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iFrogz Impulse Duo review: A lightweight, affordable and comfy in-ear wireless headphone

This lightweight in-ear wireless headphone features dual drivers and includes a nifty magnetic clasp.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
  • Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
David Carnoy
2 min read

iFrogz has carved out its niche in the headphone market by making relatively inexpensive headphones that perform as well or better than other cheap headphones. At $45, the Impulse Duo Wireless is toward the high-end of its in-ear Bluetooth headphone line and features dual 6mm drivers in a lightweight design that's comfortable to wear. (UK and Australia availability are unclear, but the US price translates to about £35 and AU$59, respectively.)
Like iFrogz' earlier wireless in-ears, this model is built around the company's signature wireless hub, which features a magnetic clasp and houses the battery, microphone, all the electronics and all the controls.
The clip serves a dual purpose. Not only does it allow you to attach the remote to your shirt but it keeps the cord wrapped around the remote when you're not using the headphones.

7.5

iFrogz Impulse Duo

The Good

The iFrogz Impulse Duo is lightweight, comfortable in-ear Bluetooth headphone that's sweat resistant and delivers good sound for its relatively modest price point. It has a nifty magnetic clip system on the inline remote and is rated for 10 hours of battery at moderate volumes.

The Bad

Its lightweight, plastic design makes it seems like it should cost even less.

The Bottom Line

The affordable Impulse Duo is a likable in-ear Bluetooth headphone that features decent sound, packs up well and is easy to carry around in a pocket.
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The headphone cord rolls up nicely around the remote, which has a magnetic clasp.

Sarah Tew/CNET

I like the design and gave a favorable review to iFrogz' earlier Summit Bluetooth sports headphone. This hasn't been designated as a sports headphone but it is sweat-resistant and can be used at the gym.
It comes with a few different sized tips, with the buds staying securely in my ears using the larger tips. Using them, I managed to get a tight seal that maximized sound quality. Battery life is rated at 10 hours at moderate volume levels, which is pretty good.

Thanks to the dual 6mm drivers, this headphone sounds better than both iFrogz Summit and the single-driver Impulse headphones. It's still not a great sounding wireless headphone, but it's well balanced, has a reasonable amount of bass and is pretty smooth in the treble as well as midrange.

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The remote clips onto your shirt.

Sarah Tew/CNET

What holds it back a bit is that you can tell it's a Bluetooth headphone. By that I mean it sounds a touch dull. Also, it only performs OK as a headset. I could hear callers well, but a few people I spoke to while I was at the gym complained of hearing too much background noise.

Those small grips aside, the Impulse Duo is a likable in-ear Bluetooth headphone that packs up well and is easy to carry around in a pocket. It's not a bad deal at $45, but I'd be even more enthusiastic about it if it cost $35.

7.5

iFrogz Impulse Duo

Score Breakdown

Design 8Features 7Sound 7Value 7