In my view, open-fit headphones just like the Nothing Ear (stick) or Apple AirPods 3 are sometimes underrated for sports activities use. If the match is safe—and I acknowledge they fall out of some individuals’s ears throughout exercises—they provide a great steadiness of consciousness and sound high quality, and are extra comfy to put on for lengthy stretches than in-ear buds.
The Nothing Ear (stick) headphones don’t match the sound high quality of in-ear buds, or the AirPods 3, and so they additionally lack noise cancellation. So general, they’re inferior to one of the best exercise headphones, however in case you choose an open-fit design they’re a good choice as a less expensive different to Apple’s buds.
Nothing Ear (stick) Evaluation: Value And Availability
The Nothing Ear (stick) headphones launched in October 2022 and have an RRP of $99 within the US and £99 within the UK, although they’re presently decreased on the Nothing web site to $79/£69. They’re extra reasonably priced than the Apple AirPods 3, that are $179/£179.
How I Examined These Headphones
I’ve been utilizing the Nothing Ear (stick) headphones ceaselessly for the previous couple of months and have racked up many runs whereas carrying them, together with exercises together with a few cycles and power periods. I’ve additionally examined Nothing’s different headphones, the Nothing Ear (1) and Nothing Ear (2) in-ear buds, together with a wide range of one of the best working headphones.
Design, Match and Controls
Throughout its vary, design is a key a part of what Nothing presents—the see-through sections on its headphones and modern instances catch the attention. I am keen on the case of the Nothing Ear (stick) headphones, which is a cylinder you rotate to open. It’s small and straightforward to pop right into a pocket or backpack throughout exercises, and in addition numerous enjoyable to fiddle with.
The headphones have see-through stems and a white bud that sits contained in the ear with out getting into the ear canal. Which means there’s no passive noise cancellation, but in addition that they’re comfy to put on for hours since no strain is utilized to the ear.
Owing to this open-fit fashion, the buds is not going to be safe sufficient for everybody to train with. I discovered that they sat in my ear with out falling out throughout runs and cycles, however throughout power (and notably HIIT) exercises the buds shook free. Nevertheless, I’ve larger issues with the match of in-ear buds just like the Nothing Ear (2), which squirmed free and dropped out once I received sweaty. General, I choose the match of the (stick) headphones, particularly for working.
The open-fit design additionally means you get extra consciousness of your environment, which is useful for outside runs and cycles. It’s not as a lot consciousness as you get from utterly open headphones just like the Shokz OpenRun, however the Nothing Ear (stick) has higher sound high quality.
With a water resistance ranking of IP54 the Nothing Ear (stick) headphones should not totally waterproof, however that’s excessive sufficient in order that I haven’t any considerations about their means to shrug off sweat and rain throughout exercises.
As with the AirPods 3, you squeeze the stem of the Nothing Ear (stick) headphones to manage playback. You may customise 4 controls on the buds, and a single squeeze is locked as play/pause and reply/finish calls. The controls are straightforward to make use of, even throughout exercises.
Sound High quality And Consciousness
Open-fit headphones can’t match the sound high quality of in-ear buds, and the Nothing Ear (stick) headphones additionally don’t ship the sound of the a lot pricier Apple AirPods 3, however you’ll be able to’t name them horrible. You may regulate the EQ within the app, which might help beef up the bass, although that is missing in contrast with in-ear headphones. The sound is evident and vibrant within the higher ranges, and it’s loud sufficient to listen to even when working by busy roads.
If sound high quality is your most vital function in headphones, then the Nothing Ear (stick) buds should not for you. When utilizing them away from exercises I missed the higher sound and noise cancellation of in-ear headphones. This was notably the case when touring on trains.
Nevertheless, they ship OK sound and permit for extra consciousness than in-ear choices, which is vital in case you train outdoor quite a bit and don’t wish to use bone-conduction headphones, which sacrifice sound high quality for his or her utterly open design.
You may allow a noise discount function with the Nothing Ear (stick) headphones, however this didn’t make a noticeable distinction to background noise for me, and it reduces battery life. It’s price testing to see if it makes a distinction for you, for the reason that expertise will fluctuate relying on how the buds sit in your ear, but it surely’s nothing like even the passive noise cancellation you get from in-ear headphones.
Battery Life
The Nothing Ear (stick) headphones final seven hours on a cost, and the case provides one other 22 hours. You may also get two hours of playback from a 10-minute cost within the case. In my testing, the buds lived as much as the numbers given by Nothing.
Are The Nothing Ear (stick) Headphones Value It?
Regardless of my reservations about sound high quality and match, I loved utilizing the Nothing Ear (stick) headphones. They’ve a allure, because of the interesting design, in addition to a snug match that was safe sufficient for me when working and biking.
For those who like open-fit headphones, then the Apple AirPods 3 are one of the best I’ve examined, however the Nothing Ear (stick) are a viable different at a a lot lower cost. For those who don’t have an issue with in-ear buds then the Jabra Elite 4 Lively provide higher sound than the Nothing buds, in addition to ANC, at an identical value. One other interesting choice at across the identical value are the JLab Epic Air Sport ANC, which have ear hooks for a dependable match.
