It looks like Optoma Technology has updated and upgraded their award-winning NuForce BE6i and BE6 to fit the sports-driven lifestyle. It was quite difficult to do quick movements with the standard wireless earphones, but with the newly released NuForce BE Sport3 wireless Bluetooth in-ear headphones, it worked out perfectly. Same beautiful design and technology, but for a new purpose. Nerd Reactor was sent a pre-release pair to review.
Design
The design of the BE Sport3 is surprisingly a lot lighter than the BE6i. The cord is thinner, and has a smaller control board. It comes in rose-gold and gunmetal gray, aka black.
The silicone ear tips are completely different – SpinFit TwinBlade, which fit into the ear more comfortably for fast pace movement. With the added ear-wings for comfort and fit, the earbuds are able to stay in place during the most intense exercises – including running, and CrossFit. In the box, Optoma provides a small zip-up canvas hard case, with a micro-USB cable for charging, and five sets of custom-designed silicone ear tips to fit your ear’s size and comfort – as well as a variety of colored wings to fit your fashion taste. Wings are recommended for tough workouts. Without the ear-wings, the buds occasionally come out.
Surprisingly, after using this during a 10-mile jog, the ears, with wings, remained in place and absorbed all the surrounding sound. It was comfortable, even with the tough terrain. Like its predecessors, the ends of the earpieces are magnetized to create a necklace, to prevent losing them when they come off.
The three-button remote control hides the micro-USB charging port with an indicator to let you know when it’s on, off, charging, or connected to Bluetooth. There is a tiny pinhole microphone on the remote, which allows you for calls and phone commands. When a call was made during a workout, simply press the center button to pick up and hang up on calls.
Another new feature is a voice alerting you that the power is on, the device is connected or disconnected, and the power has been turned off. The previous devices just had a sound and lights to alert if a device has been connected.
Sound Quality
After connecting the earphones to my phone (Galaxy S6) for my workouts, I listened to the sound quality walking, running, and jumping. Between the heavy breathing, the sound quality was pretty good during long runs. The sound and earbuds lock in the surrounding sound, which worried me that I would not hear oncoming cars or people. Please be careful while wearing these for working out outdoors. In the noisy gym, these were quite useful for focus.
The Bluetooth range was pretty good. According to Optoma, the wireless connection can go up to 30m from the source, which was useful when I was in the gym, putting items away while my phone remained in my bag. There was a bit of static when I went into a different room, having walls between the headphones and the audio source.
The call quality was pretty good. There were times I had to pick up a call during a run and depending on the connection, it was really clear. The person on the other end could hear me clearly when outdoors, but it became difficult to hear at the gym with the surrounding noise. I would have to pull the mic closer to my mouth for clarity for the caller.
Battery Life
Optoma promises up to a 10-hour battery life. I did not use the earphones for that long, but I have yet to charge it.
Verdict
With the newly designed earphones, it reduces ear fatigue, especially while doing strenuous (or relaxing) activities. It does require the ear-wing to be attached for comfort and stability. These are also made of silicone, so they fits comfortably in the ear. My previous earphones, including the BE6i, did create some ear fatigue when worn for long periods – unless I changed the silicone tips. I wore these during a workout, and then on a 3-hour flight watching television. It remained comfortable as long as I didn’t lean on them or fall asleep with them on.
I do have an issue with the cord being so thin. Thinner cords have a higher chance of getting tangled amid other cords.
The crazy thing about these new NuForce earphones are that they are cheaper than their predecessors. Retailing at $79.99 on Amazon, these earphones can be used in your everyday life – working out, watching TV, listening to music, making and taking calls, etc. I do actually like it better than the NuForce B6i because of its extended battery life and sports capability. As someone who is constantly moving around on a fast-paced schedule, these are great earpieces to transition to, from day-to-day activities to serious workouts.
Rating: 4.5/5
Specs
Maximum sampling rate: 44.1/16
Bit resolution: 16
Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
Sensitivity: 94dB +/-3dB/mW
Connector type: Wireless
Cable length: 22in
Driver unit: 6mm
Impedance: 16 Ohm
Volume control: In-line remote
Connections input: Bluetooth V 4.1
Driver type: Dynamic
Number of driver(s): 2
Inline remote: Sync, Play, Pause, Mute, Prev. Track, Next Track, answer, hang up, activate/deactivate voice prompts
Battery life: up to 10 hours
Weight: 0lb 0.5oz
In the box
Standard accessories
3 pairs Silicone tips (S, M, L)
1 pair custom made Spinfit TwinBlade tips
3 pairs ear-wings, 3 colors, 2 sizes each (M,L)
USB A – USB micro charging cable
Cable tensioner
Carrying Pouch
Safety booklet
Quick set up guide/Basic user’s manual
from Nerd Reactor
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