Soundcore Spirit X2 by Anker

To ensure a stable fit, these sports headphones feature a combination of ear hook and wing. While the short EarWings provide support inside the ear, the ear hook is positioned behind the ear, which relieves pressure and has an additional stabilising effect. Due to their design, these in-ears may require a certain amount of careful fitting, but the earpieces fit comfortably and do not cause pressure discomfort. Another positive aspect is that personalised adjustment can be made because five different sizes of ear tips and three different versions of wings, which can be combined freely, are included.

Even at a higher volume, these wireless headphones offer a running time of a good nine hours before they need to be powered in the transport case which serves as a charging station. While a full charge of these in-ears takes almost exactly 110 minutes, spontaneous use can be made of the quick-charge function, which allows for a use of about 80 minutes after ten minutes of power. Since the battery reserve of the transport case is sufficient to charge the headphones three times, the total system runtime is approximately 37 hours. The case also has a USB-C connection and can be recharged in just under two hours, for which purpose a USB-C to USB-A cable is included in the package.

Device control

Pairing these sports headphones takes place as soon as you open the transport case as the in-ears are automatically switched on and put into pairing mode. Returning to the charging case, on the other hand, switches the system off. Alternatively, it is also possible to switch the system on and off manually by holding down the play buttons on the side. If a wireless connection exists, the play button is used to control playback and to answer and end telephone calls. Voice assistants can also be called up by pressing twice, while separate buttons are provided for volume control. These can also be used to select titles by holding them down, and the plus button is used to move forward and the minus button to move backwards. A good feature is that the buttons have clear pressure points, which contributes to the fact that the remote reacts very precisely. The Bluetooth connection also proved to be extremely stable in combination with various Android and iOS devices, especially the range within an urban environment, which was over ten metres. During phone calls, however, your voice is heard with background noise, but otherwise, there is a good speech intelligibility on both sides.

Sound

The Spirit X2 are equipped with an EQ control that boosts the bass response as needed and can be activated and deactivated by briefly pressing and holding the play button. An additional acoustic chamber for the bass has been installed behind the 12 mm drivers, while the BassUp technology is designed to analyse the sound profile in real-time and automatically boost low frequencies. In this respect, these sports headphones are bass-orientated, something which is already confirmed by their basic sound, with the full, and at the same time compact, bass foundation reaching deep down and providing listening pleasure with a rich reproduction. While there is a slight dullness in the low frequency range, the mid and high frequencies are clearly detailed and although these in-ears are designed to boost a present, powerful sound during sports, the sound is by no means one-dimensional. Indeed, these in-ears are also versatile in everyday use, especially since high-quality audio codecs are supported by aptX and the AAC format. However, it is noticeable that there is a slight background noise that can be perceived as disturbing in a quiet environment. The bass booster, though, is particularly noticeable in the low bass range although, in my opinion, its enhanced presence has more disadvantages than advantages as the dullness increases and the massive bass seems spongy rather than well defined. I would, therefore, favour the basic sound with its more precise imaging. However, both versions are capable of stable levels.