Tech Review: Bragi The Dash wireless earphones - a new bud for sports

My biggest problem when running with earphones - wireless or not - is that they always come loose after a while.

That was until I tried German start-up Bragi's wireless earbuds - The Dash - which were released here last month.

DESIGN

Those who love exercising to music but get annoyed with the wires will be heartened to know that The Dash is truly wireless.

It comes with two separate earbuds, three sizes of rubber sleeves, a charger and a case.

Together, the earbuds weigh 13.8g. You will barely feel them as you run, cycle or swim - yes, they are waterproof.I found the fit snug and comfortable, and the earbuds stayed in place even after an hour of running.

You can leave your smartphone at home as The Dash has an inbuilt 4GB memory for about 1,000 songs - it is particularly useful if you want to take just the earbuds for a swim.

Bragi also claims that The Dash can last up to six hours on each charge.

CONNECTIVITY

Pairing the earbuds with your phone via Bluetooth is simple and trying it for the first time took me less than five minutes.

But there were subsequent occasions when I was unable to re-connect to The Dash.

I resolved the issue by resetting the earbuds - attaching then removing them from the charger.

The connectivity also became intermittent on occasion, affecting the overall experience.

FEATURES

Bragi claims that The Dash is not just another tool for music.

It is able to track your heart rate and activities, such as number of steps taken, distance covered, cycling cadence and speed and number of laps during a swim, even.

You can save all that data too. Simply sync the earbuds with your phone via the Bragi app.

Also, you need not look to your phone to change the song, pause your activity or increase the volume - simply tap or swipe the earbuds to execute the commands.

I could even answer a call as I was running simply by nodding my head.

However, this also means major memory work before using The Dash, for you may accidentally increase the volume while trying to skip a song.

SOUND

I was impressed by the audio quality produced by the earbuds - they are each barely 3cm long.

The sound was clear with a decent bass, but the midtones and high frequencies could have used a little more clarity.

Then again, I do not suppose anyone would be able to truly appreciate extremely high quality audio while struggling to complete that last kilometre.

EXPENSIVE

The Dash feels like a host of innovative ideas packed into a single product, giving it plenty of potential and features.

But The Dash is let down by the intermittent connectivity and occasional glitches.

Also, its price of $428 - pricier than the highly rated Jabra Elite Sport wireless earphones, which cost $368 - probably means you are better off looking elsewhere, unless you are a strong proponent of future tech.