Picked up an inexpensive pair of MPow Flame2 off Amazon based on some of the recommendations in this thread and after a few uses I’m really impressed so far.
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I’m even showering with my Jaybird Vista… Shaving your legs isn’t as tedious when listening to a podcast/audiobook.
The connectability is 100% and they don’t fall out no matter what. However, that depends on your ear shape. Some people don’t have that groove where the wing/fin is supposed to fit.
Mpow stuff is also good, and a lot cheaper.
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I have tried many headphones over the years but the mpow D9 recommendations in this thread are by far the cheapest and perfect for cycling. Just got them last week.
I’m all about high quality IEMs for listening to music but I’m sticking with mpow for the bike.
If you’re not in a hurry an alternative is to buy some Vidon F1 from AliExpress. They’re bone conduction & a fraction of the price of Aftershokz.
My experience with in ear ones is they fall out when you get sweaty. You also feel less safe running.
I feel like anyone with these failing repeatedly needs better ventilation. In Texas, in mid summer at 115F and 80+ humidity, I would sweat like crazy and end up with enough salt in my helmet to sprinkle it on fries.
In Colorado, in my basement, at a constant 60F and typically 0-30 humidity, with 2 strong fans, I hardly notice any visible sweat. Needless to say I do not ruin headphones. I should mention the second fan was added after two years of trainerroad use, and there were noticeable ftp gains right after getting it. Cooling sure, but it enabled harder training.
I recently bought a pair of Cambridge Audio Melomania One truly wireless earphones for £100. Really high end UK based company. Available from Amazon, CA themselves, John Lewis, Richer Sounds etc.
I won’t wax lyrical about them in general terms as all the reviews do that themselves, so I’ll just point out a few things (some unique to them) that drew me to them for use when cycling and have definitely proved to be the case, both indoors and outside…
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Exceptional value at £100. Rated by What Hifi as the best value pair for under £200. Not Amazon Chinese £20 cheap, but much better, and not Bose prices to fork out. The pair of earphones themselves can be bought for £50 and the charging case for an additional £50, hence the £100 initial outlay, meaning it wouldn’t cost a full £100 to replace the earphones unless you misplaced the whole package
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Fantastic battery life. Unparalleled to my knowledge. 9h off the earphones, and an additional 36h when docked in their (small, Apple AirPod case size) case. They’ll automatically charge when docked so always topped up ready for use.
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Great sound. Cambridge Audio… Easily good enough to be your off the bike go to pair. All the usual call making and audio controls on the buds.
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Can be used separately and interchangeably. Unlike many, many other truly wireless buds, both L and R buds contain drivers which can connect to your phone via bluetooth and therefore be used individually. Most other top end brands are built with the drivers in the right bud, with the left pairing to the right rather than directly to your phone. This right bud dominant design is presumably US-centric and its major downside for UK cycling is that it would have to be the right bud used and this is the side on which you’ll want to hear passing traffic. And you can’t just stick the right bud in your left ear as they’re often shaped specifically for each ear. But with the Melomanias, the left can be used on its own. And what’s more, they’re not shaped differently so the right can also be used in your left ear if you want to switch, i.e. if the left runs out or the right has more battery left, i.e. if you’re doing an audax or something.
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Mine are used for running and on the trainer. I have many a run in rain over the winter. Now it’s a hot humid sweatfest when running. On the trainer, they always get covered in sweat. Been 10mo now, no issues w/water or sweat.
Occasionally the remote controls stop working. Occasionally the sound will start to sound like there is interference. The fix has been to forget the earbuds in the bluetooth settings of my phone, then re-pair them again.
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Just had my second pair of Jaybird X4!s die. Each pair has lasted less than a week before bricking!
On the hunt now for another brand that is good for Android, reliable, sweatproof and with better sound when combining Discord and Spotify
Recommendations appreciated, but I’ll work my way through the thread also
2 weeks ago I started using Jabra Elite 75’s.
Been impressed so far, sounds is good, app is very good, allows 2 connections and seems to seamlessley switch between.
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Apple EarPods Pro
Game changer as it has “Transparency mode for hearing what’s happening around you.”
Music now becomes the background on your ride instead of a distraction.
Hear cars, hear everything around me…
Ride today Solo Mode…
Heard everything on the roll out until I got into the country… then enjoyed my day… hearing my breathing… as I did the Long Interval ala TrainerRoad… thank you power meters on bikes with Live data!
Transparency is the answer for me!
Sound?
Pretty Good… More than enough Bass even for the Ambient Electronic… at 3 bumps on the iPhone Volume from 0… more than Adequate Background… bump 1 down… Perfect!
Never distracted… never lost… in the music…
Foam Ear Tips are a must for me… instant Upgrade Sonically and what you want Comfort and no Heat Buildup!
I use Ear Hooks for them more for Security… in case… as the Foam Pads hold perfectly strong enough for me… at least I my ear… your milage may vary.
Honestly will buy whatever New Version Apple comes out in the future!
Transparency so good that it changes your day to day life too… hear everything… to the tune of your own music!
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To update on my jaybird Vista review from earlier when I first got them, now that I have some miles on them.
These are the best headphones I’ve ever used, by far.
Sound quality is incredibly clear and good bass, they get well more than loud enough.
Connectivity is perfect. I’ve tried several sets of true wireless Buds and they always get returned because of connectivity issues. Jaybirds have never dropped out once or had any issues.
Battery life: once again, incredible and best I’ve had. 5 hours either together at the same time, or separate. I went on a century ride the other day and I believe it took about 6-7 hours total including breaks.
I simply put in one side of the earbud for around 5 hours, and when it died, I pulled out the case, put that bud In, took the other bud out and used that one for the remaining time. Very convenient.
If they ever broke or got lost, I’d buy another pair in a heartbeat.
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yeah… i’ve gotten over my fear of using the power beats pro and no problems yet… though i hate the charging mechanism… often enough I don’t get them in correctly and one or the other won’t charge. >.< but they’re very nice on a bike… no fear of ever having one fall out.
Apple
Which ones? My bose soundsports (wired) are awesome and plan to keep them for outdoor cycling. I was thinking about the apple ones when I start traveling again and possibly running.
Maybe the best sales pitch ever…
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I’ve been criticized in the past about being over critical of Apple but… are Apple now trying to market non-noise cancelling earphones as an innovation?
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Jabra Elite Active 75t with Comply foam inserts. This is the option if you’re not in the budget market. No Apple, no Jaybird.
It doesn’t get better than those for in ear bluetooth. Nearly the best sound of any in-ear out there, waterproof to 1.5m, can wear one bud, lasts easily 8hrs on a single charge (and you get 3-4 charges out of the case, many more if you typically only use one earbud), “hear through mode”, quick charge and the case is USB-C for future proofing. Assistant compatible (I can ask it to call my wife or change the music/podcast without getting my phone out). The microphone is even good enough to have a conversation on the bike moving (provided to cover the earbud with your hand to block the wind). I’ve never had them fall out running or riding, but if you do, the app remembers their last location based on BT signal and your cellphone localization (so you might have a chance to find it, though, I mean, good luck…)
Apple ain’t got nothing on these.
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How big is the case for these?? It looks quite big in the pics on the website. Do you cycle outside with them? Also what is the main difference between active model vs the non active 75t?
It’s no larger than the case for my wife’s Anker Soundcore, so normal size for this sort of thing. I’m sure you can find measurements on the Jabra website.
I cycle outside with the right earbud in, on the trainer with both. I believe the Active model has a higher waterproofing rating, is a slightly different shape and is treated with some sort of “anti slip” coating. I’ve never seen or used the normal model, so I don’t really know first hand (but considering they are only like $10-20 more, I don’t see why anyone would get the normal model)…
Thanks.