SMS Audio BioSport
These SMS Audio BioSport headphones are part of a growing trend of devices that help you keep track of and measure your fitness.
A flat, anti-tangle cable plugs into your smartphone via the 3.5mm headphone jack. You’ll need to secure the cable to an item of clothing, though, in order to stop it flying all over the place. We had trouble with this on a windy jog, and eventually had to stop and run the cable underneath our shirt to stop it from flapping about.
If you’re using a case with your smartphone, you might have trouble with these, as the headphone jack is connected to the cable at a right angle rather than in a straight line. During testing with an iPhone 5c, we used a CaseMate Naked Tough case that covers the edges of the phone as well as the back, and it meant that we couldn’t push the headphones all the way into the jack without removing the case.
The ear pieces themselves have an oddly-shaped tip that’s paired with an upwards pointing wing that’s surprisingly comfortable in the ear.
We experimented with differentsized tips (you’ll get several options in the box) and eventually settled on small, which fit so well that they take a moment longer than usual to remove. This means you can be secure in the knowledge they won’t fall out when you’re on a run, and stop measuring your heart rate.
On the cable, positioned suitably close to your mouth, is a microphone and remote control module that you can use to answer calls, play and pause your music, skip tracks and more using various button press combinations as detailed in the user manual. Unfortunately, you can’t use it to change the volume, so you’ll have to get your phone out to change this.
There’s also a switch that turns on Heart Rate monitoring mode. When answering a phone call, you’ll need to slide the switch down to answer in microphone mode.
The good news is that these headphones are IPX4 rated, which means they’re resistant to sweat and rain. You also get a carry case in the box for safe storage in your bag.
The SMS Audio BioSport headphones are compatible with iOS and Android, but not all smartphones are supported. If you’ve got an iPhone 4s, 5, 5s, 5c, 6 or 6 Plus; Samsung Galaxy Note II, Grand II Duos, S4, Galaxy S5, Nexus 5 or Motorola Moto X, then you’ll be able to use these headphones. For everyone else heart-rate monitoring isn’t supported, so you’ll want to look elsewhere.
Right now they only work with RunKeeper, which is a shame for anyone who uses a different fitness app, and a bit cheeky because on the box it says “works with leading fitness apps”. You’ll get a month’s free subscription to the Elite RunKeeper package with every purchase.
There’s no dedicated app either, which is a shame for those who don’t already use a fitness app but would like one that is tailored for use with these headphones.
During our tests, we struggled to get the RunKeeper app to monitor our heart rate on an iPhone (on Android RunKeeper will automatically detect the headphones as a heart-rate monitor). We also found that the user manual lacked instructions to help. We eventually got it working, though, and after that first struggle it worked instantly every time we plugged the headphones in to the iPhone and launched the app.
The heart-rate sensor is discretely located in the right earbud and didn’t falter during our tests.
Sound quality
Thanks to the tight seal and comfy design, using the BioSport headphones even without the heart-rate functionality is still enjoyable. The sound quality is good, if a little lacking in bass, leakage is kept to a minimum and you won’t get interference from wind. Some tracks did suffer from a bit of echo during our testing, though.
We wouldn’t recommend buying these headphones if you’re after top quality sound, but for sports headphones with the added heartrate monitoring functionality they won’t disappoint.
Verdict
If you’re a fitness buff and want to add heart-rate monitoring into the mix when it comes to workout data, then these are worth considering. For the same price, you could have a Fitbit ChargeHR which tracks heart rate 24/7 and offers plenty more fitness stats besides.