I’ve been using the Spirit X earbuds now for about a week, and have managed to hit the gym every day. I thought it might be helpful to share some experiential thoughts with you all.
TL;DR: these are the best wireless sport earbuds on the market in their price point, and potentially even up a price point
Initial Reactions
- The packaging is fantastic, as is typical for Anker. I appreciated how easy it was to open vs the insane blister packaging or twist knots that other brands stuff their products in.
- These come with a terrific carrying case that’s large enough to protect against being squished but not too bulky, and even include an elastic mesh pocket inside. I use it to store the charing cable and an extra pair of silicone buds
- Came almost fully charged. I was able to hook them up via Bluetooth effortlessly and got ~3 gym sessions of life out of them (probably 8 hrs, which is great having not topped off the charge).
- Generous selection of earbuds and earwings allow anyone to find a perfect fit, which is essential if you want the best sound from any earbud
Usage Notes
- The two included wrap clips allow for neat cable management, tying the excess wire up behind my head. They feel very out of the way when running or lifting
- The ear hooks really do a good job of stabilizing when running, meaning better sound and far less wire friction noise
- Sound isolation is a happy medium between allowing music to flow and being aware of your surroundings
- Remote commands (volume, forward/back, play/pause, Siri, calls) work great. The remote is a little fiddly to navigate, though. I think the shape and button tactility could use some work in translating exactly which button is where. Functionally, though, everything works fine
- Bluetooth connection distance is good, rarely cutting out ever even when walking across the room
Sound Notes
- Anker dialed the bass way up with these buds. I found that they sounded best with a little EQ tweaking in Spotify. That is to say, the default sound profile may not be suitable for everyone, but the hardware is good enough to define a response curve to your taste
- As with most budget earbuds, the midrange is most pronounced. Sharp bass and crisp highs are the hallmark of premium equipment. That being said, these are sport buds. If you’re worried about how snappy the cymbals sound, maybe you should be running faster
- I’ve had plenty of budget buds to knock around the gym. I have to say the Spirit X deliver the best bang for your buck by far in terms of sound quality, features, battery, and sweat resistance for the price. Some of these categories rival products costing $100 more. For one, the charge lasts twice as long as my B&O Bluetooth buds! For additional reference, these have completely replaced my beatsX, which, while sounding superior, simply didn’t last long enough or handle sweat very well. Priorities are different in the gym vs. on an airplane.
Definitely a solid purchase for any gym goer or exercise enthusiast. They stay solidly around your ears, have no problem with sweat, and deliver good sound quality to boot. For $40, it’s a no brainer. I’d take these over PowerBeats any day, and I’d spend the difference in price on another month at the gym!
