When SOL Republic introduced the Relays ($64.99 at Amazon)  last year, they were marketed as "crossover" earphones that combined the fit of exercise buds with the supposedly better audio quality of regular earphones. The notion was a bit silly (plenty of exercise-focused earphones have great audio already), but we liked their audio performance regardless. Now, with the Relays Sport, SOL Republic is all-in on the exercise theme. However, the most notable difference between the new Relays and their predecessor is the price: At $49.99, the Relays Sport are $30 less expensive. That makes their balance of robust bass response and crisp, clear highs that much more impressive. Their secure fit, along with their powerful audio performance, earn them our Editors' Choice award. DesignThe Relays Sport ( at Amazon)  are available with two types of inline remote control. You can opt for a single-button remote for playback, track navigation, and calls, or a three-button remote that will also ad...

The modestly priced SOL Republic Relays Sport earphones offer powerful audio performance and a secure fit ideal for your workout.

Powerful, bass-forward audio performance with clear, well-defined highs; Secure fit for exercise; Choose your own remote control style

Light on accessories; Not for purists seeking flat response-style sound signature

The marketing behind the SOL Republic Relays claims that they're "crossover" earphones, combining the superb fit of exercise-focused pairs with the excellent sound that exercise earphones supposedly lack. This is a pretty bizarre notion—the Sennheiser CX 685 SPORTS( at Amazon) is a great-sounding exercise earphone pair, for instance, so the categories aren't mutually exclusive. There's no denying, however, that the fit of the $79.99 (direct) Relays is quite secure and comfortable—ideal for workouts. They also deliver thunderous bass response with no distortion, even at top volumes. The overall sound signature is very sculpted and won't appeal to purists, but will probably help your heart rate stay steady if you listen to fast-paced music with booming low-end when you workout. The very concept of a "crossover" earphone pair is silly—these are simply earphones intended for exercise, and they deliver quality sound performance for the price. DesignThe in-ear, sweat- and water-resista...

The affordable, exercise-oriented SOL Republic Relays are value-priced earphones that offers intense low-end for bass lovers.

Powerful audio performance with intense deep bass; Lightweight, secure-fitting design geared towards exercise; Sweat- and water-resistant; Inline remote for mobile devices

Highly sculpted sound signature isn't for purists

Cheap ear headphones are comfortable with good sound quality.

I was very disappointed. I was hoping to use these earphones for video calls with Zoom, but had to hold the mic down continually to use the mic. Also, the cable was too short to connect to my PC, and the sound was disappointing. The packaging was like fort-knox, trying to open!!

I bought this product because i preferred a wired earphone set and sol republic was a big name brand. I was not disappointed. Absolute value for money. It has a 3 button design (vol +/-, pause/play), can't say i use it except to change the volume or pause when someone tries to talk to me. The noise cancelling is quite evident and by following the instructions to pull the ears up to get them to sit nicely, they never fall out. I use them for the gym and they take a lot of tugging and sweat but never let up. I love them, the sound quality allows me to hear things in songs i never heard before and would recommend them to anyone.

I've been through three pairs of these. I love the way they fit and they do indeed stay in your ears and reduce outside noise quite well, they sound pretty good and are comfortable to wear. BUT they just don't last - every pair I had (and one was a replacement pair on warranty) had problems where the sound would cut out and eventually no sound would come out at all, or the sound would only come out of one ear bud and only when you fiddle with and held the connection to the phone at a particular sweet spot! I persevered with them because their flat design made them comfy to wear in bed. But the longest that any of these lasted was 3 months and I was very careful with them. Note that there's quite a bit of cable noise with them too.

These headphones are a little bit uncomfortable to put in at first, but after a while you get used to them. However, after about a week of use, being handled like any other of my previous headphones (SoundMAGIC e10, Apple Earpods, etc) one of the earphones have already broken. I went for a replacement and within 2 days, they've broken again. This is average use case so I have no idea what could be the problem. No way am I buying these again, unfortunate because they look so good too and stay in your ears really well.

Originally bought these in February 2015 along with the extended warranty. Had to return them 4 times before finally giving in and asking for a refund. The inline buttons will randomly stop working, the sound regularly cuts in and out of one or both speaker and crackling will spontaneously start/stop. Great fit for gym use/running and low cord bounce noise, but until the sound and button issues are resolved I could not recommend this model to anyone. Such a shame ...

I've owed these for 3 months and I thought I was onto a great thing. It took me a long time to find a pair that fit in my ear and didn't fall out when jogging. The sound wasn't the highest of quality but easy to listen to regardless and the great fit well made up for it. After 3 months the build quality just didn't last, left ear no long working. For "Sport" headphones I'd expect a lot more, maybe rename them to "Commute" or "Non sport" ha! Of course I don't have my receipt anymore so money down the drain.