Waterproof Bluetooth Headphones

(Update 01/30/2014 – Looks like these have been discontinued. If you're looking for some sweatproof bluetooth earbuds with a similar design, feature set and price range, check out my review for the Jaybird Freedom ones.)

I first tried the Philips ActionFit SHB6000/28 Stereo Bluetooth headphones last year, and they're honestly some of the better headphones I've tried in this category.  They fit well, sound good, and can handle all the sweat I pour onto them when I'm working out.  Let's take a look at how they measure up to my golden standard, the Motorola S10-HD headphones.

Pros

• Bluetooth, no cords, designed for active people
• Waterproof AND antimicrobial
• Compact and easy-to-transport
• Adjustable ear hooks and 3 sizes of silicon caps for a custom fit
• Dual mic design for noise free calling
• Good range, easy connectivity

Cons

• Bass is a little lacking
• Relatively short battery life
• Buttons are pretty awkward to use

Built Like A Perfect-Fitting Rock

My first thought when I pulled these out of the box was that they look and feel like they're made of high quality materials, but I really expected no less from Philips.  The enclosed literature said the materials they're made out of is not just waterproof, but antimicrobial as well.  This is a nice little bonus for me, as I'm one of those constant hand-washers who worries excessively about germs.

These ActionFits have a nice, compact design, and I can fit them into my pocket easily, which I can't do with my S10-HDs.  They come with a nice little carrying bag, but honestly I rarely use these things except with my higher end headphones, and the SHB6000/28s don't have any cords to get tangled without it.

When I first put them on my ears, I thought, "This isn't going to work."  They just didn't fit at all, even when I picked the right caps from the 3 included sizes.  A quick look at the instructions, though, and I realized that you're actually supposed to give yourself a custom fit by actually bending the hooks to FIT YOUR EARS PERFECTLY!  I did that, and they weren't going anywhere.

Take These And Run

When it comes to performance, these deliver.  They never skipped, cut out or crackled as I pounded the pavement, and the custom fit ensured they stayed firmly in place.  Even when they got pretty sweaty, ​I NEVER EXPERIENCED ANY TROUBLE WITH PLAYBACK! These things do what they were made to do.

The sound is pretty decent, far better than the cheapo stereo Bluetooth headphones that keep popping up these days, but the bass (and thus the overall sound) wasn't as good as the bass on my S10-HD set.  Don't come get me wrong, though: there was certainly a more-than-adequate amount of THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP ​to help me power through my workouts.

I found that sometimes as I'd get really saturated with sweat, they'd want to slip out of my ears a little bit.  They wouldn't fall out, but they'd come out enough to not sound nearly as good.  This typically happened towards the end of my workouts, though, and it wasn't a very big deal to just push them in tighter every few minutes.

Clear Calls and Trade-Offs

Making phone calls isn't my primary reason for buying this type of headset, but if you're planning on doing so, these have some of the better in-call sound of any waterproof Bluetooth headphones I've tried.  The reason is that these ones are built with dual microphones for UNPRECEDENTED NOISE REDUCTION!  You can find this feature in some of the higher end Bluetooth headsets, but this is the first time I've seen it in one of the Stereo ones designed for active users.

I didn't have any trouble connecting the Philips ActionFits to my phone or computer.  Their range is pretty good; I find they work perfectly from across the room most of the time, but sometimes they'll cut out now and then if I have my phone at the edge of the tennis court, sending my champion soundtrack to my ears.

Battery life is kind of short.  I can get about 5 hours of listening out of them, but this should be adequate if you're mainly using them for workouts and plugging them in regularly.  If you need to use them all day without charging them, you may want something else (the Motorola S10-HDs will go for about 8 hours).

There are buttons on these for taking calls and controlling playback, but they take some getting used to.  One of my biggest complaints about on-ear headphones is that you typically need to figure out some way of holding them in place while you press the buttons, and these are no exception.  If you don't want to push them off your ears when you're switching songs, just use your thumb to hold it in place.

I would say the Philips ActionFit SHB6000/28 is a good choice for anybody who wants a waterproof set of Bluetooth headphones, and either prefers the on-ear style to the wraparound type, or is going to be taking a lot of calls.  If you're looking for the best sound, check out my Motorola S10-HD review, but if these sound like what you're looking for, Amazon has them for the lowest price I've found.