It's pretty rare to come across a new pair of on-ear headphones with an exercise-friendly design—most of the sport-focused models we review are actually earphones. Thus, Adidas' aptly named RPT-01 Sport On-Ear headphones ($169) are an intriguing wireless option. Intended for sports and other physical activity, they use cool, washable fabric reminiscent of some styles of Adidas sneakers. They also offer solid battery life and deliver bass-forward, highly sculpted audio performance, with adjustable EQ so the bass can be dialed back or set to ridiculously high levels. All of this makes the RPT-01 headphones an intriguing alternative to sporty earphones for anyone who prefers an on-ear design.
A Unique Design
Available in coral, dark gray, or light gray, the supra-aural (on-ear) RPT-01 headphones don't look like any other models we've reviewed. Their foam earcups are covered in stylish, knitted fabric sleeves that are removable and washable. The headband's fabric is knitted as well, with a rubberized underside that adds stability. The overall fit is lightweight, comfortable, and secure.
The left earcup's outer panel houses a dedicated action button that you can set the function for (more on this in a moment). The right ear's panel houses a control knob similar to those we've seen on Marshall headphones. Pressing it controls playback or answers/ends calls, pushing it forward skips forward a track, pushing it backward navigates back a track, and pressing it up or down adjusts volume. The control knob also acts as the power/pairing button. We found the controls easy to operate, and frankly wish that more headphones used this intuitive system.
The RPT-01's IPX4 rating is about as low as a manufacturer will advertise, but it does mean that the headphones can withstand light splashing. They just can't get thoroughly soaked, nor can they be submerged or subjected to faucet-level pressure. But, as mentioned, the earcup sleeves are removable and can actually be washed with your laundry—so at least these pieces of the design are fully waterproof, just not the electronics they cover. And again, any level of water resistance on a pair of on-ear headphones is welcome to see.
The Adidas Headphones app for Android and iOS allows you to create customized shortcuts using the action button on the left earcup, as well as adjust audio to taste with customizable EQ. The action button can be customized to play various Spotify playlists, or to summon your phone's voice assistant. The EQ has multiple presets, all of which can be adjusted, including a custom setting.
The headphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.0 and support the SBC Bluetooth codec, but unfortunately neither AAC nor AptX.
Adidas estimates battery life to be roughly 40 hours, which is a solid number, but your results will vary with your volume levels. A long USB-C-to-USB-A cable connects to the USB-C port on the bottom of the right earcup's side panel for charging.
Adidas RPT-01 Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the headphones deliver powerful low-frequency response. The sub-bass teeters on the edge of distortion without ever quite getting there when the headphones are at unwise, maximum listening levels. This means at high—but slightly lower—volumes, you get a full, deep bass response with no hint of distortion. There's plenty of higher-frequency boosting and sculpting to keep the mix balanced.
Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the RPT-01's general sound signature. The drums on this track sound huge, and certainly boosted beyond what would be considered accurate. For bass lovers, this is great news: The lows are intense, even at moderate volumes, but they're also matched with plenty of high-mid and high-frequency presence, adding a crisp edge to the vocals and acoustic strums. These drivers aren't accurate, but if deep bass helps motivate you during exercise, you won't be disappointed.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence for its attack to retain some of its punchiness, while the vinyl crackle and hiss that's usually relegated to background status steps forward in the mix a bit—another sign of the high-frequency sculpting in play. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with solid depth, but there is a bit of a drop-off—they don't quite go all the way down to the deepest subwoofer lows. Thus, we can surmise much of the bass boosting here is actually in the lows and low-mids, and while there is some sub-bass power, it's a little less intense. The vocals on the track are delivered with excellent high-mid crispness and clarity. There's maybe the slightest bit of added sibilance, but just barely.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, get some exaggerated bass depth, pushing the lower-register instrumentation forward slightly in the mix, but the spotlight still belongs to the bright, higher-register brass, strings, and vocals. This isn't a terribly accurate sound signature, but it packs some bass punch and solid definition through the mids for balance.
The mic offers average intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 8, we could understand every word we recorded. There was some Bluetooth distortion in the mix, but this is typical of many Bluetooth headphones and shouldn't prevent callers from hearing you.
The Rare On-Ear Sports Headphones
The Adidas RPT-01 Sport On-Ear headphones offer a stylish, unique design with easy-to-operate controls. For this price, nearly all of our favorite recent exercise-focused options are in-ears, and typically they're true wireless models. If that sounds more like what you're after, consider the $170 JBL True Wireless Flash X or the $180 Jaybird Vista, both of which have higher IP ratings. If you're more interested in affordable on-ear headphones, and the exercise part of the equation is less important, check out the $100 Jabra Elite 45h. But if you want on-ear headphones that are good for the gym and exercise, Adidas does a nice job of blending audio quality, functionality, and style.