REVIEW: Audio-Technica ATH-SPORT1iS In-Ear Headphones

To some people, skateboarding without music pumping through your ears just isn’t an option. Whether you’re blasting a beat to keep you focused on a trick, or just cruising to something mellow, plenty will agree that music can have a pretty major effect on the way you skate. But which headphones allow you to skate in comfort, with great sound quality, and most importantly, won’t fall out as you throw yourself down some stairs? The Audio-Technica ATH-SPORT1iS in-ear headphones are a good shout, and they cover all of the above and then some.

The headphones use a wrap-around style, locking them in place

We’ve all probably seen this ‘sport’ style of earbud before. The headphone simply wraps itself around your ear, which makes it practically impossible to fall out—perfect for skateboarding. In my opinion, the design of these particular earbuds is practically flawless. They utilise a lever system which makes it possible to fit to any ear size, and their smooth surface makes it relatively comfortable to wear them over long periods of time. In all honesty, I’m surprised to have actually never seen anyone skating in this style of ‘lock-in’ sport headphones before. It just makes sense. Never once did they even come close to falling out, whether I was just cruising the streets, skating ledges, mini-ramps, or any other obstacle. If you want reliability on that front, you can’t go past the Audio-Technica ATH-SPORT1iS headphones.

The headphones are easily adjustable for any ear size

The sound quality of these headphones surprised me. They produce a very deep, full sound that seems to cover any genre with excellent levels of quality. When I first entertained the idea of using sport headphones, I was under the impression that I’d have to sacrifice sound quality for practicality. With the Audio-Technica ATH-SPORT1iS headphones this couldn’t be further from the truth. They utilise inner-ear buds which, while not completely noise-cancelling, definitely drown out a lot of the outside sounds that many other headphones don’t. This is obviously perfect for skateboarding, as the sound of your board won’t override the sound of your music, and I found the headphones to be more than capable in that department. And, while I’m not an audiophile by any means, I found the overall sound quality to vastly exceed my expectations.

To summarise, the Audio-Techinca ATH-SPORT1iS headphones were a pleasant surprise. They may seem like an unlikely addition to a skateboarder’s arsenal, but as someone who really enjoys listening to music while I skate, these have proved to be extremely capable. In fact, at under $50, I wouldn’t hesitate to say these are the best option on the market when it comes to skate headphones. They’re practical, they’ll never fall out, they’re comfortable, the sound quality is great, and they cancel enough noise to be extremely useful for use while skateboarding, or anything else for that matter. This is definitely a headphone to consider.

Feel free to browse our range of Audio Technica headphones in the Boardworld Store.

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