your experiences with (different) headphones

Hi,

This has been a popular topic for me, coming from Polar M600, which had a lot of the same BT headset connectivity issues. Good suggestion earlier in being specific whether you are testing indoors or outdoors. Bluetooth signal bounces off walls/ceilings, so indoors and outdoors are two very different experiences. To best test headsets outdoors, you should go to a wide open area. Our bodies are also huge masses of water, which also disrupts the signal and is a major factor for why you experience more drop outs with the watch on one wrist vs the other. I'm right handed and always wear a watch on my left wrist. The switching to right wrist trick when running doesn't feel right to me, so I've been on a long mission to find headsets that work. I've taken advantage of free shipping/returns with my Amazon Prime membership over the last year and tested dozens of BT headsets, from no-names like Phaiser to big brands like Jaybird, Jabra, Bose.

Simply put, for success when running outdoors, you are best to have a set of earbuds where the main BT receiver (the one that connects to your watch) is on the same side of your body as the watch. It's amazing to me still today how many big name companies insist on putting the main receiver in the right ear bud (good for all the lefties out there). You can do a search on Amazon for any specific pair and figure out which bud is the main receiver. There are some newer no-name brands out there today that have the left bud as the main.

The two headsets I've had success with are Powerbeats3 and JLab Epic Air. The controller for the Powerbeats3 is on the left side, and they also benefit from Apple's W1 chip. JLab Epic Airs are truly wireless and have 2 unique features about them 1.) Each ear bud has an ear hook that has a built-in integrated antenna, more antenna than most units. 2.) They allow you to set up either ear bud as the main receiver, so they can be set up for both lefties and righties. Ive tested both pair outside while running and walking and experienced no drop outs. The only time I could trick the JLabs into dropping out was to tuck my hand behind my back and turn my head the opposite way. Note, however, the only downside with the JLabs is that they experience a slight audio lag with the watch it seems. No issue if you're just playing music. The only time this is noticeable is if you have audio prompts set up. For example, the last unit of my pace gets cut off by my HR info and then it gets cut off by the music resuming. I have a ticket in with Garmin about this, but not sure if they can do anything from their end. Audio lag is a typical culprit with true wireless earbuds. There is no audio lag when using the Powerbeats3.

I also tested the new Bluetooth 5.0 Jabra Elite 65t the other day to see if BT 5.0 would bring any benefit. No bueno for me with watch on left wrist. Constant drop outs outside.

I don't know if they're always on sale, but right now Skullcandy's Canadian website has the method wireless on for $59.99 ($30 off). Then you can use the code they email you with your 645 registration for an additional $30 off which brings the price down to $29.99CAD . That's even cheaper than the US website has them for right now ($29.99CAD = ~$22.92USD and they're $29.99USD on the US site). I wasn't planning on buying them, but for $30, it'll be something I can toss in my run bag and not worry about them. Should result in fewer times when I end up running somewhere alone where it'd be safe to listen to music and I'd wish I had brought something to listen to music through.

I'd also be interested to hear if anyone has had ssuccess with any other truly wireless earbuds while running outside with the watch on their left wrist.

Thanks

Plantronics BackBeat FIT, watch on the left wrist: consistent music dropouts. After the run, I put the watch on my right wrist and the music stilled dropped out. Disappointing.

I have the Jaybird X3 and also have significant dropouts. I use it over ear with the watch on the left as suggested by Garmin. Sometimes it's so bad it's completely unusable. Sometimes it's bearable. I have no idea why...maybe interference in the environment...
I used to have the Apple Watch and it worked flawlessly with the X3. But that was a crap running watch. So very disappointing after "upgrading".

I bought the Mpow IPX7 Waterproof in-ear earbuds from Amazon, £16.99

I am impressed so far by these headphones. Not knowing how the FR645 would perform relative to an mp3 player, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on my first set of wireless headphones, in case they ended up in a drawer, unused after a week. My early impression is that I don't think that's going to happen.

So far, I've used them three times, inlcuding two quite different runs. The first was for two hours of steady paced running and they performed really well. They were comfortable for the entire run. I experienced zero drop outs. Sound quality was very good.
I listen to podcasts rather than music, which tend not to be as loud and could hear everything clearly, albeit I was at max volume. The second run was an interval workout . Again, no problem - the fit was snug and the bursts of speed didn't dislodge them at all. The sound quality was consistent.

I'd imagined that the wire might bounce around, which on a long run could become pretty annoying. I haven't noticed this at all I am pleased to report. I do note that the picture shows an adjustment toggle at the back of the strap - I did not get one with mine, but as I say, it wasn't a problem.

One caveat is that both these runs were in sub-zero temperatures, so I had a thin, form fitting hat on that encompassed the ears. Yesterday the sun popped out briefly so I did 10k without a hat. The fit was ok, but not perfect. The wire is a rubber texture and I found that when I would turn my head (to check traffic before crossing a road), the friction between wire and neck was sufficient to cause the ear bud to pull out slightly. It wasn't a big deal, but a minor annoyance. The earbuds do come with what looks like different sized ear inserts, so perhaps changing those will prevent i.

The battery life seems good. So far I've done 3hr 15 in very cold temperatures and it's still going.

The indicator lights (charge, power on, power off) are at the front of the master ear bud (right hand side), which I thought to be a clever touch as you can look in the mirror whilst holding down the On button to see when they are ready, although there is an audio promt also.. The On button itself, or rather the multifunction button, is large enough to be operated whilst wearing gloves, which I thought was also pretty clever.

I'm finding it so much better having laps and lap times vocalised rather than having to keep looking at a watch, which when dark and wearing gloves, was quite a challenge with my old FR630. I love how the FR645 handles the interruptions, resuming the podcast a few second BEFORE it cut out, to ensure no gaps in the narrative.

I have the Jaybird X3 and also have significant dropouts. I use it over ear with the watch on the left as suggested by Garmin. Sometimes it's so bad it's completely unusable. Sometimes it's bearable. I have no idea why...maybe interference in the environment...
I used to have the Apple Watch and it worked flawlessly with the X3. But that was a crap running watch. So very disappointing after "upgrading".

Is the watch being worn on the same side as the master earbud? My cheapo IPX7 has the master on the right and I wear my watch on the right. I've no experienced a single dropout

Since upgrading to firmware 2.5, my Plantronics Backbeat Fits are no longer having drop outs. (Left wrist). Haven’t tested the Jaybirds yet.

Since upgrading to firmware 2.5, my Plantronics Backbeat Fits are no longer having drop outs. (Left wrist). Haven’t tested the Jaybirds yet.

Have you try running with it outdoors yet? I though the same with the Airpods after upgrading to 2.5, connectings seems to be much better in doors until I started going outdoors that's when the connection started dropping again. So not much has changed for AirPods from the upgrade.