A new, cable-free in-ear design has been sweeping the wireless earphone world since the release of the iPhone 7. The $179.99 SOL Republics Amps Air earphones are the latest addition to the list. Like the other cable-free wireless models we've tested, the Amps Air feature a hard shell carrying case that doubles as a charging cradle that can provide power on the go thanks to a built-in battery. The earphones themselves deliver a very intense, boosted bass experience that's matched with wildly sculpted highs. Some design limitations hold the Amps Air back—most notably, a lack of volume or track navigation controls. There are multiple contenders in this new category, but we've yet to test an option we can declare a winner.
Design
Available in rose gold, black, teal, or blue, all with gold outer panels flaunting the SOL logo, the sweat-resistant Amps Air aren't likely to stand out much when they're in your ears. The earpieces have rubberized matte surfaces, and exposed connection points for charging in the included case. The in-ear fit is quite secure, and the earphones ship with four pairs of eartips in various sizes.
In photos, you may notice a sculpted, grooved surface that evokes something like a spiral or a seashell, but in reality, the contour is far more subtle and less dramatic. This outer panel is also where the pinhole mics for phone calls are located, as well as status LEDs that let you know when you're paired, or battery life is low. Bluetooth pairing is a simple process—the Amps Air earpieces are ready to pair out of the case.
Operating the earphones takes a little training, but you get used to it. The outside panels on both ears act as redudant multifunction buttons with the same functions. To play or pause music, you press either outer panel once. The same goes for answering incoming calls (including switching to another incoming call when you're already talking to someone). Ending calls requires a press and hold. You can also ask Siri a question or activate Google Now with a double tap.
But here's what you can't do: any track navigation or volume adjustment. What's the point of losing the cable if you need to grab your phone every time you want to skip a track or turn things up? This feels like an oversight. In fact, I'm not certain we've ever tested Bluetooth earphones that lack both volume and track navigation controls. Also, it is exceptionally easy to accidentally tap the the outer panels (when putting the earpieces in or taking them out, especially), and accidentally play or pause music or summon Siri. This, however, is a more universal complaint of most cable-free in-ear pairs we've tested thus-far.
Although there are magnets to help the earpieces snap into place in the charging case, you'll want to make sure you see each earpiece status LED light up, signaling that its contacts have matched up with the case's. In a few instances during testing, the earpieces were placed in the case firmly, but one of them needed some additional nudging in order to begin charging. The oval-shaped case has a metallic cover that snaps shut, protecting the recessed molded cradles for the two earpieces, and the battery circuitry beneath them, which is hidden from view. A snap-shut side-panel protects the USB and micro USB ports—the included micro USB charging cable can be used to charge the case itself or to charge mobile devices using the case's battery.
SOL Republic rates battery life to be a meager (but par for the course for cable-free wireless earphones) three hours. However, the fully-charged charging case can provide up to 15 full charges for the earphones (for 45 hours of play time), or about one full charge for many smartphones.
Performance
On tracks with powerful sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the earphones deliver a truly thunderous low frequency response. At top, unwise listening levels, the bass doesn't distort, and at more moderate listening levels the lows still feel quite powerful. There is plenty of high frequency sculpting happening here—it matches and balances the bass boosting, but also adds some sibilance to the mix unnecessarily.
Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with little in the way of deep bass, gets a heaping portion of it here. The drums on this track have a seriously boosted presence—it sounds like there's a subwoofer inside of the earphones. Mega-bass fans will likely love this approach. It dials the bass way up, invent lows where they barely exist, and sculpts the treble to match, so things retain a sense of balance. But this also results in some added brightness and sibilance that doesn't sound natural (that said, if deep lows help motivate you while you exercise, the Amps Air will not disappoint in that regard).
On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop gets just enough high-mid presence to retain a punchy edge for its attack, but really, what we notice here is the beefed-up sustain of the drum hits. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are also delivered with added intensity, and the high frequency sculpting brings the vinyl crackle forward from the background and awkwardly into the spotlight. The vocals on this track are clear, but again can sound a little sibilant, and the whole mix sounds quite scooped and sculpted.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound almost comically boosted in the lows here. Purists will shriek in horror, though it's bound to make some listeners happy, adding serious push to the presence of the lower register strings and percussion in orchestral music, as if these instruments were amplified instead of acoustic.
Conclusions
The SOL Republic Amps Air is a decent pair of earphones, but the lack of volume and track navigation controls will undoubtedbly be a deal breaker for some. After all, it nullifies the freedom that a cableless design supposedly provides. The competing models in this nascent category have seen fit to include these controls, along with several swipe-based options. If you want to check out other cable-free models that don't suffer from this oversight, the Samsung Gear IconX and Bragi Dash are worth looking into, with the caveat that they also have their own unique flaws. If you're mainly interested in a wireless earphone pair for exercising and have no issue with a neckband-style cable, we are fans of the Jaybird X3 and the JBL Reflect Mini BT.