Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Русский
Türkçe
Svenska
Chinese
MagyarBaseus Eli Sport 1 review: Headphones for attentive athletes
Baseus' new Eli Sport 1 are wireless headphones which follow an open-fit concept. Different to with in-ears and over-ears, your ear canals remain unobstructed. They don't feature any noise cancelling—if anything, the user is actively encouraged to keep an awareness of their surroundings. Supposedly, this helps to reduce accidents and injuries when working out in particular.
In order for the Eli Sport 1 to sit securely for the entirety of a workout, Baseus has installed a flexible headband which secures the headphones behind your ears. The Eli Sport 1 are the manufacturer's first headphones to use this type of build. An illuminated ring additionally ensures good visibility and, as a result, further safety. Furthermore, the manufacturer advertizes their thumping bass, runtimes of up to 30 hours and an IPX4 certification.
You can get the Eli Sport 1 in three colors: black, white and green. However, only the headband is green—the rest of the headphones is white and silver. Their MRSP is US$79.99.
| Type | Open-Ear |
|---|---|
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Range | 10 m |
| Speakers | 16.2-mm drivers |
| Audio codecs | not specified |
| Battery | 62 mAh headphones / 600 mAh case |
| Charging connection | USB-C |
| Wireless charging | no |
| Weight | 10 g headphones, 64 g case |
| Firmware version | 1.0.36 |
| Scope of delivery | headphones, charging case, USB-C cable, headband, documentation |
| Price (MRSP) | US$79.99 |
Scope of delivery and setup - The Baseus Eli Sport 1 with a big case
The Eli Sport 1 come in quite a big box. Instructions assist you in removing the headphones safely from all the packaging materials. Taking a look at the headphones' case quickly explains the size of the packaging—compared to conventional in-ears, their charging case is huge.
Baseus also includes a USB cable (USB-A to USB-C), stickers and a cord. The cord is a neck strap which can be clicked into the ends of the earpieces to connect the two. This allows them to be placed around the neck and serves as an additional safety mechanism should the headphones fall out of your ears.
Straight out of the box, the Eli Sport 1 can be used as Bluetooth headphones, however, you can only access all the settings options via the Baseus app. A pairing mode is automatically activated when the headphones' case is opened. When first starting them up, they have to be searched for via a device such as a smartphone. During our test, pairing them worked immediately, even when using a variety of devices.
Unfortunately, the case and headphones are shown as being two separate devices—if you accidentally pair the case, then you can't play any media. Even so, connecting to the case doesn't trigger an error popup and contacts can be shared. This could be reproduced on different devices.
Operation - The Eli Sport 1's touch surfaces are barely usable
The Baseus Eli Sport 1 have touch-sensitive surfaces that can be used to operate them. Our first assumption was that these surfaces are located inside the illuminated rings—but this assumption is wrong. The sensitive surfaces are located underneath the rings. However, they are not marked and cannot be felt.
To make matters worse, the headphones are movable due to their position in front of the ear and offer hardly any resistance when pressed by a finger. Simply pressing on the surface does not trigger anything; the area must be touched at least twice. Possible commands are also press and hold and press three times.
It is nice that the commands can be assigned differently for both sides. However, it is a pity that the commands cannot be freely assigned. The app offers a different selection of commands for double tapping compared to for tapping and holding or triple tapping.
By default, double-tapping on both sides plays or pauses. Tapping and holding reduces (left) and increases (right) the volume. Press three times to skip to the previous (left) or next (right) track. Other options include activating the voice assistant or low latency mode.
Not only the commands can be customized via the app—it also offers an equalizer. In automatic mode, it can recognize the music being played and adjust the tuning correspondingly. Preset modes are also available. Finally, the equalizer can also be adjusted to your own preferences.
Once they are connected, the app displays the headphones' charging status as well as that of their case. A sound can also be played to help you find the headphones. A map display with their last known location should also help you find them. The Eli Sport 1 don't have a wear-recognition function. The headphones can be used individually.
The Eli Sport 1's battery life is really good. Still, we didn't quite manage the 13 hours promised by Baseus in our test. However, even with the volume turned up, the Eli Sport 1 only went out after 9 hours of continuous playback. After 15 minutes in the case, they are then charged to 75 per cent again.
Wearing comfort and sound - The Eli Sport 1 leave your ear canals free
Due to their design, the Eli Sport 1 are very different to in-ear headphones. Because your ear canals remain free, the devices lie mainly on top of your ears and on the back. They can also be combined well with glasses without causing any pressure points.
Their fit is secure—even when cycling or jogging, the headphones grip securely onto your ears. Putting the earpieces around the ear feels unusual at first. In addition, the devices first have to be turned after removing them from the case. The Eli Sport sat on our ears for hours without causing any pain during our test.
The Eli Sport 1's sound is surprisingly rich and clear. Individual preferences can be adjusted using the equalizer. However, the headphones impress straight out of the box with a balanced sound that also features good amounts of bass. There is no annoying background noise and no hissing at low volumes.
Even so, wind noise is particularly noticeable when working out outdoors—especially when cycling. For good sound and intelligible voices, their volume must be raised considerably. A headband or cap, on the other hand, presses the headphones closer to your ears and the volume can then be reduced. Ambient noise still finds its way into your ears—the environment is deliberately not blocked out.
Despite their design, the Eli Sport 1 headphones do not fill your entire surroundings with sound. Only at very high volumes is your music clearly audible to bystanders. Their maximum volume could do with being a little higher. In our test, we also noted occasional slight jerks during music playback, which couldn't be explained by a poor connection.
Phone calls are not a strong point of the Eli SPort 1. The wearer's voice is transmitted quietly and the connection is sometimes a little choppy for both parties. It is sufficient for short phone calls, but it is not comfortable.
Pros
+ good sound
+ long runtimes
+ fast charging inside case
+ secure and comfortable fit
+ adjustments can be made via app
Cons
– fiddly touch controls
– poor telephone quality
– connection problems at times
Verdict - Headphones for attentive athletes
Baseus' Eli Sport 1 are aimed at everyone who doesn't like in-ear headphones and those who don't want to lose awareness of their surroundings despite listening to music. The Eli Sport 1 impressed us with their full sound and good customization options via the app.
The Eli Sport 1 sound good and boast great endurance—their operation simply leaves some room for improvement.
Wearing comfort and battery life are also clear plus points of these headphones. However, both the headphones and the case are quite large and don't fit well into trouser pockets. In addition, although the controls on the headphones can be customized, the surfaces are difficult to hit.
Although their shape is completely different, the Baseus Eli Sport 1 appeal to a similar target group as Huawei with its FreeClip and Shokz with its OpenFit. However, the Baseus headphones are significantly cheaper.
Price and availability
The Baseus Eli Sport 1 have an MRSP of US$79.99 and at the time of writing, they can be purchased from Amazon for US$69.99.
Transparency
The present review sample was given to the author by the manufacturer free of charge for the purposes of review. There was no third-party influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.
