GADGETS :: November 4, 2020
(by Gregg Ellman) I never heard of Puro Sound Labs when they emailed me offering a tryout of the PuroPro wireless, volume limiting, active noise-cancelling headphones, so I figured, why not?
Right out of the box, without reading anything, I was impressed. With Bluetooth 5.0, they paired easily with my iPhone and in an hour’s time, they passed my comfort test since they were still on my head. The comfort comes from what Puro calls protein leather ear cushions, which rotate and are attached to a folding headband (great for storage and traveling).
Each ear has a 40 mm dynamic driver, with Puro Balanced Response Curve providing a genuine studio-grade listening experience. Engineered to deliver audio with clear, crisp vocals and full, dynamic bass all within the 85dB & 95dB volume limits.
After a few hours of listening, I finally read up on the PuroPro and what caught my attention was Pure Sound Labs’ commitment to safe listening with a feature called volume limiting. I wasn’t familiar with the feature, but now I’m a fan. It lets you choose between the default 85dB and 95dB, to limit the maximum volume levels for protecting yourself from permanent hearing loss.
While you might not be familiar with these settings, Puro states it’s recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and World Health Organization to keep volume limits for safe listening at 85dB for up to eight hours or 50 minutes at the higher 95dB setting. There is a difference and I’m sure at times everyone, just like I did, would to try the higher levels. Both settings produced a well balanced, clear, crisp sound along with full dynamic bass.
There are two levels of active noise cancellation to remove background noise and sounds. If you buy headphones with this feature, why not keep it on, which I would recommend. Pure Sound Labs says Level 1 provides a deep noise reduction of 32dB, while Level 2 will produce a general noise reduction of 15dB.
Controlling the power, volume, music selections, answering calls, pairing, and ANC are done with controls on the bottom of the right ear.
Looking back, actually, the first impression I had with the PuroPro headphones was the packaging, They arrive in an attractive lightweight wood box, and included a hard traveling case along with a 3.5 mm audio cable and another for USB charging.
With a full charge, the battery life is listed as playing for 28 hours with the ANC on and 32 hours with it off. On standby, they will stay charged for 300 hours. Five microphones are built-in, one for hands-free calls and four for ANC.
https://purosound.com $149.99
I’ve had the Anker Sprit X2 total wireless sport earphones sitting on my desk for a few months and I’m glad I finally tried them. Aside for the great audio, they instantly solved a fear I have with my current true wireless earbuds.
The sport style true wireless earbuds are built with extreme durability, which ensures they won’t fall out, at least not easily. With the Sprit X2s flexible ear-hooks, they give you the peace of mind to know they won’t fall off and roll down a street drain or anywhere else they can’t be retrieved.
But there’s a whole lot more to like about the Sprit X2s. If you’re a bass lover, these are for you. Each earbud has a 12 mm oversized driver and Anker BassTurbo. This is done with construction and technology where an acoustic chamber is built behind the driver, resulting in a powerful bass resonance. Anker’s BassUp technology uses a custom algorithm to add more bass.
With SweatGuard technology and an iP68 sweat and dustproof rating, along with the secure fit they are ideal with any active lifestyle. With the ear-hooks and their submarine structure and hydrophobic nano-coating, Anker feels they will last 100 times longer compared to other ordinary true wireless earbuds.
Handsfree calls are crystal clear with noise reduction technology to remove background sound. And with Qualcomm aptX audio technology, the Spirit X2 delivers exceptional, lossless sound quality with the Bluetooth connection.
Along with the earbuds, the box is filled with everything you need to have the right fit for almost any use. This includes Soundcore five sizes of ear-tips and three sets of ear-wings. A charging case and a USB-C charging cable are also included.
A single charge will last for nine hours of play, with another 36 hours from the charging case.
www.soundcore.com $79.99
