www.adidasheadphones.com

 

£139.99

 

At first glance, these headphones really appealed to me. Slim ear cups, a flexible headband, nice graphic etching, and notably more lightweight than so many of their counterparts, my instinct screamed: I WANT TO WEAR THOSE! I intended to wear them for a home workout, but they spent the first hour, perhaps more, affixed to my skull simply for acoustic pleasure. Activity aside, these could be sold on their audio quality and aesthetics alone – hats off to Zound and adidas, respectively. Having already downloaded the adidas Headphones app to test out the FWD-01s, I added the RPT-01s and had a good play with the customisable sound modes and they didn’t disappoint, with good bass and crisp, clean highs. The sound quality was fine for calls however with the mic situated a little out of the way on the outside of the cup, the mic pick up wasn’t as clear. Another thing that set these apart from the FWD-01 earphones is that these offer reliable sound isolation – so if you want to block out any distractions the RPT-01s are for you (I would not recommend these for running for that reason – unless you train on a treadmill, go for the FWD-01s if you’re not looking for sound isolation).   

Once I eventually got into my training session, I was at first cautious that they might slip, but they held firmly to my head, not due to excess pressure, but the textured rubber (which removes easily if you want to give it a clean) ensured a really firm, comfortable hold. The cables sit neatly within the headband, and the ear cups slide to fit. The cups themselves felt soft, thanks to the washable knit covers, which I also liked the look of. Each cup features simple controls – the action button responds to a single/double/triple press, and customising these commands from the adidas Headphones app was a piece of cake, however as with all tech it took a while to become instinctive, so I did spend a while pressing it numerous times to achieve the desired effect, which was a bit distracting! Like me, you too may find yourself putting the headphones through their paces, rather than your body – but they certainly made my workout more enjoyable, and next time it’ll be the other way round!

 

 

Pros

Quality, customisable audio

Great aesthetics & materials

Good sound isolation

 

Cons

Not ideal for running outdoors

Mic could be clearer

 

4 out of 5 stars