Wireless earbuds have been popular for some time now, but the recent trend is toward true wireless earbuds, which don’t feature any wires, even between the two earpieces. Now, Sol Republic, maker of many popular headphones, is entering the true wireless market with its new Amps Air in-ears, which are aimed directly at the same users Apple is catering to with its recently announced AirPods.
“Truly wireless headphones are essentially wearables, meaning they have to look good when you wear them, feel comfortable enough to wear all day, sweat resistant for workouts, and in the case of headphones, sound amazing and have a reliable Bluetooth connection. We think we have accomplished all of that in Amps Air,” Sol Republic Senior Vice President Kevin Lee said in a statement.
Fully wireless in-ear headphones are a budding technology, and we’ve yet to experience a slam dunk in the sector. As such, we’ve got a mixed bag of first impressions. Wireless connection is solid from the start for both ears, which is an immediate win. Bass is also full and firm, providing a solid foundation. However, the upper treble comes off as a little dirty, even for a wireless headphone. We’ve just gotten started, so we’ll be breaking the buds in over the next few days ahead of our full review. Stay tuned for the final verdict.
Like many other true wireless earbuds, the Amps Air don’t offer massive playback times. The earbuds themselves offer three hours of playback, but can be easily charged via the included charging case, which contains a 2,200 mAh battery capable of charging the Amps Air more than 15 times before it needs to be charged.
The Amps Air automatically turn on when removed from the charging case, meaning that once they’re paired with your mobile device, they’re ready to go very quickly every time afterward. This also applies to a single earbud, so if you’re commuting or in a situation where you want to be more aware of your surroundings, you can wear just one. When this is the case, the sound switches to mono, so you don’t need to worry about potentially missing out on sound on the other stereo channel.
The Amps Air are available in rose gold, black, teal, and blue, and sell for $170. They can be found at the Sol Republic website as well as various retailers like Amazon.
