Earshots feature a wraparound loop design with a magnetic Shocklock to further secure them in your ears. Photo / Supplied
Earshots feature a wraparound loop design with a magnetic Shocklock to further secure them in your ears. Photo / Supplied
OPINION:
Device design is hugely important as it's often the deciding factor that'll make people buy your gear rather than the competition's, because it's either unique or works better.
Like earbuds where local heroes Earshots say they've come up with a different design that stops the listening devicesfrom falling out of your ears.
Aimed at active people like runners and riders, the Earshots feature a wraparound loop design with a magnetic Shocklock to further secure them in your ears.
Despite being big and chunky, the Earshots are comfortable to wear over extended periods of time, with the actual buds being adjustable in five positions. Once poked into my ears properly, the sound from the Earshots was fairly good, albeit too bass-heavy for my taste. Calls were fine too.
Each unit has a small function button that manages Bluetooth pairing, powering on and off, solo mode with just a single Earshot, and answering/rejecting calls.
They're easy enough to use, but the Earshots need some way to turn down the volume of the robovoice in the plugs as it's much too loud at the moment.
The Earshots design does however result in some cons as well. They can be fiddly to put on and adjust to your ears, and look a bit like hearing aids - which is fine with me but might not be to everyone's liking.
I thought the design would make wearing sunnies difficult with the temples sitting on top of the Earshots; the glasses I tried were fine, but your mileage might vary.
If you're used to neat little charging cases for your wireless earbuds, the Earshots are again very different. The charging case is big and robust. It's almost the size of a sunglass case but I guess most people would leave it at home plugged into a USB-C cable rather than pocketing it. The battery life of the Earshots is pretty good at a promised 10 hours between charges.
What about the Shocklock then? Out of my ears, the magnet would latch on strongly to the speaker side of the Earshots. In my ears, however, the magnetic latch-on was much weaker.
A soft pressure, and not a super strong one, as Earshots founder James Bell-Booth said.
Nevertheless, the loop-around design meant the Earshots never felt like they'd fall out as I jogged unsteadily down a slippery path on a rainy day. Speaking of wet, the Earshots are IPX4 rated which means they should survive sweat drops and water splashes, but not the jump into the pool test I intended to subject them to.
The Earshots don't have noise cancellation, a feature that I love, but which would possibly make them even less safe to use while running around than my music library.
Earshots is asking $298, pre-order, which is not too bad. I think an app to adjust the sound and for firmware updates is needed, however, and a more svelte design especially for the case.
Sony's WH-XB910N over-ear cans. Photo / Supplied
Sony is also looking at being different with its wireless WH-XB910N over-ear cans. Apart from an impossible-to-remember name, they look like normal earphones but they're not: the XB910Ns are BASS BOOSTED.
Think of the XB910Ns as a more expensive ($449.95) version of the also forgettably named Sony WH-1000MX4 earphones, with two microphones instead of five for active noise cancellation and calls, and the ability to boot THUMPING BASS deep into your brain.
See, some people really love bass bass bass above everything else. You come across them driving along suburban streets with their doors bulging and flapping from low frequencies, with some panel rattling harmonics to round off the three-hour track that's looping on their 12 kW audio system.
That's a bit antisocial which is part of the appeal. If you want a similar sensation with good sound for the type of music the XB910Ns are designed for in a less obnoxious manner, the Sony cans are worth checking out.
To me, the XB910Ns seem pointless compared to the 1000MX4s which also have good bass and work for all kinds of music yet cost less; all-caps BASS lovers will disagree and I hope, stay away from my street.
