Verdict

Pros

• Pretty design
• Good audio quality for the money
• Solid battery life

Cons

• Prone to dropouts
• Not great as a gym set

What are the Fender Puresonic Wireless?

The Puresonic Wireless are neckband earphones from iconic guitar maker Fender. They offer superb audio quality for a £70 set and have a great battery life, as well as excellent value for money.

However, their atypical tip shape means that, despite being sweat resistant, they aren’t fit for gym use. Interference can also rear its ugly head more than I’d like – a key reason why the Fender Puresonic Wireless are good but not perfect wireless headphones.

Related: Best wireless headphones

Fender Puresonic Wireless – Design

The Puresonic Wireless aren’t subtle headphones. Their entwined red-and-black cable and blue-and-red buds with a shiny finish make them impossible to miss and are a far cry from the basic black Audio Technica ATH-ANC40BT and its ilk you’ll find in most stores. Some people may be put off by the bright colourings, but I personally didn’t mind them and appreciated their originality.

Build quality is excellent for a set this price. The smooth finish cable and plastic control, which features a dedicated smart assistant button, feel significantly more expensive than I’d expect from a £70 pair of headphones. The Puresonic Wireless easily survived the wear and tear expected of a wireless set over the two weeks I used them.

Although I frequently forgot the carry case during my morning commute, the Puresonic Wireless came out of an extended period in my satchel scratch free. This is an achievement other affordable headphones, such as the KitSound Immerse Active, failed to achieve.

The only thing I’m not 100% sold on is the Puresonics’ custom tip setup. The setup pairs regular silicon tips with ‘triple-flange retainers’ in a bid to offer a more secure fit and seal.

With regular day-to-day use, the system works well enough once you’ve picked the correct sized tip. Walking around London, the Puresonic Wireless maintained a decent seal and felt comfortable to wear. Even though they don’t offer ANC, noise isolation was more than good enough for commuting and rail travel.

But when I tried using them as running headphones, the tips where a bit of a pain. During exercise, the buds did maintain a solid seal, but the flange began to scratch my inner ear at times. This only happened a couple of times – but it was annoying nonetheless. I personally prefer any gym set to come with wing tip options or a hook design.

Tips aside, the echo-cancelling microphone also worked a treat and made it quick and easy to take calls using the Puresonic Wireless. During my tests, the quoted six-hour battery life rang true. I’m also a big fan of the fact the headphones are charged using a basic micro USB cable rather than a proprietary connector.

Related: Best headphones for running

Fender Puresonic Wireless – Audio quality

Audio quality is one area the Puresonic Wireless truly deliver on. Using them as my primary travel earphones, I was genuinely surprised how good they sounded compared with similarly priced sets I’ve tested. The aptX support is a welcome addition that separates the Puresonics from competing sub-£100 sets.

Unlike some other Fender headphones I’ve tested, such as the Fender FXA2, the Puresonics’ audio isn’t too bright and, for the most part, tonal balance is solid.

Listening to multilayered orchestral music and post-rock, each part of the sound was nicely defined. The high-end guitars had a pleasing twinkle and you could hear each individual string being plucked during acoustic parts. The mid-range piano sections sounded nicely separated from the guitar parts.

There’s enough bass to make sure the low end’s well represented. Listening to rock tracks, the low end was way more powerful on Puresonics than with the KitSound Immerse Active. Bass extension on both isn’t anything to write home about, but at this price you’ll struggle to do better.

The only minor issue I noticed was that – like with all headphones this price – the low end is a little uncontrolled and has a tendency to wander. Being fair to Fender, this is an issue on most affordable sets and I only really experienced the issue when listening to bass-heavy tracks.

Dynamism is good, considering the Puresonics’ price. Breakdowns in rock music and crescendo in classical sound were suitably powerful and the headphones were generally nicely dynamic.

The only real issue I have with the Puresonic Wireless is that they are prone to picking up interference. At home the signal is fine, but if you move even a couple of metres away from the audio source, the signal all but dies. Walking around London, I experienced infrequent dropouts at least once or twice a day.

In particularly busy areas – like Waterloo station – the Puresonics became all but unusable on more than one occasion. They are not the only affordable wireless set to suffer from this issue, but it’s an annoyance nonetheless, especially if you live in an urban environment.

Why buy the Fender Puresonic Wireless?

If you’re after a solid set of in-ear wireless headphones and on a strict budget, then the Fender Puresonic Wireless are an excellent choice. They offer the best audio quality you’ll find at this price, a long battery life and solid build quality.

The only serious drawback is the set’s propensity to pick up interference. In urban environments, dropouts are more frequent than I’d like, which will be an annoyance for people looking for a wireless set for their morning and evening commutes.

Verdict

You’ll struggle to find better wireless headphones than the Puresonic Wireless for less than £70 – just don’t expect them to double as a gym set.

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