The IQBuds BOOST are Nuheara’s latest product and updated wireless earbuds. A few years back I was introduced to the original IQBuds and loved them. That being said, the BOOST earbuds are a nice upgrade from the original.

What are the IQBuds BOOST?

In short, they are wireless earbuds with:

• noise cancelation (of background sounds)
• sound amplification (of what you want to hear)
• an app that adjust sounds to each ear for your unique hearing profile
• bluetooth to connect to your phone, computer, etc.
• built in microphone for making phone calls and using SIRI
• tap touch controls, no small buttons or dials

Noise settings:

The earbuds have several presets to make listening ideal in different settings. Home, office, driving, plane, restaurant. I mostly used the home and driving settings. “Driving” mode was good for conversations in the car and it blocked out the wind. I used this when walking my dog too. Within the IQBuds App you can customize how much exterior or “world” sound you want. I played around with that a bit and liked it with decreased “world” in each setting. 

For the full noise-canceling experience, one single tap brings you to “world off.” This worked incredibly well to block almost all outside noise and allow me to hear my music or audiobooks without cranking the volume up. For someone like me (an emotional empath) who gets overwhelmed by a lot of competing background noise or loud sounds, this feature is very enjoyable. I often used the “world off” setting without playing any music. This came in handy when writing in a coffee shop or other noisy space where I needed some silence.

Comfort and fit:

The first two days I could only wear the earbuds for 30 minutes before my left ear felt uncomfortable. Always the left and never the right. But after the third day the discomfort dissipated about 80-90%. I adjusted how I put them in my ears. The instructions show that once you insert the ear tips, you turn them slightly to secure them. This is intuitive and I could easily go by feel, as opposed to other sport headphones that required a more specific motion to “lock” headphones into place. Occasionally I noticed that the sound was competing with background noise and each time it became clear I had not put them deep enough into the ear. Easy fix and the improvement of sound and background noise cancellation was immediate. Nuheara sends a variety of tips for different ear sizes. I didn’t try them out because the stock tips fit just fine. Or maybe I was too lazy to try them out. The point is, they are there if you aren’t getting the fit you want.

Controls:

No buttons or dials on these earbuds. When you take them out of the case and insert them into your ears, they automatically turn on. This is a subtle and understated feature. Who walks around with earplugs in that doesn’t want them on? Nuheara did well to think of simple creative ways to make these earbuds more user-friendly. The earbuds are controlled by tapping. The first day I kept messing this up, but after two days of occasional use it was second-nature. You can customize the settings in the app, but out of the box, a single tap to the left earbud will start or pause your music or movie. A single tap to the right will go between “world off”and the location preset. A long tap, or holding your finger on the right will switch between the location presets.

A double tap activates SIRI for iPhone users and my biggest hassle with the earbuds. I finally changed the setting to  disable the double tap because I would inadvertently activate SIRI (which I never use anyways except to make a lame dad -joke). If I had even slightly wet hands and tried to tap and earbud, this would trigger the double TAP for SIRI. If my dog licked me, SIRI again. I found myself accidentally double tapping and activating SIRI. This was easily remedied by going into the app and disabling it.

Before the IQBuds BOOST, I used the Jaybird X3 earbuds for working out. They were decent, but had a few hang ups One thing that always bothered me about the Jaybirds was the wire connecting left and right earbuds. If not clipped to a shirt or hat just right, it would catch on your skin and pull the earbuds out when turning your head or when running. Even when clipped, the Jaybirds would be pulled out unless the wire was clipped at the very center to your shirt, hat, or jacket. Not an issue with the IQBuds BOOST.

Customization:

The IQBudsBOOST has a free downloadable app that assists in customizing the buds to your own hearing profile. Remember the hearing tests you did in elementary school or the military? Same thing. It takes about 10 minutes to listen to different frequencies at different volumes in each ear and shows you the results. The earbuds adjust volume and frequencies to account for this. The original IQBuds did not have this feature, and the new IQBuds BOOST further the mission of hearing assistance by refining the earbuds to individual hearing profiles.

Uses:

Household chores– I tried these out with all sorts of chores from grinding coffee, washing dishes, mowing the lawn. I have an electric mower and the earbuds cancelled out almost all the sound. I  only needed to turn the volume up slightly to compete with the noise. Putting my over-ear shooting earmuffs solved this easily and fit well when I tried it out. But it wasn’t necessary.

Workouts– I was surprised to feel these things stay secure in my ears during runs. Even the jaybirds would slip out and need to be pushed in from time to time. When I used the Jaybirds for comparison, I noticed how much louder I needed to set the volume to compete with outside noise of traffic, etc. The BOOST stayed in the ears perfectly. Most of my bike workouts are on the stationary trainer and fit well here too. Some bike helmets may need the straps adjusted to make sure they do not touch the earbuds. This was pretty easy to do in my case.

Traveling-I flew to San Diego with my family and went between “world off” and “plane” mode. Hearing conversations was so-so, and one of my few disappointments with the IQBuds BOOST. When I didn’t need to talk, the “World off” setting was fantastic to make for a quiet ride, even when I wasn’t listening to anything else on my phone.Phone calls- Using the “world off” feature, phone calls were easy and sound quality was great. I didn’t need to hold the microphone close to my mouth like I did with the Jaybirds or the iPhone stock headphones.

Restaurants– This is the place the IQBuds really shine. I am not great at reading lips, so making conversation in a crowded restaurant was always a losing effort, especially after getting back from Iraq. Slight hearing loss overall and more pronounced hearing loss at certain frequencies caused me to hear everything EXCEPT what was being said by the person sitting across from me. On the restaurant setting I hear the person and some clinking of silverware, but the bombardment from outside the table area is diminished greatly. I noticed how much of my mental energy I was previously using just to concentrate on guessing what my dining partner was saying. With the IQBuds BOOST, I enjoy the taste of the food and the experience much more.

Battery Life

Nuheara claims the IQBuds BOOST will last for “20hrs on the go audio streaming 32hrs hearing enhancement.” I have no reason to doubt this, though I cannot say I ever wore them for 20 hours at a time. One of the convenient features of the earbuds is the case, which is also a portable charger. You simply put the earbuds in their respective slot and close the top. They will charge if the display lights show red, which can be a little finicky. Several times I had to open the case and slightly reposition one of the earbuds to make sure they were sitting right. This is not much of a hassle, but it’s easy to overlook when putting them away. I can see Nuheara putting some money into improving this part of the product.

Style:

“What on earth are you wearing?” an older relative asked me. I mumble something about “noise-cancelling ear buds” and “sound amplification,” but it was clear she was not impressed. I chalk it up more to my personality and habit of consuming a steady diet of podcasts and audiobooks while doing chores. My coworkers were more receptive to the look and idea of the IQBuds BOOST. I personally enjoy the unobtrusive and polished look. They don’t stick out much, they don’t look like a telemarketer’s headset, they don’t have the blinking blue light that screams “cell phone holster and sandals with socks included.” Millennials and the tech-savvy among us won’t bat an eye at these.

The Final Verdict

I love these earbuds. They are light, comfortable, and produce great sound. The noise cancellation and select sound amplification make it easier to hear the people I am with and dim down the background noise that previously crowded it out. The IQBuds BOOST stay in the ears even during sprints and interval work on the track. I can’t say the same for the Jaybird X3 or any other earbuds I have used. My favorite aspect of using the IQBuds BOOST is the simple fact that I don’t need to crank the volume to hear my music when it’s loud around me. The $499 price tag will turn many people away. The original IQBuds are only $199 as of this writing, and for what you get it is clearly a better value. If you think of the original IQBuds or the BOOST as an everyday tool to minimize overwhelm in public, then the price tag is worth it for athletes, veterans, and the everyday civilian alike. Nuheara’s 30-day guarantee lets you return them if you’re not satisfied.

Even so, I doubt you’ll be mailing these back.

Disclosures: I was given a sample pair of IQBuds BOOST from Nuheara to review. I do not receive financial compensation or incentives as a result of this review.