LIVV Pro headphones review: Unleash your music from your smartphone

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Headphones are one of life’s essential pieces of gear and most everyone has a favorite pair. Whether people use them for relaxing or for working out these gadgets are a personal and functional choice. Choosing a pair of headphones to workout with can be a daunting task, especially when you’re often limited to in-ear headphones. LIVV is looking to offer the active lifestyle user a better alternative. An alternative that not only covers your entire ear but unleashes your music from your smartphone. Read on and find out why the LIVV Pro headphones have earned a Techaeris Top Pick award for 2016.

Founder and former NFL Player Mark Clayton set out to revolutionize the way we use athletic headphones. Plagued by never being able to find a pair that would survive his rigorous NFL workouts he realized a need for a true durable, athletic headphone for athletes and active people alike.

Specifications

The LIVV headphones have the following features and specifications:

  • 40mm Dynamic Drivers
  • Water-Resistant
  • LIVVFIT headband
  • Replaceable ear pads
  • 10-12 hours battery life
  • 8GB onboard storage for a tether-free experience
  • Bluetooth 4.1
  • NFC pairing
  • Snug fit for workouts, running and sports

What’s in the Box

  • 1x LIVV headphones
  • 1x Micro-USB charging cable
  • 1x 3.5mm AUX cable
  • 1x Hard shell case

Design

In two words – unapologetically unique. The LIVV headphones are most certainly a design you’ve probably never seen or experienced before. The most striking feature is the tube like headband which gives the headphones an industrial feel and look. This headband is relatively rigid and stiff, but it is pliable enough to mold into your needed level of comfort. It does take a bit of confidence in molding the headband as at first you feel like you’re going to break it. LIVV does say not to be shy when breaking in the headband, and it will take a few tries and wears to find your perfect fit.

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Although they’re made of high-quality plastics, the headphones are well constructed and have a premium look and feel to them. The ear pads are plush and very comfortable against the head just be sure to adjust that headband properly, or they might feel too tight. On the right ear cup, you’ll find the dust/moisture cover that houses the MicroUSB port for charging and the AUX port should you want to use these wired. Also on the right ear cup are the controls for FFW/REV, Play/Pause and Volume Up/Down with the LIVV logo being the Play/Pause button. Over on the left ear cup, you’ll find the power button/Bluetooth pairing combo.

The headphones are also water-resistant which plays into the creator’s intended use as workout headphones. The company claims these things will stay in place even while performing the most intense workout and they have a video to support their claim.

While I certainly didn’t take the LIVV headphones for such an intense ride, I can say that these are the best fitting over-ear headphones I’ve ever used. Not once did I feel they would fall off my head and not once did they ever slip. Probably the worst thing about the design is the black colors tendency to attract dirt, fingerprints and dust. Overall the design is super unique, functional and most importantly it stays in place when wearing the headphones. The included hardshell case is also a huge bonus as it does an excellent job protecting your investment on the go. This is something even higher end headphone makers do not provide.

Ease of Use

Bluetooth pairing is simple, just about the same as any other Bluetooth device you’re familiar with, and they also come with NFC for Android users. The controls on the ear cup are straight forward as well, so there’s nothing new there. Where these headphones stand apart is the onboard 8GB of storage, allowing you to load your music on them and leave your smartphone behind. Not everyone wants to go running with their smartphone, but they still want their tunes. That’s where the LIVV headphones storage comes into play.

Loading songs on the headphones isn’t hard either, just plug into your computer and treat the headphones like any mass storage device and move your tracks over. There’s no special software needed, load the songs then press play on your headphones. Use the same controls to skip tracks, control volume and pause your music. There’s a lot of functionality built into these headphones with a super easy to use method.

Sound

So how do they sound? Honestly. Pretty damn good. The sound is fairly well balanced although I did feel these leaned a bit more to the bass side of the spectrum than other headphones I’ve used. While I do like the low end to be a bit more present in my EQ, these are just a tad more than I usually go, but that’s not a bad thing. I think LIVV did a decent job of balancing the mids and highs to the low end here, so I was more than pleased with the sound here.

The design of the headband and the ample ear cups also create a nice seal which closes out ambient noise really well. This gives you an immersive experience of sound allowing you to really hear the music without outside noise. Overall the sound is top notch here, and for the LIVV price point, I think the sound is just a step above their asking price.

Reception/Call Quality

Yes these take phone calls, most headphones these days do that, and it’s a feature I don’t often use, but I realize many of you do. That being said, the call quality is excellent here, and callers had no issues hearing me as well. So if you need to use these for phone calls, they’re going to perform very well.

Battery Life

The advertised 10-12 hour battery life is just about spot on. I was able to get just slightly over 10 hours of battery life at about 60% volume, and battery life will vary with your use and volume levels. The Bluetooth connection will also be a big factor, how often and how far you stray from your connected device matters.

Price/Value

Currently, the LIVV headphones are on back order, and they’re priced at $299USD which I think is an excellent price for the sound quality and functionality these headphones are offering.

Wrap Up

The LIVV headphones are a great set of headphones for those who want over-ear headphones and workout but an equally great pair of headphones for just about anyone.

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*We were sent a review unit of the LIVV headphones for the purposes of this review.

Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

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