As an adamant gym-goer, I love new technology that makes my workouts more entertaining or beneficial. The Mixcder Basso Wireless Earphones were designed to stay in your ears during physical activity, so they not only give you the benefits of wireless technology, they won’t slip out of your ears. I tried out these earphones for a few days, and overall I had a great experience with them.
(A sample of these earphones was provided to me for the review but I have tried to be unbiased in providing a thorough review of the strengths and weaknesses of these earphones.)
Basso Wireless Earphones
Specs And What You Get
Before we get down to the nitty-gritty, here are the Mixcder Basso Wireless Earphones’ specs:
• Bluetooth version: 4.1
• Bluetooth distance:32.8ft (10m)
• Support profile: HSP/HFP/A2DP/AVRCP/SPP
• Pairing name: Mixcder Basso
• Standby time: More than 100 hours
• Music playback/conversation time: about 5h/5h
• Charging time: roughly 2h
Pulling Basso Out Of The Box
When I opened the package from Mixcder, I found the Basso earphones inside a green carrying case, complete with a caribiner so that you can clip it on your backpack, gym bag or key chain. The carrying case made it incredibly for me to keep track of the earphones, and to be sure they didn’t get tangled up in my gym gear. The earphones also come with extra ear gels for different sized ear canals. What You Get
Before getting the Basso earphones, I had read other reviews on them, so that I would know what to expect. One reviewer complained that the Basso earphones looked like hearing aids. I would have to disagree. They look like earphones designed for sport, which is exactly what they are. One wire connects the two earphones, which feature ear hooks, and the lime green color gives them a sporty appeal. Basso’s Features The control unit on the device has three buttons, all of which have
multiple functions. I found that operating these earphones was fairly
intuitive. You can control the power, make song selections, control the
volume level, answer calls and redial with just three little buttons. I
would suggest getting familiar with the functions of the buttons first. I
dove right into the operations of the device and wound up redialing my
last call several times while at the gym (and so I had a very anxious
friend, thinking there was some sort of emergency, because I had called
her three times at 6:30am).
Fit
Without the ear hooks (which I’m sure is the feature that makes
these earphones look like a hearing aid), the Basso earphones would just
be another pair of slip-out-of-your-ear-during-exercise earphones. The adjustable ear hooks hug the ear snugly and keep the ear bud from slipping out of the ear canal.
There
is a clip attached to the wire connecting the two earbuds which
attaches to your clothing, keeping the wire and control device from
flopping all over the place. This is very helpful when running. I’ve
found that with other earphones, the flopping wire will pull the earbud
out of your ear sometimes. Just The Earphones I wore the Basso earphones on quite a few runs, while I lifted
weights and during warm-ups for a rugby match. I had no issues with the
fit during my runs. They felt secure in my ear canals and didn’t pop
out. I found that they fell out occasionally when I performed stretches
or exercises on my back, like bench press. They also popped out a couple
times while performing lifts over my head, like snatches and shoulder
press. Mostly, the right earbud was the culprit, and mostly it was
becoming dislodged because I had bumped the control unit, which is
located on the right side.
Overall, the fit was
better than most earphones I’ve tried. I can count on one hand the times
the earbuds fell out, and those times were mostly due to the fact that
my movements we such that I knocked them out. With other earphones, I
find that it’s more difficult to keep them in place.
Sound
The sound from these little monsters was great. You won’t be
banging your head to a ton of bass, but the Basso earphones were clear
of static and disruption. And the ear gels fit so that there was a great
deal of noise cancellation. In fact, outside of noise cancelling
headphones, which cover the ear, I don’t think I’ve used a pair of
earbuds that were better at eliminating outside sound.
The
Basso earphones also had great Bluetooth range. Wearing them around my
apartment, I was never out of range of my phone. Granted, I don’t live
in a huge apartment, but they also showed great range in the gym and on
the field, during my training sessions. The specs say that they have a
range of about 10m, or 32ft, but I was able to consistently move close
to 20m away before the sound started cutting out. Basso Left Side
Battery
The battery life of the Basso Wireless Headphones was the one thing I
had a problem with. The unit’s specs say it takes about 2 hours to
charge fully, but mine were charged in a little over an hour. However,
the charge only lasted around 4-5 hours. This is fine for training
sessions, which is primarily when I use mine, but if you plan on taking
them on a long trip, plan on bringing a portable charger with you.
Just The Earphones
If you’re using an iPhone to pair with the Basso earphones, you’ll
see a little little Bluetooth icon appear in the top right of your
display when paired. You’ll also see a little battery meter beside it.
When the battery meter gets down to about 20%, you better just throw the
earphones on the charger. Around that level, the Basso earphones will
persistently tell you the battery is low. You won’t be able to get them
to shut up about it, and 20% doesn’t actually mean 20%. The earphones
will shut off soon after you start to hear the message.
This
was the only thing that annoyed me about the Basso earphones. The
battery meter wasn’t accurate, and there was no way to stop the low
battery message from interrupting your music–quite annoying.
Worth It?
Basso Right Side
Though the battery life on the Basso Wireless Headphones was
relatively short, overall the unit worked and fit great. Currently,
Amazon is running a special on these earphones. You can snag a pair for
$26, and I’d say that’s quite a deal. You’ll pay that much for some
wired headphones, and you certainly won’t find a better deal on
wireless.
If you’re looking for a lot of bass or
battery life, you may not be getting the best earphones for the job.
However, if you’re looking to use them while you’re training, then even
their original $65 price tag isn’t so bad. For running, lifting and
training, the Basso Wireless Headphones earphones are a great option.
