Summary
Just before to the year 2023, I had never heard of Baseus. My interest in the Bowie MA10 wireless earphones was piqued when the firm provided them to me, and I became an immediate fan. These earphones are available for a price that is far less than fifty dollars, and they feature about everything that you could possibly desire. Therefore, when Baseus asked if it could give me the Eli Sport 1, which is the company’s first pair of open-ear wireless earbuds, I excitedly leaped at the opportunity to test them out.
Baseus Eli Sport 1 review
With costs ranging from $150 to $300, the open-ear headphones that are at the top of the category are not inexpensive. My expectation was that Baseus would once again provide a product that was far superior than what was sold at the price that was recommended. The $80 Eli Sport 1 did not disappoint me in any way.
The majority of the functions that you could possibly desire are there, and they have a surprisingly decent sound to them. What you need to know is explained here.
Design with open ears
Considering that open-ear headphones and earbuds are still a relatively new category, I will begin by giving you a brief overview of the differences between open-ear headphones and traditional wireless earbuds. In accordance with the implication of their name, they are “open,” which indicates that they do not sit in your ear and will not obstruct your ear canal.
Both comfort and awareness of the surrounding environment are the two most significant benefits of this design. You could listen to the Eli Sport 1 at a volume level that is quite comfortable for you, and you would still be able to hear critical noises in the environment, such as the horns of passing vehicles or someone calling your name. It is a significant advantage for those who run, ride bicycles, or do other activities that put them in situations where the ability to hear noises from the outside world might significantly impact their safety.
That equation also includes a negative part, which is the downside. You will never be able to completely filter out noises from the outside world, and this may be a source of frustration at times, particularly when listening to material that is performed verbally, such as podcasts or phone conversations. A tiny price to pay, however, for people who are concerned about the events that are occurring in their immediate environment.
Black, white, and the green and white combination that our review unit came in are the three colors that are available for the Eli Sport 1. In spite of the fact that Baseus claims that the green hue shines in the dark, I am more inclined to think of it as having very high visibility.
There are (some) links connected
while you remove them from their charging case and insert them into (or on) your ears, the great majority of open-ear earbuds are identical to ordinary wireless earbuds in the sense that there is no straightforward and clear method to deal with them while they are not being worn during the time that they are not being used.
There are two options: either you put them in your pocket or you carry the case with you wherever you go, neither of which is the best option.
On the other hand, the Eli Sport 1 comes with a neck lanyard that is a perfect fit for the watch. The plastic ends of the lanyard twist-lock onto the rear of the earhooks of the earbuds, and the lanyard itself features an adjustable plastic cinch that allows you to adjust the fit from tight to barely there. Because I found the Eli Sport 1 to be so secure on their own, I did not feel the need to use the lanyard for reasons related to fit. However, the lanyard proved to be incredibly practical for those instances in which I wished to temporarily remove either of them. You are familiar with what I mean if you have ever been on a flight and been instructed to remove your headphones in order to listen to the safety message.
There is just one other open-ear design that I have seen that utilizes this hybrid method, and that is the $170 Soundcore AeroFit Pro. The design of the Soundcore headphones is semi-rigid, however the open-ear headphones come with a neckband that can be removed. It is adjustable, but it is not very flexible. This means that it has a tendency to impact the alignment of the earbuds on your ears, which may significantly diminish the quality of the music. The lanyard that comes with the Baseus may not be as sturdy, but it is far less invasive.
An elegant case
It is not possible to put the earphones back into the charging case after the lanyard has been linked to them, which is the only criticism I have. On the other hand, if you gently wrap the lanyard around the buds, you will be able to retrieve the disconnected lanyard from the case.
I think the design of the case for the Eli Sport 1 is very fantastic. Even though open-ear cases are often somewhat cumbersome due to the size of the earbuds, this particular case appears and feels lighter and thinner than the majority of others. This is because the earbuds are larger than the casing. The Eli Sport 1 has a really distinctive design, which includes what I’ve come to think of as Baseus’ signature shining LED ring indicators (the Bowie MA10 also has these), and the clear polycarbonate clamshell lid allows you to view them. Additionally, the top allows you to see the charging indication LED that is located on the casing.
It is unfortunate that the case does not enable wireless charging; but, at this price point, there are not many open-ear earbuds that do offer this feature. Additionally, I am uncertain about how well the lid will withstand scratches over time.
Cozy and safe to be in
My own experience has shown that even the least comfortable open-ear earbuds are still highly pleasant for extended periods of time. In most cases, they are more comfortable for a longer amount of time than semi-open (like Apple AirPods) or closed (like Apple AirPods Pro) wireless earbuds. Moreover, the Eli Sport 1 are without a doubt among the most comfortable open-ear headphones that I have experienced up to this point.
A soft-finish plastic is used to cover the primary speaker pod as well as the rear ear-hook pod/lanyard connection. Additionally, the connecting wire for the titanium is wrapped in an even softer silicone. In addition to having a pleasant sensation on the skin, the titanium wire is very flexible, which means that it should be able to accommodate a broad range of ear shapes and sizes.
As I said before, they provide a great deal of grip when they are worn, and once they are in place, they almost do not move at all. This includes when you are laying down to do some bench presses (or maybe even while you are taking a sleep) or when you are carrying weights or other things with your head on the ground.
When wearing glasses, there are certain concessions that must be made, as is the case with all earhook designs. I discovered that the hook wires were sufficiently thin to be able to coexist with the limbs of my spectacles in the event that it was necessary; nevertheless, this did result in a little decrease in comfort. If the glasses issue is a major concern for you, you may want to think about getting open-ear headphones with ear clips, such as the Bose Open Ultra Earbuds. However, considering that they cost $300, I’m not sure I could contemplate justifying the amount just based on how well they fit.
Controls that are fundamental
Well, touch controls may be a little uncomfortable at times. My experience has shown that they function most well when the touch area of an earbud covers practically the whole surface of the earbud. Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 4 are very outstanding in this regard. However, when the touch area does not cover the full surface, you may have some difficulties.
The Eli Sport 1 is an example of this kind of vehicle. Despite the fact that they have a big outside surface that seems to be completely touch sensitive, the only part of the surface that can be touched is the section that is located behind the circular LED indication.
When it comes to tapping and aiming for the back of the speaker pod, this indicates that you will need to be more deliberate in your actions moving forward. Additionally, since there is no confirmation tone that is produced when taps are correctly recorded, the only way to determine whether or not your tap was successful is whether it performed the actions that you anticipated it would do.
The encouraging news is that taps are nearly always recognized, provided that they are received in the appropriate location.
Right out of the box, you have the ability to control playback, skip tracks, and adjust the volume. By adding a command for low-latency mode or access to your voice assistant, you have the choice to do so; however, these commands will take the place of a command to skip tracks or to play or stop the music. The only gestures that are not allowed to be used for other commands are those that control the volume, although you have the option to disable it if you do not need it.
Look at that bass!
Low-frequency sound is the one area in which open-ear earbuds are virtually always lacking when it comes to performance. Because the distance between the speaker and our eardrum is not sealed, bass has a tendency to be lost during the transition. This is because there are too many noises from the outside world that may wash it away. It is for this reason that a pair of earbuds with silicone tips that fit snugly will often provide you with the optimum bass performance.
Despite this, the Eli Sport 1 is able to provide an amazing level of bass preservation; in fact, it is superior to almost every other open-ear headphones that I have tested.
This is the case while utilizing the default settings; but, when you activate the low-frequency amplification mode that is available as an optional feature inside the Baseus app, the effect becomes very noticeable. Any further tweaks to the equalization settings are rendered null and void, and the result is a sound that is notably boomy and heavy on the lows.
Because of the associated decrease in clarity across the mids and highs, you won’t want to use it for listening to music on a casual basis. This mode, on the other hand, will bring you to the point where you need a hammering beat to keep you going, whether you are at the gym or out on a run.
For the vast majority of musical styles, the default tuning is an excellent choice since it provides a pleasant balance and a clear delivery. In the higher registers, I found it to be a little bit harsh, but happily, the Equalization Mode provides a very large number of settings to choose from if you are seeking for anything particular. It is not always beneficial to read the labels, as is the case with many EQ settings. When I pressed the buttons for the DJ, the HiFi, or the Theater, I wasn’t sure what I was anticipating, but what I heard was not what I had anticipated. Consequently, you should disregard those labels and just tap about until you discover one that you like, and then remember which one it was.
Even when the volume is turned up to its highest setting, the Eli Sport 1 does not seem to produce a particularly loud sound, as I discovered. In the EQ Mode settings, be sure you go all the way down to the bottom of the presets and then press the Custom option. I am not quite sure why this is happening, but there is a solution.
This grants you access to an equalizer with eight bands, which you are free to adjust to your heart’s delight. Furthermore, it provides a significant increase to the existing volume level, which is of greater significance. In order to achieve the same level of loudness, I was able to reduce the volume on my iPhone 14 to 60% after entering this mode with the volume set to 90%. Moreover, I was able to carefully lower the volume of certain high frequencies that were causing me annoyance while at the same time giving the bass a boost. This was a balance that I was unable to obtain by utilizing the defaults.
It is true that the Eli Sport 1 is not able to compete with much more costly versions in terms of sound quality, such as the Oladance OWS Pro, which costs $229, or the Bose Open Ultra Earbuds, which cost $300. However, this does not mean that they have to: for less than one hundred dollars, you will not find anything that sounds better.
Calls from the wind
Because they are comfortable and allow you to hear your own speech as naturally as if you were not wearing earphones at all, open-ear earbuds are an excellent choice for making phone calls and attending meetings that take place indoors.
When used in this manner, the Eli Sport 1 display a high level of efficiency, particularly due to their capacity to handle dual simultaneous device connections via the utilization of Bluetooth Multipoint. Even if you are outside, you will still be able to enjoy the natural sound, but your people who call you can be annoyed by the wind noise. In addition, the software does not do much to adjust for the fact that the microphones do not have much protection from the wind.
If you want to be able to receive calls from work while you are also commuting on a bike or jogging, this can be an issue for you.
Battery life span
In comparison to typical wireless earbuds, I have grown to anticipate that open-ear earbuds would have a longer battery life than traditional wireless earbuds. However, the Eli Sport 1 offers a more conventional level of endurance, with a stated 7.5 hours of battery life each charge and a total of 30 hours when the charging case is taken into consideration.
In addition to that, there is a quick-charge function that allows you to get two more hours of entertainment for only ten minutes of being in the case.
I would not think twice about purchasing the Eli Sport 1 earbuds at the price of $80, which is already one of the finest ba
Just before to the year 2023, I had never heard of Baseus. My interest in the Bowie MA10 wireless earphones was piqued when the firm provided them to me, and I became an immediate fan. These earphones are available for a price that is far less than fifty dollars, and they feature about everything that you could possibly desire. Therefore, when Baseus asked if it could give me the Eli Sport 1, which is the company’s first pair of open-ear wireless earbuds, I excitedly leaped at the opportunity to test them out.
With costs ranging from $150 to $300, the open-ear headphones that are at the top of the category are not inexpensive. My expectation was that Baseus would once again provide a product that was far superior than what was sold at the price that was recommended. The $80 Eli Sport 1 did not disappoint me in any way.
The majority of the functions that you could possibly desire are there, and they have a surprisingly decent sound to them. What you need to know is explained here.
Design with open ears
Considering that open-ear headphones and earbuds are still a relatively new category, I will begin by giving you a brief overview of the differences between open-ear headphones and traditional wireless earbuds. In accordance with the implication of their name, they are “open,” which indicates that they do not sit in your ear and will not obstruct your ear canal.
Both comfort and awareness of the surrounding environment are the two most significant benefits of this design. You could listen to the Eli Sport 1 at a volume level that is quite comfortable for you, and you would still be able to hear critical noises in the environment, such as the horns of passing vehicles or someone calling your name. It is a significant advantage for those who run, ride bicycles, or do other activities that put them in situations where the ability to hear noises from the outside world might significantly impact their safety.
That equation also includes a negative part, which is the downside. You will never be able to completely filter out noises from the outside world, and this may be a source of frustration at times, particularly when listening to material that is performed verbally, such as podcasts or phone conversations. A tiny price to pay, however, for people who are concerned about the events that are occurring in their immediate environment.
Black, white, and the green and white combination that our review unit came in are the three colors that are available for the Eli Sport 1. In spite of the fact that Baseus claims that the green hue shines in the dark, I am more inclined to think of it as having very high visibility.
There are (some) links connected
while you remove them from their charging case and insert them into (or on) your ears, the great majority of open-ear earbuds are identical to ordinary wireless earbuds in the sense that there is no straightforward and clear method to deal with them while they are not being worn during the time that they are not being used.
There are two options: either you put them in your pocket or you carry the case with you wherever you go, neither of which is the best option.
On the other hand, the Eli Sport 1 comes with a neck lanyard that is a perfect fit for the watch. The plastic ends of the lanyard twist-lock onto the rear of the earhooks of the earbuds, and the lanyard itself features an adjustable plastic cinch that allows you to adjust the fit from tight to barely there. Because I found the Eli Sport 1 to be so secure on their own, I did not feel the need to use the lanyard for reasons related to fit. However, the lanyard proved to be incredibly practical for those instances in which I wished to temporarily remove either of them. You are familiar with what I mean if you have ever been on a flight and been instructed to remove your headphones in order to listen to the safety message.
There is just one other open-ear design that I have seen that utilizes this hybrid method, and that is the $170 Soundcore AeroFit Pro. The design of the Soundcore headphones is semi-rigid, however the open-ear headphones come with a neckband that can be removed. It is adjustable, but it is not very flexible. This means that it has a tendency to impact the alignment of the earbuds on your ears, which may significantly diminish the quality of the music. The lanyard that comes with the Baseus may not be as sturdy, but it is far less invasive.
An elegant case
It is not possible to put the earphones back into the charging case after the lanyard has been linked to them, which is the only criticism I have. On the other hand, if you gently wrap the lanyard around the buds, you will be able to retrieve the disconnected lanyard from the case.
I think the design of the case for the Eli Sport 1 is very fantastic. Even though open-ear cases are often somewhat cumbersome due to the size of the earbuds, this particular case appears and feels lighter and thinner than the majority of others. This is because the earbuds are larger than the casing. The Eli Sport 1 has a really distinctive design, which includes what I’ve come to think of as Baseus’ signature shining LED ring indicators (the Bowie MA10 also has these), and the clear polycarbonate clamshell lid allows you to view them. Additionally, the top allows you to see the charging indication LED that is located on the casing.
It is unfortunate that the case does not enable wireless charging; but, at this price point, there are not many open-ear earbuds that do offer this feature. Additionally, I am uncertain about how well the lid will withstand scratches over time.
Cozy and safe to be in
My own experience has shown that even the least comfortable open-ear earbuds are still highly pleasant for extended periods of time. In most cases, they are more comfortable for a longer amount of time than semi-open (like Apple AirPods) or closed (like Apple AirPods Pro) wireless earbuds. Moreover, the Eli Sport 1 are without a doubt among the most comfortable open-ear headphones that I have experienced up to this point.
A soft-finish plastic is used to cover the primary speaker pod as well as the rear ear-hook pod/lanyard connection. Additionally, the connecting wire for the titanium is wrapped in an even softer silicone. In addition to having a pleasant sensation on the skin, the titanium wire is very flexible, which means that it should be able to accommodate a broad range of ear shapes and sizes.
As I said before, they provide a great deal of grip when they are worn, and once they are in place, they almost do not move at all. This includes when you are laying down to do some bench presses (or maybe even while you are taking a sleep) or when you are carrying weights or other things with your head on the ground.
When wearing glasses, there are certain concessions that must be made, as is the case with all earhook designs. I discovered that the hook wires were sufficiently thin to be able to coexist with the limbs of my spectacles in the event that it was necessary; nevertheless, this did result in a little decrease in comfort. If the glasses issue is a major concern for you, you may want to think about getting open-ear headphones with ear clips, such as the Bose Open Ultra Earbuds. However, considering that they cost $300, I’m not sure I could contemplate justifying the amount just based on how well they fit.
Controls that are fundamental
Well, touch controls may be a little uncomfortable at times. My experience has shown that they function most well when the touch area of an earbud covers practically the whole surface of the earbud. Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 4 are very outstanding in this regard. However, when the touch area does not cover the full surface, you may have some difficulties.
The Eli Sport 1 is an example of this kind of vehicle. Despite the fact that they have a big outside surface that seems to be completely touch sensitive, the only part of the surface that can be touched is the section that is located behind the circular LED indication.
When it comes to tapping and aiming for the back of the speaker pod, this indicates that you will need to be more deliberate in your actions moving forward. Additionally, since there is no confirmation tone that is produced when taps are correctly recorded, the only way to determine whether or not your tap was successful is whether it performed the actions that you anticipated it would do.
The encouraging news is that taps are nearly always recognized, provided that they are received in the appropriate location.
Right out of the box, you have the ability to control playback, skip tracks, and adjust the volume. By adding a command for low-latency mode or access to your voice assistant, you have the choice to do so; however, these commands will take the place of a command to skip tracks or to play or stop the music. The only gestures that are not allowed to be used for other commands are those that control the volume, although you have the option to disable it if you do not need it.
Look at that bass!
Low-frequency sound is the one area in which open-ear earbuds are virtually always lacking when it comes to performance. Because the distance between the speaker and our eardrum is not sealed, bass has a tendency to be lost during the transition. This is because there are too many noises from the outside world that may wash it away. It is for this reason that a pair of earbuds with silicone tips that fit snugly will often provide you with the optimum bass performance.
Despite this, the Eli Sport 1 is able to provide an amazing level of bass preservation; in fact, it is superior to almost every other open-ear headphones that I have tested.
This is the case while utilizing the default settings; but, when you activate the low-frequency amplification mode that is available as an optional feature inside the Baseus app, the effect becomes very noticeable. Any further tweaks to the equalization settings are rendered null and void, and the result is a sound that is notably boomy and heavy on the lows.
Because of the associated decrease in clarity across the mids and highs, you won’t want to use it for listening to music on a casual basis. This mode, on the other hand, will bring you to the point where you need a hammering beat to keep you going, whether you are at the gym or out on a run.
For the vast majority of musical styles, the default tuning is an excellent choice since it provides a pleasant balance and a clear delivery. In the higher registers, I found it to be a little bit harsh, but happily, the Equalization Mode provides a very large number of settings to choose from if you are seeking for anything particular. It is not always beneficial to read the labels, as is the case with many EQ settings. When I pressed the buttons for the DJ, the HiFi, or the Theater, I wasn’t sure what I was anticipating, but what I heard was not what I had anticipated. Consequently, you should disregard those labels and just tap about until you discover one that you like, and then remember which one it was.
Even when the volume is turned up to its highest setting, the Eli Sport 1 does not seem to produce a particularly loud sound, as I discovered. In the EQ Mode settings, be sure you go all the way down to the bottom of the presets and then press the Custom option. I am not quite sure why this is happening, but there is a solution.
This grants you access to an equalizer with eight bands, which you are free to adjust to your heart’s delight. Furthermore, it provides a significant increase to the existing volume level, which is of greater significance. In order to achieve the same level of loudness, I was able to reduce the volume on my iPhone 14 to 60% after entering this mode with the volume set to 90%. Moreover, I was able to carefully lower the volume of certain high frequencies that were causing me annoyance while at the same time giving the bass a boost. This was a balance that I was unable to obtain by utilizing the defaults.
It is true that the Eli Sport 1 is not able to compete with much more costly versions in terms of sound quality, such as the Oladance OWS Pro, which costs $229, or the Bose Open Ultra Earbuds, which cost $300. However, this does not mean that they have to: for less than one hundred dollars, you will not find anything that sounds better.
Calls from the wind
Because they are comfortable and allow you to hear your own speech as naturally as if you were not wearing earphones at all, open-ear earbuds are an excellent choice for making phone calls and attending meetings that take place indoors.
When used in this manner, the Eli Sport 1 display a high level of efficiency, particularly due to their capacity to handle dual simultaneous device connections via the utilization of Bluetooth Multipoint. Even if you are outside, you will still be able to enjoy the natural sound, but your people who call you can be annoyed by the wind noise. In addition, the software does not do much to adjust for the fact that the microphones do not have much protection from the wind.
If you want to be able to receive calls from work while you are also commuting on a bike or jogging, this can be an issue for you.
Battery life span
In comparison to typical wireless earbuds, I have grown to anticipate that open-ear earbuds would have a longer battery life than traditional wireless earbuds. However, the Eli Sport 1 offers a more conventional level of endurance, with a stated 7.5 hours of battery life each charge and a total of 30 hours when the charging case is taken into consideration.
In addition to that, there is a quick-charge function that allows you to get two more hours of entertainment for only ten minutes of being in the case.
I would not think twice about purchasing the Eli Sport 1 earbuds at the price of $80, which is already one of the finest bargains in the open-ear earbuds category. I would not hesitate to get them for that kind of money.
Baseus, on the other hand, is one of those firms that consistently offers discounts on its items on Amazon. These discounts range anywhere from ten to thirty percent off the price of eighty dollars, making the products incredibly appealing. For that kind of money, even if you aren’t sure whether open-ear headphones are the correct choice for you, you should still consider purchasing them.
rgains in the open-ear earbuds category. I would not hesitate to get them for that kind of money.
Baseus, on the other hand, is one of those firms that consistently offers discounts on its items on Amazon. These discounts range anywhere from ten to thirty percent off the price of eighty dollars, making the products incredibly appealing. For that kind of money, even if you aren’t sure whether open-ear headphones are the correct choice for you, you should still consider purchasing them.
