Bragi earbuds vs airpods

[Paco II]

Yes, but reviews of the Bragi Headphone indicate it has none of those issues.

I mean the Braghi Dash earbuds....that cost me $300 bucks took 4-5 hours to sync with my phone. Then I could barely get it to work without cutting out and the sound was worse than Apple's old earpods. It was such a bad experience I immediately took them back the next day. There was just not redeeming them.

 

[Arran]

I bought Bragi's "The Dash" a couple of weeks ago. It was just before anyone knew the AirPods would be out before Christmas. I also received my AirPods this morning

So here's my entirely subjective and unscientific comparison...

Bragi Dash Observations (after one day):

• Price $250 @ Costco.
• Extremely difficult to get both earpieces paired. I had to consult Google and the Internet heavily to get other owner's experiences and tips on how to pair them.
• I upgraded the software to the latest. That involved downloading an app from Bragi's website. It wasn't the slickest operation.
• I could not get a good seal with any of the four ear "skins/tips". Spent an evening wrestling to get all of the different-sized "condoms" fitted over the earpieces. It was awkward. I was scared I was going to rip them. None gave me good fit and bass was thin as a result. I was eventually able to get a good seal by "hacking it" with some big-old Sony in-ear tips. But then the Dash wouldn't fit in its charging case
• Dash was uncomfortable right from the start. (In fairness, that was probably down to my odd ear shape. Many other reviews online rave about them and say the bass is great.)
• Dash was hard to insert and fiddly to remove. You sort-of tilt, insert and twist. That said, it lies flush and completely inside your ear - which is a huge aesthetic plus compared to the AirPods.
• Once solidly in there was no feeling they'd fall out.
  
• Sound dropped out intermittently. This was quite bothersome, particularly if my phone was in my left jeans pocket since the phone talks the the right dash only and your body attenuates the signal.
• If you want to use just one, it must be the right one (for the reason just mentioned above)
• Swiping an earpiece lets the outside sounds in. Handy for talking to others without removing them or being aware of your surroundings while listening to music. This was incredibly cool, but not as dramatic as it could've been because I never did get a good seal/isolation from outside noise in the first place.
• Dash touch controls were wayyyyyy too complex. There's an abundance of controls that can be actioned through various taps (long taps and short taps - like morse code) but I had no patience to memorize them. It was also difficult to hit the touch targets accurately.
• Dash will measure your heart rate and activity, but I have an Apple watch so didn't even bother with the duplicate functions on the dash. (The controls for these functions are on the left earpiece)
• It was easy to brush against the earpieces and fire off all sorts of random commands which were accompanied by lengthy voice prompts which obscured the music. It was annoying. I had many unwanted voices in my head.
• Charging case was REALLY BIG. Not at all pocketable.
• Needs micro usb to charge.

Dash bottom line: Returned to Costco after a couple of days. Sorely disappointed. YMMV (particularly if they fit your ears better)

AirPod Observations (after one day)

• Unbelievably easy to pair. They practically paired themselves. Instant.
• Just popped them in my ears. Music played. Sounded great. (A bit light on the bass compared to sealed "in-ears", but still very good)
• Comfortable for an hour at a time (I didn't wear them any longer, but they felt like they'd be fine for prolonged listening.) No "sweaty" ears.
• Secure. No feeling they'd fall out.
• Double tap for Siri worked today about 80% of the time. In any case, it's easier to use my watch to control volume and song playing.
• Easy to pop one out to talk to someone. Music pauses automatically. The huge advantage of this approach is that the other person can see you've taken one out and knows you can hear them (unlike the Dash where the earpiece stays in)
• Charging case is tiny. It fits in that little jeans pocket on the right.
• Charges with lightning. Also sits on the phone's charging dock when the phone's not there (I might even buy a second lightning dock just to keep them side-by-side and always ready to go)

AirPods bottom line: These little guys are keepers. Very slick implementation. Very integrated with iPhone. They aren't perfect, but they are incredibly convenient and easy to live with.