I've never had a pair of Beats headphones... I know that at some point, they were all the rage with the general population... especially the younger crowd... due to some clever marketing, the association with Dr. Dre, and the "professional" tuning, and then purchasing by Apple (so more marketing...). From the audio review sites that I've looked at, they have always scored relatively average... and definitely not as good as JBL, Bose, Sony, or Sennheiser. Those tend to be just good, and don't seem to just tell everyone about it.

However, recently, I lost my Sony neckbands... which is really annoying, seeing as I bought them not so long ago after my old ones failed after nearly ten years of use. I'm still not sure where they slipped off me... or if I have just put them in a pouch or pocket for safekeeping. In fact, that was the most annoying thing about them... they did keep slipping off! But they had great sound... and weren't that expensive.

But I needed to replace them, as I couldn't keep using my Bose full headphones everywhere when doing the food shopping (when I like to listen to podcasts...). Plus, those headphones are just too bulky, and I need to have something that I can just slip into a jacket pocket... so that I can forget where I left them!

On a recent trip to the office supply shop, I figured that I would just impulse buy a set of light headphones... and I settled on these Beats Flex ones. They were cheap, and although Beats weren't going to be my first go-to choice... it was in stock and cheap... and should be decent enough.

So, a quick start guide... nothing too out of the ordinary. Decently fast pairing... no problems, and simple enough controls... even thought most of the buttons are in slightly different locations to where I expect them. The auto play/pause on magnetic connection is pretty nifty... but slightly annoying too, as it will start before you have the things in your ear! I might end up turning this off... there needs to be a delay of a second or two on this.

Pretty standard cable shipping... a USB-C to USB-C short cable for charging. I notice that there were some horrible reviews (customer ones...) that complained that there wasn't a charger, and that they could connect the USB-C end to anything. I'm a tech-nerd, I have USB-C connections pretty much everywhere, and I can't wait for the older USB-A form factor to die off so that I don't need to maintain a mix of cables!

The Beats Flex does have a nice stiffer cable that runs around your neck... combined with a sort of "stickier" housing/cable means that it feels nice a secure on your neck... I'm not going to dropping this down the back of my t-shirt... or end up fishing it out of the front of my pants!

Beats... Apple. No thanks!

The Beats app (on android) is remarkably useless... some switches for the button features. But no EQ settings... which SHOULD be STANDARD on all digital headphones these days.

... and that does suck a bit, as I find that the bass response is a bit lacking on these earpieces. Due to the lack of over-ear cover and no noise cancelling... you do need a bit more bass punch to make things sound "right". Ah well, it is still clear enough, but I do miss it a bit in music and podcasts... especially compared to the recently misplaced Sony variants!

At the moment, the biggest complaint on the hardware side is the completely open USB-C port! I've never seen this on headphones of this type... and it means that there is absolutely no water ingress protection. Surely a little flap wouldn't have cost that much more... and you wouldn't need to pay for certification if you didn't want to. Just a flap...

Verdict: Cheap, good enough... but not a standout. Next time, I will spend a little bit more for a better brand name that will have better audio quality. That said, it still works for what I need it for!

I can also be found cross-posting at:
Hive
Steem
Publish0x

Handy Crypto Tools

Ledger Nano S/X: Keep your crypto safe and offline with the leading hardware wallet provider. Not your keys, not your crypto!
Binance: My first choice of centralised exchange, featuring a wide variety of crypto and savings products.
WooX: The centralised version of WooFi. Stake WOO for fee-free trades and free withdrawals!
GMX.io: Decentralised perpetual futures trading on Arbitrum!
Coinbase: If you need a regulated and safe environment to trade, this is the first exchange for most newcomers!
Crypto.com: Mixed feelings, but they have the BEST looking VISA debit card in existence! Seriously, it is beautiful!
CoinList: Access to early investor and crowdsale of vetted and reserached projects.
Cointracking: Automated or manual tracking of crypto for accounting and taxation reports.
KuCoin: I still use this exchange to take part in the Spotlight and Burning Drop launches.