BlueAnt Pump Mini Review: An Active Lifestyle Ready Bluetooth In Ear Monitors!

BlueAnt is one of the active global sports audio and brand that started in Australia last 2003. Since then they expanded to be one of the more reputable brands in the industry that was able to hit the right notes on what the majority wanted. A durable product that sounds decent perfect for your active lifestyle.

BlueAnt Pump Mini review

Fast forward 2015, I was fortunate to be introduced with this brand with the help of our friends from Digits Trading Corporation by sending me the BlueAnt Pump Mini for review with an encouraging letter to make me go back into fitness.

Thanks guys! This is perfect as I'm getting fat LOL

Unboxing / Accessories

A preview of what's inside the box

It comes with a thick box with open-able window to preview what's inside. That adds a little more excitement as BlueAnt was able to tease me very well with their packaging.

Package inclusions

It comes with paper manuals, a thick yet flexible charging cables, 3 types of eartips (S,M,L) and 3 sizes of ear stabilizers / guides. What's missing in the package for me is even just a carrying sleeve and a wall charger / adapter.

Build Quality / Design

A full view of the BT IEM

Going to the design, the Pump Mini features an edgy easy to notice type of design that most who's into funky lifestyle will surely love. The body is made out of an all plastic material that's coated with rubber sleeves to make it somehow resistant to scratches and shocks. The cables were also flat, but it's the good type of flat cables which reminds me of the unexpectedly durable Jaybird Bluebuds X.

The best part in its design and build is it boast a full IP54 rating that makes it resistant to sweat and minor water splashes. That ensures more trust that this device won't fail you during your sweaty gym workout.

Comfort / Isolation

A closer look to the body of the Pump Mini

In general, I never had a problem with the comfort of this set. Just choose the best tips that fits the best for you. The rubberized stabilizers are also ear skin friendly and not annoying compared to other sets I tried before. Isolation-wise, it was just okay as it blocks external noise decently except for horns and loudspeakers.

Battery Life

Under straight usage with 50% - 70% loudness, the Pump Mini was able to deliver me a little under 5 hours and 30 mins which is pretty accurate to their claim of up to 6 hours of battery life. Under real life usage especially when working out and commutes, I only charge this unit once every 3 days. Charging time is just a little more than an hour.

Sound Quality /  Performance

Using this device is fairly easy to use. All you need to do is just to hold the power button for a few second and it will already blink that suggest that it's already ready to pair. Once you pair it with your smartphone or any other device. Just play your desired tunes and you're good to go with a range of up to 10 meters. However, I also experienced occasional loss of Bluetooth connection when I'm moving a bit too fast while working out. The Pump Mini is also boast some good loudness and I'm just using 50 - 70% of the volume from my smartphone most of the time. However, going all the way up to 80 - 100% shows some distortion on some tracks especially the instrument and bass heavy ones.

A closer look to the speaker grills of the Pump Mini

Going to the sound signature of the Pump Mini, it's totally targeted for those who love working out! The bass response is on point and packs some nice range and extension. It can go quite deep and has the bass speed punch to keep your heart racing.

As a person who's very particular when it comes to audio quality. I can say that the Pump Mini was able to exceed my expectation a little. The mids were actually clearer than expected as I can hear nicely listen to the lovely female voices especially when they're hitting the high notes. Going to the highs, it was able to deliver some pleasing extension as well with good crispiness. However, the soundstage is narrower to my liking as I find the sound a bit congested and just right in my face with little emphasis on the 3D-ness of the tracks.

Overall, the Pump Mini is actually decent sounding for a Bluetooth in ear monitor as 80% of them honestly sucks. Just make sure that you'll play high quality tunes and don't crank the volume all the way up to 100%.

Microphone part, the micro USB charging port is also located here

Note: The microphone performed nicely especially during calls and the basic volume controls worked just fine too

Pro's - Comfortable to wear, comes with nice isolation, good design / build

Con's - There are occasional Bluetooth loss of connection, some distortions at 80% and above volume

Verdict

Priced at just 4,750 Pesos, the BlueAnt Pump Mini is one of the better performing Bluetooth enabled in ear monitor that's readily available in the market today. I enjoyed its stylish yet durable design that's also sweat resistant at the same time. To sum it up, the BlueAnt Pump Mini makes a good active lifestyle ready Bluetooth In Ear Monitors to help you in your workouts without compromising too in other aspects.

GIZ Rating: 3.75 / 5 Stars