This review is the 3rd product we have covered from the brand Sports & Outdo after the Mifo S wireless earbuds and the Mifo FiiTii wireless buds. In this review, we continue on the portable audio sector but the Sports & Outdo SportsSet is a completely unique pair of headphones targeted towards the health and fitness fans in the room and costing only $99/£83.
First Impressions
The Sports & Outdo sportsset headphones allow you to exercise to the max while listening to music at the same time and if you are out for a run you can take a call at the same time. The over-ear bone conduction headphone allows you to be aware of your surroundings while doing your exercise and the headband keeps sweat out of your eyes at the same time.
Yes, you can purchase a pair of over-ear bone conduction headphones like the Shokz OpenRun headphones but what makes the SportSet unique is the sweatband. These headphones are a red dot design award winner and you can see why.
Unboxing
Open the box and you are greeted with the headphone body, 3x headband lengths Small, Medium & Large size and each have come with 3 sized headbands:
Small – Recommended Head size: 52-55 cm- Headband strap sizes: 160mm,170mm & 180mm
Medium- Recommended Head size: 56- 59cm – Headland strap sizes:190mm, 200mm & 210mm
Large- Recommended Head size: 59- 61cm – Headland strap sizes: 210mm, 220mm & 230mm
Also in the packaging, you get given a magnetic fast charger and manual. I really liked the packaging it’s very clean, simple and fully recyclable which is a big plus
Design
The SportSet is a pair of Open-ear bone conduction headphones that are useful when running outdoors. The main part in which the drivers are located has two arms in which the headband connects to fit perfectly on your head. You will notice it will fit very snugly around the back of your head and won’t snag on any clothes for example taking your top off.
The headphone body is made using premium materials such as liquid silicone rubber paired with stainless steel.
The controls are all positioned on the right side you will see 2x buttons on the top side of the headphone body indicating minus and plus symbols these are to allow you to adjust the volume and track control.
You also have a square button just under the volume controls on the headphone body and this has the company logo printed on the button. The controls are activated by a series of presses and they do the following:
- Hold for 1 second – Power on
- Hold for 5 seconds – Power off
- Single click: Play/Pause or answer or reject the call/ Use Smart Assistant
Pairing the SportSet is connected to your phone thanks to Bluetooth 5.3 technology and you connect them the normal way via the Bluetooth settings on your phone. The Bluetooth range when using these is 20 meters meaning you do not need to have your phone on you if you were working out in the garden for example.
In addition to listening to music, you will notice there are two built-in microphones that are included to ensure clear phone calls via voice capture technology. They provide 42db noise cancelling which will reduce any ambient sounds down to zero.
Last but not least you will notice on the inside of the headphone band is that magnet point in which you connect the provided pogo pin USB cable which comes with fast charging. The battery capacity is 120mAh, So with fast charging a 5-minute charge will provide you with 2 hours of playback or for a full charge, it will take 40 minutes but give you 5 hours of playback. 5 hours of use should be more than enough even for the most hardcore of exercise fans.
You will notice when on charge there is an LED indicator which when the battery is low will indicate by a quick flash and when charging it will be a slower flash like when you breathe. When fully charged the LED will switch off.
Set up
The SportSet is quite easy to set up first you need to select the headband that will best fit then connect the metal buckets to each end using the screws provided. Make sure the buckle on the band corresponds with the headphone band and you will see both have a letter on (L on L).
Then connect the band joints to the headphone body slots until you click sound to indicate it has been installed correctly. Then make sure the headband sits on your head and adjust it so the speakers are near your ears.
Performance
The SportSet will connect on either iOS or Android devices and they allow you to listen to music and also receive calls. I found using them when I went out running to be really comfortable I did not have to worry about buds falling out once I found the band that fit the best for me was the large 210cm option but there are options provided for smaller heads.
I also found when I was warming up for my run the band stayed in place and this was the same for when I hit the gym regardless of the exercise I did these worked perfectly I like to hit the cross-trainer hard and the band stayed firmly in place. I also found if you are a user who wears glasses you might find earbuds getting in the way. The SportSet actually sit above the glasses meaning you could wear both and have zero discomfort.
Moving on to audio quality you get a 16mm driver which can get loud The speaker sits just in front of the ear canal and they use bone conduction technology that will send audio waves to your ears providing you with some protection instead of the buds going directly into your ears.
The negative of this method is if you enjoy deep bass these won’t be for you as the bass is fairly non-existent. However, the mids, highs and even vocals will all come out nice and clear but you will sacrifice that bass. In terms of connection, we mentioned they link to your phone using Bluetooth 5.3 and these provide you with a range of 20 meters.
Last but not least the real benefit was the fact they have an IP67 rating this is perfect considering these are designed for those who go running or hit the gym on a regular and will sweat! The IP67 means that they are waterproof and sweatproof which is music to my ears and will protect the SportsSet. You will also notice the headband will double up as a sweatband as personally I like to cycle long distances and sweat getting into your eye is always very annoying. This band acts to prevent that from happening which is a big bonus.
Verdict
I really like the innovative design of the SportSet if you are big into fitness they have to be a very solid option and I feel the design really does fill a gap that brands could not provide even some bone conductor headphone brands.
They are perfect if you want to exercise to a high tempo but do not want the risk of buds falling out of your ears these will be perfect for you. The headband also acts as a sweatband which is a really useful feature to prevent that dreaded sweat into your eyes meaning you have to stop your exercise for a few seconds.
The controls are really easy to learn and easy to use even when you are out running or on the bike. The audio quality is acceptable but if you are looking for a deep bass-sounding pair of headphones you need to look elsewhere apart from that you will be happy with the sound.
The SportSet also allow you to take calls via the built-in mics and the voice capture technology with 42dB noise cancelling will reduce any unwanted sounds when on a call. If I had to be picky you sound like you have a slight echo but it won’t affect the overall experience.
So overall if you are about to kick in that new year’s resolution early to get fit or you love running and are looking for a way to listen to music without the risk of buds falling out these are well worth considering. The only thing I can see putting some users off is the bright yellow headband with the company name printed on the front its a bold fashion choice. It would have been nice to have had a black band option for those who feel the yellow band is a step too far. Apart from that at $99, these are value for money and a great gift for the fitness fan at home this Christmas.
Product Rating:
Design: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Set Up: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Audio Quality: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars – 4.5 Stars
The SportSet Wearable device is $99 from Sport&Outdo.com
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