Senso ActivBuds S-250 Bluetooth Sport Headphone Review

Intro

If you’re looking for the people’s choice in inexpensive Bluetooth sports headphones…then look no further than the Senso. You won’t find this Amazon #1 best seller listed as Activbuds; rather simply “Senso Bluetooth Headphones.” These headphones have a lot going on. For starters, they come with a cool lightning/micro usb convertible cable and a dual port USB car charger. They’re packing an IPX7 waterproof rating, Bluetooth 4.1+EDR, and CVC 6.0 passive noise reduction. This means you can connect to two smart phones at once. Check out the end of this blog for a full list of features.

Hands On

It’s hard to gauge performance unless the Senso’s are compared to something in a similar niche. Therefore comparisons will be made between the Senso and Zeus Outdoor Bluetooth Headphones. The Zeus Outdoor’s are similar in many respects, including price and design. The Senso’s come in a red/black or a grey/black color scheme that more closely resembles the Zeus’.

Initial pairing on the Senso’s was straight forward. The ear hook design makes security a sure thing, something I was concerned about initially in ear fin headphones like the Jaybird X3’s. The round portion of the speaker/driver did tend to rub my ear canal a bit. This may not be a problem for you, as ears differ greatly in terms of anatomy. Build quality is good for the price, but it’s clear when you hold them in your hand that they are not premium quality headphones. There is a potential for these to snap at where the speaker connects to the body, so you’ll want to be a little careful with them. Three sets (S,M,L) of the silicone ear tips are included. They also came with one set of foam expanding ear tips; while this do provide a small amount of passive noise cancellation. The cable management clip helps a bit to take up the slack, but easily pops out when placed under stress. The Jaybird X3’s cord management clips are a far better solution in my opinion. The connecting cable does tend to rub on clothes at times, and this can pull the headphones to the side. The soft rubber of the Zeus did a little better job at getting rid of this common problem.

Connection & Battery

Connection was overall very good. Range is claimed at 30 feet, which is pretty typical for Bluetooth 4.1 Skipping was overall absent, but did present an occasional problem during of my gym sessions. Range was 5-10 longer and more stable in the Zeus Outdoor Bluetooth Headphones, possibly due to the aptX compression. Playback time is claimed at 8 hours with 1-2 hours of charging time. During initial tests these numbers proved accurate, especially if not using them at full volume. There are a few reviews with complaints of these not being able to charge. They also warn you about every minute when battery life gets low; this is helpful, but can also be annoying.

Sound

After reading the reviews I expected the sound of these headphones to blow me away. They’re not bad, but it really depends upon what you are comparing them to. The Jaybird X3’s absolutely blow these away in every sound category other than volume. The Senso’s do get loud, but there is also some associated distortion. Sound is a bit hollow, and not what I would describe as vibrant or dynamic. Overall the sound is a bit muffled; this was especially apparent when watching YouTube videos. Here the sounds is pretty poor, and not something I could deal with on a daily basis. Lag however, was nearly imperceptible. Now, it’s not really fair to compare these to the Jaybird’s; a headphone that is nearly four times the price. However, these also performed worse than the similarly priced Zeus Outdoor headphones. The Zeus headphones have clearer sound (especially when listening to videos, appear more well-built, and have a soft touch rubber finish.

Conclusion

There’s no denying the Senso Bluetooth headphones are popular. They’re not going to blow you away, but they offer solid sound, an acceptable build, and a great range of accessories including a case and a convertible lightning/micro usb cable. I would go for the Zeus Outdoor’s, but it you’re not too picky the Senso’s would make for a great gym or general use pair of headphones.

Technical specification:
– Bluetooth Specification: 4.1+EDR
– IPX7 Waterproof Rating
– Noise Reduction: CVC6.0
– Transmission Distance: 30ft
– Battery: Lithium-ion Polymer 85mAh
– Frequency Response: 20 -22kHz
– Charging Port: Micro USB
– Charging Time: 1-2 Hours
– Playback Time: Up to 8 Hours
– Standby Time: 240h

What’s in the Box:
• Bluetooth Headphones
• Carrying Case
• Short Charging Cable
• 3 Sets of Ear Tips – Small, Medium, Large
• Cable Management Clip
• User Manual