The iXCC Bluetooth 4.1 headset is an inexpensive set of in-ear headphones perfect for the gym, running—or even a little gaming on your favorite portable device.
Of course, I feel compelled to mention the gaming aspect only because that’s my general “beat”—but I like to stray into general lifestyle, tech, and other gizmos now and again too. The iXCC headphones are designed for general mobile usage, not gaming.
iXCC headphone feature highlights and specifications
The iXCC headphones provide approximately 160 hours of standby, 5 hours of music playback, and 6 hours of talk time. Bluetooth v4.1 includes EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) for better communication between headphones and other Bluetooth 4.1 devices, and it also enables you to connect to up to 2 devices to the headphones at the same time.
- IPX4 ‘sweat-proof’ covering and flexible ear fins to help keep the earphones in place
- aptX technology enables CD-like quality sound
- CVC 6.0 noise cancellation technology reduces ambient noise and improves voice quality
- Bluetooth V4.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
- Connect 2 devices simultaneously
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery allows up to 5 hours of music time, 6 hours of talk time, and 160 hours of standby time.
- 2-year warranty
Where the rubber meets the road
The iXCC headphones paired easily with my Google Nexus 6P, and after testing a few songs and general music playback, I was off and running—literally. I figured going for a run was the best way to test the comfort and overall usage for the iXCC under ‘rigorous’ test conditions.
Overall, I’d rate music playback as above average, at least compared to standard earphones often included with smart phones. They iXCC provided a little more robust audio than my Samsung headphones (that came with a Samsung S4).
During my run I did note some skips now and again, which seemed odd considering the headset and my phone were in such close proximity. And I wasn’t streaming music either—I was playing MP3 files stored on the phone. However, this only occurred on the course of a single run, and it didn’t happen again running the same course (with the same playlist) later in the week.
Comfort was at least as good as any typical smartphone earbuds. I never found the iXCC uncomfortable, and they survived a sweaty 1-hour run (multiple times) without ever slipping out of my ears. The on-ear headphone controls are not very practical. It was typically easier to just remove a headphone to use the volume control buttons effectively. (To be fair, I’m not sure there’s any easy design/engineering solution that would solve that problem for this or similar headsets.)
Call quality seems at least as good as any other typical blue tooth headset.
Overall—8/10
The iXCC headphones are highly portable and provide above average sound, decent comfort, and adequate call quality—and at around $20 on Amazon they are very affordable.
PC & Video Gaming Examiner 