Among a growing crowd of wireless earbuds, the Athens stand out on several counts. Not only are they rugged enough to swim with, smart enough to work with Siri and Google Assistant and good for two marathons on a single charge, but they do all of that at a price that’s really quite affordable. Throw in audio quality to satisfy the masses and a properly pocketable charging case – not to mention noise isolation that apes ANC – and the Athens might just be the best bang-for-buck active buds you can buy right now. Yes, wireless charging would sweeten the deal and a transparency mode might be nice for runners, but for stellar sporty buds that don’t break the bank, Athens is a worthy destination.
Tough shell is swim-proof; Superb battery life; Awesome noise isolation; Pocket-friendly charging case;
Weighty bass will be too strong for some; No transparency mode;