At this point when someone brings up the brand Anker I no longer think of charging cables and battery packs. What comes to mind now is a handful of some of the best bang for your buck products we’ve used over the last few years. Anker has put work into the true wireless market, and the Soundcore Sprint X2 is a great, albeit discontinued, pair of earbuds. Show
While the Liberty Air 2 and the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro are aimed more for everyday use there is no mistaking what the Soundcore Spirit X2 is geared towards—fitness. Editor’s note: this Anker SoundCore Spirit X2 review was updated on September 30, 2021, to add the Anker Soundcore Life A1 as an alternative, add results from a reader poll, and address the discontinuation of the Spirit X2. Who is the Anker Soundcore Spirit X2 for? The main bit of the Anker Soundcore Spirit X2 earbuds rests vertically on the ear.
How is the build quality?Build quality isn’t the reason why you’ll buy a pair of headphones but it’s always important to note what you’re spending your money on, starting with the charging case. This isn’t the same discreet and pocketable case that you’ll find in something like the Liberty Air 2. Instead, this case is much more similar in design to the Powerbeats Pro. It’s wide, and not exactly easy to fit in your pockets. It is doable, though it’ll likely be the only thing you can fit in your pocket. The charging case isn’t as big as the Powerbeats Pro but it’s still fairly large and is better off in your gym bag than your pockets. On the front are also three small LED lights that let you know how much battery is left when you open the lid. On the back of the case is a small flap protecting the USB-C input and a small button for pairing. The earbuds rock ear hooks but with a twist, literally. When you put them in your ear you have to twist them to lock the earbuds in place like the JBL Endurance Peak 2. Along the back of the earbuds are the playback controls which get a little more confusing and definitely take a bit of memorization in order to remember which button does what. Each earbud has two buttons: a volume button and a multifunction button. Buttons on each earbud let you control everything from volume controls to accessing the assistant. You’ll be able to control volume and skip between tracks by either tapping or holding down the volume buttons, while the multifunction button lets you activate your phone’s virtual assistant or turn on the “extra bass” EQ preset. There’s no active noise canceling, passthrough, and they don’t even auto-pause when you take one earbud out. The Soundcore Spirit X2 is part of the Spirit line of fitness headphones, so these buds have an IP68 design to accommodate your sweatiest workouts. The earhook keeps them secure on your ears while you move, and the ear tips themselves also have a small wing that keeps the nozzle nicely inside the ear canal. How’s the connection strength?The earbuds are dust magnets. As far as specs go this headset rocks Bluetooth 5.0 and the aptX Bluetooth codec as well. These also have AAC compatibility even though Anker doesn’t specify this to be the case. Since iOS devices are only compatible with AAC and SBC, this is good news for anyone with an iPhone. The good news doesn’t end there: the connection is fantastic and there’s no audio-visual lag while watching videos. My biggest issue with the connection is that these aren’t great at automatically disconnecting when you put them in the case. You need to make sure that the earbuds are set in place perfectly in order to break the connection. Otherwise you’ll get back from your run, put the earbuds away, and jump in the shower and try to listen to a podcast, only to discover that the phone is still connected to the earbuds inside their case. It’s a very specific situation but I’m sure it’s fairly common if you’re getting workout earbuds. How to pair to the Soundcore Spirit X2 true wireless earbudsConnecting to the earbuds isn’t dificult but you’ll still need to go digging through some Bluetooth settings. Unlike some of the other true wireless earbuds from companies like Google and Apple, you won’t find any method of quick-pairing here. Instead, the Spirit X2 automatically enters pairing mode when you open up the case for the first time. Just go into the Bluetooth settings of your device and choose the Anker Soundcore Spirit X2 in the list. To pair to a second device, open the case and—with the earbuds still inside—hold down the small button on the back of the case. To completely reset the headphones, hold down the button for about 10 seconds. Doing this will clear any devices saved on the earbuds so that you can start from scratch. How long does the battery last on the Anker Soundcore Spirit X2?The earhook design is similar to the Powerbeats but they wear differently on the ear. We subject all relevant audio products to a constant 75dB(SPL) output until the battery dies, and the Spirit X2 lasts 10 hours, 49 minutes under these conditions. This exceeds Anker’s specified 9-hour battery life. The charging case is designed to give you an extra four charges and has quick charging. Just 10 minutes in the case gives you about two hours of extra playback. Of course, it’s worth keeping in mind that battery life depends on the output. If you blast music while you run (which you shouldn’t be doing anyway) then these will probably struggle to reach 10 hours of playback. Does the Anker Soundcore Spirit X2 have a good microphone?The Anker Soundcore Spirit X2 has a microphone and it’s quite good. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not podcast-level quality, but it does a good job of rejecting distracting sounds like wind. Anker Soundcore Spirit X2 microphone demo:How does it sound to you?908 votes As of September 29, 2021, a total of 376 readers have rated the above mic sample as somewhere between “okay” and “good.” This is a pretty typical result for true wireless earbuds, and what you should expect to get out of any products of this type. Does the Anker Soundcore Spirit X2 block out nosie?These aren’t great at isolating outside noise but as someone who runs outside in the streets it can be helpful to hear the traffic around you. As you can see from the isolation graph these buds don’t do a great job at isolating outside noises below 1000Hz. This isn’t the set of earbuds to take on an intercontinental flight, but the isolation is good enough to block out the clang of dumbbells at your gym. We have an entire explainer piece on why isolation is important but the short version is there: the more outside noise there is, the less of your music you’re going to be able to actually hear. Anyone who has used a pair of cheap earbuds on a plane, or while riding the bus will know that as soon as the engine goes on it becomes harder to hear your music. How does the Anker Soundcore Spirit X2 sound?When it comes to sound quality there are two important factors to consider. The first is how well the particular headphones isolate and the second is the frequency response. The Soundcore Spirit X2 doesn’t sound great but they’re just what I want while running. When you look at frequency response you’ll see that while the sound isn’t flat, it is pretty consumer-oriented and sounds good for exercise. The low-end is given a slight emphasis all the way from 20Hz to about 120Hz which just means that basslines and bass kicks are made slightly louder. This was really noticeable in the song Gosh by Jamie xx and while running the low bass plucks sounded great. The synth that comes in around 2:30, however, is a little loud. I don’t recommend this for any kind of critical listening but it hit all the right spots in my favorite songs to keep me pumped while running. Should you buy the Anker Soundcore Spirit X2?The earbuds snap magnetically into place. The Anker Soundcore Spirit X2 is a great set of workout earbuds but is discontinued. You can find it renewed through Amazon, however, making it a great deal for those willing to breathe life into an old product. Otherwise, we recommend looking at something like the Anker Soundcore Spirit Dot 2. Anker Soundcore Spirit X2 All prices listed in USD unless otherwise specified. Prices may change over time, and vary by region. Unfortunately, we cannot list Amazon prices on the site, as they vary greatly by currency. What should you get now that the Soundcore Spirit X2 is discontinued?Sure, you could spend more for a pair of PowerBeats Pro, but unless you need the H1 chip, the Spirit X2 gets the job done just as well. If you want to save a little money, look into the Anker Soundcore Life A1, which costs just $49 USD and has an IPX7 rating. If you want a great pair of workout earbuds with active noise canceling, check out the Jaybird Vista 2 instead. Though, you’ll have to stretch your wallet for this nearly indestructible set. Is Anker earbuds better than JBL?While both headphones are comfortable and well-built, the Anker have a significantly better noise isolation performance, and their integrated mic has a better recording quality. However, the JBL have a significantly better battery performance. Is Anker Soundcore headphone good?They offer better active noise cancellation (ANC) than we expect for the price, and their sculpted audio impresses thanks to the adjustable EQ and support for the hi-res LDAC codec. Overall, they're an excellent value and well worth your attention if you're on a budget. Are Anker Bluetooth earbuds good?Anker is well-known for their chargers, power banks, and cables, but they also produce some excellent audio products under the Soundcore brand. Their wireless earbuds offer premium sound quality and features at very reasonable prices. Is Anker Soundcore a good company?Soundcore, Anker's audio brand, was launched in 2018. It offers a range of audio products, including earbuds, headphones, and speakers. The brand is known for its high-quality sound, innovative features, and competitive pricing. Soundcore products are generally well-received for their quality and performance. |
