From indoor cycling to skateboarding, these earbuds served me well during all of my activities. Whenever I cycle, I become grossly sweaty but the IPX7-rated UA True Wireless FLASH X by JBL handled my perspiration like a champ. The buttons were easy to control with sweaty palms and fingers; I only wish that volume controls were enabled directly from the headset. Athletes who use chalk may want to use these earbuds with caution because they aren’t officially dust-resistant. It only takes two hours to charge the case fully, though there is no speed charge feature – like with the Jaybird Tarah Pro, which can cram in a workout’s worth of battery in only a few minutes. Performance A big issue with the design is that the ear cups are small and, while the padding is soft and breathable, the headphones are still uncomfortable to wear for extended periods. More on this in a bit. The Wireless Train may not have gotten as deep into the low end as the Adidas were capable of, but they still had solid, refined bass. More importantly, they simply filled out the rest of the frequency spectrum better. The Wireless Train have 40mm drivers with a frequency response range of 16-20,000Hz, and they prove to be exactly as capable as those specifications might suggest. Songs like Dierks Bentley’s Burning Man or the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ By The Way suggested the Wireless Train were able to avoid getting muddy or cramped. There are better sounding headphones –lots of them in fact — but for workout cans, these were more than sufficient.

Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test. The Under Armour True Wireless feature Bluetooth 4.2 rather than the latest Bluetooth 5.0 standard, and there are occasions when the connection feels a bit patchy – though we never found it cut out entirely.

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One key difference here is weight. The Adidas came in at 209 grams, with the Wireless Train tipping the scales at 240 grams. It’s not overtly noticeable, as each pair of headphones distributes the weight well. But if you’re trying to keep your headphones as light as possible, this is surely something to make note of. I’m not thrilled about the Wireless Train supporting just Bluetooth 4.1 technology, since it means connectivity and range aren’t up to par with devices that support the newer, better Bluetooth 5 standard. This brings up an important caveat about the Wireless Train: At the time of this review, they’re already two years old. In tech time, that’s about a century. After reviewing the Adidas RPT-01, I went looking for the closest comparison I could find. The Wireless Train were the clear answer because of their price and design, and unfortunately for these headphones, they’re going to be rated by modern-day standards instead of their heyday in 2018. A built-in array of three mics allows for TalkThru mode—tapping the Under Armour logo on the outer panel of the right ear fades out your music and allows you to hear your surroundings without removing the headphones. For voice calls, the mic offers average intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 6s, we understood each word we recorded, though there were some typical, fuzzy Bluetooth audio artifacts. The inline mic for the cable delivers solid clarity, with some added bass depth. Ambient Aware technology allows you to listen to your music, but still be aware of your surroundings Bassheads will enjoy the bass emphasis of both the default frequency response and Dwayne Johnson’s custom EQ.

HEADS UP: We're currently experiencing extended wait times on this customer service line. We're sorry for the delay, and are doing our best to resolve your inquiries ASAP. JBL estimates battery life to be roughly 16 hours, but your results will vary with your volume levels. PerformanceAudio tinkerers may find that the JBL Headphones app opens up a lot of custom EQ options to play with.