Nike Aero Sport Headphones review

Nike Aero Sport Headphones Review

Reviewed by: Jasmine France

Reviewed on: 3 July 2009

There are two major reasons to swap the headphones that came packaged with your MP3 player. The first is sound quality and the second is fit. The relative importance of each will vary depending on the user. If you mainly use your MP3 player at the gym, getting a pair of headphones that both fit securely and offer some sweat resistance is key. The £40 Nike Aero Sport Headphones certainly fit the bill there, and, although music doesn't sound great through this set, the sleek and sweatproof design may appeal to some.

Design
The Nike Aero Sport Headphones consist of two sleek, white, shiny plastic discs that contain flat speaker drivers that rest on the outside of the ear. These are attached by a thin, plastic neckband that loops over the top of the ear and then behind the head. A single thin white cable extends from the middle of the neckband so that you can keep the cord behind your arms during activity. Nike also includes a disc-shaped shirt clip for further cable management. Overall, it's a sleek and stylish design that will appeal to those who appreciate the Apple aesthetic.

Unfortunately, the hard plastic loop that holds the headphones in place chafed our ears after about half an hour of use

A few of the other physical aspects of the Aero Sport Headphones are worth calling out. The first is that, although the set fits very securely during vigorous activity, the hard plastic of the ear loops isn't particularly comfortable and tended to chafe our ears after about 30 minutes of wear. On the plus side, the earphones are extremely sweat-resistant and easy to clean, thanks to their plastic design and rubber earpads. We also like that they don't block out outside noise, since that makes them appropriate for both street runners and gym goers.

Performance
Unfortunately, the actual sound quality offered by the Aero Sport Headphones is far from impressive. High-end details are muted, bass is lacking, and mids are exceptionally forward. It sounds like someone took the EQ and adjusted it heavily towards the middle range. Music is, however, clear, with no distortion, and spoken-word audio comes through just fine. Excellent sound quality may not be a consideration if you're just using the headphones in the gym anyway.

Conclusion
We don't recommend the Nike Aero Sport Headphones for day-to-day use, but they're a decent option for when you're working out.

Additional editing by Charles Kloet