume that they may have developed a short. Various reviews on Apple's product site echo these sentiments as well.
Luckily they were within their one-year warranty, and a quick chat with Apple Support had them replaced within a few days. Unfortunately, the replacement pair died within two to three weeks after I received them. I'm not confident another pair would hold up well after this experience.
Conclusion: Pass
If it weren't for their lack of reliability, I'd be able to recommend these headphones without question. The sound quality is acceptable, the battery life is great, and they fit well enough to survive a workout.
Unfortunately, they don't seem to be as sweat resistant as advertised, and similar experiences seem common among other customers online. In less than two months, I went through two pairs, leaving me with little confidence in this product.
