Big thanks to the people at Yurbuds for sending me these for review!
Now, before I begin, I feel the need to point out a few things first about these headphones:
The Yurbuds Duro, or even the entire Yurbuds lineup as a whole, is definitely not created with our audience (audio enthusiasts) in mind. These headphones are aimed at athletes, and that's who they work best for.
Onto the review!
The Yurbuds Ironman Inspire Duro are a unique set of headphones. They offer athletes a fit that will not only be very comfortable, but will never fall out, due to the included silicone covers.
Included accessories are a carrying pouch that is quite large, made of decently rugged materials, and two sets of silicone covers in different sizes.
The pouch seems to be made for carrying on a backpack or sports bag. Definitely a good function of the pouch for athletes.
Yurbuds advertises a lot about the fit of their headphones, and they definitely live up to those advertisements. The silicone covers are great for keeping the headphones in place, even if a tug or snag may occur. I've never had them fall out during my usage. The silicone covers are very comfortable to use. They're durable, washable, and sweat resistant. Very good design on the covers. This is definitely the selling point of these headphones, and it rightfully holds that position, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, most of the rest of the build on the Yurbuds Duro is somewhat poor. The housings are made of a cheap-feeling plastic. There are no strain reliefs on these. There's not even a cable cinch. The lack of strain reliefs let the cord brush up the sides of the housing where they enter, which creates some microphonics. Wearing the Yurbuds in an over-the-ear fashion will greatly reduce microphonics. The only real positive about the build is the cable, which is kevlar reinforced. Long-term durability is questionable with these, which is ironic, seeing how this model was named 'Duro' due to its supposed durability.
When it comes to sound, the Yurbuds Duro falls short of other earbuds in certain aspects, but performs better in others. Compared to an IEM, it loses in every area sonically.
When I first put them in my ear, I was disappointed, but surprised at the same time. The silicone covers, when worn properly, actually create an acoustic seal that regular earbuds do not. This seal is crucial for decent bass response. Without it, the bass will have next-to-no impact, and may not even be present at all. Yurbuds overcomes this with the silicone covers. IEMs do not have this problem, however, and almost make the presence of an acoustic seal presented by the Yurbuds seem like nothing special.
The disappointed feeling I was given was due to the sound of the Yurbuds Duro in general. When compared to other earbuds and/or IEMs at similar prices (~$50 USD), the Duro tends to fall short quite easily. Overall, the sound reminds me of cheaper earbuds and IEMs.
The bass is probably the best part of the Yurbuds Duro. It's got good impact, while not being too bleedy. It's not anything to really write home about, but definitely not something to overlook. However, there is little sub-bass impact, which can make some songs sound thinner than they should.
Mids are well balanced into the spectrum. They've got good presence, but don't sound any better than 'okay',
Highs are what I was most disappointed in. They're rolled off, lack clarity, and ultimately fail to make music shine.
Soundstage is average for an earbud. Didn't really expect much in this area.
Overall, the Yurbuds Duro are a good earphone for active people. I would greatly hesitate to recommend the Yurbuds Duro to anyone except athletes. The fit is exceptional, but the sound is below par. I can easily see these being a good choice for someone with an active lifestyle, but not for anyone else.
Now, before I begin, I feel the need to point out a few things first about these headphones:
The Yurbuds Duro, or even the entire Yurbuds lineup as a whole, is definitely not created with our audience (audio enthusiasts) in mind. These headphones are aimed at athletes, and that's who they work best for.
Onto the review!
The Yurbuds Ironman Inspire Duro are a unique set of headphones. They offer athletes a fit that will not only be very comfortable, but will never fall out, due to the included silicone covers.
Included accessories are a carrying pouch that is quite large, made of decently rugged materials, and two sets of silicone covers in different sizes.
The pouch seems to be made for carrying on a backpack or sports bag. Definitely a good function of the pouch for athletes.
Yurbuds advertises a lot about the fit of their headphones, and they definitely live up to those advertisements. The silicone covers are great for keeping the headphones in place, even if a tug or snag may occur. I've never had them fall out during my usage. The silicone covers are very comfortable to use. They're durable, washable, and sweat resistant. Very good design on the covers. This is definitely the selling point of these headphones, and it rightfully holds that position, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, most of the rest of the build on the Yurbuds Duro is somewhat poor. The housings are made of a cheap-feeling plastic. There are no strain reliefs on these. There's not even a cable cinch. The lack of strain reliefs let the cord brush up the sides of the housing where they enter, which creates some microphonics. Wearing the Yurbuds in an over-the-ear fashion will greatly reduce microphonics. The only real positive about the build is the cable, which is kevlar reinforced. Long-term durability is questionable with these, which is ironic, seeing how this model was named 'Duro' due to its supposed durability.
When it comes to sound, the Yurbuds Duro falls short of other earbuds in certain aspects, but performs better in others. Compared to an IEM, it loses in every area sonically.
When I first put them in my ear, I was disappointed, but surprised at the same time. The silicone covers, when worn properly, actually create an acoustic seal that regular earbuds do not. This seal is crucial for decent bass response. Without it, the bass will have next-to-no impact, and may not even be present at all. Yurbuds overcomes this with the silicone covers. IEMs do not have this problem, however, and almost make the presence of an acoustic seal presented by the Yurbuds seem like nothing special.
The disappointed feeling I was given was due to the sound of the Yurbuds Duro in general. When compared to other earbuds and/or IEMs at similar prices (~$50 USD), the Duro tends to fall short quite easily. Overall, the sound reminds me of cheaper earbuds and IEMs.
The bass is probably the best part of the Yurbuds Duro. It's got good impact, while not being too bleedy. It's not anything to really write home about, but definitely not something to overlook. However, there is little sub-bass impact, which can make some songs sound thinner than they should.
Mids are well balanced into the spectrum. They've got good presence, but don't sound any better than 'okay',
Highs are what I was most disappointed in. They're rolled off, lack clarity, and ultimately fail to make music shine.
Soundstage is average for an earbud. Didn't really expect much in this area.
Overall, the Yurbuds Duro are a good earphone for active people. I would greatly hesitate to recommend the Yurbuds Duro to anyone except athletes. The fit is exceptional, but the sound is below par. I can easily see these being a good choice for someone with an active lifestyle, but not for anyone else.
