Sports-oriented wireless earphones are designed for running and cycling, so I was keen to push the Pump Air 2s to the max, to see what it could do and what it couldn’t do. Specifically, I was looking for sound quality, comfort and efficiency during activity.
Sound Quality
The high quality of the sound these little earphones produced is pleasantly surprising. Admittedly, upon pairing them to my phone, a robotic, low-quality sounding voice said to me “your phone is connected”, and at that point I was not too optimistic.
But it paired, and I started playing my music and the sound was crisp and loud. At full volume, it felt like you could be in a night club, unable to hear yourself think. Personally, I didn’t go higher than 75%, and even that was very loud. For chill listening, you only need to use 25% of the volume for enjoyable listening.
The bass was also powerful, and the earphones completely removed outside sound, which is good and bad for when you’re running. You’ll want to hear that car making a sharp turn heading right for you, but you’ll want to cut off all the chatter in the bus.
Comfort/Fit
My main concern was the earphones falling out mid-exercise, because you expect that to be a given, but it’s surprising just how many earphones fail on that front.
With the Pump Air 2s now having seven different ComfortSeal ear tips, it’s easier to find the perfect size to fit your ear. The first ear tip wasn’t suitable for me as I felt it slightly loosen its fit in my ear after brusque movements. Having experienced issues with the first Pump Airs, I thought here we go again. But, by simply changing the ear tip to a more suitable size, the problem was fixed.
The earphones didn’t budge on my runs, I didn’t find myself fixing them, and they were generally very comfortable. The thing you have to be careful about with earphones is the possibility of them digging in your ear rather than comfortably taking its natural place. For the Pump Air 2s, this was not the case, they sat very nicely and didn’t seem out of place.
Efficiency
The specs of the earphones suggest that they have a playback time of around 15 hours with the charging case. What’s good about the Pump Air 2s is that you won’t constantly need to use the case to keep your earphones charged. You can use them for a significant amount of time without using the case, which is super important, because there’s no way you’re going to stop during a run and wait for your earphones to charge.
In saying that, the battery life is relative, at 4 hours at 75% volume, it’s perfect for a workout. For a flight, maybe not so much. But, that’s just the thing, these earphones are meant for sport, and although they can be used leisurely, as I do, they seem to me more appropriate as a sports’ companion.
Final Word
Personally, I loved using these earphones, and will definitely continue to use them. They fit snug in the ear when you’re running or cycling, they’re lightweight at only 4 grams each earbud, the sound is honestly very high quality, and the battery life along with the case makes for an overall long listening experience. And for the price, you’re looking at a product that does its job efficiently for nearly two even three times cheaper than the top-selling products on the market.
These get a 4/5 for me. They’re a must-try if you’re looking for a music companion for all your workouts.
You can buy the Pump Air 2s now for $169 in white, black, or black rose gold.