I tested the Suunto Spark earbuds for a month: Why air conduction audio is a winner

pros and cons

Pros

• Outstanding audio quality.
• Reliable interaction buttons and caput question control.
• The headset offers seven-hour artillery life.
• IP55 particulate and h2o resistance.
• Open-ear design.

Cons

• Full enactment requires a Suunto watch.
• No wireless enactment for the charging case.

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If you person work my headset reviews implicit the past mates of years, you've seen maine determination to utilizing bone conduction headsets for information reasons, and galore of those headsets person been from Suunto. For the past month, I person been moving with different enactment from Suunto that uses aerial conduction technology, and that is the Suunto Spark headset, disposable present for $179.

Also: I recovered a smartwatch that's conscionable arsenic reliable arsenic my Garmin (but overmuch cheaper)

I proceed to similar bony conduction headsets that wrapper astir my head, but the Suunto Spark is simply a large enactment for those who privation a higher-quality audio acquisition than what tin beryllium provided with bony conduction technology, portion inactive providing a mostly open-ear acquisition for information and awareness.

Flexibility

The headphones are abstracted pieces for the close and near ears, truthful this plan offers the flexibility to enactment retired with conscionable 1 broadside successful usage astatine a time. This besides results successful doubly the artillery beingness for a single-ear listening experience. At little than 10 grams each, you volition hardly announcement the earbud mounted implicit your receptor with the titanium loop.

Also: I enactment my Shokz distant wrong seconds of investigating these bony conduction headphones

The Suunto Spark is disposable successful black, coral orange, and white. I tested the achromatic exemplary that comes with a matching achromatic lawsuit covered successful soft-touch material. The lawsuit holds and charges each earbud with the included USB-C cablegram and provides up to 29 further hours of use, with up to 7 hours successful the earbuds.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Touch control

On immoderate of the bony conduction headsets I person used, the buttons tin beryllium pugnacious to find and activate. Suunto has ample touch-sensitive areas connected each earbud, and with the Suunto app, you tin customize single, double, and triple taps, with long-press options too. I emotion that I tin azygous pat to power measurement connected each earbud and past usage different taps to play/pause and beforehand my music. 

The buttons person performed flawlessly, and determination is nary fumbling astir trying to find them arsenic you enactment out.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Outstanding performance

The volume, bass, clarity, and audio show are outstanding connected the Suunto Spark, and I person seldom had the measurement higher than 50% connected my iPhone 17 Pro Max. The Spark besides supports LHDC 5.0 and spatial audio, truthful you tin acquisition audio successful antithetic ways.

Also: I emotion taking these earbuds to the gym acknowledgment to their thoughtful design

With the Suunto app, you tin besides prime from 4 dependable modes oregon make a customized mode. These modes absorption connected bass, treble, oregon vocals, but I similar the Legendary balanced mode for running.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Advanced functions

The Suunto Spark stands retired from different workout earbuds with caput question power to rapidly reply a telephone oregon power songs. Just shingle your caput from broadside to broadside to skip that 1 unspeakable opus that pops up successful your playlist.

If you link the Suunto Spark to 1 of the outstanding Suunto smartwatches, similar the Vertical 2 oregon Race 2, past you tin person dependable guidance present audio pace, bosom rate, distance, and much to the earbuds, truthful you tin absorption connected the roadworthy up and not connected your watch.

Also: I tried this Shokz alternate for my runs, and the price-to-performance ratio amazed me

People contiguous besides thin to walk mode excessively overmuch clip looking down astatine their phones, and with the cervix mobility support, you tin alteration the Suunto Spark to show the presumption of your cervix and assistance you forestall cervix fatigue.

ZDNET's buying advice

With daylight savings clip present progressive and the upwind getting warmer, I don't person to interest astir moving successful the dark, truthful moving to a amended audio acquisition connected the Suunto Spark works good for this season. I besides bask listening to euphony and watching video contented connected the train, truthful the Spark works good for these scenarios too. 

Also: One of the astir underrated smartwatches I've tested conscionable acceptable a 55-hour artillery beingness record

If you are looking for a wireless headset that doesn't person to stay successful your receptor portion inactive providing outstanding audio, past you should see the Spark. The acquisition is adjacent amended erstwhile you deterioration 1 of the fantastic watches that Suunto present has available.