BHS-530 Bluetooth Sport Headset with Mic, Wireless Earbuds for Running, Blackout

I have cycled through a lot of different headphones over the last couple of years. I have tried wired and wireless headphones but none of them have lasted very long. The main problem has been sweat--the headphones quit working due to sweat issues. By way of comparison, I have ordered the Mpow Cheetah bluetooth headhphones and loved being wireless and how the comfort level of running with them. However, after a couple of weeks, the Mpows stopped working. I next tried the Yurbuds Ironman Series as they claimed to be sweatproof. The seal on the earbud was very efficient and prevented any sweat from getting into my ear canal. The sound quality was good and enjoyed these earphones. However, although the earphones prevented sweat from getting into the ear and interfering with the speaker, the sweat would run down the headphone wire and mess with the volume/mic button that was 4 or 5 inches down from the right ear bud. My music volume would go up and down at random--or simply stop in the middle of my runs. I did some more searching online and discovered the Phaiser product line. In earlier searches I had read about Liquipel technology and I was curious about it. I wasn't willing to spend the money to have it applied to any of my other headphones. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the Phaiser BHS-530 Runner phones have the Liquipel. In addition they come with a sweatproof lifetime warranty. When I saw the deal on Amazon, I was willing to give it a try. My headphones arrived on time and I have received a couple of emails from Phaiser introducing me to their company and their product. The headphones are similar in look and feel to the Mpow I previously tried. The Phaisers came with Comply foam premium tips that help isolate sound and improve the bass quality. I had read in other reviews that these tips seal the ear and create a vacuum that makes breathing and stepping sound very loud. During a run it creates its own "boom" sound. At first it can be distracting but it is no different from the sensation of wearing ear plugs. The sound quality of the Phaiser is excellent. I really enjoy listening to sounds with good bass when I run. Normally, I have to be very familiar with the songs and know where the beat is because most earphones' bass sound very tinny. I find these headphones with the Comply foam tips make a difference (I'm sure part of that is with the seal and the vacuum it creates in your ear channel) and you can experience a thump from the music, breathing, and each time your foot hits the pavement. Comfort and fit. I recall one review that mentioned the Phaisers were a bit uncomfortable after wearing them for an extended period of time. I bought them so I could train for marathons and planned on having them in for hours. When I first received them I put them in and tried the different tips (rubber and foam). I preferred the sound with the Comply foam tips but found after an hour or so I experienced some soreness in and around my ears. One of the reviews recommended wearing them upside down (right in the left and left in the right). Wearing them upside down made a huge difference for me and there is no soreness. I ordered these headphones near the end of my training schedule. I have only had them for a couple of days but I have taken them on a 2 hours run with no issue. They were comfortable, no ear soreness, no issues with sweat. I am curious to know how the Comply foam tips hold up over time and with longer runs and sweat. I will update my review.

Delivery: Packaged was delivered by the committed time. The packaging was well done and product was secured safely. 5 out of 5 stars. Setup: Unboxing the headphones was a breeze. They came charged so I was able to test them without having charge. I tried pairing the headphones to my iPhone and Sansa MP3 player. The headphones paired with minimal effort and without a glitch. 5 out of 5 stars. Sound quality: The sound quality from the iPhone was superb. The lows and the highs came through very clear. I walked around town with the headphones connected to the iPhone and connectivity was strong throughout the walk. Sound from connectivity with the Sansa Clip Plus was good but not as good as from the iPhone. There was significantly more dropped signals and I could hear short pauses in the playback. I ran with the headphones connected to the Sansa several times in the last few days. The Sansa Clip was connected to the waistband of my shorts. Connection quality was spotty. There were times during a run when the connectivity was comparable to a wired headset. However, there were also times when there was definite degradation of connectivity. Adjusting the Sansa Clip placement and moving the headphones did not seem to help. I am not sure if the running movement caused the degradation or not. It seemed that slowing down may improve the connectivity but not sure. After a short period, the connectivity would improve and the sound quality as well. More use is needed to see if this remains an issue. Since I bought these headphones for running and I run exclusively with the Sansa, I can't have the sound quality become a distraction. I've tested the Sansa with other bluetooth headphones (MPOW Cheetah, MPOW Swift, Jaybird X2, Monster Freedom). There was no connectivity issues with these other BT headphones; they don't stay in my ear as well so I use them for non-running purposes. The Phaiser BH 530 is actually a replacement for the MPOW Cheetah. The MPOW Cheetah has a very similar form factor to the Phaiser BH 530 but died after nine months of use. It did not have a sweat-proof warranty which the Phaiser headphones do. 3 out of 5 stars Sound Quality Update: After giving the seller feedback, a second pair was sent. This pair worked much better than the first. At the beginning of my run, there still a bit of reception issues but this clears up after a few minutes. 5 out of 5 starts. Battery life: After arriving and initial testing, I did fully charge the headphones. I like the battery level announcement when the headphones are turned on (High, Med, Low). After about six hours of running, I did have to recharge the batteries. They probably would have lasted a little longer but I did not want to take a chance of them running out of charge during a run. Six hours is average for the headphones so not bad but also not exceptional. 4 out of 5 stars. Durability: For now, the headphones seem to be well made. The most similar headphones I've had that compare to the Phaiser BH 530 was MPOW Cheetah. They are almost identical. The major difference being the folding of the band connecting the left and right speakers (better on the MPOW) and the coating of the headphones (better on the Phaiser). Hopefully the Phaiser will last longer than the MPOW Cheetah and if it does die, the lifetime warranty will still be in effect. 5 out of 5 given the sweat-proof warranty. Customer Service: Best customer service I've had with Amazon purchases. The follow up post sale was timely and interactive. Communication was in hours and not days. The defective headset was replaced immediately and not needing to return defective unit first. Great product and better customer service. 5 out of 5 stars.