I biked, ran and hit the gym with AirPods that I borrowed from a friend and Powerbeats that I’ve just bought. It wasn’t long before Powerbeats won on all but one feature (their size). Everything else: fit, sound and battery life went to Powerbeats.
I tried to be unbiased and even tested AirPods in one ear while wearing a Powerbeats pod in the other. Played the exact same song at different volume levels. Even two of my friends tried that same experiment (they both own AirPods) and they were blown away by the difference in sound. Now they both want to get the Pods.
I am a massive fan of the AirPods because they fit great in my ear and integrate seamlessly with my iPhone. I literally do everything with them except swimming.
Once they die I’m happy to switch to the powerbeats tho.
That awesome to hear! Especially that they fit you well.
I’ve also almost bought a pair of AirPods as they were “the only game in town” from Apple in terms of deep integration with an iPhone. But I was lucky to have a couple of friends that let me borrow their for a test run.
At the time I already preordered Powerbeats Pro and was anxious about that purchasing decision. But when I got to try both at the same time, I was in love with the beats.
Even though Powerbeats are “splash proof” and “sweat proof”, I wouldn’t take them anywhere near the pool. They stay in the locker until I’m back!
If I were going for audiophile type music, that def sounds like it would fit the bill. For now though, I’ve been really happy with the airpods for active sports - the sweatproofing is remarkably good, considering I’ve killed 5 brands of other headphones by sweat in the past few years (including a pricey Jaybirds that only lasted 2 weeks!)
Since you were already invested in the Powerbeats Pro, as you bought yourself a pair, and then borrowed your friends’ AirPods, this doesn’t exactly make you an unbiased reviewer. More like justifying/rationalizing your own purchase. But I do enjoy the discussion of people who have tried both.
I preordered the Powerbeats and had some time to spend with AirPods and with both at the same time. To an extent, you are right that I may be biased. To help confirm that I wasn’t just back rationalizing the purchase, I had two of my friends listen to both AirPods and Powerbeats at the same time. They’ve used AirPods for years and swore by them. Now they are both buying Powerbeats after a real life comparison.
I have not tried the Powerbeats. I like my AirPods a lot. I only have 2 issues with them. It seems like every 6 months, I have to get a new case for them because it won’t charge one of the pods.
Also, I just need a little more volume from them to overcome the noise of my fan on the bike. Is volume better on the Powerbeats?
I’ve been in love / hate relationship with JayBirds for years. I went through at least 10 pairs of them (for real) starting with 4 pairs of JayBird X that eventually failed due to sweat, some of them were replaced. Then with 3 pairs of JayBird X2, 2 of them died from the same issue. Finally the last 3 JayBird X3 have lasted for a couple years now. They are paired to different devices so I don’t have to constantly re-pair them.
JayBirds X3 sound amazing and with the custom EQ preset, which I prefer slightly more to Powerbeats Pro. So I still use them all, but at least for now I have an alternative for a benchmark.
I preordered the Powerbeats and had some time to spend with AirPods and with both at the same time. To an extent, you are right that I may be biased. To help confirm that I wasn’t just back rationalizing the purchase, I had two of my friends listen to both AirPods and Powerbeats at the same time. They’ve used AirPods for years and swore by them. Now they are both buying Powerbeats after a real life comparison.
I gotta admit, I’m a nonaudiophile user (podcasts and TV shows), but I find the sound quality of airpods remarkably good - a LOT better than the chinese bluetooth cheaper earbuds in every regard, and definitely also a lot better than my older-gen Jaybirds. They are definitely the best sound quality earbuds I’ve used, wired or wired thus far, so I’m impressed that the Powerbeats are that noticeably better.
I used the AirPods for about a year and they were just OK. Battery was average and over time just didn’t last all day (I wear them at work all day too) and the audio was average a best. I switched just recently to the JBL Under Armour True Wireless Flash headphones and all I can say is WOW! Battery life is days instead of hours and the sound quality is damn near my Bose QC headphones using the JBL’s.
Pairing them wireless is almost identical to the AirPods, storage and charging is almost identical but the edge the JBL has is the sound. There is a form fitting “neoprene??” part that goes int eh ear that seals out the outside sound and is almost like noice canceling. They are “waterproof” they claim. and I have sweated in them and all over them with no issues. I didn’t wear the AirPods on the days I knew it was really hot for fear of too much sweat and possible wrecking them that way.
I have been searching for some wireless headphones for a while and just can’t make a decision. It seems they all suck to some regard, but I just CAN NOT tolerate poor sound quality. If the shits will hold a charge for 4 hours then I’m good, but do not try to sell my some garbage that sounds worse than the old headphones that came with my walkman back in the day.
Thats what I am really scared about is having spent all this money and then the sound levels be poor so I just don’t buy any! I will gladly take a free pair though, but I may still complain.
I’ve never used the AirPods or the Powerbeats… But I recently got a pair of the Creative Outlier Air and they are REALLY REALLY great. They seal off outside noise and sound great, and the battery life is way better than I expected. I’ve gotten them wet and sweaty several times (mostly on runs) and they have been fine thus far. I wear them on my bike only on my trainer because I like to hear road noise when riding outside (I use my Trekz Air for that). The Outlier Air’s store and charge inside of a small case, similar to the iPods and pair with my phone immediately when I take them out of it. They’re simple and just plain work. (but it’s only been a month or so, so have no idea on long term reliability)
It looks like they’re running a 30% off deal right now on their website and I’m thinking about buying a spare set for when I inevitably lose them. I can’t imagine there’s another pair of fully wireless Bluetooth ear buds that sound better or work better and/or have better battery life for $56.
<Edit: Looks like the 30% off doesn’t apply for the Outlier Air, but still great quality AND value at $79 compared to a $150 or $250 price point of the others>
Like you, I burned through a BUNCH of Jaybirds. I bought them in 2013 and seemed to warranty a pair every few months. Strangely enough, the 7th or 8th one (I don’t know which version it is) worked for a long time. I bought the Jaybird Freedom and found them supremely more comfortable and the customizable EQ to be fantastic. One pair died and the warranty replacement process was the easiest it had ever been. That pair has lasted for nearly two years.
I agree with you on the cord being annoying for running. I ended up wearing the cord like a headband which may have led to it being easier for sweat to kill things. The idea of a truly wireless set seemed great. I’m going to interject with some thoughts after trying a few things:
The AirPods are good. My wife has them so of course I played with them to see if I would like them. They just work. There’s something to be said of that. They have thoughtful features. They stay in (my) ears better than I would have guessed. The case is tiny compared to others.
The Powerbeats Pro are mostly good and having the H1 chip makes them super reliable. Here’s some areas to be considered though: The case is massive. Unforgivably so. The price is massive. Unforgivably so. The clips get in the way of sunglasses (I’m assuming as I have owned a couple wired headphones with clips there that made wearing sunglasses less fun). No ability (has this changed yet?) to change the EQ. I mostly listen to podcasts and being able to change between the curve I want for music vs. podcasts is so nice. At least it’s not like the old bass-heavy Beats stuff. I have an old set I keep at work that have an awful EQ setting. The 9 hour battery life sounds cool, but there’s no way they would be in my ears for 9 hours before going back in the case.
The Jabra Elite Active 65T belongs in the conversation. Better waterproofing (technically sweatproofing with an IP56 rating), a reasonable case size, the same ‘fast charge’ ability as the Powerbeats Pro, customizable EQ, $100 less (currently), and the transparency mode is super cool. It’s not perfect, but it’s so nice to have a better idea of my surrounding while out running. I feel like my dogs and I are a little better safer when we can hear what’s around us. Some things like the jingling of their tags or the breeze come through the microphones a little too strong, but I like it. The same features as the other two where taking one out turns pauses the audio, taking them out of the case turns them on and pairs, and putting them in the case turns them off.
My problem with spending a lot of money (AirPods - $150 / Powerbeats Pro - $250) on sports headphones, is that they will inevitably fail*. It doesn’t matter what brand/model, they will fail. I’m speaking for my own experience and after reading hundreds of reviews online. For the past 2 years, I’ve been using Anker bluetooth headphones and I’m quite happy with them. Don’t get me wrong, they will fail too but Anker offers 18 month warranty and they cost around $20/$30 dollars. My theory is: if I can spend $20/$30 every 2 years, I call it success! The Powerbeats Pro would have to last 8 years to breakeven. They will NOT last that long.
the AirPods have been an exception apparently, but they don’t stay in my years. But if you read the reviews of previous generations of the Powerbeats, they kind of suck.
caveat: yeah, I bet you the AirPods / Powerbeats Pro audio quality is way better than the Anker headphones, but when I’m riding my bike or running, I don’t really need superb audio quality, especially if I’m listening to podcast.
I always run with a phone now for runs between 20 mins to 2 hours. Besides having a piece of mind that you can call for a lift back, I can also pay for drinks at gas stations with just a phone. So I don’t take my wallet anymore.
It took a while to find the right iPhone case and I tried a few. The best one I found is with a soft strap that I slip a finger through. It is super secure and I don’t need to grip the phone tightly. You can find one on Amazon or other places and it is pretty cheap ($15). Just look for LAVAVIK iPhone case with finger strap or an equivalent.
I might actually do a review of phone cases for running and cycling if there is enough interest.
The around the ear design of the Powerbeats is one of my biggest concerns. I had several older wired headphones that I stopped using because it was either have the headphones or have my shades/glasses.
Has anyone with the Powerbeats used them with eye wear? Positive or negative feedback?
I got a pair of AirPods for free and they’re fine for listening to music at my desk. But I can’t even walk spiritedly without having one fall out, and even at my desk they work themselves loose. My ears have never been a good match for any of the Apple earbuds, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. As such, I would never even think to work out with them.
Fortunately, I’m not a music-while-working-out-outdoors guy, and I rarely work out indoors, so it’s not exactly a hole I need to fill. That being said, if the Powerbeats are a good match for sound quality with the AirPods, that’s a great sign, and if they stay in place better, then I’d happily wear 'em on the trainer.
A huge benefit/drawback to AirPods is that you’ll never get laid again if any of your romantic prospects ever see you wearing them.
