Sony recently released the world’s first pair of balanced armature sports headphones, the Sony XBA-S65. Be prepared to experience music during your workouts like never before.
Pros
Unique Style. One of the first things that came to mind when we saw the Sony XBA-S65 was the unique ear hook style. The ear hooks are completely adjustable as well.
Water Resistant. Don’t worry about sweat damaging your ear buds during workouts as the Sony drivers are moisture resistant.
Balanced Armature Drivers. Without getting into too many details, essentially this means you’re going to hear a lot more of the “details” in your music. All of the subtle sounds you might not normally hear with some headphones you will definitely hear with the Sony XBA-S65.
Cons
No In-line Controls. We expected to see the majority of new sports earphones to offer an in-line controls or microphone option since it has been so incredibly popular to workout with your iPhone. If you don’t plan on taking calls during your workout or don’t mind adjusting volume or changing songs directly from your iPhone or iPod, then this is no big deal.
Full Review
The Sony XBA-S65 Sports Headphones aren’t like anything we’ve seen before. They utilize a clip on or ear hook style support, but with a slight change: the positive connection is actually a full loop that is completely adjustable, allowing you to tighten or loosen the loop around your ear as you need to (see the picture to the right).
This is a big deal when it comes to workout headphones, as often times you’ll need an easy way to make adjustments for comfort, especially if your workouts tend to be a bit longer than most.
While we love our music we’re not audiophiles. Our main concerns are typically durability and comfort as those are the two hardest features to find in workout headphones. So, when we started reading about the balanced armature we were intrigued.
We spoke to our resident Audiologist about this feature, and she quickly pointed out that while it’s not new technology in general, it is new technology for workout earbuds. She also noted it’s pretty cheap for this type of technology that is included in hearing devices, such as hearing aids for thousands of dollars.
The balanced armature design also affords the listener less sound leakage. While they’re not noise cancelling, they are noise isolating which allows the user to still be aware of their environment during the workout.
In addition to all of that the Sony XBA-S65 include all the standard features of a great workout headphone, such as comfort (adjustable ear hooks), quality build (high grade materials), and sweat resistance.
If you’re serious about your workouts and your previous headphones lacked a bit in the sound quality area then these may be the perfect pair for you.
Specifications
- Weight: 0.43 ounces (without cord)
- Drivers: balanced armature (as opposed to dynamic drivers)
- Higher frequency range and increased sensitivity
What’s in the Box
- Sony XBA-S65 Headphones
- Carrying pouch
- 4 pairs of noise isolation earbuds (SS, S, M, L)
- Clip
- Cord adjuster
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