Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/2tyx7k3
Soundcore, the well-known audio division of Anker, has been delivering premium audio products at a value price for years now. Over the period of this time they have produced great bluetooth speakers and earbuds and these are no exception! Among some of the newest releases, the Spirit X and it’s baby brother, the Spirit are great bluetooth earbuds for less than $40 USD. These earbuds also boast of a water resistant nano-coating that is not only water resistant for listening in the rain and such, but also resistant to sweat which is of a far greater salinity than plain rainwater.
Anker sent me these earbuds to evaluate and report my experiences and feedback as well as test their ‘Sweatguard’ technology through a few tests. I will now share my findings with you!
AUDIO QUALITY
Let me first start with my impressions after extensively testing the audio quality of the Spirit X earbuds. I found after periods of listening to what I refer to as ‘the four’ major genres of music that they performed admirably. Rock, Rap, Pop, and Classical all sounded very good. After tweaking the EQ settings in Spotify to my liking for each of those genres I would say the Spirit X sounded GREAT even. I will go so far as to say for $40 you will NOT find better sounded earbuds as of the time of my writing, PERIOD. The low end was full and triumphant, the mids did not suffer from the audio tuning out of the box much at all, but wasn’t as strong as I like. The high trebles were clear and angelic. When comparing these earbuds with a pair of AKG wired in-ear headphones that sold for $59.99, the Spirit X was better in every way. When comparing these earbuds with my Zolo Liberty+ which I purchased at the full retail price of $149.99, I found the Spirit X MUCH louder, with clearer highs, equal bass, but with more muddy mids, unfortunately. These results were fairly consistent throughout each genre of music, with only a few outliers: when the EQ was optimized for Rap/EDM the Spirit X outshined the bass of the Liberty+. The additional volume and fairly equal clarity definitely gave the edge to the Spirit X despire there being only 0.5mm difference in the size of drivers for these earbuds. It is also a plus to have Bluetooth 5.0 in these earbuds for uninterrupted music and consistent quality transmission.
BUILD QUALITY
The build quality of these earbuds are second to none. Mostly plastic, but not the cheap stuff that feels like it will fall apart at any moment. Quality rubber tips and ear hooks that give a solid feeling when taking them out of the included hard top carrying case. A part of the great success of the Spirit X are not only the fine audio quality but the superior build quality topped off with the proprietary hydrophobic coating that truly left me speechless.
Anker asked me to put the earbuds they sent me through an extreme salt water test. This was an immersion test that was completed in two phases. Phase one was to submerge the Spirit X into a salt-water solution equatable to seawater at 3.5% salinity for six hours. Phase two was to submerge the Spirit X into a salt-water solution equatable to sweat at 0.5% salinity for eight hours. I performed this test on subsequent days with the battery being fully charge prior to both tests and the Spirit X remaining on, connected my phone, and playing music the entire time. I can tell you that during both of these tests, I did not notice my phone ever disconnecting from the earbuds or the music ever pausing or stopping. The only difference the test made, in my opinion is that after the two tests, specifically the 3.5% salinity test, the volume on the Spirit X was noticeably lower, but not to an irreconcilable level.
All in all, I believe this test proves Ankers claims that these are completely sweatproof and I can wholeheartedly recommend the Spirit X for anyone seeking a pair of bluetooth earbuds for an active and athletic lifestyle.
SUMMARY
Another area where this product truly excels is in its fit. Anker has done marvelously in producing an audio product with great sound, and with a truly durable build that should last no matter where you listen. But the success doesn’t end there, Anker included many eartips and sleeves to give a solid fit. They have also included a clip for your shirt and two cable tie ‘pucks’ so you can get exactly the fit you’re seeking. There is no doubt, a lot of care went into making sure this could be a product usable by as many people as possible and I truly appreciate that as a person with ears that aren’t accommodating for all earbuds styles.
The Spirit X checks all the boxes in my opinion and I cannot recommend these enough. The battery life is great, the sound is great, the build and fit is great. Above all that we have a company who stands by their products and continues to support the many products they have made over their history, always aiming to keep a happy customer.
So, if you’re in the market, give these a look, your ears with thank you!
