True wireless headphones are largely considered the next big thing in portable headphones, and we’ve reviewed a number of them in the past, including the Bragi Dash Pro’s – which we hailed as the best true wireless headphones currently available. Now, WinnerGear is here to try and take that throne with the WinnerGear Hero headphones.
But the WinnerGear Hero’s are a little cheaper than other true wireless headphones we’ve seen. Is the result an inferior product? And if so, are they still a good option for those looking to save a bit of cash? We put the WinnerGear Hero true wireless headphones to the test to find out.
Design
The first thing you’ll notice about the headphones is their design, and they’re not bad looking — though the design certainly won’t blow you away. They’re advertised as being the “smallest true wireless sports earbuds,” though a quick check with a few others lying around confirms that’s not true at all — so don’t buy them expecting that.
Still, they’re relatively light and feature a basic cylinder design with sports wings ensuring that they stay firmly in your ear without falling out. On the end of each in-ear unit, you’ll find a power button — and pressing and holding that button for a few seconds is how you’ll activate the buds. Pairing them with your listening device is relatively easy — though the instructions may come in handy, as is the case with any true wireless headphones.
In the box, you’ll find the headphones themselves, a total of two pairs of sports wings, and a total of three pairs of ear tips. Along with that, you’ll also get a charging case and a microUSB cable for charging the headphones. That case simple opens up on a hinge, after which you can safely pop the headphones inside — perfect for both portability and for protection against the other items in your bag.
In general, the WinnerGear Hero headphones are well-designed. While the design is basic, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Comfort
An important thing to consider with true wireless headphones, which tend to be larger than your average in-ear headphones, is comfort. Thankfully, the headphones do decently well in the comfort department too.
As mentioned, you’ll get a total of three pairs of ear tips, which range in different sizes. We recommend experimenting with the different sizes to find the right fit. Doing so will not only ensure that the headphones are as comfortable as possible, but will create a better sound too.
The headphones are relatively light, which is good news for comfort, and they’re not too big either. Often times, true wireless headphones get a little too big for good comfort. And they even come with sports wings, which helps the already-light headphones stay firmly in your ears.
Sound
Of course, these are headphones, so the most important thing is sound. Thankfully, they sound quite good — certainly better than we expected given their price. That doesn’t mean they’re perfect though.
Let’s start with the bass, which is generally a little weak in our opinion. Not only could the bass that is there be boosted a little, but it could also extend a little deeper than it does. That’s not to say that there isn’t any bass there at all — there is. It’s just not anywhere near what we would have liked to hear.
The headphones are built to deliver nice clear mids and high-end, and they do that quite well. We wouldn’t necessarily say that the low mids are warm, but they are present, which is nice. The high-mids are well-tuned and nicely boosted, but not overly so — they don’t sound like an AM radio.
Then there’s the high-end, which is also well-defined and clear. Often headphones — especially in-ears — don’t offer enough high-end response, but that’s not at all true on the WinnerGear Hero’s.
There are a few other things to consider with the WinnerGear Hero headphones — such as the fact that they offer cVc 6.0 noise cancellation developed by Qualcomm. You won’t really notice it outright, and you can’t switch it on and off like other noise cancellation technology — but it seems to work fine.
The headphones provide decent stereo separation, and don’t distort too easily until they’re at dangerously loud volumes.
Performance
True wireless headphones sometimes have a rough time when it comes to performance, and the WinnerGear Hero headphones are no exception to that.
The Bluetooth connection, for example, performed decently, but every now and then it would skip. Not only that, but it seems like the headphones were developed solely for audio — when we tried watching videos with them, the audio lagged behind the video far too much for comfort, and the result was us giving up altogether on watching video with the headphones.
The battery life on the headphones was decent, but it didn’t break any records. You’ll get three hours of battery life from the in-ears themselves, which is on the low side of average, and the battery chargng case will provide an extra 12 hours. If you’re good at charging up your devices every night, you should be able to get through the day — provided you’re fine with listening in three hour increments.
Conclusions
The WinnerGear Hero headphones are far better than we expected. They offer decent comfort and sound, with an average design and performance — but the real advantage here is that they do so at quite a good price.
But are they worth the money? We think so. They represent somewhat of a price increase compared to the SoundPEATS Q29‘s, which come in at $59, but they’re also better headphones. They’re slightly more comfortable, for example, and they sound a lot better.
In fact, thanks to their decent quality for the price, the WinnerGear Hero headphones have been awarded the Headphone Review Bronze Medal.
| Store | Price |
|---|---|
 |
$99.99 |
| WinnerGear | $149.99 |
| Frequency response | Unknown | Active noise cancellation |
Yes |
| Driver size | Unknown | Noise attenuation | No |
| Driver type |
Dynamic | On-ear controls | No |
| Design |
Closed | Microphone | Yes |
| Sensitivity | Unknown | Eartip material | Silicone |
| Rated impedance |
Unknown | Magnet material | Unknown |
| Total harmonic distortion |
Unknown | Water resistance | No |
| Rated input power |
Unknown | Battery life | 3 hours each in-ear, 12 hours case |
| Maximum input power |
Unknown | Wireless distance | 10m (33ft) |
| Wireless connection |
Bluetooth 4.2 | Cable length | N/A |
| Wired connection |
No | Case type | Plastic charging case |
| Detachable cable |
No | In-the-box |
|
| Weight | No | Colors | Black |