Optus Mobile Review ALDI Mobile Review Amaysim Mobile Review Belong Mobile Review Circles.Life Review Vodafone Mobile Review Woolworths Mobile Review Felix Mobile Review Best iPhone Plans Best Family Mobile Plans Best Budget Smartphones Best Prepaid Plans Best SIM-Only Plans Best Plans For Kids And Teens Best Cheap Mobile Plans Telstra vs Optus Mobile Optus NBN Review Belong NBN Review Vodafone NBN Review Superloop NBN Review Aussie BB NBN Review iiNet NBN Review MyRepublic NBN Review TPG NBN Review Best NBN Satellite Plans Best NBN Alternatives Best NBN Providers Best Home Wireless Plans What is a Good NBN Speed? Test NBN Speed How to speed up your internet Optus vs Telstra Broadband ExpressVPN Review CyberGhost VPN Review NordVPN Review PureVPN Review Norton Secure VPN Review IPVanish VPN Review Windscribe VPN Review Hotspot Shield VPN Review Best cheap VPN services Best VPN for streaming Best VPNs for gaming What is a VPN? VPNs for ad-blocking Those things aside, the SoundSport Free buds feel a like bit of a relic in 2020 and if you’re not a card-carrying member of Virgin Active, you can probably stop reading right about now (or head over and check out our review of Jaybird’s Vista True Wireless). The case is also charged via micro USB rather than USB-C, which would have been more acceptable when the buds first released in 2017 but in 2020, micro USB is starting to feel like a major inconvenience. The chunked-up charging case and last-gen USB are just the beginning. It’s also been a marathon mile for people who purchased the SoundSport Free early thanks to a series of bugs that have impacted connection and audio quality since release. I’ve only really had to wrestle with one bug during my review: a frustrating little quirk that would boot call audio back to the phone as soon you’d answer, resulting in a lot of breathy silences on my end of the call whenever I picked up. Despite everything that makes the SoundSport Free buds feel older than its years, I was surprised to find that the sound quality still holds up over two years after release. In 2020, these 2017 buds are still a contender for top spot when it comes to overall sound quality. They aren’t quite as bass-heavy as Audio Technica’s true wireless or as sharp as Sony’s but they’re a fantastic in-between; incredible bass that doesn’t compromise overall quality. Bose’s patented StayHear+ Sport tips do an admirable job of blocking out passive noise and, true to the name, aren’t shaken by a bit of physical activity. In fact, the only times I had any issue keeping the SoundSport jammed firmly in my ears is when I’d accidentally brush past the unusually large buds and knock them out. This is another example of SoundSport’s larger size at odds with the kind of activities these are marketed for. If you’re looking for a more professional pair of buds, we’d recommend checking out Sennheiser and Sony’s alternatives.
