OptomaBE Sport3 Wireless Bluetooth In-Ear Headphone - Grey

I was very unsure about going down the wireless route - A year or two ago I bought a pair of Urban Ears Plattan ADV wireless that had very poor sound quality (SBC codec only, see below) and constant connection issues when walking outside. The wireless functionality was unusable and after one or two days with them I plugged the cable in and never removed it. They were a waste of money and the whole experience left me feeling very sceptical about bluetooth audio in general.Two years later and Apple has decided to bet big on this technology with the iPhone 7. I had my reservations about the lack of a headphone jack but I wasn't going to buy last year's technology so went ahead and got one anyway. The forthcoming introduction of the new W1 chip (in Apple's AirPods and Beats headphones) was part of that purchase decision however the Airpods definitely weren't for me (they just seem a bit ridiculous) and the BeatsX in-ear headphones (which look like they will be really good) keep getting delayed, which is really frustrating. I've been messing around with headphone dongles and crappy Apple EarPods for 3 or 4 months now so it was finally time to take the plunge and see what else was available.After a lot of research I was really not sure what to go for - the Jaybird range seems great but the Jaybird Freedoms are super expensive, prone to malfunction (according to amazon reviews) and have a tiny battery life. The Jaybird X3s look excellent for battery life, I would have gone for these but they don't seem to be available in the UK yet. The X2s are available but they are last year's tech, who wants that? The B&O H5 look really stylish, are super expensive, have a really short battery life and a poorly designed charger.Then I found the Optoma NuForce BE Sport 3. These seem to be a very similar form factor to the Jaybird X3, with an even longer battery life.These earbuds can also work with both AAC AND AptX bluetooth codecs. All the Jaybird earphones have AAC support (so they are Apple-friendly) but no AptX, which means falling back to the SBC codec on Android and Windows devices. These earphones (and also the Nuforce BE6i) are the only headphones I found that have both AptX and AAC support at this price. The B&O H5s do, but they cost over double the price of these at ~£200!.One thing I have learnt with wireless headphones is that you really need either AptX or AAC support for decent sound. When neither of those codecs are available, they will fall back to the SBC codec, a compression which really has a noticeable effect on the sound quality. With AptX or AAC, you won't really be able to tell much of a difference between wired and wireless (you probably would in an A to B test, but in real life usage, you probably won't care). A word of advice - if you are finding specifications to be a bit vague and can't find out which audio codecs a wireless headphone supports, it means it only supports SBC! If they have AptX or AAC support, they will make sure you know about it!As such these headphones sound great (to my ears).Fit wise I struggle to get a combination of tip/wing I found comfortable. With the included silicone tips, the bud would move causing the sound to be quite inconsistent and the earbuds would become uncomfortable after 30 minutes or so.Memory phone ear tips were an essential purchase for me. However the nozzle on the headphones is too large for any of the popular Comply range of memory foam tips. So I bought a set of INAIRS AIR2 Earphone Tips. These are meant to fit earbuds with a nozzle diameter up to 6.5mm and were the largest I could find anywhere. However I measured the BE Sport 3's nozzle diameter and it is around 6.9mm. So I had to use some needle nose pliers to stretch the tip over the nozzle and carefully slide the tip on...therefore I can't really recommend this approach to everyone as it required some skill to put them on without damaging the tip and/or the headphone with my pliers...HOWEVER - now they are on they have improved the headphone fit and the sound quality so, so much. I can now listen for hours without any discomfort. If I'm honest, without the memory foam tips I would probably have returned the headphones.As such I am quite annoyed that these headphones have been designed with such a wide nozzle that there aren't any memory foam tips out there which are designed to fit. For a sport headphone (or any in-ear headphone) this is a really important factor as memory foam tips are the only way to guarantee a precise, secure and comfortable fit for everyone. With silicone tips it really is a lottery whether you will get on with them.As other reviews will tell you the build quality of these headphones is great. They look good too - they are not too massive looking despite having such a long battery life, and the included pouch is great as well. My only issue is with the remote - the buttons are different to a regular Apple style remote, you need to read the manual when you first use them. Also it is really hard to tell which button you have your finger on due to the shape of the buttons.I've used these outside while running with my phone in a waist pouch, cycling with my phone in a rear jersey pocket, walking with the phone in my jeans pocket. Connection gets choppy about 20 mins before the battery died but other than that I'm really happy with the connection. It seems very solid and very, very rarely drops/stutters.When walking if I turn my head to the right to look to cross the road, the music may stutter once. This is because I believe the receiver is in the remote, by my right ear, and my phone is in my left jeans pocket. Putting the phone in my right pocket completely fixes the problem.Bluetooth headphones are such a new technology that I know these won't be the last pair of earbuds I get - the tech will improve and get more reliable as time goes on. However, contrary to my previous experience with the Urban Ears, the tech definitely feels "good enough" now. It's not seamless by any means - when I use them with my Mac I need to turn off bluetooth on my phone to prevent interference (despite these being advertised as being able to pair with multiple devices). In the beginning I had pairing/interference issues but I think it's more just learning what works and finding the right order of turning off bluetooth on phone, then turning on earphones etc.Overally I'm really happy with these (and relieved they didn't turn out to be complete rubbish). The specification, build and sound quality is absolutely brilliant for the price. And I honestly I don't believe you can buy anything that much better than these anyway (even for £200+).Minus one star because the technology itself is still young and no wireless headphones are perfect (yet). However I think the Nuforce BE Sport 3 are as close to perfect as you can get right now!

I did a fair bit of research before buying these. They were highly recommended in a number of places e.g. Techradar.In context I've previously owned a pair of Shure SE215s and a pair of Sennheiser Momentum M2IEs. The Shure's were amazing, the Sennheisers slghtly less so - and unfortunately suffered the much complained about failure of the cables after about a year of use.From experience I had an idea that some of the reviews here complaining about lack of any bass at all were probably from people who've not properly fitted them in to their ear canals. They really have to be in snugly otherwise there's no bass at all. However once you get the right fit (and they come with a few different types) the sound quality is very good indeed. I'd say on a par with my previous wired Sennheisers, maybe only very slightly less.For £58 or so these seem exceptionally good value. They appear to be well made - though the cable is very flimsy and probably need handled Wirth some care. Fortunately they come with a small storage pouch. The packaging is quite nice - unboxing them was a bit like unboxing an apple product.I had almost gone for the Bose soundsport. However I was concerned that their design - which rests on the ear rather than in the ear- might mean less in the way of bass. And of course, the Bose are about £100 more than these.I'll update this review after a few week's use which will primarily be whilst out running and whilst commuting. So far however I'm very impressed.

I have been very impressed with these headphones. Firstly, the fit is great. I like the in ear grips as no other in ear headsets stay in place in my ears. Secondly the sound is good. I don't feel the need to play with the EQ settings on my iPhone. No they won't be as good as a good wired headset, but for Bluetooth ones they are the best I have tried so far. Now, the battery life. I listen to audiobooks on Audible. So far they are showing on iPhone as being at 60% after listening to one complete book which was 13 hours 6 minutes long. Outstanding. Even playing music they last around 10 or more hours. I have had them for 3 weeks now and only charged them once since the initial charge. Being Bluetooth I can charge my phone and listen at the same time. I don't find the inline control too heavy like sone reviews I have read. They are great for running. I have had minimal problems with the Bluetooth connection. Not perfect but the best I have ever used.I have had them now for 18 months and the other day while using them, while sitting on my bicycle on a turbo trainer, they just stopped working. They have just died. No lights, nothing. Now deciding what to replace them with. Either AirPods or another set of these. I didn’t use them a lot.

After the treachery of a certain California-based company meant I couldn't listen & charge at the same time I decided that I'd bite the bullet and get some wireless buds for doing sport & stuff where I want to look cool. I quickly remembered that I've never looked cool so instead went for performance & value for money and chose these (sorry Dre).The sound initially is a little flat in the bass but once they've had a few hours of play to break them in they do warm up a bit. Or just increase the bass a little on your device.Battery life so far has been pretty good (around 8 hrs both times) and despite making you look like a weird homage to Lt Uhuru, the size of the buds aren't a problem with staying in the ear; the flat cable linking the two is barely noticeable in use so not at all clunky.Overall, I'm pretty happy with these so far.