Audio-Technica Sonic Sport ATH-Sport1 review

1. Introduction2. Unboxing3. Sonic Sport ATH-Sport14. Testing5. Final Thoughts6. View All Pages

The fitness and technology worlds have collided in a big way in the past couple of years. Along with the growth of wearables tracking steps, heartbeats and other information, there has also been a big interest in sports related accessories such as headphones. Audio-Technica is a company that makes a lot of these sorts of products and today I am looking at the Sonic Sport ATH-Sport 1 line of earbuds, specifically, the blue and black ones.

They are very eye-catching and have quite a unique loop designed to keep them falling from your ear. But how do they sound and perhaps just as importantly, are they comfortable? That is what we are here to find out.

 

Features

• Ideal for active use, jogging, sports.
• Powerful 8.5 mm drivers.
• Lab tested and certified IPX5* waterproof rating allows headphones to be washed after use.
• Clip-on ear loop with pivoting hinge adjusts to the contours of your ears for custom comfort.
• Asymmetrical cable design keeps cable out of the way and helps prevent tangles, while included clip allows cable to be securely fastened to clothing.
• Housing features an oval rubber ring for extra-comfortable ergonomic fit within the ear.
• Two types of interchangeable eartips included: standard for sound isolation and ridged to allow some ambient noise for safer use outdoors.
• Available in black (BK), red (RD), blue (BL), pink (PK), navy-yellow (NY), and yellow-pink (YP).

Specifications

• Type: Dynamic.
• Driver Diameter: 8.5 mm.
• Frequency Response: 20 – 23,000 Hz.
• Maximum Input Power: 200 mW.
• Sensitivity: 100 dB/mW.
• Impedance: 16 ohms.
• Weight: 11 g.
• Cable 1.2 m: U-type.
• Connector 3.5 mm: (1/8″) gold-plated stereo mini plug.
• Accessories Included: Ear tips (XS/S/M/L), ridged ear tips (S/M/L), 0.6 m (2′) extension cord, cord clip.

The packaging for the Audio-Technica Sonic Sport ATH-Sport1 earbuds is a small blister pack that has all of the basic features for them listed, including the pivot function of the frame and the fact that they are waterproof.

The only accessories that come with these earbuds, is a relatively large collection of alternative plugs to go over the end. There are four size options for the standard type and three with a ridged design. This is to cater to people with different sized ears, but the ridged buds also lets in a bit more outside sound than the standard set, so can make it safer for using them while out and about or running on roads.

 

The Audio-Technica Sonic Sport ATH-Sport1 are a pretty unique looking pair of headphones, or in-earphones if you prefer. They feature a frame that is designed to wrap around your ear and therefore hold them in place as you run, preventing the impact of your footfalls from knocking them free. They are also styled quite differently, with a very specific offset colour scheme that is present, regardless of which version you have. 

The colour scheme also highlights the separate parts of the earbuds. For example, the blue “arm,” is in-fact that: an arm. It is attached to the rest of the earphone by a hinge that allows it to bend outwards to provide more room for when you are putting the earbud in. It also means it has some give, potentially making it more comfortable for those with different shaped ears.

The cable for the Sonic Sport ATH-Sport1 is also quite eye catching, continuing the same bright, baby-blue throughout. It is reasonably long (1.2m) and has several little features along its length to avoid some of the annoyances of traditional headphone cables. There is the typical clip mechanism, that lets you pin the cable to your shirt or elsewhere to prevent it slipping, or pulling on the earphones. There is also a plastic divider to keep left and right earphone cables separate and another little one that lets you choose the length of each side's cable.

The header is angled by around 75 degrees.

To see how they perform in different environments, I tested them in a seated position, as well as while walking and running. This benchmarked their ability to stay in place, as well as sound quality and comfort over longer periods.

Unfortunately, the first impression you get of the Sonic Sport ATH-Sport1 earbuds is not the greatest. Due to the large amount of hard plastic involved in their construction and the thin nature of the earbuds themselves, pushing them into your ear can be slightly painful, even with the smallest of the rubber bud attached. Similarly, getting your ear to fit the plastic surround that hangs off them is not very comfortable either. Perhaps it's because you can't really see what you are doing, but I found myself bending my ear to fit through the gap.

Once in place, they are not uncomfortable, but I would not go so far as to describe them as comfortable as there's no real padding beyond a thin layer of silicone, for any part of your ear. Throughout my extended listening tests I suffered from some inside ear ache, as I felt the need to give them quite a shove to get them in deep enough to boost bass response adequately.

I tried wearing the earbuds in different configurations to see if it would help, but neither was particularly great

In regards to sound quality, I thought that the Sonic Sport ATH-Sport1 were decent, although bass response is a little muddy. The highs and mids are better and do a good job of projecting whatever it is you are listening to. I found that the audio seemed clearer for talk or podcasts, but that might be because voices lack the nuances of music. Let us put it this way, for a £20 headset the audio is perfectly passable.

The only real problem I had with the audio, was that maintaining bass was quite difficult. This was because in order to get the full bass effect, you need to have the earbuds firmly in your ear and for whatever reasons throughout testing I was not able to make that last long. You would imagine that the whole point of the earloops on the earbuds would be to keep the headphones in place, but while they keep them attached to your ear they regularly slip out far enough that the bass simply disappears.

Unfortunately this seems to happen regardless of the size or shape of earbud you're using, but this is a problem I have encountered with a lot of earbud headsets.

One big plus point for these earbuds however, is that the claims of being waterproof are entirely true. As part of testing I submerged them in water completely and when drained a few minutes later, they continued to function without issue.

So, after all that running in the rain how do the Audio-Technica Sonic Sport ATH-Sport1 rate? Well, unfortunately, I was a little disappointed.

Yes they are waterproof, which is a big plus for anyone wanting to wear them in the shower (I would not recommend them for swimming as the cable is too long). The sound quality is also pretty good for the £20 asking price, but unfortunately it is rare that you actually get to hear the sound in all its glory as the earbuds don't lock in deep enough without some movement. This has a negative impact on bass response.

I will say for the record that walking is less likely to push the earbuds just out of bass range and sitting is less likely again – though I've had it happen in each of those scenarios. The earbuds never completely come away from your head due to the hooks but the sound quality drops significantly.

I do like the inclusion of the different kinds of earbuds. Giving you the chance to use ridged ones to better hear the outside world was a nice touch.

The Audio-Technica Sonic Sport ATH-Sport1 headphones are basic, waterproof earbuds that won't fall off while you run, but they won't give you much in the way of great sound while they do. They are also not the most comfortable ear phones and can cause ear ache over longer periods of use.

The Audio Technica Sonic Sport ATH Sport1 headphones can be bought from Juno Records for £20.

Pros

• Waterproof
• Comes with different earbud sizes and types
• Eye catching
• Cable is easily managed
• Sound quality is not bad for £20

Cons

• Not very comfortable when fitting
• Does not hold in close enough to your ear to maintain bass

KitGuru Says: The Audio-Technica Sonic Sport ATH-Sport1 ship with some handy features however I would rather use the earbuds that came bundled with my phone. Not recommended.

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