No bargain, but still among the top wireless sports earphones

Hot on the heels of the Solo 2, the sequel to its uber-popular on-ear model, Beats has now introduced the Powerbeats 2 Wireless, a Bluetooth version of its Powerbeats sports earphones.

The original wired Powerbeats have been on the market for a while but got a boost in recent years, thanks to basketball star LeBron James promoting them in a memorable US television ad. Beats says the new model has been inspired by James, and he is credited as a “co-creator.”

At $200 (equivalent to around £120 and AU$210, with official UK and Australian prices yet to be announced), the Powerbeats2 Wireless is a pretty pricey headphone. But that may not bother you if you’re looking for a comfortable, lightweight Bluetooth sports headphone that performs well.

Beats Powerbeats 2 Wireless product photos
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Design

The earphones are sweatproof — but not waterproof — and come in white, red, and the black you see here. In many ways they’re reminiscent of the earlier, corded Powerbeats, with the same ear hooks that help keep the headphones securely on your head.

These new hooks have some bend to them (they’re pliable) and you can customize the shape to fit around your ear better. While it took a little tinkering (bending the hooks), I got the headphones to fit pretty snugly — overall I liked the way they fit, and you can adjust the cord length with the little crimp that’s included.

The headphones come with a few different sizes of silicone eartips. Beats reps told me that, depending on the eartips you choose, you can opt to go for a tighter seal or leave some breathing room to let ambient noise in for safety reasons. Many people like to be able to hear cars coming when they’re running or biking. (For the record, Beats marketing material says, “Powerbeats earphones are specially designed to pump clear bass at any volume while letting in ambient noise, making sure athletes stay safe while training,” so it seems that they aren’t meant to be jammed in your ears like many in-ear models).

Personally, I wasn’t able to get a tight seal with any of the eartips, so I was always left with a more open fit. When that happens, you do lose a little bass, but the only time I found the looser fit to be a real problem was when I was in an environment where there was a lot of noise — the New York City subway, for example.

As you might expect, the headphone also doubles as a headset. A three-button inline remote and microphone are built into the cord for making hands-free calls. If you have an iOS device such as an iPhone or iPad, you can skip tracks forward and back and adjust volume. However, if you have a Windows or Android phone, you can only adjust the volume and use the middle button to answer and end calls. (In other words, this is a “Made for iPhone” headphone.)