It’s time for another review. DA104 Sports Bluetooth Headphones are the third headset from Dodocool I get to play with. It’s a sort of new design I have not used before, therefore, I’m looking forward to seeing if I like that style of the headphones. Dodocool branded products so far has been great.
DA104 Sports Bluetooth Headphones
The headphones come in a bigger than usual pouch, which isn’t pocket-friendly. The extra space is needed due to the rubberised plastic that links both earpieces together. With that said, the headphones don’t take that much space after the band has been folded, but I ended up storing it in my backpack rather than a pocket.
While we are on the subject of the neckband, or should I say the ‘back of the head’ band, the first few minutes of wearing it made me feel conscious of the headphones. I didn’t like the feeling at first, as something constantly ‘hugged’ my head, but after a while, my brain finally gave up and stopped acknowledging the headset.
You could be put off by this design at first, but it turns out that this works very well for any dynamic exercise. There is no cable slack or drag, there is no inertia caused by quickly turning your head. The DA104 Sports Bluetooth Headphones stays in your head even during the most demanding times.
Sound
The headset comes with AptX support & noise cancellation. The noise cancellation effect is very weak. To the point where it could be turned off altogether.
The sound profile has a bit of a bass kick to it. Initially, I disabled my EQ, as the bass profile was good, just make sure you get a proper seal around your ears. I enjoyed the upbeat music while exercising, but I ended up readjusting EQ settings to flesh out more soothing music and its higher tones. Sports headsets aren’t known for their great dynamic range.
Since you can call people via this headset, I made a test call. Everything was ok, just bear in mind that the microphone used with this headset will pick up a lot of background noise.
Bicycle
It’s not all brilliant. Both, the DA104 Sports Bluetooth Headphones and the DA143 share the same earpiece design, the plastic around the ears generates a lot of wind resistance at higher speeds. I really need something low profile to truly enjoy cycling. If you cycle less than 20km/h you should be fine. The band wraps around the head without getting in way of helmet.
Run
DA104 Sports Bluetooth Headphones are really made for running. The regular bounce of the movement would cause other headsets to get snagged in one way or another, but these just sit in place. The connection has been strong throughout my run, regardless of where I kept my phone at that time.
General use
First of all, I love NFC pairing. I reflash my ROMs every other week for testing etc, therefore, I constantly have to pair the devices. If you did not use the NFC pairing before, you will love it. Turn the screen on, turn the headset on – bring it all close together. Click YES, and you are done!
I had no issues with connectivity, whether the headset was linked to my watch (LG Urbane), or phone (Google Pixel) the connection stayed strong.
The battery life is ok, I got about 8h of the constant playback ay 75% volume. I think noise cancellation takes the fair share of the battery use. Thanks yo IPX4 you can go out and do your thing regardless of the weather. I wish the buttons were little more fleshed out. With time I could learn the layout better, but I probably gonna use these when I run, and let’s face it, it’s winter, and this is not going to be very often.
Conclusion
Do the DA104 Sports Bluetooth Headphones get the seal of approval? Maybe. I’m not sold on them, because of cycling. Being on the bike is what matters most to me and headphones have to excel there. But if you have an equal love for running, I think this design is worth considering. Especially that the headphones come with a fantastic price tag.
