During the pandemic, most of us have realised the importance of exercising and have made a few changes to the wardrobe. And an important accessory that we have set our eyes on has to do with sound. During jogs or working out in gyms, it’s necessary to have a gadget that offers a snug fit without becoming uncomfortable. Wireless earbuds are great but the inexpensive ones tend to have a poor fit, besides delivering mediocre sound. Over-ear headphones are not a great solution in way of fit (while exercising). Then there are neckbands, a category which has been around for a long time and it works well.

A brand that has done a good job in way of recall value is Boat, which has a range of audio solutions that are reasonably priced. Recently we got a chance to review Rockerz 333 Pro, which is a neckband-style in-ear headphones.

A few things to remember while buying a neckband. It’s a good solution for exercising and it may not be the best solution for all kinds of work. Second, this is an inexpensive option but the sound is decent. Third, there are a couple of features that may tilt your purchase decision in favour of Boat (and there is one that may make you scratch your head).

From the few Boat devices I have used, I have noticed a Boat soundscape, which is big on bass. Rockerz 333 Pro is not an exception. Excellent bass greeted me as I moved from Dua Lipa to Ariana Grande. It’s a device you will use while jogging or during workouts. Largely, people like fast-paced music, tracks with tempo that push us to work harder. And that’s what works best on this device. Vocals are good but not the best, yet the overall sound signature is perfect for gym-goers, plus you get IPX5 splash and water resistance.

Second, you get a few good features on the 333 Pro. First, you get braided wire, which appears to be of good quality. Next, there is ENx tech which makes improves call quality substantially and there is ASAP charging, which allows you to 20 hours of playback from 10 minutes of charging. If the battery is fully juiced up, you will get around 60 hours while keeping the volume around the 60 per cent mark. Up next, there is dual pairing, that is, you can connect it to two devices. And that brings us to a feature which could have been there — what you get is “magnetic earbuds” but when the two buds magnetically attach to each other, the music doesn’t pause or stop.

Overall, Rockerz 333 Pro does what a fitness enthusiast would like — channeling banging house music or something dance floor-worthy while sweating it out. Good fit, good battery life and great bass — it’s just what gym-goers want.

At a glance

Device: Boat Rockerz 333 Pro

Price: Rs 1,499

High notes

• Good microphone quality

• High on bass

• Acceptable battery life

• Dual pairing

Muffled notes

• Music doesn’t stop when the earbuds attach to each other magnetically