H2O Audio SnowPro headphones evaluation: a no-go for skiers

H2O Audio SnowPro

MSRP $180.00

“The SnowPros sound horrible and miss the mark in virtually each means for headphones I might tackle the slopes.”

Professionals

• Comfy match across the ears
• Good name high quality
• Safe neckband design
• IPX8 water and snow proof

Cons

• Costly
• Tinny, skinny sound high quality
• No on-board EQ within the app
• Tiny bodily buttons
• Playlist+ characteristic is ridiculous
• Open-ear design unhealthy for wind noise

In case you’re a skier or snowboarder wanting so as to add music to your runs to reinforce the expertise (Loopy Practice down a black diamond? Sure, please), it will not be as simple as popping in a set of earbuds and hitting the raise. Challenges for snow-sport-appropriate headphones embody sound high quality, resistance to wind noise, ease of use (particularly with gloves or mitts on), and a safe and comfy match whereas beneath helmets and layers. And that’s to not point out excessive temperatures and lack of wi-fi connectivity on the mountain or within the backcountry.

Whereas sports activities headphone maker H2O Audio thought of this stuff with its SnowPro bone-conduction headphones, after spending a number of days on the slopes with them, my expertise was a blended bag of ups and largely downs (pun supposed). Contemplating their hefty $180 value, the SnowPros in the end miss the mark in virtually each means I discover essential for a set of headphones I’d need to use whereas snowboarding. Right here’s why.

H2O SnowPro: design and Match

The SnowPro headphones are much like different H2O Audio bone conduction headphones, corresponding to its fashionable Tri Professional Multi-Sport, which the corporate targets in the direction of sports activities fanatics like swimmers, runners, and cyclists. H2O’s first headphones made and marketed particularly with snow sports activities in thoughts, the SnowPro headphones sport a white coloration (don’t drop them within the snow, you’ll by no means discover them) however characteristic the identical earhook design and neck band, and their laborious plastic materials feels sturdy and rugged. Whereas they don’t roll up or collapse right into a compact kind, I didn’t have any points stuffing them in my ski bag with my gloves and toque (as a Canadian, I’m legally forbidden to name it a beanie.) A case of some variety would have been a pleasant contact, although.

The SnowPros weigh subsequent to nothing and will be worn for ages. I like the best way that open-ear and bone-conduction headphones match generally, and I can say the identical in regards to the SnowPros. They’re comfy across the ears, the bone conduction ends sit on the cheekbones with out pinching, and every part stays in place, even when shaking your head. In case you weren’t snowboarding all day, you can undoubtedly put on all of them day. However I was snowboarding …

Match issues come up with the SnowPros when bundling up for the slopes, which isn’t splendid since that’s what they’re meant for. With no balaclava or neck hotter on, the low profile of the headphones match properly beneath my ski helmet’s earpads (extra on this later), and the neckband didn’t intrude with the again of my helmet both. However zipping up the tall collar of my ski jacket, pulling a balaclava over the headphones, or something that places stress on the neckband or the bigger, rectangular headphone elements that sit behind the ear, can shift the place of the ear conductors.

I discovered that when bundled up, even shifting my head shifted them, affecting the best way they sounded (see our explainer on bone conduction for all the main points). Adjusting them required continually eradicating my gloves or present process a partial undressing course of, which isn’t enjoyable when it’s 15 under, er, 5 levels (I’ll use Fahrenheit from right here on out).

I did get to ski with them on a lovely, 36-degree bluebird day, although, and with much less gear obstructing them, the match is a lot better, and the headphones shift much less. In case you are likely to ski/trip in above-freezing climes, match and shifting will probably be much less of a priority.

Nonetheless — and that is extra of a commentary on a limitation of bone conduction headphones generally — if you’re ripping down a mountain at excessive speeds, wind noise is actual. And with out the ear seal {that a} pair of in-ear buds creates, with the SnowPros, the wind will get so loud in your open ears beneath your helmet you could barely hear the music, at the very least quickly. This brings me to how the SonwPros sound …

H2O SnowPro: sound high quality

What the H2O SnowPros have going for them is that they’re an honest set of Bluetooth headphones that may play music and take calls out of your linked telephone, like several pair on our greatest wi-fi earbuds record. In addition they have 8GB of inside storage that lets you go away your telephone within the chalet and play a ton of MP3 recordsdata immediately from the headphones.

After giving the SnowPro headphones a radical listening in a number of totally different configurations on and off the slopes, and with a mountain of benefit-of-the-doubt that folks could have totally different priorities and makes use of, listed below are my ideas.

Out of the field, with no EQ changes, there was just one first impression to be made about how the SnowPros sound: horrible. In case you’ve ever tried that previous trick from again within the day of placing your smartphone in a bowl to amplify sound from its small audio system, that is how the SnowPros sounded at first.

Listening by Spotify, with the EQ set to “off” within the playback settings (like I’d do for any headphone or speaker evaluation), the low-end is non-existent, there aren’t any dynamics to the sound, and every part sounds distant.

Bone conduction will not be recognized for its wealthy bass, however the worst half was the highs, that are extremely tinny, hissy, and sibilant on cymbals, “esses” in lyrics, and absolutely anything with a pointy tone.

I attempted them with every part from Alice in Chains to Radiohead to Taylor Swift, Miles Davis, Black Sabbath, and Jay Z, and the outcomes have been the identical. I used to be not anticipating this from an virtually $180 pair of headphones.

After a lot EQ adjustment within the Spotify app, issues get higher, however there’s a lot room for enchancment. Making use of a “Rock” or “Flat” preset after which dialing the 15kHz slider means down helps rather a lot with all that sibilance. Boosting the 60Hz and 150Hz low-end sliders definitely provides extra depth and substance, however going too far causes the conduction factors to vibrate an excessive amount of in your cheekbones, which tickles and may get uncomfortable. Turning the amount up an excessive amount of may cause this impact, too, which you might have to do in order for you the headphones to compete with all of the wind your epic runs are certain to supply.

Bone-conduction headphones aren’t for everybody, and audiophiles needn’t apply — I get that. In case your favourite music app has an EQ characteristic (Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer do, whereas Tidal, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and Qobuz don’t), and also you’re prepared to spend the time tuning the SnowPros, it’s doable to get the SnowPro headphones sounding OK. However nobody ought to should work that onerous to get a $180 pair of headphones to sound simply OK.

Moreover, whereas the open-ear, bone conduction model of the SnowPros do make it simpler and useful for listening to the world round you (like screaming, runaway Jerrys barrelling in the direction of you), don’t strive speaking to your vital different whereas music is taking part in — you received’t be capable to hear a lot with out turning the amount means down, which is simpler mentioned than performed (extra on that to return).

H2O SnowPro: name high quality

One of many SnowPro options I used to be most inquisitive about attempting whereas on the slopes was making and taking calls. As somebody who skis rather a lot with a younger daughter, spouse, and pals, I’m continually risking dropping my telephone from the raise whereas attempting to textual content. Dictating a textual content or, higher but, calling my spouse and child, could be preferable. And with the Snow Professionals paired to my iPhone, it was simple sufficient to do.

After what I simply instructed you about how they sound with music, I used to be shocked with the sound high quality and readability — listening to my callers’ voices was higher than numerous higher-end earbuds I’ve tried. Wind noise apart, voices sounded full, clear, and by no means just like the “telephone voice” I’m used to. Why can’t its music playback sound this good?

On the opposite finish, nonetheless, after questioning my spouse and daughter, I used to be knowledgeable that with my ski helmet on, they may barely hear me. With it off, they may hear me a lot better, they mentioned, though they did level out that it seemed like I used to be “far-off.”

H2O SnowPro: playback and Playlist+

There are a few methods to take heed to music on the SnowPro headphones: as a traditional set of Bluetooth headphones paired to your telephone and thru your streaming companies or as a standalone music participant with 8GB of storage and playback controls.

One of the simplest ways to make use of the SnowPros is, by far, the previous. In case you’re already a person of Bluetooth earbuds whereas snowboarding or boarding, the playback expertise will probably be acquainted: pair them and management the playback in your telephone — I’ve discovered it simpler to tug my telephone from my jacket pocket on the raise or earlier than a run than accessing contact or button controls on earbuds beneath my helmet ear coverings.

I made just a few playlists on Spotify for my days snowboarding with the SnowPros, and the lackluster sound apart, popping my telephone out and in of my jacket pocket wasn’t too large of a deal, and my touch-sensitive glove fingers made it comparatively simple to regulate the playback. Nonetheless, there are Bluetooth headphones that do all this, sound higher, and don’t value as a lot.

Utilizing the SnowPro headphones as a standalone MP3 participant, nonetheless, is … fascinating. First, let me caveat this by saying if it’s important that you simply use them with out being linked to your telephone (possibly you don’t like bringing your telephone on the slopes) or are regularly out of wi-fi vary for music streaming, then the SnowPro headphones may make extra sense, however be warned …

The playback platform for the SnowPros is H2O Audio’s Playlist+ characteristic that allows you to entry and play music saved on the headphones utilizing the tiny bodily buttons on the surface of the correct facet of the headphones that sit behind your ear. I’m unsure what was extra irritating: having to take my gloves off and hunt beneath my helmet each time I wished to play, cease, skip tracks, or navigate the folder menus, or truly loading music on the headphones within the first place.

Doing this may be performed in one among two methods. First, you possibly can join the SnowPros to your pc by way of USB and drag and drop your MP3s to the headphones’ folders. That is by far the easiest way to do it. After numerous trial and error, I used to be in a position to make sense of how one can entry the music I moved over, both as single MP3s or as whole albums inside their very own folders you could — with numerous clicking of tiny buttons — discover. I realized that for playlists, it’s best to rename your recordsdata with numbers on the entrance so it performs them within the order you need and never alphabetically.

The opposite means is marketed by H2O as “like your old-school tape recorder,” and they don’t seem to be kidding. Playlist+ permits you to file music out of your telephone’s Bluetooth audio connection and a streaming service like Spotify, by the not-great H2O app, dwell, prefer it was 1989 and also you’re making a mixtape to your crush.

Utilizing the app and the headphones paired to your telephone, you need to begin taking part in a track out of your streaming service, then bounce again to the H2O app and hit file (you can too do that by way of the headphones’ bodily buttons). The track is recorded, dwell, to the SnowPro’s 8GB storage, nonetheless it could sound. Keep in mind the EQing I discussed earlier? My greatest outcomes have been from Spotify with my EQ tweaks made, but when I used, say, Tidal, I obtained that un-equalized, tinny sound (by no fault of Tidal’s) — the H2O app has no built-in EQ of its personal for recording or playback. And except you might have a pile of MP3s on a drive someplace (H2O says it additionally helps “most audio codecs, together with the Apple iTunes music format (.m4a),” that is most likely the one means you’ll should load the SnowPro up with music. So, settle in should you’re recording numerous songs or a protracted playlist; keep in mind, it should be performed dwell.

In case you cease, regulate the amount, or skip a observe, it’s recorded to the headphones. And except you cease and create a brand new recording after each track, your playlist will probably be one steady file, so, no skipping tracks if you play it again. Moreover, the brand new single recordsdata recorded are named with a quantity like “00001,” so after they’re added to your single observe record, they’ll mess with the order of your current numbered side-loaded tracks. And one other factor, when beginning a brand new recording, as a result of you need to press play on the track earlier than you turn to the H2O app to file, the primary bit of each new recording/track will get lower off. Making a mixtape was simpler.

H2O SnowPro: the underside line

The H2O SnowPro headphones are a chilly mess. I attempted to love them, I actually did, as a result of I like the concept of snowboarding whereas having fun with some music. In case you’re an individual with limitless persistence or who doesn’t thoughts simply hitting play and listening to no matter is funneled into your ear holes when you trip, and sound high quality isn’t a precedence, then roll the cube — battery life isn’t nice at simply 5 hours, however they’re rugged as hell (IPX8), and you’ll even take them within the scorching tub for some après ski.

$180 is a jagged capsule to swallow, although, contemplating their drawbacks. That mentioned, there aren’t numerous different choices on the market for snow sports-specific headphones and one of many closest rivals we may discover, the Shokz OpenRun, is across the similar value — their IP67 ranking can also be nonetheless OK for snow, although. You might additionally seize a pair of easy wired $20 EarPods (or 10) or different wired earbuds like I see all types of skiers sporting beneath their helmets with out worrying about dropping them from the chairlift. Most ski jackets have holes for the wires to run by the pockets. The tech is straightforward, they usually truthfully are a great guess till somebody comes up with a greater resolution.

On the finish of the ski day, nonetheless, I spent far an excessive amount of time fussing with the SnowPro headphones at house and, extra importantly, on the chilly, chilly mountain, making me need to simply go away them within the chalet the place they belong.

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