$200 Puro Pro hybrid over-the-ear headphones are almost perfect
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Read disclaimer. Kept reading. A review, by definition, is subjective.
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I bought three pairs of these cheap ($20) over-the-hear bluetooth headphones to keep scattered about for quick headphone use (I keep 2 in the car in case one dies and one inside for walks and whatnot): https://www.amazon.com/iJoy-Rechargeabl ... ast_slp_dp
So far, so good. They are handy in a pinch, especially for the price.
It would be nice to have a higher quality pair. I'll have to look into these further.
EDIT: Since I'm being downvoted into oblivion apparently, just provided this reference to a $20 set to give context to a $200 set. Same as others comparing other headphones further down...
So far, so good. They are handy in a pinch, especially for the price.
It would be nice to have a higher quality pair. I'll have to look into these further.
EDIT: Since I'm being downvoted into oblivion apparently, just provided this reference to a $20 set to give context to a $200 set. Same as others comparing other headphones further down...
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Have you ever read a review that wasn't subjective? (Hint: you haven't, because they're all subjective)
This isn't a lab study... and even if it was, that doesn't really tell you how they work in practice.
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"Chi-Fi" quality has improved dramatically over the years. You should take a look if you care about quality and value. If you care about quality and country of origin, definitely check out Audeze.
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They look like a rebrand of the Boltune headphones I have except some minor cosmetic tweaks, the unnecessary and ugly logo, the unnecessary wooden box and a significant price markup. The buttons, LEDs and usb port are identical so I'm guessing all the electrical stuff is the same.
The Boltune are currently £40 on Amazon UK including tax (so $47 give or take)
The Boltune are currently £40 on Amazon UK including tax (so $47 give or take)
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Although more expensive I would be interested to know how these compare to flagship Bose and Sony ANC Bluetooth headphones. Even though I would not expect the Puro to match those, either in sound quality or quality of ANC, these provide a baseline (or maybe rather a roofline?) which can be helpful for comparison.
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Wow. I registered an account to say that these look _exactly_ like the $50-$70 Taotronics I've owned for a while now, minus the extra packaging box. This sounds like paying $150 for a logo to me.
Check out this review from the Gadgeteer and spot the differences:
https://the-gadgeteer.com/2019/08/20/ta ... es-review/
Check out this review from the Gadgeteer and spot the differences:
https://the-gadgeteer.com/2019/08/20/ta ... es-review/
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Are you really expecting frequency response curves for a Bluetooth anc headphone?
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Audio is subjective, since everyone's ears are different.
On topic, seeing Micro USB made me immediately not consider these. I did enjoy the review, and wouldn't mind seeing more headphone reviews in the future.
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Looks like a quick rebranding job from the same OEM in China. I see this often with generic products on Amazon. It would be great to get a response from Puro.
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Do they sound the same though? What they look like really doesn't matter, sound quality however.....
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The back of the ear part looks different. Different curve. It's possible they just used the same chip for the connectables (thus the same port configuration), but different drivers and software.
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It's also very similar (though different layout and better battery life) to my $60 Soundcore Life Q20
That said, based on the review, it has much better sound quality if it's within spitting distance of wired Sennheiser cans.
That said, based on the review, it has much better sound quality if it's within spitting distance of wired Sennheiser cans.
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As the Bose QC 35 IIs and the XM3s (and presumably XM4s in a few months) regularly get down to $200, I am really disappointed not to see any comparisons in this article. Especially given that Ars has reviewed both of them in the past and so presumably has them on hand.
Given that there were no competitive comparisons or objective measurements, this article felt a lot more advertisement than the usual ArsTechnica review, to be honest.
Given that there were no competitive comparisons or objective measurements, this article felt a lot more advertisement than the usual ArsTechnica review, to be honest.
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Yes, they'll work in a pinch as completely dumb, unpowered headphones connected over 3.5mm. Obviously you don't get either the volume limiting or active noise cancellation that way.
They're also pretty seriously low-volume in general that way—not volume limited so much as just volume lacking; if you want a pair of dumb wired headphones, these are definitely not a great investment.
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How do these compare to the older Sony WH1000-XM3? Those should be available for a little over $200 on sale, now that the newer WH1000-XM4 is available.
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Why am I having such difficulty finding any real information about Puro Sound Labs?
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Many tech companies send out their wares for review, and expect them to be returned after the site has finished the review
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Seems more like any annoyance stems from the possibility that they may just be a rebranded set of cheaper headphones with a higher markup.
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Puro Sound Labs LLC is incorporated in Delaware as of 2/23/2015. Delaware Corp File Number 5660969
They are based in San Diego, California with 5-10 employees and their About Us mentions it is a family owned company founded by David Russell.
They have produced several brands of headphones, available as early as
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Thanks for the review! Two questions - is there sufficient space/comfort for long-term glasses use, and is it sufficiently over-the-ear to allow a hearing aid to comfortably fit?
These two limitations prevent me from using a pair of BOHM ANC (ETA: On-the-ear) phones that do quite decently, but they do squish the sides of my head too hard and dont allow for my BTE aid to pick up sound.
These two limitations prevent me from using a pair of BOHM ANC (ETA: On-the-ear) phones that do quite decently, but they do squish the sides of my head too hard and dont allow for my BTE aid to pick up sound.
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That's definitely the same chassis, at least. No way to tell if it's the same drivers without disassembling one pair of each, of course.
The only obviously missing feature is the SPL limiting—which seems to be Puro's big angle; AFAICT their whole line of products (and raison d'etre) is about volume limiting and hearing protection.
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I didn't have any trouble sliding the stems of my reading glasses in beneath the cups and wearing both glasses and phones for a couple hours that way. I can only guess about the hearing aid—that guess being "probably? but depends on the aid, most likely." If you've got a particularly large over-the-ear aid, maybe it would be okay, but it'd definitely be a gamble finding out.
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Audio by definition is subjective preferences. For those without golden acoustic trained ears there are specs and price. As a musician headphone audio is squabbling about “differences” not real art-of-facts like tone, pitch and timbre. Even in live performance these elusive gremlins flit about from simply moving a coiled cord to straightened length.
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Okay sure, but they’re frequently listed as an ArsTechnica favorite, in the review articles as well as they holiday recommendation guides, etc. So presumably someone on staff has a pair of their favorite wireless headphones to compare with.Many tech companies send out their wares for review, and expect them to be returned after the site has finished the review
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I haven't been in touch directly with anybody from Puro yet, but I reached out to their PR firm with questions about the relationship between the Puro Pro and Taotronics Soundsurge. I'll update here with whatever I get back.
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Agree.
However, if you are going to do a *wired* comparison with Sennheiser headphones and then talk about 'clarity' and 'soundstage', odds are the Sennheisers are almost always going to win. Objectively, 'clarity' and 'soundstage' are what Sennheiser headphones do best...
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Agree. HiFiMan is a Chinese manufacturer and also makes some amazing headphones...
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As someone who leapt head-first into the USB-C pool with a 2018 MacBook Pro, despite selling it eventually due to the keyboard, and got a pair of Sony WH1000XM3 headphones, using USB-B Micro is a deal breaker and I will not even consider getting these headphones. I tolerate it on my 20 dollar MPOW JAW headphones I use for working out because they're dirt cheap; for a $200 pair, nope!
Hopefully version 2 fixes it.
Hopefully version 2 fixes it.
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