Suunto Sonic Headphones Review - “The fact you can still hear people, vehicles and nature whilst wearing them makes them a great and safe way to listen to music.”
Posted by Bex Whelan on Nov 06, 2024
I should start this review by stating that I'm not a runner, so this did fill me with some slight trepidation that I wouldn't get the best out of these headphones.
I needn't have worried though as I found myself using these whilst out walking, training and climbing. The fact you can still hear people, vehicles and nature whilst wearing them makes them a great and safe way to listen to music.
In terms of setting them up, they were really easy. I don't have a Suunto watch, but by downloading the Suunto app it wasn't long before I had synced them and could stream from my Spotify account.
I've never really enjoyed wearing headphones or earphones, mainly because I have a piercing on one of my ears that makes them feel uncomfortable to wear. These just nestled out of the way and didn't cause any discomfort at all. They didn't noticeably bounce or move around either whilst climbing or walking which was something I was concerned about. The vibration from them with the volume turned up quite loud was an odd sensation but wasn't something I noticed when listening at a lower volume.
When climbing, I liked that I could listen to music and still be able to hear my partner. Especially helpful if I'd missed a foothold or handhold and this could be pointed out to me. Listening to the music helped me focus more whilst climbing as well.
Although, I feel as though I should put a disclaimer in here. I was wearing the headphones whilst bouldering, which means I don't use ropes, gear or tend to venture very high up from the crash mats on the ground. I would not suggest using any kind of headphones for the times that verbal communication between your partner or team is essential for safety. So not ideal for these situations in my opinion! However, for other activities, these would be a great way to listen to music safely.
