Bragi The Dash Truly Wireless Smart Earphones

Bragi - The Dash Truly Wireless Smart Earphones Some background information before we start: I eyeballed these on kickstarter back when they first started their campaign. As with any new product I knew there would be some kinks in the original version, and so I waited until I believed they had fixed the kinks. I bought these last week after amazon had them on sale. I am using them with an Iphone 7 and the latest software update was already installed on them. I am a non-audiophile college student. A quick summary: These things are PACKED with features and it seems very overwhelming at first, which I think explains why some people with reviews become frustrated. However after playing around with them, I was able to quickly figure out all of the features within a half hour or so. I am now obsessed with these and the audio transparancy mode is something that I didnt even think was quite technologically possible. Ok now lets really dive in: Thoughts on the : "The Utterly Horrendous Bluetooth" The bluetooth is not state of the art, nor do I believe it should be. These things are very small and the sheer fact of many features it currently has is almost unbelieveable. However, does the bluetooth meet all of your needs? YES. For example, in my dorm room on a phone call the receiver said the call quality was very good and they actually couldnt tell that I wasnt talking into my phone. Then, I went out into the hallway (surrounded by cement walls) and the call quality they said went to the same as talking on the speaker. Still gets the job done but not flawless, but is it really that big of a deal? No. Thoughts on the "The Terrible Sound Quality" Like I said earliar I am not an audiophile, but that does not mean I cant tell cheap headphones from good ones. These are good ones, but are they the best Ive ever had? No. If you really want great sounding headphones, then you should buy just that...headphones. The Dash are not headphones but rather similar to a fitbit: a gadget packed with features. Is each feature good? Yes. Is each feature the best on the market? No. Thoughts on the Audio Transparency This feature is very, very, very weird. Its not something you ever knew could exist or that you wanted. But let me tell you, IT IS MINDBLOWING. Mindblowing. My mouth dropped and then I screamed. Ok I may have been a little dramatic but I was floored. The best way to describe it is that its a reverse-enginereed headphone. It takes sounds from around you and amplifies them into your ear. Yes, that includes your voice. Your brain is telling you that your speaking at a normal level, but your ears are telling you that your talking very loudly. Very weird at first but now I absolutly love it. Its kind of like when bradley cooper first took NZT in limitless and a sheet was lifted from his eyes. Same concept except for your ears. I immeditly showed my good friends this feature and they had similar reactions. Jaws dropping,looks of bewilderment, screams. This feature is barely talked about yet is the Dash's crowning achievement, and the best of all its super easily activated by a swipe on the left headset. A great example of using it: your listening to music and someone tries talking to you. Instead of turning your music down or off, you can turn audio transparency on. You can have a full conversation with the music blasting. Once again, very weird and new concept, but one that is neccessasry. Thoughts on Ease of Use Thank god Bragi took its time. They really nailed it with the simplicity of the features. Once you figure out how to tap each dash (the left and right headphones both have completly different functions) its incredibly simple to use. One click to start music, two clicks to go to the next song, a swipe left or right for volume. Very easy to use. Even more, I am still surprised how smart the dash is. They will know whether they are in an ear, as well as the second you take one out they turn off. If they arent correctly in the ear, it wont turn on either. Yet when they do turn on, they work flawlessly from the instant it beeps telling you its on. It automatically connects to your bluetooth and will start playing music instantly. I could reach for my phone and press the play button but the music would already be playing. Thoughts on the charging cradle Its magnetic?!?!?!? Another thing I wasnt expecting but helps immesenly. This is probably where the people that didnt give it a fair shot most likely became frustated. First, while the dash is suppose to be "locked" in position from the magnet, sometimes it needs a gentle push to really lock it in. Super easy to fix, it just takes a couple of seconds to make sure its charging correctly. Also, It took me some time to realize that you cannot charge the charging cradle AND the dash at the same time. You have to charge the charging cradle and then it can charge the dash. Not something I had ever seen before, but its really not a big deal at all. The cradle has so much juice in it that its never been a problem. The Dash itself once put into the cradle charges very fast. Like a little over a half hour for a full charge. The cradle itself also comes with a protective case (cover? idk what you would call it) that makes it super portable. Final thoughts I am a typical broke college student. This was a splurge because I thought they were really cool, and if they didnt work I figured Amazon would take them back. $300 is a DEAL for what you are getting. I would spend $500 to get the same product. Do not let the price intimidate you. They are well worth the cost. Disclaimer: I am in no way affilated with bragi. I am just a very, very happy customer that believes bragi may have just designed a breakthough new product who is unfairly getting trashed on reviews. Please give it a fair shot with an open mind, I think youll be fairly surprised. If you are one that is not usually good with technology (texting with one finger, trying to zoom in on instagram etc.) , this is not for you, you will become overwhelmed and frustrated.