Update, July-25-2023 (started using February 2022):
Still going strong! I love these headphones. Amazing battery life has maintained. All materials have held up, even the soft fake leather on the ears. I could have never imagined the value I’ve gotten out of these. I sweat A LOT. I listen over an hour each session 4-5 times a week at the gym. I charge them like once a month, its insane, but they’ve never actually depleted power on me. I’m not a paid sponsor. I just got lucky and took a chance on these guys. If these headphones ever actually die or fall apart I’m going to repurchase.
Original Review, circa July 2022:
I’ve had these headphones for just over 5 months now, about 22 weeks. My gym has an app with check-in history. In that time span, I’ve gone to the gym 74 times. Each visit is between 1 and 2 hours. So it’s a pretty big sample size.
First of all, the battery life is extremely impressive. Key Note, make sure you turn OFF the ANC. Even when the headphones are off, if the ANC is in the On position, it will drastically drain the battery life. Learned that the hard way and won’t forget again. For me personally, I don’t use the ANC. I feel the music sound quality is slightly bassier and fuller without it on. At least in the gym. However, when I went on an airplane earlier this year, I used the ANC during the flight, and it canceled out the engine hum. Very cool.
The headphones connect without an app, which I like. They simply pair to your phone’s bluetooth. It hasn’t failed to connect automatically since I first paired it. It also has never dropped my connection. I can leave my phone at my setup and walk 30-50 feet away to get water, with no issues. My iphone gives me a battery level icon on the top bar whenever I turn them on and connect. I don’t think the meter has ever dropped below 50% at least that I’ve noticed. I only charge them once a week at work, just to be safe and make sure I never run out at the gym. Honestly though, I don’t even need to that often. At the current rate, the battery would easily last 2 weeks, even with daily gym use (1-2 hours per day). I find that very impressive, and very convenient to not have to charge them regularly. That does not include any other use, these are strictly my gym headphones.
COMFORT, they are light and comfy to wear. The ears are soft. They do not aggravate my ears or the top of my head, even on my longer gym sessions. They adjust and swivel to fit whatever you need. They are not tight, they do not squeeze your head. They cover my entire ears nicely. They stay put when i lay back to bench. I’ve also jogged with them. They may move slightly but they won’t fall off unless you’re doing very aggressive movements.
They are indeed WATERPROOF. 74 sessions and counting. I sweat a lot. I always wear a hat too, but my hair and ears are right up against it.
My wife has Beats and I was on the fence about getting them. I always preferred the in-ear buds for the gym for a low profile and to keep them secure. I had a pair of wrap around the neck in-ear wireless I really liked. But I kept losing them out of my pocket, they would fall out when i got in the car, etc. And the battery life was pretty lousy. 2-4 sessions max. They would often die during the workout. So i decided I would try the big bulky over ear headphones. I admit these do look a little big. But I’ve gotten used to them and i dont mind the appearance. I don’t even know if beats are technically waterproof or resistant, or any at all? Do they warranty gym use? Anyway, i just happened to keep seeing these Z2’s, they were sponsored and kept popping up during my search for headphones. I just couldnt pull the trigger on beats for some reason. I didnt trust they would be truly waterproof, and risk the cost of $150-200 or more. So i kept looking at these, reading reviews.
I think they priced them right, because the regular gym go-er like me, is looking for more than the knock-off $20-40 headphone, that we all know is going to fail sooner than later. And have plenty of issues in the meantime. Yet, with our almost daily abuse to them, not willing to spend hundreds of dollars to have them potentially fail. They seem to be on sale in the $70-90 range. I figured they are pretty well made at that price point. And just without the name recognition they know they can’t get away with charging $150-200 dollars. I was more willing to take a chance on $80 that $200. I’m so glad I did.
Sound quality is par for the course. 7/10. I dont care, these are gym headphones. Better than expected. They get plenty loud if need them too. The ANC works pretty well, but beware the battery drain from that.
The on-ear controls are nice. 3 button controls on the right ear are easy to learn:
middle button- hold to turn on/off. click to pause/resume song.
top button- hold to skip song. click to increase volume.
bottom button- hold to go back to previous song. click to lower volume.
ANC is an On/Off toggle switch on the left ear.
Don’t think I’m forgetting anything else for features or performance. The matte all-black finish makes them look all business, not flashy, not fashion-driven. Also makes them easy to wipe down. I do not see any flaws in the design. I think they are designed to perform first, look good second. Exactly what i wanted for gym headphones. And they came with a nice case. They fit right into the side pocket on my duffle bag.
Bottom line, if you don’t mind bigger looking over-ear headphones at the gym: GET THEM. The comfort, light-weight, amazing battery life, and actually waterproof far exceed the drawback of having “bigger” headphones.
If you’re looking for studio-quality sound, look elsewhere. They can’t compete with audiophile headphones, or probably even beats for that matter. These are made for the everyday gym goer.
Genie - Research Bot
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