Wireless headphones are dime a dozen, unless you want a pair that’s on- or over-ear and designed to handle intense workouts. There are plenty of solid options for fitness buffs, including the JLab Epic2 and Jaybird X3, but those are earbuds. Bose’s QuietComfort 35 IIs, meanwhile, are great over-ears, but they’re not made from water-resistant materials — and you want that if you’re using them at the gym. That’s a gap Under Armour hopes to fill with its new Project Rock wireless, on-ear headphones, which are specifically designed for workouts and were created with input from training junkie Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock.
The Project Rock headphones are made from rugged materials (IPX4 rating) with an anti-slip, sweat-resistant liner and breathable ear cushions (that can be removed and washed for easy cleaning). Under Armour claims these features will make them withstand the “toughest gym conditions,” without giving up on sound quality. To take care of the latter, the company is using JBL’s audio technology (40mm drivers), which gives the Project Rocks a crisp, loud sound with rich bass. I listened to some tracks with them and was surprised at how good they sounded. Although they are a bit bass heavy, but not as much as Apple’s Beats headphones, the lows and mids didn’t get drowned out.
One of my favorite things about the Project Rocks were the oversized buttons on the right side. Their size makes it easy to tweak the volume and pause or play songs. I had a bit of trouble figuring out how to skip tracks using the buttons at first, so much so that I had to ask Under Armour if it was even possible to do that. But it is: All you have to do is hold down the volume up or down button to skip forward or backward, respectively. Aside from that, it was simple to figure out the controls, and Bluetooth pairing with my iPhone took about 10 seconds. If you don’t want to use them wirelessly, there’s a handy 3.5mm headphone jack built in.
Naturally, since you’ll likely be taking these to the gym often, the battery life is crucial. The Project Rocks should last around 16 hours, according to Under Armour, and they come with fast-charging tech that’ll give you an hour of audio playback after plugging them in for only five minutes. All in all, UA did a solid job with its latest fitness-focused headphones, as they’re stacked with features that’ll likely appeal to many people who frequent the gym. Even if Dwayne Johnson’s name may only be attached to the Project Rocks for marketing purposes, they look and sound good enough to make a strong first impression.
Better yet, they come with a reasonable price tag. The Project Rock wireless headphones launch today for $249, which isn’t cheap but is still slightly less than others like Bose’s QC35 IIs.
This article originally appeared on Engadget.
