NuForce brings us a simple, lightweight pair of wireless earphones designed to stand up to the rigors of gym workouts, jogging or an active fitness lifestyle. They are rated to be rain, sweat and dust resistant, have both aptX and AAC compatibility and a claimed 10-hour battery life.

All of this, combined with good quality sound, an in-line mic with phone controls and a plethora of neon colored ear fitments for about $80 bucks, make the BE Sport3 a strong candidate for use in active environments.

BE Sport3 - Front View

Highlights

Optoma NuForce BE Sport3 Bluetooth Earphones

  • Lightweight and durable
  • Good sound quality for a wireless product.
  • Very good battery life per charge.
  • Excellent wireless range.
  • Good selection of silicone ear tips and wings.
  • Lots of neon!
Introduction

Having had a very positive experience reviewing NuForce’s BE6i earphones a while back, I thought I would investigate a similar but less expensive offering from their lineup, enter the new BE Sport3 earbuds. With their basic black bodies and eye-piercing neon adornments, these are a much more casual looking set of earphones targeted towards the gym rats and active lifestyle set. However, lower price point aside, the BE Sport3 don’t seem to scrimp on features or relative performance. While I may not have a gym membership, I am all too happy to see how they stack up under regular daily use.

OPTOMA NUFORCE BLUETOOTH EARPHONE REVIEW SPECIFICATIONS
Design:

Wireless In-Ear-Monitor

Driver Type:

Single 6mm dynamic driver

Manufacturer Freq. Response:

20Hz – 20kHz (Driver freq. response in free-field)

Sensitivity:

94dB +/- 3dB @ 1kHz

Nominal Impedance:

16 Ohm

Connector Type:

Bluetooth (BT 4.1 standard)

Codecs:

SBC, aptX, AAC

Wireless Range:

Up to 10 meters

Battery Life:

Up to 10 hours (claimed)

Weight:

0.5 ounces

Available Colors:

Gunmetal or rose gold, each with neon ear-tips

Accessories:

Micro USB charge cable, 3 pairs each of neon orange or yellow silicone ear tips (sizes S, M, L, XL), 1 pair of black Spin-Fit silicone ear tips, 2 pairs of neon silicone ear wings, soft carry pouch, cable management clip.

MSRP:

$80.00 USA

Company:

Optoma

SECRETS Tags:

Optoma, Nuforce, Earphones, IEM, Wireless, Bluetooth, Earphones Reviews 2017

Design

BE Sport3 - Contents

BE Sport3 - Box

BE Sport3 - Close Up

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The NuForce BE Sport3 come very well packaged, just as previous NuForce products that I’ve reviewed. I sampled the Gunmetal colored model which, to most people, would look like a semi-gloss black. The earphone housings are made of lightweight aluminum and polycarbonate. The earphones overall size seems to be pretty standard, especially considering how they have to house a rechargeable battery that allows for a claimed 10 hours of runtime per charge. The earphones come with a selection of yellow neon and orange neon silicone ear-tips or black “SpinTip Twin-Blade” silicone tips which have a two-tiered construction, meant to help them stay in place during intense workouts. They also come with a selection of neon colored and black silicone ear wings that fit onto the housings before you attach the ear tips. The BE Sport3 housings are connected together with a short flat black cable. This cable sits around the back of the neck when the earphones are worn. It has an in-line control pod with a mic, volume/track selection controls, power button and charge port. The BE Sport3 carry an IP55 rating which means they are water and dust resistant, which fits in with their gym and athletic target market. They also work with AAC and aptX transmission codecs to ensure the best quality sound when paired with Apple or Android devices respectively. The backs of the earphone housings are also magnetic; this allows the earbuds to conveniently fasten together for storage or when dangling around the neck. This a very nice design touch.

BE Sport3 – Magnetic Backs

BE Sport3 - Close Up 2

Setup

For my review, I used the NuForce BE Sport3 earphones with either my iPhone 6s Plus, a Samsung Galaxy 6 Edge, or my Microsoft Surface 3 Pro. In each case the earphones were paired via the available Bluetooth connection from each device. All music tracks were encoded as FLAC files and played back using either J. River Media Center or Onkyo HD player software.

In Use

BE Sport3 – With Spin-Tip Eartips

Much like I encountered when I reviewed the NuForce BE6i, the BE Sport3 earphones were a simple matter to charge up with the supplied cord, and pair with any of my Bluetooth enabled devices. Once the earbuds were powered up, and the respective device listed the NuForce phones as available in the Bluetooth menu, a simple press-and-hold of the main power button was all that was needed to complete the connection. In each instance, while in range, the wireless connection remained clear and stable.

The build quality of the of the BE Sport seemed very good. They felt light but still solid and the overall styling was simple and in keeping with the athletic theme. Also, the magnetic feature was a nice design touch and helped keep the earphones from falling off my neck when not being worn. After experimenting with the various sizes of included ear tips, I found the large size silicone tips to provide the best seal for my ears. And while the included ear wings are a nice addition for helping keep the earphones stationary, I found that I did not need them.

I did not test the BE Sport3 to the absolute limits of its wireless range, but I was easily able to be up to 50 feet away from my iPhone and experienced no drop outs of any kind in the music. Battery life is claimed to be about ten hours and I saw nothing during my usage that would call that claim into question as I had them on for repeated multiple hour sessions between charges.

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In terms of sound quality, I found the BE Sport3 to be pretty lively and enjoyable, if not quite as transparent as BE6i. Overall, they were very pleasing to listen to with various types of music. Bass seemed very solid with good extension. This gave a nice punch when listening to rock, pop or any music with a driving beat. Highs also came across very well, not overly bright sounding with either horns or harmonica. Big band actually sounded pretty decent through the BE Sport3. If I had any criticism on the sound of the BE Sport3, it would be that I occasionally found vocals (particularly female) to sound a little flat and recessed. This could mostly be alleviated with a judicious application of EQ from my playback software. For most people, this won’t be a serious issue. If you were in the market for a dedicated set of earbuds to use in the gym or while you jog I think the BE Sport3 should deserve some serious consideration.

Conclusions

BE Sport3 – Both Styles

THE OPTOMA NUFORCE BLUETOOTH EARPHONES has Great Sound Quality For Every Workout!

Likes
  • Lightweight.
  • Fun, enjoyable sound.
  • Excellent wireless range and battery life.
  • Works with a variety of devices.
Would Like To See
  • Better mid-range response without needing EQ.

The NuForce BE Sport3 are a good quality, and enjoyable sounding set of earphones. Their decent sound, wireless capability and long battery life are a lot to offer in this price range. Add in the dust and moisture resistance rating and, for $80.00, they would make an excellent choice for a dedicated set of workout or jogging phones. The NuForce BE Sport3 make sure you don’t have to settle for second class sound when you’re in the gym or on a run.