Headphone manufacturers no longer launch many dedicated sports models. In the past, there was significant differentiation between headphones designed for sports activities in terms of water resistance, fit, and silicone ear tip design. Today, most headphones on the market can handle workouts without issue. This is where Anker steps in, introducing its dedicated Sport X20 headphones under its Soundcore brand. These headphones aim to appeal to athletes through their design.
Design and Controls: Sport X20 – Over-Ear Structure
The X20 features a slightly unconventional yet sport-adapted design. These are over-ear in-ear headphones with a hook structure. Each earbud includes an adjustable hook (coated with soft silicone), and with four sizes of silicone ear tips (ranging from extra small to extra large), the headphones fit comfortably in my ears. They didn’t cause discomfort, although I occasionally adjusted them during a run. The headphones boast water, sweat, and dust resistance with an IP68 rating, making them suitable for running in the rain.
The button layout on sports headphones is critical and can significantly affect the experience. While touch controls are convenient for daily use, they can be tricky during sweaty workouts and prone to accidental presses. Anker opted for physical buttons here, which are somewhat small and not always the easiest to access but offer efficient control. For instance, a single press on either earbud plays/pauses a track, a double press skips forward (on the right earbud) or backward (on the left), and a long press switches between noise-canceling modes. You can replace the latter with volume control, but you can’t use both functions simultaneously, which is unfortunate.
Anker's app is cleanly designed, allowing you to adjust noise cancellation modes (more on this below), select from various sound profiles, customize the equalizer, and personalize sound through the HearID Sound feature. This feature tailors the sound profile based on your age and a hearing test that plays different sounds at varying intensities, creating a personal EQ profile. I was personally pleased with the profile generated by the app, which enhanced the sound quality to my liking.
Sound and Calls: Sport X20 – Focus on Bass and Decent ANC
The Sport X20 comes with 11mm dynamic drivers, Bluetooth 5.3, and support for basic codecs: SBC and AAC. Unfortunately, there’s no support for higher-quality codecs that enhance sound clarity. However, the headphones feature a technology called BassUp, designed to boost bass performance.
Anker has succeeded in creating headphones with good sound quality, especially when using the HearID profile, which provided richer sound in my case compared to the company’s default soundcore signature profile, which felt too neutral. While these headphones don’t compete with premium models from brands like Sony or Sennheiser, they are pleasant to listen to, emphasize sounds well, and allow you to disconnect from your surroundings.
One of the reasons for this disconnect is the active noise cancellation (ANC) mechanism. It offers two modes: Manual and Adaptive. The former allows manual control over the noise-canceling intensity, while the latter detects the surrounding noise levels and adjusts accordingly, reducing both noise and the pressure that can build up in your ears. The ANC works reasonably well, reducing noise effectively, though not dramatically. There’s also a transparency mode that lets you hear conversations without removing the headphones. While functional, it didn’t feel entirely natural during use.
For phone calls, the X20 uses six microphones enhanced with AI for better performance. I didn’t receive complaints about call quality, even when walking outdoors.
Battery Life: 7 Hours of Music
The headphones offer 7 hours of music playback with ANC enabled, extending to 28 hours with the charging case. There’s no wireless charging, but the fast wired charging feature provides 2 hours of playback with just 5 minutes of charging.
Price: NIS 350 (Official importer: Hamilton)
Bottom Line:
The Sport X20 headphones are primarily aimed at athletes seeking comfortable workout headphones. However, they also deliver good sound quality and uninterrupted phone calls. They’re suitable for daily use, whether for work or listening to music in the office, for those looking for over-ear headphones.