I got these earphones as a review unit from Gearbest.com, i specifically requested to review these in light of my very positive experience with the "Awei" brand. Their ES-900i model lasted me for more than 3 years and it is still going strong.
I wholeheartedly recommend buying from GB as they always provided me with the proper support\warranty\refunds for the products i bought from them.
Specific model page: http://www.gearbest.com/sports-fitness-headphones/pp_356669.html
On to the review:
The A980BL comes in a nice colorful box which contains the earphones,a detailed manual, S/M/L sized tips, and a short micro usb->usb charging cable.
I would say this box would look nice if you're buying them as a gift (unlike some other Chinese made earphones...).
Cable and remote +microphone:
-My favorite kind of cable: Flat and tangle free.
-The remote is a 3 button remote: two volume buttons, one power\pairing button. These buttons also allow you to skip songs take calls and reject calls as explained in detail in the manual.
Sound:
These earphones use a rather large 11.5mm drive and boy does it show, the sound feels spacious in every genre of music i tried so far.
The sound signature is fairly neutral with a slight bass boost, as i prefer a more bassy sound i found them to respond really well to an EQ boost in the 40hz-110hz region.
I was surprised to notice that there was no SQ drop off due to these being a Bluetooth set, they sound as good as my wired earphones and better than the old ES-900i model which is still very famous around the web.
The Bass: is engaging yet not overpowering out of the box, but can be very powerful if you boost the bass region in your EQ settings.
The Highs: are energetic yet non sibilant, i always liked that about Awei earphones. Makes them great for my favorite Electronic genres (Trance and Classic house) as well as 80's music and Rap.
The Mids: Usually the biggest problem for me as i am very sensitive to harsh mids\sibilance. The mids on these are pleasant, maybe some people would find them a bit distant or not 100% "natural", but i don't think many will complain as the mids on these are more pleasant than most of my earphones.
These are still a 12$ pair of earphones. Please don't expect the SQ of 100$ pair of Over-Ears, these are on par with famous Chinese "value" earphones such as: Awei Es900/800, the famous "Rock Zircon" and KZ ATR.
They are amazing for being as good or even better than all of the earphones i mentioned while still being wireless and costing only 12$.
Fit and isolation:
Notice these feature an angled nozzle (which i think contributes to the Sound Quality). A pair of small foam tips worked best for me. For those who usually have troubles with shallow fits\narrow ear canals: The (higher) A990BL model which features the same housing as my ES900 model ,has more of a universal fit as the nozzle is straight and a bit longer.
A990bl link: http://www.gearbest.com/earphones/pp_239105.html
The isolation on these is very good, they manage to block out the noises of the crowded streets i walk in.
Range:
These worked great while i was 16 steps away from my phone and a glass door was between the A980bl and the phone! i would've tried a bigger distance but my apartment is not big enough (i was standing on my balcony while the phone was in the kitchen during the test ).
Battery Time:
I got about 4 hours of continuous playback (one session, non stop) on about 70% volume which is pretty high on this set.
Misc:
There are magnets on each earphone so you can attach them together like a necklace around your neck while not using them.
I give these a rating of 4.5/5 (no half star ratings under the new layout
)
I wholeheartedly recommend buying from GB as they always provided me with the proper support\warranty\refunds for the products i bought from them.
Specific model page: http://www.gearbest.com/sports-fitness-headphones/pp_356669.html
On to the review:
The A980BL comes in a nice colorful box which contains the earphones,a detailed manual, S/M/L sized tips, and a short micro usb->usb charging cable.
I would say this box would look nice if you're buying them as a gift (unlike some other Chinese made earphones...).
Cable and remote +microphone:
-My favorite kind of cable: Flat and tangle free.
-The remote is a 3 button remote: two volume buttons, one power\pairing button. These buttons also allow you to skip songs take calls and reject calls as explained in detail in the manual.
Sound:
These earphones use a rather large 11.5mm drive and boy does it show, the sound feels spacious in every genre of music i tried so far.
The sound signature is fairly neutral with a slight bass boost, as i prefer a more bassy sound i found them to respond really well to an EQ boost in the 40hz-110hz region.
I was surprised to notice that there was no SQ drop off due to these being a Bluetooth set, they sound as good as my wired earphones and better than the old ES-900i model which is still very famous around the web.
The Bass: is engaging yet not overpowering out of the box, but can be very powerful if you boost the bass region in your EQ settings.
The Highs: are energetic yet non sibilant, i always liked that about Awei earphones. Makes them great for my favorite Electronic genres (Trance and Classic house) as well as 80's music and Rap.
The Mids: Usually the biggest problem for me as i am very sensitive to harsh mids\sibilance. The mids on these are pleasant, maybe some people would find them a bit distant or not 100% "natural", but i don't think many will complain as the mids on these are more pleasant than most of my earphones.
These are still a 12$ pair of earphones. Please don't expect the SQ of 100$ pair of Over-Ears, these are on par with famous Chinese "value" earphones such as: Awei Es900/800, the famous "Rock Zircon" and KZ ATR.
They are amazing for being as good or even better than all of the earphones i mentioned while still being wireless and costing only 12$.
Fit and isolation:
Notice these feature an angled nozzle (which i think contributes to the Sound Quality). A pair of small foam tips worked best for me. For those who usually have troubles with shallow fits\narrow ear canals: The (higher) A990BL model which features the same housing as my ES900 model ,has more of a universal fit as the nozzle is straight and a bit longer.
A990bl link: http://www.gearbest.com/earphones/pp_239105.html
The isolation on these is very good, they manage to block out the noises of the crowded streets i walk in.
Range:
These worked great while i was 16 steps away from my phone and a glass door was between the A980bl and the phone! i would've tried a bigger distance but my apartment is not big enough (i was standing on my balcony while the phone was in the kitchen during the test ).
Battery Time:
I got about 4 hours of continuous playback (one session, non stop) on about 70% volume which is pretty high on this set.
Misc:
There are magnets on each earphone so you can attach them together like a necklace around your neck while not using them.
I give these a rating of 4.5/5 (no half star ratings under the new layout
)