Sony’s first attempt at truly wireless earbuds last year was a disappointment: the $200 noise-canceling WF-1000X buds had subpar battery life, severe audio sync issues when watching video, and intermittent connection dropouts. Now, Sony is back with another try and a more specific focus: sports. The $180 WF-SP700N are clearly designed for runners and gymgoers. They’re water / sweat resistant, and they fit securely in your ears without budging even the slightest bit, no matter how vigorous the exercise. They’ve got a rumbling, bass-heavy sound and digital noise cancellation.

But they also come with some of the same problems as Sony’s all-purpose truly wireless earbuds: battery life remains disappointing, the video sync issue is still present, and the audio occasionally cuts out.

Our review of Sony WF-SP700N Verge Score 7 out of 10 Good Stuff Powerful, rumbling bass that’s ideal for workout playlists

Sturdy, secure fit

IPX4 water and sweat resistant Bad Stuff Case is way too big

Worst-in-class battery life

Useless for watching videos

Audio dropouts are still a thing Buy for $178.00 from Amazon Buy for $179.99 from Best Buy

These earbuds look different than their predecessors. Whereas the WF-1000X were relatively subtle, no one would use that word to describe the WF-SP700N buds. They’re bulky, but I think Sony figures that customers don’t really care much about design when choosing workout earbuds. I tested the white / silver color, but they also come in a flashy yellow, pink, or black.

I don’t mind the appearance much since they sit in your ears so well, but Sony could have done better with button layout. See the big circle near the bottom of each earbud? It’s not a button. Instead, the buttons are those little plastic slits right below the Sony logo. The right-side button lets you play / pause, skip tracks, activate Siri / Google Assistant, and so on. The one on the left toggles between Sony’s noise cancellation and ambient sound modes. Unfortunately, they’re rather stiff, and you’ll be shoving the earbuds deeper into your ears whenever you use them. Siri heard me fine with the built-in mic, but I got complaints about quality during phone calls, and those calls only come through the left earbud. So I’d recommend just avoiding calls altogether with these. Separately, Sony has also promised a deeper level of integration with Google Assistant at some point, but who knows when that update will actually come.

The carrying case for the WF-SP700Ns is bad. It’s big, bulbous, and in no way pocketable. The top swings open in either direction to reveal the earbuds inside, which tuck into a deep recess. Putting them back into the case takes a few tries before it feels natural. At first, I thought the swiveling top cover would be cool, but it doesn’t stay closed particularly well, its durability is questionable, and it’s not hard to envision this thing snapping off someday. The earbuds would likely stay in fine without it, as they’re seated very snugly. The case charges over Micro USB and holds two additional full charges on top of the 3-hour battery life of the earbuds themselves. But I really wish it was smaller; you’ll almost certainly need to carry these in a bag of some kind. That’s okay for the gym, but it’s less convenient elsewhere.

Once they’re in, these earbuds won’t budge at all

The earbuds are IPX4 water resistant, and they handled several 5-mile runs and my typical waterfall of sweat without any signs of trouble. But they aren’t meant to be submerged, so avoid pools and puddles. The default silicone ear tips and wings were perfect for my ears, but Sony includes other sizing options for both in the box. Once you do find the right fit, the WF-SP700Ns never feel at risk of coming dislodged or falling out of your ears in the middle of a run or workout. They’re not going anywhere. I’ve had to get aftermarket foam tips for other wireless earbuds like the Jabra Elite 65t to make them feel this steady and locked in, but the Sonys do a great of job staying put.

If you need your fitness earbuds to deliver boomy, powerful bass, look no further. Aside from Bose’s SoundSport Free, it’s hard to think of another set of truly wireless buds that put a bigger emphasis on the low end. That growl can make up for high frequencies that occasionally sound slightly harsh and a narrow soundstage. But it can get almost overwhelming on some tracks; listening to “The Middle” by Zedd and Maren Morris is taxing on the ears. These were clearly made for high-tempo, bass-forward workout playlists, but I also found that they worked nicely for gritty rock like Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats and music from Leon Bridges, Brandi Carlile, and Twin Shadow.

Bass heads will be happy

Sony gives you a very basic level of EQ control through its smartphone app, where you can choose from presets like bright, excited, relaxed, or treble boost. You can’t customize the EQ to your own liking, however. I preferred leaving those effects turned off. I also generally left the noise cancellation on these earbuds disabled. Like the WF-1000X before them, I couldn’t really tell an appreciable difference between the good noise isolation you get from sealing these in your ears and the digital noise cancellation. It’s nowhere near as strong as on Sony’s full-size headphones, and it doesn’t mute your surroundings to the same degree. It might slightly cut down on street noise or the clanking and grunting at your local gym, but that’s about it.

Unfortunately, Sony hasn’t addressed some of the annoyances that I encountered with its previous truly wireless earbuds. Cutouts and playback interruptions aren’t as noticeable as they were on the WF-1000Xs; I completed a number of outdoor runs and stationary treadmill workouts without a hiccup. But they still happen from time to time and seem to be significantly worse when the earbuds are paired with a laptop, where the sound can maddeningly ping-pong between the left and right earbuds.

And these continue to suffer from badly delayed audio when watching videos on your phone, so you should only expect to use them for music listening. The WF-SP700Ns are being marketed with a specific purpose — fitness — so the issue with watching video isn’t as much of a deal-breaker as with Sony’s other pair. But I’m disappointed Sony didn’t make the upgrade to Bluetooth 5 with these, as it seems to go a long way in solving both of those problems.

There’s no getting around lackluster battery life, though. At three hours of continuous playback, these earbuds will last you through any reasonable gym session or a half marathon, but they’re behind the fiveish-hour average that many competitors offer. The case gets you two extra charges for a total of nine hours, but again: compare that to the 15 hours of the Jabra Elites or the even greater longevity of AirPods, and it’s not great.

In terms of comfort and fit, Sony’s WF-SP700N earbuds are an improvement over the company’s first pass at truly wireless earbuds. And I think for their intended purpose, the bass-driven sound will satisfy many. But first, you should decide whether eliminating all wires is worth the poor battery life versus traditional Bluetooth earbuds like a $100 set of Jaybirds. If your answer is yes and if you can overlook the awkward case, have no interest in using them for video, and can deal with random, infrequent audio cutouts, the Sonys might not be a bad pick for your next set of workout earbuds. But for $180, I wouldn’t blame you if you found those trade-offs unacceptable.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge