If a pair makes it past our initial tests, I then try out the microphones over phone calls in both quiet and noisy areas. I test battery life to make sure that the actual use time lines up with each manufacturer’s claim. And I check the Bluetooth signal reliability by wandering a good distance away from my mobile device, putting it in a pocket or bag, walking outside, and going several rooms away. There’s no shortage of good wireless earbuds on the market, but the best pair should offer a level of performance, reliability, and comfort that elevates it above the pack. The Powerbeats Pro earbuds are designed for exercise, have long battery life and are resistant to coming loose, making them an excellent option for cyclists. The in-line control is not perfect by any means, and the one-button operation may in fact be too simple.
Wireless over-ear headphones typically share the same button for Power On/Off and Bluetooth pairing. Press and hold the pairing button for 4-5 seconds (varies by device) until you see the LED light start flashing — this indicates the headphones are now in pairing mode. If this doesn’t work, try clearing the pairing history by pressing and holding the “+” and “-” buttons. While it works pretty well, it can’t match the Sony WH-1000XM4 or Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.
Considering the small in-line control and and the price tag, I didn’t set the bar very high, but still. Bluetooth connectivity wan’t an issue, but the call quality sounded less than pleasing. I tested the JIB Wireless with a range of genres including rock’n skullcandy wireless roll, pop, and EDM. I noticed that tracks featuring both a mix of vocals, electronic tones, and heavy bass offered an ideal experience. The result is a rich sound with bass that packs a punch and keeps low and high tones at an appropriate range.
The Skullcandy Riff Wireless headphones bring the bass at an affordable price—just don’t expect much in the way of extras. Audiodo™ technology in the Skullcandy App analyzes the hearing in your left and right ear, then automatically adjusts the audio to optimal levels for your specific hearing. My primary concern with the JIB Wireless was how they would hold up to everyday use.
Once you enable location permissions in the Beats app, it will note the last location you powered your earbuds on, as well as offer directions back to their general locale in the maps feature. This is less helpful when you know they’re somewhere in the house, but it’s helpful if you can’t recall when you last saw your earbuds. The A40’s 10-hour battery life means you can easily wear this pair all day long. The case charges wirelessly or via cable, fits easily in most pockets, and holds an additional 40 hours of playtime. The quick-charge feature powers your earbuds for four hours of use after only 10 minutes in the case.
Skullcandy earphones have a simple design and are made of mostly plastic. They’re decently well-built and carry an IPX4 rating, meaning they’re fully sweat-resistant. Durability-wise, these are pretty solid, even though they’re made entirely from plastic. However, because Riff’s are so lightweight, you practically don’t feel them on your head, despite their on-ear design.
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As far as the microphone is concerned, it isn’t great with with Skullcandy’s earbuds. Microphone quality has a drop off at around 200Hz which means that if you have a lower voice it’s not going to come through as loud as it should be. For a sample of this, you can check the video up above where I have a voice sample but fair warning, it doesn’t sound great. So if you’re looking for a pair of buds for phone calls these might not be for you.