I titled a post I don’t get Air Pods. They had too many shortcoming… Yes, yes these are personal observations please defend your choice of gear elsewhere.
But after watching Rene’s video about the new Power Beats my likes and concerns are all addressed — from battery life to physical controls, plus many other useful features. Not abandoning my Plantronics setup. But, if Beats work as well as I hope/expect, the Plantronics are gong to be my back up device.
I’m really curious about these: I use AirPods everyday for running and while I like a lot about them, I really, really, really miss having actual controls. I wish there would be a try before you buy option though, ‘cause my main use case is outdoor running and the AirPods’ saving grace is that they let in some ambient sound and don’t amplify sounds like breathing, footfalls, and heartbeats.
I had the non-pro, but left them on a train ages ago. Wanted to get new ones, but I ended up getting the Sony XM3s since my needs have changed. (I work in a building under construction now.) Now I’m planning to get the Pros to replace my Airpods, and keep using the XM3s for NC at work and for travel, and the Pros for my daily commute and phone calls.
I’m considering using one headphone at a time when dodging cars. Haven’t tried it yet as I’m still haven’t purchased.
Let us know how that goes!
Months Later:
I ran my Plantronics through the washer and dryer. The did come out cleaner but with no sound. This forced the decision on what I wanted to buy in the way of buds or headphones.
Got some mobility problems now so better sound quality won out over sweat proof walking criteria.
Bluetooth headphones with noise canceling intrigued me. I ended up buying Sony WH-1000XM3 ‘s
Chose them after reading many excellent reviews.
I like
Haven’t used them for phone conversations.
They are expensive about $350 US. On Amazon I found some used ones in an unopened box for less.
I got the PowerBeats Pro a week ago. I like them a lot, the connection is rock solid even 15-20 yards away, and I’ve learned here to gently press the side buttons (and not press them into my head) to pause, invoke Siri, etc.
Fit is a little worse than my old cheap in-ear Panasonic wired earphones, and I tend to keep the PowerBeats in longer now that I can’t as easily remove them and drop them (they ran under my shirt) as I did with my wired earphones. I haven’t yet gotten to the point where I can put them on without thinking; I have to carefully get the wraparound part around my ear, then twist/adjust to get a seal.
I’m getting a solid day’s battery out of them, maybe 8-9 hours of regular use over the course of the day.
I went through two pairs of AirPods (mic died on each pair due to (I assume) rain/sweat) and decided on Powerbeats Pros a few months ago.
I have mild cauliflowering in my left ear and moderate in the right; the left is really easy to put on, but the right takes a bit of effort. I miss the ease of use of the AirPods, but if these stand up to the moisture of running in the rain and snow, as well as sweat then they’re worth it.
I really like having controls on the earbuds for volume as well as play/pause, forward, and repeat.
The main problem I have with them is that they (even more than the AirPods) can lose connection when in the case and one or the other will sometimes be dead when I’m ready to go for a run.