Tuning in on the job: A wireless earbud review

Wireless earbuds.

“Without music, life would be a mistake.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

Most fabricators I know like zoning in with some music while they work. Back in the day, there was usually one stereo in the shop, and whatever station came in clearest was what everyone listened to. The iPod® ushered in a new era and a personal way to consume music. The earbuds Apple sold to go along with it soon became the standard. MP3 players could fit in your pocket, and a short cord plugged into that device could carry the tunes up to the buds in your ears and directly into your brain.

It wasn’t long before mobile phones integrated the technology necessary to store and play copious amounts of music. Now you don’t even need to keep the music on your phone; you can stream it through services like Spotify or Pandora.

The future was always going to be wireless. There’s been a public outcry ever since Apple’s announcement that the new iPhone® 7 doesn’t have an auxiliary jack, but we’ve been heading down this road for some time. Wireless charging, wireless lighting, even the foot pedal for my Dynasty is wireless. Cords just get in the way.

The arguments against Bluetooth® are basically poor sound quality and high cost. Both are trending in the consumer’s favor as the technology expands its reach, and Apple just forced that hand in a major way.

Personally, I’ve never liked corded earbuds, especially in hot and sweaty work environments. Plugged into the device in my pocket and snaked up through my T-shirt, it just doesn’t feel good. The wire always seemed to be either too long or too short. Too long and it would catch on stuff and either fling my phone out of my pocket, unplug from the phone, or rip the buds out of my ears. When too short, it didn’t need to catch on anything; normal work movements would either unplug the cord from the phone or rip the buds from my ears. I work with guys that don’t mind that setup, but for me it was never comfortable.

Earlier this year I started looking for earbuds that were completely wireless. I didn’t want the “around the ear” contraptions, or the odd, thick, necklace/headset setup of some brands. I wanted earpieces that were small, compact, and unobtrusive. I really wanted true wireless buds, but at the time I started looking, there just weren’t many options.

I asked on social media, did a little research, and ended up buying four different pairs. Two are literally wireless, and two have a slender wire attaching the two sides. I’ll give you the lowdown on the three I’ve used. The fourth pair, from Konoa, was a preorder that was supposed to ship in April, then May, then June, then September, and now November. I would suggest not investing in Konoa until you can touch the pair you’re buying.

It’s a relatively new frontier and I found there was a bit of interest in my quest, so I promised a review of my findings. Here they are.

I bought Plugfones’ Liberate headphones as part of a Kickstarter program. As an established company, Plugfones brought the product to market pretty quickly after the project was funded. You can get them in either a 14-in. or 18-in. length. I’d go for the long version, as it makes them easier to secure while resting around your neck when not in use.

Plugfones Liberate

The neat thing about the Plugfones is that they look like safety plugs. Some shops don’t allow earbuds, but you can pass these off as regular earplugs. Not that I would suggest being that sneaky. Wink, wink.

The Liberate works OK. They connect easily, but their range is only 10 to 15 ft. The advertised battery life is eight hours, but I’m seeing more in the five- to six-hour range, if that.

My set came with two pairs each of interchangeable foam and plastic plugs in a nice carrying case. The foam pieces are comfortable, and the sound is good, but they get dirty quickly and are basically disposable. The plastic ones are less comfy but still sound nice and are easier to keep clean. High frequency from TIG welding sometimes causes minor interference.

I think my biggest gripe is with the finger controls on the wire. The buttons aren’t clearly discernible by touch, which is a pretty big negative. I’ve accidentally redialed phone numbers when I held down the stop/pause button instead of the volume up/forward or volume down/reverse button. The charger is pretty cheesy too; it doesn’t keep a firm grip of the dongle while re-energizing.

Bragi’s The Dash is a super slick, completely wireless device. I was concerned with how well they’d fit in my ears considering they’re slightly bigger in order to house all the sound, controls, and connectability, but The Dash wins the comfort battle by a large margin. They slide in, stay put, and feel as good as any earpiece could.

A slick aluminum case holds them when not in use and charges them up to five times before it needs to be plugged in. You can also use it to connect to a computer for programming updates. The whole package is outstanding and the build quality is topnotch.

I haven’t used the memory yet, but it has 4GB to house the music of your choice, which is terrific, because the Bluetooth range is poor at best—less than 10 ft. I tend to keep my phone in my pocket when I have The Dash in my ears.

There’s also an app you can download for The Dash that allows you to do stuff like dial in specific head motions and customize gestures, such as nod yes or no to answer or decline phone calls, yes to shuffle playback of tracks, or set up your own outcomes. Additionally, it’ll track a bunch of health metrics and give you access to user manuals, how-to videos, and customer service.

A neat “transparency mode” mics up ambient noise if so desired. In a noisy shop setting, it’s not all that useful as every hammer blow and machine whir is amplified. In quieter settings, this mode lets you keep tabs on your surroundings while jamming out.

As much as I dig these, they aren’t ideal for a dirty fab shop. The outside of the earpieces is touch-sensitive; everything is controlled by taps, touches, and swipes. While working, my sweaty, dusty fingers won’t activate the controls. I need to wipe my index finger clean, then clear away my hair, then try to figure out which gesture I need to make to get the desired outcome. I often look like an idiot tapping away at my ear. That combined with poor battery life (about two hours) and the range I already mentioned makes them a poor choice for shop life.

Bragi The Dash

And when welding aluminum, the high frequency knocks out the left side. A big negative mark for shop use.

The first pair I bought was the Jabra Rox and, overall, they’re still my favorite. The finger controls are distinct and easy to use. It’ll go a legit seven to eight hours on a single charge, and I’m able to keep my phone on my desk while working throughout the shop. The range is easily 50 ft. It connects quickly without any fuss every time. The charging port is in the left bud; it plugs in directly with a micro USB, super simple.

One of the coolest features of the Jabra Rox is kind of a blessing and a curse. The two sides have a magnetic attraction, so when you need to talk to someone, you can just pull them out of your ears, drop them around your neck, and the buds will snap together, securing them. This pauses the connection, saves battery life, and saves the place in your song. The downside is, well, they’re magnetic. In a fabrication shop with lots of metal dust and shavings, this means taking care to keep the buds clean.

Build quality is also an issue. My first pair came apart where the charge port is located. I didn’t have my receipt, but I contacted Jabra and they sent me a replacement with little hassle.

The Plugfones Liberate rank a distant third for me. I’d say go this route only if you need buds that look like safety plugs.

The Dash by Bragi is a geek out pair. They do way more than I need them too, but at a cost of battery life and range. OK for a jog, and I’ll still use them at the shop while the Rox charge, especially when I know I can just keep them in and work uninterrupted (while doing things other than welding aluminum). I think this is the direction earbuds will go. The fact that they can pack so much in such a small package is exciting.

Jabra Rox are OK as far as how they feel, on par with most wired pairs I’ve used but not as slick as The Dash. The sound is good, not great. However, the controls and connectivity work just how they should, consistently. The design was properly thought-out. Every morning this is the pair I grab first and use most often throughout the day.

Just in the last six months the market has seen a huge influx of wireless earbuds that would fit my requirements. Now there are many more options than when I was shopping, and even the price of a set like the Rox has dropped significantly. With the iPhone 7 being jackless, wireless tech advancement will accelerate, quality will go up, and prices will go down.

All images courtesy of Brown Dog Welding.

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