There are now perhaps hundreds of inexpensive bluetooth headphones now coming onto the market - the technology has now reached a point where differences between models comes down to features and subtle changes in sound character and quality.
Features
The Holy High BE1018 are a pair of TWS earphones which feature earhooks (which actually fit in the charger case) and this greatly helps maintain a good fit - even when you’re actively throwing yourself around the gym or going on a 10k run. According to the specifications listed on the box the headphones operate for around four and a half hours before needing recharging and the recharging process only takes around an hour and a half. The case can recharge the earbuds about 4 times. The package features two different types of earhooks - the default ones designed to go around the outside of your ears and two different sized earhooks which fit inside the shell of your ears. They also come supplied with 3 different pairs of tips so you shouldn’t have a problem getting the right fit.
The case is quite large - about the size of a bar of soap. The plastic used feels fairly thin but it does the job. It uses Micro USB for the charging - this appears to still be commonplace for most of the inexpensive TWS headphones out there. These headphones are designed to be used with the earhooks and the case is designed to accommodate them without any problems. The case relies on the lid to maintain contact with the electrical contacts rather than magnets - as the lid clicks shut it maintains an electrical contact - this appears to work quite well.
The headphones themselves do offer an excellent fit (for me) thanks to the wings. Although the quality of the fit does offer a nice consistent sound quality, unfortunately there are a couple of issues with the headphones which makes them not my first choice for me.
Firstly, the buttons are really hard to press - really hard! Whilst I don’t always get on with some of the touch-sensitive bluetooth IEM’s out there - the amount of times I accidentally trigger Play when I’m putting them in my ears beggars belief. There’s certainly no danger of this happening with these. In all fairness, the button is easy to find when they’re in your ears and the rubber-coating over the buttons almost certainly helps with the waterproofing.
The other thing that lets them down somewhat is the lack of support for the higher-resolution codecs such as AAC/APTX. In all fairness the sound quality is reasonably good all said and done.
Sound Quality
Firstly, it’s important to make sure you have a good seal with these headphones. They’re not overly bassy - so proper insertion ensures you get the best bass response. The really great thing about these headphones is the fit though and I think I can get a better fit with these than just about any other IEM-type headphone I have tried. The great fit really helps not only with bass response but also imagery.
Midrange on there is also surprisingly clean, they can go surprisingly loud - this is always a welcome feature on bluetooth headphones and greatly helps with midrange performance.
Treble performance is slightly laid back. This is actually quite welcome as the lack of high res codec support can have an adverse effect on the treble. I personally don't get on with piercing treble, I tend to prefer a more laid back sound. Detail is there though.
Where these headphones really did surprise me though is in their imagery. Close your eyes and you feel that you can actually point to the performers on stage - that's quite a feat - given their cost.
Whilst being essentially flat with regard to the overall frequency range of the headphones, I personally didn't really like the sound character as it sounds somewhat thin - almost like the bass, mid and treble controls on your amp are turned all the way down. Obviously this can be somewhat overcome with the judicious use of eq, I personally don't like using eq as I always seem to forget to reset it when I change to different headphones - which I'm afraid is something I do with alarming regularity.
Conclusion
I'm conclusion - there are things I like about these headphones and some things I don't like. If you're looking for headphones capable of surviving extreme sports activity then these could be for you. From a sound quality perspective I can’t help thinking that there are potentially better choices out there. It’s only really the lack of higher-resolution codec support which lets these headphones down. With this in mind I give these headphones a 4 Star rating.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HolyHigh-Headphones-Bluetooth-Earphones-Waterproof-Original/dp/B07T5L2XSN
Features
The Holy High BE1018 are a pair of TWS earphones which feature earhooks (which actually fit in the charger case) and this greatly helps maintain a good fit - even when you’re actively throwing yourself around the gym or going on a 10k run. According to the specifications listed on the box the headphones operate for around four and a half hours before needing recharging and the recharging process only takes around an hour and a half. The case can recharge the earbuds about 4 times. The package features two different types of earhooks - the default ones designed to go around the outside of your ears and two different sized earhooks which fit inside the shell of your ears. They also come supplied with 3 different pairs of tips so you shouldn’t have a problem getting the right fit.
The case is quite large - about the size of a bar of soap. The plastic used feels fairly thin but it does the job. It uses Micro USB for the charging - this appears to still be commonplace for most of the inexpensive TWS headphones out there. These headphones are designed to be used with the earhooks and the case is designed to accommodate them without any problems. The case relies on the lid to maintain contact with the electrical contacts rather than magnets - as the lid clicks shut it maintains an electrical contact - this appears to work quite well.
The headphones themselves do offer an excellent fit (for me) thanks to the wings. Although the quality of the fit does offer a nice consistent sound quality, unfortunately there are a couple of issues with the headphones which makes them not my first choice for me.
Firstly, the buttons are really hard to press - really hard! Whilst I don’t always get on with some of the touch-sensitive bluetooth IEM’s out there - the amount of times I accidentally trigger Play when I’m putting them in my ears beggars belief. There’s certainly no danger of this happening with these. In all fairness, the button is easy to find when they’re in your ears and the rubber-coating over the buttons almost certainly helps with the waterproofing.
The other thing that lets them down somewhat is the lack of support for the higher-resolution codecs such as AAC/APTX. In all fairness the sound quality is reasonably good all said and done.
Sound Quality
Firstly, it’s important to make sure you have a good seal with these headphones. They’re not overly bassy - so proper insertion ensures you get the best bass response. The really great thing about these headphones is the fit though and I think I can get a better fit with these than just about any other IEM-type headphone I have tried. The great fit really helps not only with bass response but also imagery.
Midrange on there is also surprisingly clean, they can go surprisingly loud - this is always a welcome feature on bluetooth headphones and greatly helps with midrange performance.
Treble performance is slightly laid back. This is actually quite welcome as the lack of high res codec support can have an adverse effect on the treble. I personally don't get on with piercing treble, I tend to prefer a more laid back sound. Detail is there though.
Where these headphones really did surprise me though is in their imagery. Close your eyes and you feel that you can actually point to the performers on stage - that's quite a feat - given their cost.
Whilst being essentially flat with regard to the overall frequency range of the headphones, I personally didn't really like the sound character as it sounds somewhat thin - almost like the bass, mid and treble controls on your amp are turned all the way down. Obviously this can be somewhat overcome with the judicious use of eq, I personally don't like using eq as I always seem to forget to reset it when I change to different headphones - which I'm afraid is something I do with alarming regularity.
Conclusion
I'm conclusion - there are things I like about these headphones and some things I don't like. If you're looking for headphones capable of surviving extreme sports activity then these could be for you. From a sound quality perspective I can’t help thinking that there are potentially better choices out there. It’s only really the lack of higher-resolution codec support which lets these headphones down. With this in mind I give these headphones a 4 Star rating.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HolyHigh-Headphones-Bluetooth-Earphones-Waterproof-Original/dp/B07T5L2XSN
