Customer testimonial: Mike Mylonas

We're amped to share this customer written review of the all new earshots. See below in Mikes words his experience with Earshots from August 2020 until now. Mike preferred to let his words speak for themselves without pictures. 

Now I don’t exactly think that I look like the classic “earshots” demographic for users. Here I am as a 50-year-old overweight male, who enjoys getting out and about, doing regular walks, the occasional jog/waddle, and riding my bike on really sedate paths and trails. I am not an extreme sports junkie, endurance sports or downhill MTB racer by any stretch of the imagination. Heck, even calling me a weekend warrior might be slightly offensive to weekend warriors.

All the above being said, the one commonality is that I like being outdoors and trying hard not to be a couch potato.

I originally had purchased version 1 of the earshots back in August 2020 and had used them on various adventures and outings. I was always impressed by the earshots, as I had used earbuds from a major manufacturer and always had fitting issues or one bud that would fall out. In fact, the end of the earbuds came about when I was being buzzed by a bug around my head, and I flicked it away from the side of my head, and my earbud went flying out, never to be found again. The earshots always stayed in place and sounded comparable to anything else I had used at the time, so they became my go-to device. Were they perfect? No, I occasionally had issues with pairing them to my phone. Sometimes only one would pair etc. But this was definitely a problem that was (a) infrequent, and (b) could have been my phone as well, and by going through the pairing process, I could always manage to get them to work. As I mentioned above, I am older and overweight, so any excuse to avoid heading out to exercise will quite often be taken. I am a firm believer that exercise should be enjoyable and music helps get me there.

Fast forward to the end of 2021, and I had the opportunity to obtain a new set of earshots, version 2. Who was I to turn such an option down. So I paid my money and duly received my new earshots. Well, the first thing, if you ever need to deal with a company with outstanding service earshots, is up there. I do love New Zealand companies and small companies doing big things, and I have to say that earshots are responsive, helpful and super friendly. In one of my email exchanges, I was contacted by the founder and inventor of earshots. He was the one doing the mahi over the holiday period. I have to say, very approachable and consistently excellent service.

As expected, the earshots’ packaging, as previously, was minimal, environmentally friendly, and serviceable. No need for flashy packaging here. The case, which houses the earshots, looks more utilitarian than the previous version. The vastly improved location of the socket for the charging cable and charge indicator lights makes much more sense than the previous.

Time for the earshots. They look quite different. I have to say that personally, I prefer the new look. It seems more modern, almost more futuristic in look, and the finish, while fine on the version 1 earshots, just looks more professional. Pairing, in some ways, I was dreading this, over the years with different devices. Bluetooth pairing always seems to be hit and miss at times. Well, I read the instructions, and on taking the earshots out of the case, they paired, almost with zero human intervention. The only thing I had to do, confirm the pairing with my phone, and they were good to go.

One really noticeable difference is the fit. When I first fitted them, the right ear fitted really well, had no issues, seemed quite natural. The left ear, I could not get it to sit right. The magnet would not hold the device in place. In fact, it seemed to repel the earpiece rather than hold it in, and it was pretty frustrating. So I did something that I don’t usually do, and I read the instructions. The new versions have an adjustable earpiece for a better fit, so I tried changing that. Did it help? Well no. More frustration, so I reread the instructions. Yes, I had only skimmed it before, reading what I thought I needed to read. Readjusted the earpiece, as I had taken it from one extreme to the other, and I took it back to the starting point and adjusted the piece one click. Placed it over my ear and straight away felt that reassuring tug of the magnet engaging and holding everything where it should be. The fit for me is superb. One thing that I have noticed with the fit of the previous version, after a long session, my ear feels a little uncomfortable. I have not had the same experience with these. I feel like I could wear these all day long with no problems.

So I like the look, I like the fit, and I like the company, but ultimately everything stands on how they sound and how they last. Well, first of all, the control buttons are much more practical for those of us with bigger fingers, they are more tactile, and there is confidence in that you know you have pressed the button. I had always thought that the version 1 earshots had pretty good sound quality, and I stand behind that statement. Still, version 2’s clearly and easily surpass that. I listen to a wide variety of music, and they sound great. On one of my little adventures, I took the dog for a long walk, and I spent my time walking around a trail listening to a podcast. The clarity was great for speech as it was for the music. So just the other night at work, I looked at some of my study material. I popped my earshots on, paired them to my laptop and listened to an online lecture without disturbing any of my colleagues, and they were great. I have used them to make and receive phone calls, and yes, the microphone picks up a bit of wind noise, which is really not surprising, but they do work, and again, a significant improvement over the previous model.

So, would I recommend earshots? Absolutely. For me, they offer so much that they actually add value to my adventures. Yes, my adventures may not be as extreme, remote or as long as someone else, but they are mine, and I still enjoy them. Would I recommend upgrading a set of version 1 earshots to version 2? Everyone’s mileage on this one will differ, as there is also a significant cost factor. The first version of the earshots is still a great option, in my opinion, and I would be more than happy to rock them every day. That being said, I find the newest version an excellent upgrade, and now that I have version 2, I would not want to be without them.

One wonders what earshots have in store for us in the future ... personally, I am excited to see what they can achieve and bring to the market next. 

Do you have something to say about your experience with earshots? Feel free to email your review to johnelle@earshots.com and you could have your review featured on our blog too.