Creative Outlier Free Pro+ Review
Niching Headphones for Active Athlete, Professional and Recreational, Wet and Dry
Workout without music is proven to be less effective and jogging without eye of tiger as an BGM is just not fun. As so listening to music during work out is a common thing to do, nowadays TWS would be the ideal audio companion for sport. However, user would often found that the hussle needing to be pair with a smartphone, easy to drop out, and discomfort of having something stuck in ear.
With these problem, it is understandable that serious user would be annoyed and even unable to be train at their full capacity with TWS. Enter the Creative Outlier Free Pro+, a headphone design for athlete, it addressed all the above stated problems plus some extra benifits.
In this review we’ll be looking at the Ourlier Free Pro+’s built, durability, confortbility, and as all headphone, the sound quality. We also want to see can the Outlier Free Pro+ withstand being put in the field, so we’ll be working out with it too.
Creative Outlier Free Pro+’s Built
The Outlier Free Pro+’s open ear design is significantly more secure compare to the TWS design, generally able to stay in place even during intense movement.
Weight in a mere 32g, the weight is evenly distributed out throughout both ear like wearing spectacles. the headphone.
The headphone also have Soft touch finishing on top of it. This coating covers the whole headphone including the transducen unit, while giving it more durability against sweat it also improve its grip during intense use.
Being the + variant, the Outlier Free Pro+ can adjust its conductive unit horizontally. While this might seen like a minute feature, during actual use this act as the deal breaker between good sound quality and a bad one being the Plus variant, it can be adjust horizontally to improve vibration
Also, being the Pro series it included a built in MP3 play, which housed 8gb worth of storage for music. The controls is below the battery compartment, the buttons is dimpled with good tectile feedback via touching.
It comes with IPX8 rating, which indicate the Outlier Free Pro+ is resistent against submersion in freshwater up to a depth of 1.5m for up to 40 minutes. However IPX8 rating does not include submersion in salt water, so swiming in ocean would not be ideal.
Battery & Charging
The battery in the Outlier Free Pro+ can last up to 10 hours according to official documents, based on our merit we have it going for about 3 hours on Bluetooth mode with AAC spending about 30% of the battery.
For us to get full charge for 180 mAh Up battery took about xx hours. The charging is done with a proprietary magnetic charger, which will snap on to the headphone when place nearby. The same charger also doubles as data transfer for the MP3 player too.
At this point is worth to also mentioning that the MP3 player have 8GB worth of storage and can support up to FLAC audio format. It might not sound like much, but 8GB can fit about 700 high fidelity MP3 audio, and up to 40+ highest resolution possible of FLAC file. 40 FLAC file is equal to 7 hours’ worth of music that would satisfy the most intense training work out.
Outlier Free Pro+ Audio Experience
It has to be secure
Originally when I use the Outlier Free Pro+ it was quite a mixed experience, I could hardly hear any bass from the headphone and the vibration was shaking intensely, almost like tiny palm slappy my skin. After consulting the user guide I realize the transducer units need to stick as close as possible to my chin to be successfully conduction the vibration into my ear.
This is where the adjustable transducer comes in handy, and why the + variant with adjustable transducer make more sense compared to the none adjustable none + variant. Once adjusted to optimal level, we realized that the Outlier Free Pro+ sound extraordinary.
Sound like nothing I heard before
The headphone excelled at mid tone and treble, sounds amazing when listening to LoFi music, speech, and other music that require less bass. Vocal can be heard apologeticly pearcing through music reaching to listeners, but the melody are still prominent to present on stage. The keywords I would use to describe mid tone and treble for the Outlier Free Pro+ would be crisp, snappy, crystal, and prominent, but it could be dry too some time.
Bass is where this headphone come short in, where it overshadowed by the other frequency. This however can be remedy again by adjusting the transducer, and Creative have hidden a crazy track up its sleeve to make bass music with the Outlier Free Pro+ highly enjoyable.
The nature of a bone transfer headphone used contact between the transducer and the flesh to transfer vibration, which when reach into ear cannel, perceive as audio. This while made the sound stage narrower, the audio signal are all deliver as vibration, and when played with bassy music every hit it directly felt as a punch rather than just audio. Listening to Doom OST “Rip & Tear” is crazy enjoyable, I have involuntary swing and bang my head with the beat and I forgot when was the last time I had so much fun with a headphone.
The keywords I would use to describe bass for the Outlier Free Pro+ would be fun, punchy, but hollow.
While the sound stage is narrow, it is also precise. In the intro part of Doom’s OST The Imp’s Song by Bobby Prince Music. At the intro of the music there is a series of pipe knocking, with the Outlier Free Pro+ I can perceive it not only at left and right of it, but also the different vertical degree the knocking is at.
Exercising with the Outlier Free Pro+
Dry Activities: Enhancing the Jogging Experience
Heightened Awareness of Surroundings:
When jogging in urban or park settings, maintaining awareness of one’s surroundings is crucial for safety. The Outlier Free Pro+ excels in this aspect, unlike traditional in-ear headphones that will isolate the user from their environment. These headphones allow the wearer to maintain a heightened sense of awareness.
The open-ear design of the Outlier Free Pro+ enables the wearer to perceive ambient sounds around them. Whether it’s the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves, or the distant sounds of traffic, users can remain connected to the soundscape while their music harmoniously coexists with the world around them.
The Symphony of the Street and My World:
The term “stereo” typically refers to the reproduction of sound that creates the illusion of directionality and depth. Audio flows alongside the natural sounds of the environment. It is a beautiful experience when the audio synchronizes with the theme of nature, but it’s also amusing to listen to metal music while passing by couples engaged in heated arguments.
Wet Activities: Submerging into the Sound
Music Through the Skin:
Traditionally, enjoying music while swimming involved cumbersome setups or sacrificing sound quality. With the Outlier Free Pro+’s IPX8 rating, which allows for full submersion in freshwater up to a depth of 1.5 meters for up to 40 minutes, a unique audio experience awaits.
The vibrations from the headphones are transmitted through the water and can be felt not only in the ears but throughout the body. This creates a tactile connection between the body and the audio—a completely different way to experience the rhythm. Each beat becomes tangible, resulting in an extraordinary sensory experience.
In both dry and wet activities, the Creative Outlier Free Pro+ transcends traditional headphone boundaries, enhancing your experiences with music and the world around you. Whether jogging through bustling streets or swimming in serene waters, these headphones redefine the concept of exercising with music. Dive in, sync up, and let the rhythm of life elevate your workouts to a whole new level.
Creative Outlier Free Pro+ Conclusion
Retailed at USD150 (~RM700+-), the Creative Outlier Free Pro+ headphones cater to active athletes seeking a versatile audio solution for both dry land and underwater workouts. These headphones impress with their secure in-band design, weighing just 32g and featuring a sweat-resistant soft-touch finish, ensuring comfort and durability during intense exercise. The adjustable bone conductive unit inallows for fine-tuning and opens up hidden potential for bass-heavy tracks.
What sets the Outlier Free Pro+ apart from other models is its IPX8 rating, granting swimmers the freedom to enjoy music underwater for up to 40 minutes without fear of damage. The headphones transmit vibrations through the water, creating a unique tactile audio experience where each beat is palpable, enhancing the connection between body and rhythm.
In conclusion, the Creative Outlier Free Pro+ headphones are a comprehensive audio companion for athletes, seamlessly blending music with the sounds of the environment during dry land activities and providing an immersive and novel audio experience for swimmers. These headphones redefine the way athletes exercise with music, making workouts more engaging and motivating, whether on the streets or underwater.
If you are interested in getting a Creative Outlier Free Pro+, we have a special discount code that will get you US$20 off! Insert HELLOOFP20 at their official site here, offer valid until 17 September 2023.
Outlier Free Pro+
Creative Outlier Free Pro+'s IPX8 rating granting swimmers the freedom to enjoy music underwater for up to 40 minutes without fear of damage. The headphones transmit vibrations through the water, creating a unique tactile audio experience.
