Adidas RPT-01 Recreation On-Ear Assessment

It’s lovely uncommon to return throughout a brand new pair of on-ear headphones with an exercise-friendly design—lots of the sport-focused fashions we evaluate are in fact earphones. Thus, Adidas’ aptly named RPT-01 Recreation On-Ear headphones ($169) are an intriguing wi-fi choice. Supposed for sports activities and different bodily process, they use cool, cleanable cloth reminiscent of a few types of Adidas shoes. Additionally they be offering cast battery lifestyles and ship bass-forward, extremely sculpted audio efficiency, with adjustable EQ so the bass can also be dialed again or set to ridiculously excessive ranges. All of this makes the RPT-01 headphones an intriguing choice to sporty earphones for someone who prefers an on-ear design.

A Distinctive Design

To be had in coral, darkish grey, or mild grey, the supra-aural (on-ear) RPT-01 headphones don’t appear to be some other fashions we have reviewed. Their foam earcups are coated in fashionable, knitted cloth sleeves which are detachable and cleanable. The headscarf’s cloth is knitted as neatly, with a rubberized underside that provides steadiness. The full are compatible is light-weight, at ease, and protected. 

The left earcup’s outer panel homes a devoted motion button that you’ll be able to set the serve as for (extra in this in a second). The appropriate ear’s panel homes a keep an eye on knob very similar to the ones we’ve noticed on Marshall headphones. Urgent it controls playback or solutions/ends calls, pushing it ahead skips ahead a monitor, pushing it backward navigates again a monitor, and urgent it up or down adjusts quantity. The keep an eye on knob additionally acts as the ability/pairing button. We discovered the controls smooth to function, and albeit want that extra headphones used this intuitive gadget. 

The RPT-01’s IPX4 score is ready as little as a producer will put it up for sale, however it does imply that the headphones can face up to mild splashing. They simply can not get totally soaked, nor can they be submerged or subjected to faucet-level force. However, as discussed, the earcup sleeves are detachable and will in fact be washed along with your laundry—so no less than those items of the design are totally water resistant, simply now not the electronics they quilt. And once more, any point of water resistance on a couple of on-ear headphones is welcome to look.

The Adidas Headphones app for Android and iOS permits you to create custom designed shortcuts the usage of the motion button at the left earcup, in addition to modify audio to style with customizable EQ. The motion button can also be custom designed to play quite a lot of Spotify playlists, or to summon your telephone’s voice assistant. The EQ has more than one presets, all of which can also be adjusted, together with a customized atmosphere.

The headphones fit with Bluetooth 5.0 and fortify the SBC Bluetooth codec, however sadly neither AAC nor AptX.

Adidas estimates battery lifestyles to be kind of 40 hours, which is a cast quantity, however your effects will range along with your quantity ranges. A protracted USB-C-to-USB-A cable connects to the USB-C port at the backside of the suitable earcup’s aspect panel for charging.

Adidas RPT-01 Efficiency

On tracks with intense sub-bass content material, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the headphones ship robust low-frequency reaction. The sub-bass teeters at the fringe of distortion with out ever rather getting there when the headphones are at unwise, most listening ranges. This implies at excessive—however rather decrease—volumes, you get a complete, deep bass reaction with out a trace of distortion. There’s a number of higher-frequency boosting and sculpting to stay the combo balanced.

Invoice Callahan’s “Drover,” a monitor with some distance much less deep bass within the combine, provides us a greater sense of the RPT-01’s normal sound signature. The drums in this monitor sound massive, and for sure boosted past what could be regarded as correct. For bass fanatics, that is nice information: The lows are intense, even at reasonable volumes, however they’re additionally matched with a number of high-mid and high-frequency presence, including a crisp edge to the vocals and acoustic strums. Those drivers are not correct, but when deep bass is helping encourage you all the way through activity, you will not be disillusioned.

See How We Check Headphones

On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church within the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives sufficient high-mid presence for its assault to retain a few of its punchiness, whilst the vinyl crackle and hiss that’s most often relegated to background standing steps ahead within the combine a bit of—some other signal of the high-frequency sculpting in play. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with cast intensity, however there’s a little bit of a drop-off—they don’t rather pass all of the means right down to the inner most subwoofer lows. Thus, we will be able to surmise a lot of the bass boosting here’s in fact within the lows and low-mids, and whilst there may be some sub-bass energy, it’s rather less intense. The vocals at the monitor are delivered with superb high-mid crispness and readability. There may be possibly the slightest little bit of added sibilance, however simply slightly.

Orchestral tracks, like the hole scene from John Adams’ The Gospel In keeping with the Different Mary, get some exaggerated bass intensity, pushing the lower-register instrumentation ahead rather within the combine, however the highlight nonetheless belongs to the intense, higher-register brass, strings, and vocals. This isn’t a very correct sound signature, however it packs some bass punch and cast definition throughout the mids for stability.

The mic gives moderate intelligibility. The usage of the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 8, shall we perceive each and every phrase we recorded. There used to be some Bluetooth distortion within the combine, however that is standard of many Bluetooth headphones and mustn’t save you callers from listening to you.

The Uncommon On-Ear Sports activities Headphones

The Adidas RPT-01 Recreation On-Ear headphones be offering a classy, distinctive design with easy-to-operate controls. For this worth, the majority of our favourite fresh exercise-focused choices are in-ears, and generally they’re true wi-fi fashions. If that sounds extra like what you’re after, believe the $170 JBL True Wi-fi Flash X or the $180 Jaybird Vista, either one of that have larger IP rankings. When you’re extra concerned about reasonably priced on-ear headphones, and the activity a part of the equation is much less necessary, take a look at the $100 Jabra Elite 45h. But when you need on-ear headphones which are excellent for the gymnasium and activity, Adidas does a pleasant activity of mixing audio high quality, capability, and magnificence.