These earbuds sold me on the open-ear form factor (and sound great for the price)

Within the realm of headphones and earbuds, there’s a form factor that often gets overlooked because most consumers want something akin to AirPods. That’s a shame, though, because there are a lot of fantastic earbuds and headphones out there that look nothing like what Apple offers.

Such is the case with the Acefast Acefit Pro open-ear headphones — a good example of the open form factor that rest in the ear but still leave it open. 

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When I received these headphones for review, my first thought upon unboxing was, “Ooooh, pretty.” The pair I received is purple and has an elegant bit of lighting effects to help them stand apart. But don’t get me wrong, these headphones aren’t just a pretty package.

My experience

First thing I did was pair them with my Pixel 9 Pro and fire up Spotify. Out of the box, the sound was impressive. There was a clarity and presence that I’ve yet to experience with open-ear headphones.

But then, there’s always more pleasure to eke out of a pair of headphones when there’s an app involved.

That’s right, you’ll want the Acefast app (Android/iOS) to really get the most out of these headphones. With it, you can create a custom EQ curve that perfectly fits your taste. To my surprise, the Custom EQ in the app is very effective. 

Unlike some apps, where the EQ is a bit too subtle, this one works well. You get 8 bands of EQ, running from 100 Hz to 12.8 KHz. I created my usual EQ curve (lots of lows and highs and subdued mids) and went back to Spotify.

Yeah, that’s the sweet spot.

What already had decent clarity and presence now has an added depth, buttery-smooth mids, and just the right amount of highs. Plus, the soundstage is remarkably wide. 

Listening to Sleep Token’s “Fall For Me” was a sumptuous delight of beautiful, heartbreaking vocal stylings, with Vessel’s voice moving around my head like it was swimming through my brain.

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“Begin Again,” by Purity Ring had me dancing about my office, staring at my feet, and vanishing from existence. Although that song isn’t terribly challenging to EQ, the lows can be deceiving because they are a bit “crunchy,” making it seem like they are distorted. Don’t be fooled.

I found myself wanting to tweak the EQ for several different songs, meaning these aren’t exactly one-size-fits-all. When I take these headphones out for a run, however, I use the “Original Sound” EQ option and let it ride. That particular curve ensures that you’ll hear everything. 

What about the lighting effects?

Each earbud lights up with the word “Acefast” with the intent of increasing the wearer’s visibility, particularly at night. When the lighting effect is on, the logo slowly pulses with light, so there’s no mistaking your presence. Within the app, you can control the style of light pulsations (short or fast), but you can’t change it to any color other than white. 

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Although the feature is cool, it’s important to remember that using it will drain the battery faster, so you should only switch it on (from within the app) when you’ll be running or walking outdoors at night. Other than that, leave it off.

Gesture controls

From within the app, you can customize for single-click, double-click, triple-click, and long-press. Simply tap one of the actions at the top of the app and then assign it an action to the right and/or left headphone. Personally, I like double-click for next track and triple-click for previous track. Just don’t forget to save when you make changes.

ZDNET’s buying advice

The Acefast Acefit Pro open-ear headphones aren’t going to change your life, but they may make your outdoor activities a bit more safe. Even though I found myself tinkering with the EQ a bit more than usual, I came away from these headphones thinking they do an outstanding job with most genres (especially those where the vocals want to take center stage). 

If you run at night and are looking for a pair of headphones that will exceed your needs, these are worth seriously considering. 

Acefast Acefit Pro over-ear headphones tech specs

• Lights are visible up to 10 meters.
• 3-magnet super-linear speaker
• Maximum sound amplitude of 0.5mm
• Weight: 7.6 g
• .7 mm titanium ear hook
• 5 EQ modes (acoustic, vocal, live, bass, and custom)
• Battery: 6 hours of playtime with an added 25 from the case and a fast charge of 10 minutes for 2 hours of playtime
• ENC noise cancellation
• Bluetooth 5.4 for seamless switching and a connection range up to 10 meters
• Colors: Purple, White, Pink, Green
• Price: $125.99 on Amazon

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