Acefast Acefit FA002 Earbuds: open-ear speakers for on-trail audio

Although a rather reluctant convert to music-assisted exercise (as someone who leans heavily towards trail terrain over road conditions, I like to hear the sounds of the woods and wildlife around me), I have been testing numerous models of running headphones and air pods recently.

It’s an increasingly busy and competitive category, and there are at least five different types of running ear pods and headphones for runners to mull over, but for people like me, who don’t want to shut the outside world out altogether, open-ear designs are a good option – especially models that allow you to pause tracks and lower the volume when you enter an interesting part of a route. Earbuds that allow peripheral sounds to come through are also safer for people who run on roads, and they are more likely to be permitted during organised events, whereas other models are often banned by race organisers.

Since they promise exactly this kind of functionality, I was looking forward to testing out the AceFit Earbuds from AceFast.

Design and features

The Acefit earbuds arrive in an impressive-looking, beautifully designed package, reminiscent of a high-end Apple Mac product. The good looks and smart presentation carry through to the storage and charging case, which is shaped like a perfect skimming pebble, opens like a clam and fits snuggly in the palm of your hand (or, more, importantly, in the pocket of your running shorts, jacket or hydration pack).

Although this storage/charging case is aesthetically pleasing and easy to carry, there are two downsides to it: there’s no visual indication that the system is charging (the Acefast logo doesn’t even illuminate) or how much charge it has. Even more weirdly, the socket is on the bottom of the case, so you end up with it upside down (no big deal, just a bit odd).

Inside the case are the left/right-specific earbuds, which hook around your ear so the speaker sits on your tragus, right at the entry to your ear canal. This conducts audio into your ear without blocking out surround sounds. The microphone is located on the bottom of the bud, so it can easily pick up your voice during phone calls and when using voice commands. A rounded counterweight sits at the opposite end to the speaker, balancing the bud and keeping it in place during exercise.

Connectivity and sound

The Acefit earbuds automatically connect with your phone (or other Bluetooth-equipped device) via BT V5.4 as soon as you liberate them from the case. Once you have them in position, you’re able to adjust the volume, skip through tracks, pause the sound or activate voice control by tapping the main part of the bud once, twice, three times or keeping your finger in place for a couple of seconds.

These actions are preset (and sensibly mirror one another – so tap the right ear to increase the volume, tap the left to decrease it) but if you download the app it allows you to change and customise the controls. Likewise, you can fiddle around with the audio levels here, lowering or increasing the bass levels for example, or setting a bespoke sound with the Custom EQ tab (which has an impressive 8 sliders to tweak).

On the trails

Of course, the only way to properly assess the performance of headphones and earpods intended for outdoor use is to strap on a pair of running shoes and hit the trails while soundtracking the adventure. And that’s what I’ve been doing for the last couple of months, running with the Acefits in various kinds of conditions, including wind and light rain.

The system is impressively light and comfortable to wear. The ear hooks are constructed from aviation-grade titanium wire, and the counterweight achieves a snug and secure fit, without the need for stabilizers. I found the buds stayed perfectly in place even when I was running over very rough terrain with obstacles to vault and jump over.

The battery life is reasonable (you get between five and six hours of tunes or talking time from the buds alone, or up to 25 hours if you take the case with you). I was impressed with the audio quality too, and the level of customization offered by the app (although the software, which looks quite intuitive to use, proved more problematic than promised when I did attempt to make changes).

Likewise, while I was able to use the tap-activated controls easily when sat at my desk, out on the trails it was a different story. To perform a clean tap in the right place while running takes a bit of practise, and because the control button is on the same part of the unit as the speaker, which hovers over your ear canal, it often just bounces rather than registering the tap and doing what you want it to.

Nevertheless, the sound was good, while it lasted… And here is the major problem. After three or four runs, the speakers on the Acefit earbuds I was testing started to crackle and glitch, before eventually giving up the ghost altogether. Acefit quote an ingress rating of IP54 for these earbuds, which means they should at least be able to cope with liquids being splashed on them, but in my experience the glitching started when I started to perspire and gradually got worse. It also once happened right at the start of a run, when gentle rain began falling. So, I can only conclude that moisture is what is causing the problem.

So far the fault has only been temporary. It means I have to relegate the buds to my pocket and rely on the sounds of the birds to inspire me onwards, but once I get home, wipe them off and send them for a little lie down in their case, they start working again. But still, this should clearly not be happening with a piece of kit supposedly designed for use during exercise (I know I’m a salty sweater, but come on…). It’s especially disappointing since these are not cheap earbuds. I have recently tested two other sets of running headphones/earbuds with the same IP rating, and they have worked fine, even in the rain.

As such, sadly I can’t recommend these earbuds for runners. They might suit non-sweaty hikers better.

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