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Pathworks
81
May 24, 2017
Tempting ... but the reviews I've viewed say the bluetooth drops when put in your pocket. I run with a belt around my waist (phone inside) so I'm afraid the thing won't work or sputter at best. New version states 5h battery life which is a minimum for me because 3h won't get me through a marathon or a long Sunday run. I'm also in the Garmin ecosystem so I'm getting hr/distance/cadence/elevation and other stats from my watch and phone app so I'm not seeing the benefit of adding another tracker. Can anybody point out a feature that would compel me to buy?
chrisagrams
5
May 27, 2017
Pathworks The Bluetooth on these have improved over the Kickstarter ones. Most of the time I can leave my phone in my bag at the gym and be free to walk around without a dropout, the most a hiccup or two. Occasionally if something is directly covering the Bluetooth antenna on the phone, like covering it with your finger, it can dropout for a bit. As for the Garmin connection, I couldn't connect it to my Forerunner 920XT which is a bummer but you can sync the data into the HealthKit app on the iPhone or Google Fit. The battery life can last for a good 4 hours on a charge at a high volume and Bluetooth and the charging case can give me enough charges for a week without plugging the case in. These also have 4gb of onboard storage so a phone isn't necessary to listen to music to which is a big plus to be able to use these standalone. These guys are also waterproof and work pretty decent swimming as long as the FitSleeves that come with the Bragi fit right. The onboard controls take a little bit to get used to but after that they become a pleasure to control music with or choose playlists with the onboard music player. These also fit very well and don't stick out that much and I get a lot of compliments wearing these in public. I would highly recommend these to anyone needing a good workout pair of earbuds because I have not yet found a more easier and featured filled pair than these and I have tried many pairs before and for the low price these are on right now, that just sweetens the deal.
Pathworks
81
May 27, 2017
chrisagramsThanks for the detailed response. How do you know these have improved components over the Kickstarter ones? I haven't seen anything that indicates these are different from the Kickstarter models. I have been hooked on reading and watching reviews on YouTube. Seems the reviews get better with each BOS release which is now at 3.0. It appears the new pro version has improved bluetooth parts and battery that are also shipping with 'The Headphone' (non-smart) version that sells for a few bucks less than this drop price. The Dash Pro Starkey custom fit version may be the way to go for the best sound and improved internal parts. I like the thought of swimming with music using the 4gb built-in player. Sure could have used these 30+ years ago when I was a competitive swimmer - I may have to join a club and start swimming again. Since I was skeptical, I decided to shop around and picked up a used set on ebay for about $70. I also picked up a fresh set of FitSleeves for $20 from the Bragi site. If they work for me, I will look into getting a set of Dash Pros with the Starkey fit. I'm thinking the sound quality may be the thing that kills them for me based on the reviews I've seen. If so, then back on ebay they will go. Incidentally, I'm currently running with the Plantronics Back Beat Fit for about 2 years so I will return to report on how The Dash measures up to them.
chrisagrams
5
May 30, 2017
PathworksThat's a pretty good deal getting a used pair on eBay for that cheap. 'The Headphones', as you were talking about, from Bragi do lack waterproof and 4gb of onboard memory features which are a major selling point for me. Although, I did hear that 'The Headphone' have better sound quality due to improvements in the Bluetooth but I haven't had the opportunity to try them out by myself. The Dash Pro look very appealing to me since I use the Dash day to day constantly and an custom fit would make them that much better. An interesting thing I've read earlier is the inclusion of live-time translation in the new Dash Pro https://www.wired.com/2017/05/bragis-fancy-new-earbuds-translate-real-time/. I am skeptical of the accuracy of the translator in the new Dash Pro but it does sound very interesting and I am sure it will improve over time. The price of the Dash Pro is a little much for me at the moment since I just got the Dash almost two months ago but I'd love to get them in the future. Am waiting for your Dash to Plantronics report.
Pathworks
81
May 30, 2017
chrisagramsThe dash I got had a bad right ear so I'm sending them back. Still looking and may pick some up soon so I can do that comparison.
Pathworks
81
Jun 4, 2017
chrisagramsWell I managed to pick up another pair on ebay for $90. The unit I got has BOS 2.0 installed on them so I decided to bring them up to the latest release which is 3.1 at the time of this review. I had a devil of a time to get them upgraded but eventually I got them updated (reply to me if you need the full upgrade details).
This is a review based on my primary activity, running. Even at v3.1, once I walked out the front door they began to stutter while connected to bluetooth. (I have an iPhone 5s at iOS 10.3.2). I noticed they got better when running down a street with buildings on both sides - open areas produced too much jitter. I would imagine they would be usable by not using bluetooth and using the onboard storage for playback. The problem I would have is that I use an app called Seconds which announces intervals for walk, run or interval training which I just can't live without. Streaming music from Spotify (I use the Running tracks to help with cadence).
I initiated the new double-tap side of face feature and had it trigger next track. While running, my pace (about 180 steps-per-minute) triggered the next track repeatedly. So while a cool feature for maybe a weight lifter, it is definitely unusable for a runner. I turned that feature off mid-run once I figured out what the hell was going on!
OK. Now the real problem, if the above wasn't enough, the sound quality was hollow. No beef or bass. It seems like they tuned it for mids and treble and decided the bass wasn't necessary. Funny thing is, I don't like the way the mids and treble sounds. I'm thinking they did this to improve battery life or devote more energy to the horrible bluetooth connectivity that has plagued this model. In my opinion, they (Bragi) should offer a free exchange to the new pro model for anyone who was duped into buying the Dash. Based on what I've seen on reddit, they are offering discounts to the original kickstarter supporters to upgrade.
OK. so I've compared the Plantronics Back Beat Fit sound and it is hands-down better -- and I used to think the Plantronics was bass-light. When switching from the Dash to the Plantronics, it was like walking out of the bathroom to a night club. I can't compare them to other truly wired (get it) bluetooth headsets but they are much much better than The Dash. Yes, I do have occasional bluetooth dropouts, but nothing like what I've just experienced running with The Dash. The Plantronics also gets 8 hours of playtime, does phone calls - it is Plantronics, and has built-in surroundings awareness. The last thing about the Plantronics, is the rigid wire that connects the speakers, it never get stuck to my neck or makes me pull a headphone out when turning my head left or right -- so they remain my running wireless headphones. The Bragi is going back on ebay with the new FitSleaves I just purchased from Bragi. Wish I hadn't purchased them now but my curiosity got the best of me.