Ever since the Big P started, our ears have been subject to lots of fatigue due to mask loops (and face shields in 2020 and 2021). So when a sports electronics brand approached me to try out their open ear headband headphones, I was definitely intrigued.
The Sportset wireless sport headphone from Sport & Outdo allows you to listen to music and take phone calls while engaging in vigorous exercise. Unlike in-ear headphones or over-ear bone conduction headsets, you wear the Sportset like a headband across your forehead, which keeps sweat out of your eyes and leaves your ears free and happy.
Watch my vlog review below, or scroll down for a version you can read through. π
Sport & Outdo actually have one product that that’s been around for a while: the Mifo S sport earbuds. But they saw an opportunity to offer something that no other brand has yet, hence the Sportset.
Winner of the Red Dot Design Award, the Sportset offers open-ear comfort and fit. The two-in-one headphone and headband is IP67 waterproof, 4-6 hour battery life with fast charge, a voice assistant, and its own app.
The Sportset just ended its Kickstarter campaign in October, getting fully funded and delivering the entitlements on time. Having been part of other Kickstarter campaigns in the past, I’ve never experienced on-time delivery, so this is a huge achievement for Sport & Outdo and puts it in my good books.
Each Sportset package comes with the headphone part, three headband lengths, a magnetic fast charger, and manual. The Sportset is available in Small, Medium, and Large options, so you can easily find the size that fits your head. My skull measurement (56 cm) actually put me on the upper bounds of the Small option, so I wear the longest headband length (180mm) from my Sportset package.
I appreciated the open-ear design because I could hear traffic passing while I was running outdoors. Especially in my new neighborhood, I’m not yet accustomed to the vehicular traffic in these parts so any way to make my run safer is always good. It also fits snugly around the back of my skull instead of hanging loose, which my over-ear and in-ear sport headphones do, so no more snagging on my clothes, water bottle, or hydration backpack!
The Sportset connects to anything over Bluetooth, and you can use it to make and receive calls when connected with your smartphone. It has a dual microphone system to pick up your voice as well as allow noise cancellation to make your voice that much clearer.
While the photo on the box makes it seem like the recommended way to wear it is like a forehead sweatband, I’ve taken to wearing it like a headband: high up on my forehead and under my ponytail. I also wear it under a visor or cap. And that’s probably the only caveat to buying the Sportset: if you’re comfortable wearing something across your forehead because you wear sweatbands, caps, or visors regularly, then this won’t feel like anything additional on your head. But if you’re not used to the constant skin contact on your forehead, it might take some getting used to.
If you’re in the market for a hands-free ear-free headphone headset, do take a look at the Sportset headband headphones by Sport&Outdo. It currently retails at $99 USD and ships from Hong Kong to anywhere in the world. (Here in the Philippines, shipping is through Ninjavan and I didn’t have to pay any customs duties or taxes!)
