Finding a sports Bluetooth headset can be challenging. Either you get stuck with sub-par sound quality or have to pay a reasonable percentage of the cost of your actual phone for them. I’ve noted on other products that iClever has seemed to have found a balance between these too challenges. I’ve reviewed multiple products from them over the past year and they always seem to pack a lot of punch for the price. The iClever BoostRun headset is no exception. With outstanding audio quality, solid battery performance and a lightweight, don’t-really-notice-it-is-there design, the BoostRun meets the need for a resilient headset that you can use in the gym or on a run.
Recently the iClever team sent me the headset, which by their product name is the IC-BTH06, for review and after using them for the last few weeks, I have no problem in recommending this headset if you need a lightweight headset for your workout.
Form Factor & Design
By design, the iClever BoostRun headset is designed to loop around the back of your neck with a designated left and right earplug. On the left side you will find the multi-function control embedded
iClever BoostRun Bluetooth Headset
in the cable that joins the too earpieces. This allows you to control the volume, change tracks and answer/hang up a phone call. As you would guess, there is a microphone built into this controller. The earplugs themselves have a wide range of silicon tips to fit various ear sizes for comfort. These are included in the package and to make sure you get the best fit, I encourage you to give different ones a try. Overall the BoostRun is extremely light weight at only 12.7g so you will hardly notice it is there when you are wearing it. The headset is also IPX4 sweat-proof so you should have no problem using it at the gym but don’t submerge them.
On the side of the multi-function controller is where you will find the MicroUSB connector to charge the headset. It takes about 2 hours to charge the headset completely and the USB cable to charge it is included in the package. I’ll cover battery life in the Battery Performance section of this review.
Finally, the BoostRun supports Bluetooth 4.1 with APT-X which is aimed to give you the same quality as you would have if you were using a wired headset. I’ll cover the audio quality in the Audio Quality section of the review but I will say you won’t be disappointed. As far as profiles, HFP, A2DP, HSP and AVRCP are all supported. That means you should have no problem connecting this headset to any device out there – Android or iOS.
Pairing & Overall Usability
Pairing the headset is easy and I found it to work flawlessly between several devices – Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, Nextbit Robin and iPhone SE. To start the pairing process, have the headset within 3 feet of your phone then long press the multi-function button on the controller, between the Volume Up & Volume Down buttons. This will cause the LED to alternate between blue and red LEDs. Now on your phone, look for IC-BTH06 on the list of devices. Tap it and it will be configured to your phone and you will hear “your headset is connected”. That’s it. Now you can use whatever your music app or service to play music through the headset.
As the name suggests, the Multi-Function Button (MFB) on the iClever BoostRun is aimed to give you a lot of functionality depending on what you are doing with the headset. If you are using to to answer calls, you have a host of things you can do such as answer the call, hangup a call, reject a call and even mute your microphone, all with presses of the MFB. Equally, if you are listening to music, you can control your music playing and pausing with the MFB while the volume buttons allow you to change tracks forwards or backwards with a long press of them.
Overall I found the MFB and the controls in general on the BoostRun to be fantastic and easily to operate even while walking or running.
Audio Quality
Within minutes of pairing up and playing music on the BoostRun headset, the audio quality was immediately appreciated. iClever has done a great job of giving a great audio experience in a compact package that doesn’t break the bank. Indeed I would challenge readers to find a better sounding headset for $20. I was impressed with it for both calls and music. It provided a deep bass and excellent treble without distortion while phone calls were always clear.
Battery Performance
By definition, the BoostRun offers 5 hours of use and 155 hours of standby time before it needs to be charged. Generally speaking, I find that these specifications are spot on. I was able to easily get 4.5 hours out of the headset with continual use while at the gym or while on calls during a typical workday.
Conclusion & Recommendation
If you are looking for a solidly performing sweat-proof headset while you are on a run or at the gym, the iClever BoostRun is certainly one to consider. I have no hesitation in recommending it not only for those times you are exercising but when you are in the office or in the airport making phone calls. As I said before, from an audio quality perspective, I challenge you to find a headset that sounds this good at this price point. I was extremely pleased with the results both on calls and listening to music. In fact, I told my wife how good they are and she borrowed them. I’ve not gotten them back after two weeks and don’t think I will. 🙂
For more information on the BoostRun BTH06, check the iClever site. It is available for purchase on Amazon for $19.99
