There are quite a few Bluetooth headphones now available and thankfully, ones available at all major price points. So whatever your budget or needs, you can now go wire-free and enjoy the benefits of Bluetooth headphones and earphones. However, they are not all the same. While some benefit more from a greater audio quality, others benefit from better battery life. Here we are taking a quick look at the COULAX Bluetooth Sport Earphones.
Specs
In terms of the numbers, the COULAX Bluetooth Sport Earphones come equipped with Bluetooth 4.1 which means they can connect to a target streaming device from a distance of up to 33 feet (roughly 10 meters). The frequency range on offer is listed as 20Hz to 18kHz, while the resistance is rated at 4 Ohms. Battery power comes in the form of a 150 mAh capacity rated battery, which is said to offer up to ten hours of playback and up to 150 hours of standby.
In the Box
In terms of what is on offer, along with the COULAX Earphones, you can also expect to get a small carry pouch. This is a small COULAX branded string purse type of punch and while it won’t provide much protection, it will at least keep the earphones clean and dust-free when not in use. In addition, there is also two sets of additional earbud tips, a small micro-USB cable and the user manual.
Design & Comfort
Like a number of the earphones which have landed on the market recently, the COULAX Bluetooth Sport Earphones are designed with the sporty and adventurous types in mind. As such, you can expect a number of familiar design cues on offer. The first and most obvious is how small the earphones are overall. These are Bluetooth earphones and therefore do not need a long cable to connect to a smartphone. COULAX have taken this to the extreme and decided to cut out a much cable as possible. As such, connecting the two earbuds is a very small direct cable.
For some, this might be a little too small as there is no room for error here. The cable measures approximately 1 foot and this is all the room you have to work with. The benefit though, is that these are extremely lightweight in terms of cabling. If you are someone who prefers as little cable as possible, these will be ideal. Once they are in-ear, the cable is just enough to reach with almost no lag or drop noted.
Moving closer to the actual build and these do feel like very solid earphones. In fact, some might find that they are a little stiff. This is due to the sturdiness of the components. These are good earbuds and do hook around the ear for added stability. Once in place and combined with the short cable, these are very secure earphones. The earbuds are two toned in color, aluminium and black, which does offer a nice look. Overall, the earphones are very light in weight and won’t be too weighted when worn. The earbuds can very slightly be adjusted left or right for additional comfort, although the degree of adjustment is minimal.
One of the disadvantages of trying to make these as light as possible is that there is little room to offer a substantial control panel and this is something which is evident with the COULAX earphones. They do come with on-board controls but these mainly consist of two buttons which are located on the right earbud along with the micro-USB charge port.
The controls consist of a power button (which also doubles as your play pause and triples as your call answer). This is accompanied by a second button which is essentially your volume button. However, as there is only one button, the volume can only go one way. To turn the earphones down, you do need to go up to their loudest first and cycle through before the earphones will revert to their lowest volume setting. This button also does double as your skip track feature (by holding down) although again, you are only skipping one way, forwards
Sound Quality
In terms of the sound quality, for the cost of the COULAX Bluetooth Sport Earphones, the sound on offer is of a good and decent level. Where the COULAX earphones really excel in is the top and mid range frequencies and offer a very bright tone at the higher range. Therefore, those making use of dance, pop and other higher-end relative genres will be happy with the sound quality on offer and encounter a nice and vibrant top and middle end.
The downside though, is that this does mean that these earphones are not the most bass-oriented of earphones. If you are listening to more bass-heavy content, the earphones do handle the bass fine and you won’t encounter any issues of distortion or otherwise. However, the bass is not that punchy. That said, this is common in this price sector and will be an issue you encounter with many headphones and earphones that come in at a similar price-point and therefore, is not a sole criticism of the COULAX earphones. but for the higher range frequencies, these do offer a good level of quality for the price.
Overall, in terms of the sound quality – for those looking for a warm and bright sounding pair of earphones which will get the job done and offer a good level of playback when at the gym or out for a run, these will be ideal.
Battery life & Performance
When it comes to anything portable, battery life is always going to be one of the aspects which is top of the agenda. After all, a portable product is not that useful if it is always running out of juice. This is, in particular an issue for headphones and earphones which make use of Bluetooth as they are so small to begin with. As a result the batteries are typically smaller too. In the case of the COULAX Bluetooth Sport Earbuds, the battery on offer is a 150 mAh capacity rated battery. While that might sound small, the battery life on offer is anything but small.
According to COULAX, the earphones are expected to offer about ten hours of playback between charges and during our testing this was found to be a very realistic measurement. These earphones really do last all day without an issue and certainly will get you easily through an average day’s usage without issue. If battery life is one of the big features which matters to you the most, then these are certainly an option to consider. For the more ‘normal’ levels of usage, this could easily be considered two or even three day usage earphones. Likewise, in terms of charging there were no major issues noted. COULAX does suggest about two hours to fully recharge the earphones and that is in line with what we found during testing. A two hour change for a ten hour level of usage.
The other big issue with Bluetooth headphones is their ability to maintain a connection with the target device. Again, it is no good if they keep dropping off due to a bad connection. In terms of the COULAX Bluetooth Sport Earphones, we are looking at Bluetooth 4.1 here and one of the benefits of Bluetooth 4.1 is that it is very reliable in terms of the connection. This was again the case during testing with the COULAX earphones which were easily able to maintain a connection without dropping and even during sustained and prolonged levels of usage. That said, their distance was a little more of an issue. These are rated to offer up to 33 feet and they do start to drop offer a little before that marker. However, when in range they are extremely reliable.
Wrap Up
When it comes to headphones and earphones, there is normally a compromise that has to be accepted somewhere. If it is not on quality, or build, it is usually in the battery life or in the price. Overall, the COULAX Bluetooth Sport Earphones were generally all round good performing earphones. Their bass is the most obvious issue, but it is not a massive issue. The quality of the mids and top is good and where these really excel is in the stability of their close-range connection and their massive battery life. These will be a good option for those looking for a really long-lasting battery pair of Bluetooth earphones.
For those interested, the COULAX Bluetooth Sport Earphones are currently available to buy from Amazon and right now will cost you $25.99. Although, you can currently save another $6 by using the coupon code OUNQBTY7. This will bring the final cost down to only $19.99.
Buy the COULAX Bluetooth Sport Earphones