"The Adidas RPT-01 are almost exclusively dedicated to fitness lovers."
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40 hours of battery life
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IPX4 waterproof
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Built to last
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Easy to use controls
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Instructions for conflicting setup
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Tight fit
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Narrow audio range
The $ 169 RPT-01 Sport on-ear headphones from Adidas differ in several ways from the competition, from their functionality to the fabric in which they are wrapped. Sometimes these differences help and sometimes they hurt. It depends on who is wearing them. Athletes may love what these fitness-oriented headphones have to offer, but the occasional listener may not be as receptive.
Out of the box
The headphones are carefully shipped in a black Adidas box. Except for a USB-C charging cable and the standard manufacturer documentation, nothing else is included. The RPT-01 headphones come without a carrying case or carrying case, which is disappointing.
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The setup was a bit strange. The quick start guide tells you to hold down the Control Jog button (on the right ear cup – and yes, that's the official name that Adidas used for it) for 2 seconds to turn the headphones on and put them on in pairing mode. Mode. I haven't been able to put these headphones into pairing mode for my whole life – at least not at first.
After downloading the Adidas headphone app, I was shown slightly changed pairing instructions. The app prompts you to hold the button for 4 seconds, not 2 seconds, to activate the Bluetooth pairing. It's a fraction of a difference, but apparently an important one.
The RPT-01 has built-in Bluetooth 5 technology, and under normal circumstances the connection was solid. Unfortunately, the connection range was average at best. While jogging with my fiancé, she wore the headphones that were connected to my phone and that I carried in a belt pouch.
With most of the earphones I've tested, it can leave me in the dust and still maintain a tight connection. With these, she would be about 15 to 20 feet away before encountering connection problems. This is surprising since we were without obstacles outside.
design
Design is what distinguishes these cans. They do not use plastic or silicone material for their outer cup or ribbon as you would expect. Instead, the headphones are covered with a mesh fabric, with the exception of the inner band. The fabric is not the softest material out there and doesn't provide the most aesthetic look.
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However, it is well suited for the RPT-01 target group: athletes. The ear cushions and the inner band are washable, which can prove helpful after more intensive training sessions. While these headphones are not soft, they feel durable and give the impression that they can easily cope with countless hours in the gym.
Thanks to the guidelines on social distancing, I still haven't returned to the Eisenkirche, so I can't say how well the RPT-01 does when lifting. In the few runs I brought them with, they did well. They are of course heavier than a real wireless earphone alternative, but at 209 grams they are not heavy enough to significantly impair your cardio session. As a reference, one of the most comparable alternatives, the JBL UA Sport Wireless Train, weighs considerably more at 240 grams.
However, I felt that they were aggressive on my admittedly big head. It's better than being too loose, but if I didn't use them primarily for sports, the pressure would eventually become a nuisance.
properties
I am convinced that all headphones and earphones should have a certain water resistance, as they are more and more connected to our everyday life. This applies twice to products that are intended for exercise. Thankfully, the RPT-01 does not disappoint with an IPX4 rating that provides welding and splash protection. The JBL counterpart has the same degree of protection.
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The RPT-01's battery life is impressive, and according to Adidas it offers 40 hours of playback time. If you've only used it for exercise and haven't spent an eternity in the Dwayne Johnson weight room, you may want to top it up about once a month.
Of course, at this price, you probably want to get your money's worth and wear it when you're not pumped up. I had almost a week's work with the RPT-01 and I still have to join for a fee. That's some firm juice for the cost. In particular, both the JBL Train and the more expensive Train Project Rock only offer 16 hours of playback between charges.
I enjoyed the functionality of the "Control Jog" button on the right cup of the RPT-01, which allowed me to pause and resume the music by pressing it regularly. I could skip tracks by switching to the right or left, and switching up and down provided volume. In a world where we too often succumbed to the confusion of multi-pressure functions, this was an easy-to-use breath of fresh air.
Speaking of multiple presses: there is an action button on the left cup. Your preferred voice assistant is called up by pressing once. To my understanding, these can be Google Assistant, Apple's Siri, and Amazon Alexa. Using the Adidas app, which I found surprisingly useful overall, you can program double tap and triple tap functions to access specific playlists, artists or albums via Spotify. This is a nice feature as long as you are a subscriber.
Audio quality
The RPT-01 is primarily a fitness headphone. When it comes to training, it's typical to hear something positive with generous portions of low-end sound.
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Adidas seems to know its audience, because this is where the RPT-01 feels most comfortable. Scrolling through most of the popular Workify workout playlists has shown this, with highlights like Migos & # 39; Walk It Talk It highlighted. The RPT-01 have an abundance of bass and are not afraid to share them.
However, if you move away from the workout playlists, some sound flaws will become apparent. They are still reasonably clear and casual listeners shouldn't have any problems with the audio, but all of these bass-heavy choices hide an average midrange that leaves much to be desired when trying a wider range of music. Overall, these headphones sound good, but they may not be able to satisfy those who are looking for really great sound in different genres.
The app has an equalizer function with various presets to fix the problem, as well as a custom preset that allows you to adjust the frequencies to your liking. I also felt that the built-in microphone did its job well enough when I answered calls. Active noise cancellation would have been desirable at this price, but it is not a requirement.
Our opinion
The Adidas RPT-01 are exactly what I thought – headphones that are almost exclusively dedicated to the gymnastics rats of the world and offer the ideal functions. They just don't pile up very well outside the practice room.
Are there any better alternatives?
The $ 160 JBL UA Sport Wireless Train comes closest to Adidas in price and design, but doesn't have the RPT-01's battery power and only has built-in Bluetooth 4.1 technology. If you don't need headphones to break a sweat, both the $ 200 Razer Opus and the Sony WH-CH710N for $ 199 would be compelling options.
How long will they last?
Adidas built these headphones to accommodate everything fitness enthusiasts can throw at them. So expect them to have some stamina.
Should you buy them
Yes. The design and audio quality may not be translated outside of training, but they are not designed for that. The RPT-01 Sport are headphones for fitness and fit well in this shape.
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