Audio Technica ATH Sport 2 is the company's attempt to penetrate the budget workout earphones market. As most of the time if you're an athlete or a gym person it's hard to find a durable in ear monitor with water proof design and respectable sound quality at a very low price!

Audio Technica ATH Sport 2 Review, Your Comfortable Waterproof Workout Buddy At Just PHP 1.5K!
Meet ATH Sport 2
Inside the box / Accessories

Audio Technica ATH Sport 2 Review, Your Comfortable Waterproof Workout Buddy At Just PHP 1.5K!
The box
Audio Technica ATH Sport 2 Review, Your Comfortable Waterproof Workout Buddy At Just PHP 1.5K!
Inside the box
Inside the box, you find the in ear monitors itself, a shirt clip attached, lots of eartips and sleeves. This is probably one of the most fully loaded package I've seen from a sports IEM aside from the Mee Electronics M6.

Audio Technica ATH Sport 2 Review, Your Comfortable Waterproof Workout Buddy At Just PHP 1.5K!
Regular tips, active tips and IEM shell sleeves
Specifications

  • Driver Diameter: Dynamic, 10 mm
  • Maximum Input Power: 100 mW
  • Frequency Response: 15 - 24,000 Hz
  • Sensitivity: 100 dB
  • Impedance: 28 ohms
  • Weight: 6.8g
  • Connector: 3.5 mm gold-plated stereo mini plug
  • Cable: 1.2 m (U type)
  • Accessories Included: Earpieces (S,M,L)

Build Quality /  Waterproof Ability / Design

The ATH Sport 2 is a good looking set, it's flashy in red but it's not overly designed like most fashion IEM that makes it still look with class.

Audio Technica ATH Sport 2 Review, Your Comfortable Waterproof Workout Buddy At Just PHP 1.5K!
The L-jack and the shirt clip
When it comes to the build quality, this earphone somewhat boast a more durable feel compared to other in ear monitors in this price range. The cables weren't thin and feels tough, doesn't tangle that much and it seems to have some protective coating to ensure that it won't break easily. While the body is made out of plastic, it is coated with a rubber sleeve that can put additional comfort, isolation and durability in it. I also loved the way that the jack they used has an L shape which a lot of people prefer so that there will be less stress when it's in your pocket and that gold plated coating for a conduction which can result to a better sound.

Audio Technica ATH Sport 2 Review, Your Comfortable Waterproof Workout Buddy At Just PHP 1.5K!
The y split
When it comes to the water proof part, at first I misread it to water resistant that's why I did not soak it on water, but after confirming it. I soaked it on a glass of water and still works perfectly after that. This is going to be great for those who sweat a lot as you won't have to worry about breaking earphones when you wet the driver.

In general, I loved what I experienced with the Audio Technica ATH Sport 2 when it comes to the build quality. This is something a lot better than their other budget offerings when it comes to build and design. Add that waterproof ability and viola this is a set built to last even in different conditions.

Comfort / Isolation / Microphonics

Audio Technica ATH Sport 2 Review, Your Comfortable Waterproof Workout Buddy At Just PHP 1.5K!
The body of the IEM
The wearing style of this set is a bit tricky as the length of the cables per earpiece is not equal. It is designed that way as most athletes like it that way. Plus once you get used to it, it's very easy and comfortable to wear. While you can wear this in a conventional straight down style, I suggest wear it over ear for as it is more comfortable that way for me and makes you worry less because your set won't fall off your ear that easy.

Comfort-wise, Audio Technica did a good job with the ATH Sport 2, the eartips were soft and made out of good quality. I find the smallest tip the most comfortable for me. The shell of the set doesn't have sharp edges, thanks to that rubber sleeves which made it even more comfortable to wear.

Isolation-wise, it's on the average side. It can block the noise pretty well, but not as much as other sets that digs deeps into your ear. If you're a runner, I suggest that you use this on a safe running field like the streets or a secured fun run as it has enough isolation to make you not aware of your surroundings. We don't want accidents to happen.

Note: I also tried the weird looking active tips of ATH Sport 2. Surprisingly, I liked them as it can give a better fit and hold to your ears. The isolation is lessen as a result, but not that much.

Sound Quality

When it comes to the most important part of the review, the ATH Sport 2 did a good job. While it is not as complete sounding as most budget Hi-Fi IEM on the same price bracket, it's great for a workout set.


Audio Technica ATH Sport 2 Review, Your Comfortable Waterproof Workout Buddy At Just PHP 1.5K!
FiiO X1 and Rio 2 as music players
The ATH Sport 2 is a slightly V-Shaped set. It has that good enough bass to keep you pump on your workouts, but it can be bloated in some super bass tracks that affect the mids. I'm just looking for more speed and accuracy to the bass part which is very hard to find at this price. Don't get me wrong, for this price the bass reproduction is already good enough that can hit quite hard. The mids section of this set is quite surprising, it has that impressive clarity and good details. The highs is there, can extend really well, but can be peaky at times that can cause fatigues. Soundstage-wise, it's quite wide and good enough for most to distinguish where the sound is coming from even if doesn't just have that 3D like feel of a concert hall that's very understandable at this value.

When it comes to the loudness of the set, it depends on your player and your taste. Using a MediaTek powered smartphone, I needed to crank up the volume to 60% to make the sound loud enough for me. When using the FiiO X3K or X1, I just needed 35 - 40 clicks to get satisfactory loudness.

Note: It did a good job with EDM, Hiphop and Rock music. Decent with acoustic tracks and vocals. Not that good in instrumental separation and layering as expected.

Lossless Tracks Used:

1. Crank It Up - David Guetta
2. Through The Fire - Nina Live!
3. Huntrer - Pharell Williams
4. Shatter Me - Lindsey Stirling
5. Team - Lorde

Pro's - Good audio quality for the price, not overly bassy, durability, waterproof design, good mids, price, accessories

Con's - Treble can be too peaky at times, bass not that tight and muffled at times

Could be Postive or Negative (depends on usage and taste) - no inline microphone

Verdict

The ATH Sport 2 is one of the best if not the best sports earphone you can get at under 3,000 pesos. This is clearly made for people who has active lifestyle, but don't want to compromise that much sound quality. It also has that decent isolation, good amount of accessories and durable build quality.

Take note, this one is priced at just 1,500 pesos. 
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