BlueAnt Pump HD Sportbuds

Introduction

Wireless sporty styled headphones are big business, so there’s no shortage of models that try to appease the vast segment of fitness oriented consumers. Longtime Bluetooth maker BlueAnt is in the race too, where they intend on making a splash with its brand spanking new model – the BlueAnt Pump HD Sportbuds. The company’s approach is a tad bit different from the crop we’ve been seeing of late, since they’ve opted for a more secure fit with its design. Not only that, but it’s ensured to please hardcore fitness buffs with its rugged and waterproof nature.

The package contains:

• Owners guide
• Comfort seal tips
• Stabilizers
• Cable zip
• microUSB cable

Design

Despite its bulkiness, BlueAnt emphasizes on having a secure and firm fit that others lack.

Something inside of us sparks the moment we take a peek at the BlueAnt Pump HD Sportbuds. It’s that peculiar feeling we get that makes us think we’ve seen this pair of Bluetooth headphones before. In fact, the Pump HD Sportbuds’ design instantly reminds us of Plantronic’s line of Voyager series Bluetooth headsets, mainly because of its similar approach. Specifically, it employs that bulky arched arm design that permits the backend of ear to rest against its bulkier frame – while the skinnier ear bud section snakes its way into our ear.

Sporting a Teflon coating and Kevlar exterior, they’re there to give the unit its IP67 certification, which makes it rugged and waterproof. Therefore, there are no worries if it’s used in the rain for an extended period of time, or even submerged with you as you quickly take a dip into the pool. Even though it can survive submersion for a little bit, don’t think for a moment you can use these bad boys underwater to listen to music. Nevertheless, the rubbery exterior enables it to retain a clean appearance – even if it’s constantly fighting sweat.

BlueAnt made sure to focus on its fit around our ears, and boy did they get it right! Whereas other sporty styled units strictly rely on a traditional freestanding ear bud design, the Pump HD Sportbuds evenly distributes weight over our ear. Combining its weighty rear siding, which rests against the back of our ear, and the narrow ear bud section that finds its way into our ear canal, there are no complaints about it becoming loose. Of course, the snug fit can be enhanced by using the optional stabilizer ear buds, but the usual ones prove firm enough.

Alternatively, the packaging contains comply premium awareness tips, which are more spongy in comparison to the rubbery silicone based comfort seal tips. Depending on your workout, these awareness tips prove to be more beneficial, since they allow background noise to move freely through it – allowing us to be aware if a car is honking at us, or if a biker is ringing its bell. Naturally, it’s a precaution that prevents us from totally being unaware of our surroundings as we’re using the headphones.

Taking a look at the left component, it only houses the unit’s microUSB port – hidden behind a tightly closed rubber flap to prevent water from coming in. Meanwhile, we find its various physical controls on the right component. They included the volume up, volume down, and multi-function buttons. Starting with the latter, it’s used to pause/play with multimedia content, and pickup/decline for phone calls. Indeed, it lacks dedicated controls for track forward or reverse, but the functions can be achieved by simply holding down the volume up and down buttons for a few seconds.

Performance

Bass tones have a strong presence here, but at louder volumes, mids and highs tend to drown out – resulting in a flatter quality.

In terms of software features, the BlueAnt Pump HD Sportbuds doesn’t pack anything profound. Essentially, it’s a matter of turning it on, pairing it with a device, and using it for music playback/phone calls – and that’s all! Fortunately, pairing it is an effortless process, since turning it on for the first time places it into the mode. In our case, we paired it with an HTC One M8 with no issues at all.

First, let’s talk about its music playback quality. Even in the noisiest of environments, we don’t have any problems trying to listen to our tunes. Volume output, in fact, is almost deafening at the loudest setting – so there’s no shortage of command and presence with its output. Now, there’s a strong focus on lows, which enable bass to thump with a serious amount of ferocity at every volume level. However, when it’s placed at the loudest, mids and highs tend to drown out – giving them a flatter presence. At the end of the day, though, we’re pleased by the overall quality of the Pump HD Sportbuds.

Likewise, we have few problems trying to decipher our callers with the headphones – thanks to its powerful audio output. However, voices tend to have an artificial sound to them, but still audible enough to discern words with few repetitions. On the other end of the line, our callers mention they’re able to hear us properly too. Using it under windy conditions, however, callers complain mildly about some distortion.

Battery

BlueAnt has this Bluetooth 3.0 pair of headphones rated for 8 hours of play time, or 2 weeks of standby. Playing music from an HTC One M8 and setting the volume to the highest level, we’re able to achieve continuous music playback of over 4 hours – well short of its rating. Nonetheless, we have to point out that you’ll probably be able to get longer playback under the middle volume setting.

Conclusion

Armed with a sticker price of $130, the BlueAnt Pump HD Sportbuds matches many of its main competitors in price – like the Jaybird Bluebuds X and Plantronics BackBeat Go 2. To BlueAnt’s credit, we really appreciate the firmer fit of its model, even though it’s bulkier than the crop. In addition, it’s a fitness lovers’ dream pair of headphones because of its rugged construction, waterproof aspect, and snug fit over our ears. Sure, the battery life doesn’t come close to matching its rating, but nevertheless, it’s well in line to the performance we’ve seen from other comparable models in the space right now. The audio quality might be perceived differently between users, but in general, we’re pleased by its pleasant overall quality. In all fairness, you won’t ever have to worry about this pair becoming loose as you’re sprinting or running long distances – while the strong volume output ensures you’ll be focused on the music.