Earshots MagFit3 - Staying Put

When it comes to high-end wireless earbuds, there's not much to separate the options available.

If you're shelling out $300-plus, the least you should expect is great sound quality, excellent Active Noise Cancellation and respectable battery life.

Which leaves one more thing; how well they fit.

With every new set of buds I review - and oh boy, have there been plenty - I become more and more convinced getting the fit right is the single feature that can make one stand out from the rest.

There are two main aspects to achieving the perfect fit; comfort and security. By security, I don't mean theft-protection. I'm talking about how securely they stay in.

Remarkably, although True Wireless Earbuds as we now know them have been around for more than a decade, there aren't many I could guarantee will keep their place, no matter what.

Until now.

The Earshots story is a great one; Kiwi founder James Bell-Booth literally designing and building his own earbuds at the kitchen table during covid. Frustrated with the constant falling-outness of every bud he went mountain biking with, James turned to magnets to keep his over-ear hook design firmly in place.

Three generations later and it's easy to see how the concept has matured into something that should provide genuine competition to other "premium" heritage brands on the market.

In fact, with MagFit3, it starts with the case.

The previous version looked like some kind of miniature cargo crate - except not that miniature. It's true that all three versions of Earshots to date are of a larger form-factor than most earbuds - but that doesn't mean they need to be carried around in something that looks like what the bad guy uses to transport weapons-grade uranium in a James Bond movie.

While significantly smaller than before, the MagFit3 case is still large - but no longer unpocketable - and it's now stylishly curved with easy-grip rubberised panels top, bottom and front. But there's a massive benefit to a case this size; its battery life. While the MagFit3 buds themselves only promise around 6 hours playback on a full charge - not bad, but not record-setting either - you get another SEVENTY hours in the case. That IS a first - well, for me anyway. I've never tested anything that comes close. 70 hours means you're unlikely to need to plug into a USB-C charger on any trip away, unless you're gone for weeks.

As stupendous as that is, we're not here to talk cases.

The MagFit3 buds aren't just more compact than their predecessors, they're lighter too, with a thinner, more flexible connecting hook-strap between the bud and magnetic control unit. The bud half of the equation is a completely different shape now - similar to other in-ear options with a more extended, soft ear tip that provides a more secure seal in your ear canal. 

To that end, there are five sizes of ear tip in the box - including a unique option with a longer sleeve that means you can screw the tips even further in if that's more comfortable for you. That's the option I ended up using for my review - although, because I received a "first-look" demo unit, my ones were orange. I feel very special.

The back half, with the controls on, slips easily behind your ear before magnetising in place with its corresponding bud. The control box now has a much softer, grippier, rubber surface and because there are so many points of contact, you might think the MagFit3 buds feel a bit claustrophobic after a while, but quite the opposite is true. There's zero weight inside your ears and the rest is so evenly distributed ON your ear, it doesn't take long before you almost forget you're wearing them.

One thing hasn't changed - and it's the most important thing. They stay in. Remember, this is why Bell-Booth came up with the idea in the first place. In fact, the MagFit3 are unquestionably the most secure-fitting Earshots yet. Shake, rattle, roll - go upside-down, they simply won't budge. It's not just because of the precisely calculated magnets, but the revised ear tip design definitely helps too.

I'm not joking about the upside-down part either; Earshots literally calls it MagFit 360° Hold Technology.

I've worn them on a hot day's gardening, wrestling a bed of stubborn agapanthus out and into a waiting bin. I've worn them when it's cold, wet and windy, as you'll see in the video below. The MagFit3s simply don't budge. At all. And with their IP67 rating, neither a stream of sweat or a deluge of rain will cause them any harm.

These could well be the most staying-innest of any wireless earbud in the world. But it doesn't stop there.

I was surprised to discover there's no companion app. At first, I was confused by this. How can there be no app? There's always an app.

Not this time. Who needs one when the three embossed control buttons on each ear are so easy to access and so intuitive to use? I say, "On each ear," but when you press them, you're actually pushing against your hard head - not squishing into your soft ears like you are with so many other designs. This means no mistouches and definitely no discomfort.

There are three listening modes, Noise Reduction, Open Ear - which lets the outside in - and MagFit3 natural - a balance of the two that still provides a first-class listening experience while keeping you from being flattened by approaching trucks when out cycling.

Appropriately, as I write this review, I'm listening to a Cat Empire track called, "Old Dog, New Trick." It features a big, bouncy bass riff, with horns and honky-tonk piano over the top. These are joined by the Cat Empire's signature mix of talkie-singing and random scratches and samples. The MagFit3 does a fine job of pushing all these elements through - even more effectively when you enable Bass Boost with a long press of the middle button.

The soundscape is rich and full and is another area Earshots has improved on exponentially since the first two iterations.

MagFit3 feels - and sounds - like a promising experiment that's finally proved its hypothesis and has now fully come of age. The price-tag is ambitious - but after putting them through as much of a wringer as I can, they're definitely worthy of consideration against other "bigger name," even more expensive options and one thing I can guarantee you, those others won't stay in like these do.

    

Click here for information and pricing on the EarShots MagSafe3.

Also available through Spark stores and Evo Cycles nationwide.