Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson was kind enough to give us an early look at his line of
sport-friendly headphones on stage
back at CES.
Today, you get to see them out in the wild. As a refresher, there are
on-ear and in-ear models and you can choose wired (Street) or wireless
(Sync) varieties depending on how you roll. The on-ears come with a
sweat-proof inner chamber and a rubberized coating to keep them looking
box-fresh no matter how many laps you put them through, and there's even
a sports "towel" (it's more of a cloth) included to mop your brow! The
in-ears won't come with such luxuries, but they do come in the same
striking blue, pink or yellow color options. The Bluetooth variants all
support
aptX, which is more than can be said for the
other rapper-backed sports buds
we saw recently. Prices are $80/$150 for the in-ears (wired/wireless) and $180/230 for the on-ears -- and we got an early look at some.
SMS Sync wireless sport hands-on
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Running with headphones is a divisive subject. Some swear by it;
others deplore it. Whatever camp you're in, earbuds are usually the
weapon of choice. Not me. I much prefer the extra isolation that on-ears
provide. I don't run on the roads, so traffic and other such obstacles
aren't much of a concern. The problem is, until now, there haven't been
many sweat/sport-friendly pairs of on-ears. Let alone wireless ones.
These are two instant plus points for the new Sync model straight away.
Not to mention that running isn't the only activity that might cause a
sweat, where the participants want to listen to their tunes; there's a
whole host of music-loving active types to cater to.
The new Sync wireless sports from SMS are, unsurprisingly, very
similar to the existing Sync model. The most significant difference is
the finish. The shiny plastic of the current model is out, and a new
rubberized nano-coating is in. It's a decent upgrade both in terms of
aesthetics (shiny plastic never really looks that good), and the
textured finish also
feels nicer. The ear pads have been
toughened up too. Not only are they covered with a perforated leather,
but also the chamber inside is sweat-proof. The result is a
sporty-looking headset that definitely feels comfortable once the heart
rate (and sweat) starts to rise.
If thick, pronounced jams are what you want, then these will give it to you.
Looks are one thing, but audio is the money here, right? Already I suspect that critics are sharpening their knives, as is
de rigueur
when discussing any celebrity-made/owned/built/endorsed headphones. The
Sync wireless sport are loud and definitely "ample" when it comes to
the low-end frequencies; there's no skirting it. But, you know what?
When I'm five miles deep on a run, that's pretty much what I want. The
bass isn't ridiculous -- it's what you might refer to as "generous." I'd
reach for these over a pair with a flatter response every workout,
every time. You may differ of course, but if thick, pronounced jams are
what you want, then these will give it to you.
Despite the obvious leaning toward sporting use, the Syncs will
gladly fill the role of full-time headphones if you wish. The battery
should be good for upwards of eight hours of playback (or talk, given
that they double as a hands-free too). If you find you do drain them,
there's a 3.5mm jack (and cable) so you can wire them in like regular
headphones (which means they're good for
all devices, Bluetooth
or otherwise). When it comes to sport-friendly on-ears, the Sync
wireless are hard to knock. Yes, some will malign the "healthy" bass;
others (like me) will appreciate it when trying to eke out that extra
drop of energy. More than that, these are the best wireless model I've
seen from SMS to date, so either way, things are looking up.
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