Review Date: Apr. 29, 2014
The Good Mpow's Cheetah wireless Bluetooth sports headphones are lightweight, water-resistant, and sound decent enough for how inexpensive they are. They're also equipped with Bluetooth 4.0, which makes pairing easy.
The Bad May not fit some people securely; generic styling; track skip forward/back button is too small and hard to use; battery life (5 hours) could be better.
The Bottom Line If you don't have a problem with their fit or finish, the Mpow Cheetah wireless sports headphones are a relative bargain at around $35 online.
Wireless Bluetooth headphones are becoming increasingly popular, but the good ones tend to run over $100, and some, like the highly rated but expensive Beats Studio Wireless go for close to $400.
I was intrigued then when Mpow contacted me about reviewing its Mpow Cheetah Sport Bluetooth 4.0 headphones, an in-ear "budget" model that sells online for about $35. The pitch was that not only were they lightweight and sweatproof, but they featured "crystal clear stereo sound and didn't fall off your head," even with a strong shake.
I was skeptical about their quality, but I'm always looking for good bargain headphones, so I figured I'd give them a shot.
The sweatproof Mpow Cheetah retails for around $35 online. Sarah Tew/CNET
Design and features
Let's start with what I like about them. They are indeed lightweight and kind of wind up into a ball that you can easily stick in your pocket. While somewhat unusual looking, they're pretty generic in their styling and look like budget headphones. Their build quality doesn't inspire confidence that they'll hold up under rigorous use for a while, but by the same token, they don't seem poorly built.
After you unwind them, you hitch them to your ears and the stiff cord wraps around the back of your head. The exterior of the headphones has a glossy-black finish and the outside of the earpieces are emblazoned with the Mpow logo. I prefer it to the Meelectronics logo, but it still screams "made in China" (yes, just about everything is made in China, but this product looks like it was bought off the shelf from a Shanghai wholesaler).
MPOW Cheetah Sport Product Photos See full gallery
The other, potentially more serious issue is the fit of the headphones. With the included eartips -- there are three sizes -- I couldn't get the headphones to stay in my ears. The right earbud kept sliding out, which not only was irritating but it obviously had an impact on sound quality.
I remedied the situation by digging up a longer pair of eartips (watch the video to see what those look like). With a little longer anchor, so to speak, the headphones suddenly fit snugly and securely. It was a small alteration but it made a big difference. (To be clear, the headphones might fit your head just fine out of the box, but I can assure you that the headphones simply won't work for some people).
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