“Yet another Bluetooth earphones for active people?” you say? Not quite. While the TREBLAB XR500 might look like other in-ear headphones, they offer a well-rounded set of features at a very affordable price, striking a good balance between sound fidelity and practicality.

Build and Design

So many people hesitate to purchase anything but the cheapest sports headphones they can get their hands on. They fear that the headphones could become damaged with the next failed bench press attempt or the next unexpected rain shower. To convince potential customers that the TREBLAB XR500 are worth those 50 or so dollars they cost, the manufacturer has included IPX7 water protection, covering full immersion in water.

TREBLAB has also decided to use a high-quality tangle-free cable to connect the two earpieces together. The cable has the perfect length to prevent it from bouncing on your neck and potentially yanking the headphones out from your ears.

Featured on the top side of the headphone housing are tactile buttons for volume and music playback control. Inside is a large battery that can power the headphones for up to 9 hours on a single charge. A small LED light elegantly tells you how much juice you have left, so you will never find yourself in a situation when you couldn’t listen to your favorite songs because your headphones have decided to suddenly die on you.

Sound Quality

The TREBLAB XR500 headphones connect wirelessly using the latest version of Bluetooth to any compatible device. They support the APT-X compression algorithm, which was developed specifically to make Bluetooth headphones sound indistinguishable from wired headphones. The CMC 6.0 technology eliminates signal noise, ensuring that the signal traveling from your smartphone or tablet to your headphones won’t be affected by other electronic devices.

Our initial impression upon first hearing how the headphones sound with a variety of music genres was unanimously positive. The XR500 don’t try to be something they are not—studio monitors or analytic headphones—and they instead focus on fun.

The bass is slightly emphasized, mids are pleasantly pronounced and well-articulated, and highs are crisp and clean. Even though the overall sound won’t blow you away by its accuracy or sheer depth, it decisively blows away other sports headphones in the price range.

What’s in the Box?

Included with the headphones is a hard-shell carrying case with a mesh pouch inside, which can be used to store the 6 extra pairs of replaceable eartips.