One reality about me as a runner is that I would like my jams. No jams, no run. I’ve meticulously curated playlists the place the bass drops are strategically timed to fuel me up once I lose steam. Aside from my sneakers, my earbuds are essentially the most vital piece of working tech I personal. And but, my decade-long seek for the right pair solely simply ended a couple of weeks in the past.
Behold, the attractive, purplicious Beats Fit Pro.
To perceive why I’m gaga for these buds, you could know in regards to the headphones that didn’t make the lower. (Don’t fear, I’ll stick with the highlights and spare you a Dickensian-length novel recounting the handfuls of earbuds which have failed me in my 10-year working journey.)
Earbuds with superior sound — just like the Bose SoundSport — are sometimes too massive for my teeny-tiny earholes, and I’m over chasing them once they finally fall out. I attempted considered one of Aftershokz’s (now simply Shokz) earlier bone conduction wraparound headphones. The factor is, I need to really feel the “wah-ow-wah-wah-ow” of a sick bass drop vibrating in my cranium. These, at greatest, delivered a tragic “wah” that may embarrass Waluigi. I stanned my Jabra Elite Active 65t, however they nonetheless sometimes fell out of my ear and misplaced their luster when the AirPods Pro got here alongside and ruined me with their superior connectivity. The AirPods Pro have been handy for every day life, however they’re not hardy sufficient for my train routine. (I obtained sweaty ears, okay?) I believed I discovered a great compromise within the Bose Tempo. They have been snug, gave me a great quantity of situational consciousness, and sounded nice for open-ear audio sun shades. Then they failed me through the New York City half marathon. I would like my jams, and these have been drowned out by the subpar music blasted over the loudspeakers. I’m firmly satisfied this can be a massive purpose why I ran out of steam on the Tenth-mile marker and needed to hobble the final 3.1 miles to the end line.
So, now that you just perceive the wrestle, let me wax lyrical about why I like my Beats Fit Pro.
I’ve at all times hated winged tips as a result of I discover them uncomfortable. These weren’t — that was the primary shocker. The Beats Fit Pro match securely in my ear and stayed put throughout an hour-long run on a sweltering summer time day. I used to be a sweaty mess, however the buds by no means felt like they have been about to slip out of my ear like my AirPods Pro and weren’t gross once I took them out. After I obtained house, I did my greatest impression of a metalhead headbanging. The buds stayed put, and ever since that first run, they’ve stayed put and dry by means of a number of exercises. I don’t know if it’s the best way the tips match into my ear ridge, however I’ve by no means had this good of a match with earbuds earlier than.
Meanwhile, these aren’t absolutely the best-sounding earbuds I’ve ever used, however they’re Very Good. Most importantly, I get my treasured bass drops and my favourite Okay-pop singer appears like a buttery clean, mellifluous angel. The noise-canceling mode can also be ok that I can slip into the zone throughout exercises or whereas writing however not so silent that I can’t hear a bus behind me. Hot take: I really don’t prefer it when noise cancellation is simply too good, like on the AirPods Max. It’s disconcerting, and I really feel safer when I’ve a level of situational consciousness. (The Beats Fit Pro do, nevertheless, block the yowls of my attention-seeking cat, so I’m all set.)
They’ve obtained all of the connectivity advantages of AirPods Pro, too, to allow them to do triple obligation for health, work, and Netflix binges. I did subsequent to nothing to set them up and by no means needed to manually pair them to my MacBook Air or iPad. That’s magic once I’m switching from a podcast on my cellphone to a piece name on my pc, adopted by an on-demand exercise on my iPad. We love a multitasking gadget. Also, I haven’t misplaced these but, however I’m a scatterbrained dodo and inevitably will. When that second arrives, I can at the least use Find My to determine the place I misplaced them.
At $200 retail, the Beats Fit Pro weren’t one thing I might simply purchase on a whim. (Though I did get them on sale.) But, within the context of how a lot I’ve already spent on wi-fi earbuds, it’s fairly affordable. It was inside price range and, as I grow old, I higher perceive that investing in good high quality can prevent extra in the long term. These undoubtedly fall into that class for me.
The final purpose is foolish, however I like that the “cute” colorway is pastel purple and not pink. I like a great shade of pink, however tech corporations overuse it on devices to the purpose the place it’s borderline insulting. Also, the vast majority of my earbuds have been a boring black with, at most, a gunmetal accent. The world is a dreary place and, as silly because it sounds, a great pop of coloration boosts my temper when the information cycle is terrible. Plus, this matches my gigantic water bottle, so I really feel fancy once I work out. Small pockets of pleasure are treasured today, and I’ll take all those I can get.
Earbuds, notably in the case of match, are an extremely private gadget. You may not love these the best way I do. But, for me, the Beats Fit Pro are the precise right combination of worth, type, and performance. (The solely factor I want it had is wi-fi charging, however that’s small potatoes.) It’s humorous as a result of I prevented the Beats Fit Pro for a very long time regardless of the advice of a number of trusted pals and colleagues. I’ve been burned earlier than — hype seldom pans out, and returns are a problem. But I like these a lot it genuinely surprises me, a crusty, previous, jaded reviewer. I can’t bear in mind the final time my earbuds made me excited for my subsequent run — and these just do that.