NOW SEE HEAR!

Sunglasses and headphones in one cunning package

Key features

Bone-conduction earphone technology Polarised lenses to reduce glare Wide range of vision Six-hour continuous playback 90-minute charge time on full power

How they tested

Call us a bunch of cynics here at RW, but when we see hybrid kit or tech creations, we sometimes assume too many compromises will have affected quality. This was not the case with these sunnies-and-headphones-inone: in fact, we were pleasantly surprised. The glasses look bulky on your face and aren’t going to win any style awards, but they’re light and comfortable, and the arms and nose clip did a splendid job of holding them firmly in place on a sweaty head, even on a long run.

There are five types of interchangeable lenses to choose from when you buy. We went for the photochromic ones (which cost £20 more) and they provided not only superb glare control but also excellent adaptability to different light conditions; ideal you’re running through woodland or in fading light.

As for the earbuds: these don’t go into your ears. Instead, transducers on the end of the temple arms are placed against the cartilage behind the ear ( you can easily bend the hinged arms to find a secure fit) and these guide sound vibrations through the cartilage, conducting audio directly to the cochlea. Your ear canals are left open to take in ambient noise – an excellent safety benefit.

Sound quality is not as good as it is with bespoke headphones. If you like the volume turned up loud, you’ll be disappointed with what the maximum gives you here, but clarity of mids and trebles is decent and the bass offers enough boom to help power you through any tough periods on the run.

There is some sound leakage – when we removed the glasses we could hear a faint sound coming from them while held in the hand – but unless you’re wearing these on public transport, nobody will notice.

Set-up is a doddle – turn them on, the pre-charged Revvez pair instantly with your phone and you’re ready to go – and with only three buttons needed to control track changing, volume and call management, they’re simple to use, although if you have large fingers you’ll have to slow down a little while you fumble with the buttons.

RW verdict

If you’re looking for the best sunglasses and headphones (or the cheapest versions of each), these will not suit you. But if you’re the kind of runner who gets their arms tangled in headphones wires or who can’t find earbuds to fit your lugs, these will solve both those issues. For a first version, they are impressive and with future iterations expected to be more refined and contain features such as built-in music storage, these sunnies are worth keeping an eye on. •••••••