Soundbot SB221 Headphones Review: Affordable Workout Bluetooth Earbuds with Pros and Cons

Some months ago, my lady bought me a pair of $20 or so headphones. I had just been through about every pair of headphones that Best Buy had, including their behind-the-ear insignia headphones. I liked the beats by dre, but I can’t do in-ear headphones; I really want and need behind-the-ear.

It was a random Amazon purchase of the Soundbot SB221 headphones. At $20, I didn’t have high expectations, but figured it was worth a shot.

To my surprise, these headphones were pretty good. They aren’t the loudest out there, but loud enough and sound pretty good overall. The battery has never failed me during a workout, and the Bluetooth connectivity works well enough. I don’t get far from my phone when I work out, so for my purposes, it was fine. They’re water and sweat resistant, which is important for someone who sweats a lot. The charging port also has a flap to cover and protect it from sweat.

The headphones have held up physically through mostly daily workouts. The foam pads are still intact and the function buttons still work. Connecting them was easy, and overall I’ve enjoyed these headphones. I will say that ear fatigue eventually kicks in, so I just remove them for a few moments and then carry on. Keep in mind I work out for hours at a time.

I’m not exactly sure how long I’ve had them, but unfortunately, they have now stopped working. It started with a static sound humming underneath my music. I play my music fairly loud, so I could drown it out and didn’t worry much about it. More recently, when I try to play music, I hear the volume up and down buttons as if they were being pressed continuously. At the same time, there’s a red light blinking on the headset. Eventually, they lose Bluetooth connection and shut down.

Soundbot’s website lists a one-year warranty, so I reached out to see my options. I don’t think a year has passed since we got them. Since they’re $20, I was going to discard them and try a different brand, but since there’s a warranty, why not ask.

SUPPORT UPDATE

It seems that to replace the product, they want a receipt from where you bought it. I get that, but since it was a gift, I don’t have it. I’m trying to see if my lady can find the purchase info, but so far no luck. It looks like without a receipt, it’s tough to get help, so keep that in mind if you get these as a gift or are giving them.

Overall, I was pleased with the product. It lasted about 5 months, longer than the insignia, but still within the one-year warranty. For about $20 a pair, I’d say they’re worth it as a temporary option. Since I’ve already tried these and likely have to buy another pair, I’m probably going to try a different brand and see how they hold up. There seem to be many companies making these kinds of headphones on Amazon. Anyway, below is the correspondence about the receipts. Policies are policies after all.