Reviews

Sol Republic Tracks Air Review

Lately, there has been an increase in demand for wireless headphones and speakers. And in response to that, Sol Republic, a company founded by music lovers and audiophiles, has partnered with Motorola to deliver a Bluetooth version of its popular Tracks headphones, the Tracks Air. Review is up.

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Key Features:

  • A2 Sound Engines with premium 40mm speakers
  • Dual-Mic CrystalTalk technology
  • SonicSoft noise-isolating cushions
  • Bluetooth
  • Near Field Communication (NFC)
  • Pair two devices simultaneously
  • Up to 150 ft extended range
  • Up to 15 hours playback time
  • Micro USB

Dimensions:

  • 172.8mm X 204.4mm X 67.6mm
  • 215g 

THE REVIEW:

Similar to most Sol Republic’s headphones, the Track Air comes disassembled. You need to slide the earcups into place on the Tracks headband.

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The Tracks headband uses similar polymer headband found in the Tracks family, but with a different design. Looking at it closely, you’ll notice that Sol Republic cleverly used two metal conductor strips to connect the right earcup, which has most of the components, with the left.

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Inside the box, you also get a travel bag, the user manual, a micro USB to USB charging cable, and a 3.5mm headphone cable with mic, in case you run out of power and decide to continue listening.

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The review unit we got had a nice matte black finish and that trademark Sol Republic Tracks design. The outer side of the earcups is adorned with the Sol Republic logo, while the SonicSoft cushions are covered in a soft faux leather material, providing some passive noise isolation. It’s very comfortable to wear, even during extended listening periods. Overall, the Air has that premium look that’s both simple and functional.

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The right earcup is the heart of the Tracks Air. It houses most of the components like the battery, the power button, and volume controls. It also has a multi-button that allows you to pause, play, and answer phone calls. An LED light around the power button acts as an indicator. It lights up red if it needs to charge, blue when it’s turned on and connected, and green if it’s fully charged. As mentioned, the right earcup connects to the left earcup via metal conductors on the headband. Both earcups has the CrystalTalk mics and 3.5mm inputs in case you run out of power and decide to use the bundled cable.

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As soon as you turn on the Tracks Air, you’ll hear a pleasant voice telling you how much charge the headphones has left. After that, it’s time to set the connection. You can either connect through NFC, or through the settings of the phone. Either method works well and fast.

The Tracks Air is a joy to use and listen to. Its audio performance is quite good, characterized by a warm signature and good solid bass that has a deep and substantial sound. The highs were good with the vocals sounding nicely. Clarity was impressive as well. You could hear different instruments and crisp sounds, giving you that nice fuzzy feeling. Sometimes though, I find the bass overpowers the highs, making it sound soft. You’ll notice it mostly if you’re looking for it, but it’s not a big deal and doesn’t ruin the overall listening experience.

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Battery life is rated at 15 hours. As always, that number is usually overstated, but I could say I got over 13 hours of use from it. And that’s still something.

WRAP UP:

The Tracks Air is already a beautiful set of headphones. Together with Bluetooth capabilities, stylish good looks, great build quality and great audio performance; you’d be hard pressed to find a capable challenger. The only thing this has going against it would be the price. And speaking of price…

At P14,000, one might be tempted to look for a more affordable pair with average or middling audio performance. But if audio quality is important to you and, more importantly, if you can afford it, then the Tracks Air comes highly recommended.

The Sol Republic Tracks Air is available at the following boutique stores and outlets, and retails for P14,000.

  • Pismo, Shangri La Plaza Mall
  • Powermac
  • Astroplus / Astrovision
  • Automatic Centre
  • Landmark
  • Duty Free

For more information about Sol Republic’s full line of products in the Philippines, please visit www.eleksis.com.

Bryan is a geek at heart and a tech enthusiast by choice. He has a strong background in corporate communications, marketing services, and customer relations having worked in the telecommunications and banking sectors for over two decades. In his spare time, he enjoys watching clips on YouTube and binge watching shows on Netflix.

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