I had never hear of Baseus before 2023 . Then , the company sent me itsBowie MA10 wireless earbuds , and I became an instant fan . For well under $ 50 , those earbuds have just about everything you could possibly want . So when Baseus asked if it could ship me the Eli Sport 1 — its first set ofopen - auricle wireless earbuds — I jumped at the luck to try them .
The top end of the undefendable - ear category is n’t cheap , with prices range from $ 150 to $ 300 . My promise was that Baseus would once again deliver a mathematical product that was far better than its price suggested . The $ 80 Eli Sport 1 did n’t let me down .
They go amazingly estimable and offer most , if not all , of the features you could want . Here ’s what you call for to cognize .
Open-ear design
Because undetermined - ear earbuds and headphones are still a relatively newfangled class , I ’ll start by reminding you how they take issue from typicalwireless earbuds . As the name suggests , they ’re “ undecided , ” which means that they do n’t sit in your ear and wo n’t block your ear channel .
The two biggest advantages of this design are comfort and situational awareness . You could heed to the Eli Sport 1 at a very well-fixed loudness grade and still take heed important sounds around you , like car horns or someone calling your name . For runners , cyclists , or any others who notice themselves in stain where hearing outside sound could make a big difference to safe , it ’s a major benefit .
The downside is the other panorama of that equation . you could never altogether block out outside phone , and sometimes , that will be annoying , especially when listen to talk - word content like podcasts or phone call . Still , for those who care about what ’s going on around them , it ’s a small cost to ante up .
The Eli Sport 1 derive in three colors : blackened , blanched , and the green / white jazz band of our rating unit . Baseus say that the green color glows in the dark , but I ’m prepared to think of it as high - visibleness alternatively .
(Some) strings attached
The huge majority of opened - capitulum earbuds are just like steady wireless earbuds in that when you pull them from their charge case and pop them in ( or on ) your ears , there is n’t an easy and obvious way to plow with them when they ’re not being wear .
You either stick around them in your pocket or bring the type along wherever you go — neither of which is idealistic .
The Eli Sport 1 , on the other bridge player , come in with a twin neck opening lanyard . Its plastic ends twist - whorl into the back of the earbuds ’ earhooks , and the lanyard itself has an optional plastic piece of cake so you could alter the scene from cubbyhole to scantily there . I establish the Eli Sport 1 so secure on their own that I did n’t feel the need to use the laniard for fit reason , but it proved very convenient for those times when I wanted to remove them temporarily . If you ’ve ever been on a trajectory and been tell apart to slay your earbuds for the safe proclamation , you know what I intend .
I ’ve only seen this hybrid coming on one other open - ear design : the $ 170Soundcore AeroFit Pro . Those open - ear also come with a removable choker , but Soundcore ’s intent is semi - rigid . It ’s adjustable but not specially flexible , which means it tend to strike the positioning of the earbuds on your ear , which can really counteract effectual quality . The Baseus ’ lanyard may not be as broken , but it ’s far less intrusive .
Classy case
My only critique is that once the laniard is attached , you ca n’t put the earbuds back in the charge pillowcase . you could , however , get the detached laniard in the case if you wrap it cautiously around the bud .
I really care the design of the Eli Sport 1 ’s case . All open - auricle case tend to be a morsel bulky — it ’s the nature of the brute because of the size of it of the earbuds — yet this case looks and feel lighter and thin than most . The Eli Sport 1 have a very discrete design , including what I ’ve come to conceive of as Baseus ’ trademark glow LED doughnut index number ( the Bowie MA10 have these , too ) , and the transparent polycarbonate grapple lid lets you see them ( it also let you see the case ’s charging indicator LED ) .
unluckily , the pillow slip does not back up wireless charging ( though at this Mary Leontyne Price , not many open - ear earbuds do ) and I ’m not trusted how well that eyelid will digest up to scratches over time .
Comfy and secure
In my experience , even the least easy undecided - ear earbuds are still very well-heeled for recollective stop — usually far longer than semi - open ( for instance , Apple AirPods ) or close ( e.g. ,Apple AirPods Pro ) wireless earbuds . And the Eli Sport 1 are definitely among the more comfortable assailable - capitulum I ’ve tried so far .
Both the independent speaker pod and the rearward pinna - hook pod / lanyard connective are overcompensate in a soft - finish plastic , while the titanium link up wire is wrapped in an even voiced silicone . Both feel just against the skin , and the atomic number 22 conducting wire is very pliable — it should conform to a full variety of pinna shapes and size of it .
As I noted earlier , they leave plenty of grip when worn , barely budging at all once they ’re in place . This include when you ’re head - down ( to cull up free weight or other objects ) or when lying down to do some bench printing press ( or mayhap taking a forty winks ) .
As with all earhook designs , there are some compromise when wearing glasses . I found the hook wires sparse enough that they could exist side - by - side with my glasses limbs if needed , but this did reduce the comfort a little flake . If the ice thing is a large priority for you , you may want to consider spike - clip - style undefended - ears like theBose Open Ultra Earbuds , though , at $ 300 , I ’m not sure I could justify that expense purely based on fit .
Basic controls
Touch controls can be , well , touchy . I ’ve determine that they work well when the touch field occupies almost the intact surface of an earbud — Sennheiser ’s Momentum True Wireless 4are peculiarly good — and when they do n’t , that ’s when you’re able to run into difficulty .
Such is the case with the Eli Sport 1 . They have a large outer open , which look like it should be entirely extend to sensitive , but only the share behind the round LED indicator can be solicit .
In practice , this means you ’ll have to be more intentional when tapdance and aiming for the rear of the speaker pod . And , since there ’s no substantiation tone when pat are accurately register , the only way to know if your pat worked is if it did what you have a bun in the oven it to do .
The good news is that , presume you hit the right area , taps are almost always realize .
Out of the corner , you may control playback , chase after skipping , and book . you’re able to optionally add a bid for low - response time mode or access to your voice assistant , but these will supplant either a track skip command or playing period / pause . Only the bulk ascendence gesture remain off - limit for other statement , but you’re able to turn it off if you do n’t take it .
Behold, bass!
The one nearly universal area of weakness for open - pinna earbuds is low-pitched - frequency sound . Bass incline to get lost in the transition from the speaker to our eardrum because that disruption is n’t seal — to many external sounds can lave it aside . It ’s why you ’ll unremarkably get the best bass part response from a lot of earbuds with snug - meet silicone polymer pourboire .
And yet , the Eli Sport 1 manage to preserve basso exceptionally well — safe , in fact , than almost any other open - capitulum I ’ve try .
This is true using the default mise en scene , but it becomes especially articulate when you engage the optional low - frequency sweetening mode from inside the Baseus app . Doing so overrides any other EQ adjustment , and it produces a in spades microphone boom - y sound that ’s heavy on the David Low .
The corresponding drop in clarity throughout the mids and highs think of you wo n’t want to expend it for casual euphony listening . But if you ’re in the gymnasium or on a run and take a thump rhythm to keep you moving , this modal value will get you there .
The default tuning is perfectly ok for most music genres , with a decent balance and well-defined delivery . I found it a tad strident in the upper registers , but thankfully , the EQ Mode extend plenty of presets if you ’re front for something specific . As with many EQ presets , the labels are n’t always helpful . I ’m not really sure what I expect before tapping the Theater , HiFi , or DJ buttons , but it was n’t what I heard . So push aside those label — just tap around until you find one you like and remember which one it was .
You may regain , as I did , that the Eli Sport 1 do n’t seem to get very loud , even at maximal volume . I ’m not completely sure why this is , but there ’s a fix : in the EQ Mode configurations , scroll to the bottom of the presets and tap the Custom button .
This opens up an eight - stria equalizer that you may fine-tune to your heart ’s content . But more important is that it gives a big rise to the current volume level . When I entered this way at 90 % volume on my iPhone 14 , I was able-bodied to back it off to 60 % to accomplish the same level . Better yet , I was able to selectively reduce the level of those high frequencies that were gravel me while at the same time giving the bass a jackass — a balance I was n’t able to discover using the presets .
Overall , the Eli Sport 1 ca n’t contend on sound timber with far more expensive models like the $ 229Oladance OWS Proor the $ 300Bose clear Ultra Earbuds , but they do n’t have to : for under $ 100 , you wo n’t notice anything that sounds better .
Windy calls
Open - ear earbuds are fantastic for phone calls and meeting when indoors because they ’re well-fixed and they let you hear your own voice as naturally as if you were n’t tire earbuds at all .
The Eli Sport 1 are very in force when used this way , especially with their supporting for dual - simultaneous machine connections viaBluetooth Multipoint . Outdoors , you ’ll still benefit from that natural strait , but your callers may complain about wind noise . The mics do n’t have much protection from the wind , and the computer software does n’t do much to compensate .
This could be a problem if your destination is to take body of work calls while commuting on a bike or running .
Battery life
I ’ve amount to expect high shelling living numbers game from loose - auricle earbuds when compared to traditional wireless earbuds , but the Eli Sport 1 offer a more traditional stratum of stamina : a claimed 7.5 hours per thrill and a total of 30 minute when you include the send case .
There ’s also a quick - charge feature that move over you two additional time of day of playtime for 10 minutes in the case .
Baseus has priced the Eli Sport 1 at $ 80 , which already make them one of the best value in the open - ear earbuds category — I would n’t pause to purchase them for that money .
However , Baseus is one of those brand that constantly keeps its production discounted on Amazon , with anywhere from 10 % to 30 % off that $ 80 cost , make them extremely attractive . For that level of investment , even if you ’re shy whether opened - ear are right for you , they ’re deserving it .
