Pump Audio Mix Wireless review: A cheaper, better version of the BeatsX

Pump Audio is a British audio company you’ve probably never heard of. The company’s products focus on people who love bass. It’s plastered all over the firm’s website and even on its Indiegogo pages, which is where it received funding from backers to bring the Mix Wireless to Bluetooth headphone market.

Pump Audio Mix Wireless review: Tl;dr

The Pump Audio Mix Wireless are wireless in-ear headphones. They connect to your phone via Bluetooth, and are designed to be worn around your neck just like Apple’s BeatsX, but they’re not out-and-out sports headphones. If you’re into running they’re not for you, but bass heads should consider the

Pump Audio Mix Wireless review: Price and competition

At £90 a pop, these aren’t cheap, though; in fact they cost £20 more than the SoundMAGIC E10BT and quite a lot more than a few of my favourite earphones, such as the J&L-102 (£23), SoundPEATS Q21 (£19), and Sumvision Pysc Esprit (£17). However, they are cheaper than the £130 BeatsX. The Mix Wireless are available in black and bright orange colourways.

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Pump Audio Mix Wireless review: Accessories, build quality and connectivity

In the box you’ll find a small hard-shell carrying case, three sets of silicone tips, three sets of silicone tips, a shirt clip, a micro-USB cable for charging, and the earphones themselves.

There are no ear hooks to secure them during sporting activities and I’d have liked a soft carrying pouch for a more pocket-friendly experience. But I do like the bright orange colour scheme on my review pair, which extends from the earphones’ housing to the foam tips.

The earphones are well-built, too, with a tough aluminium housing to protect them from damage and this also catches the light attractively. The cable is flat, making it easy to detangle.

A small in-line remote houses all the earphone’s controls. Here, you’ll be able to play, pause, skip tracks, adjust the volume up and down and answer and receive phone calls through the integrated microphone. There’s a micro-USB port for charging too. Expect around 10hrs battery life from them and around 20m Bluetooth range when you’re in clear sight of your smartphone.

The one notable omission on the sound quality front is that the earphones don’t have aptX support, which does hinders its sonic capabilities somewhat.

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Pump Audio Mix Wireless review: Sound quality

Pump weren’t lying: these earphones are made for those who are seriously into their bass. If you’re not a frequent listener of that type of music, then look elsewhere. You’ll find the Mix far too much. If however, you listen to a lot of D’n’B or Hip Hop, you might find something to like here.

When I say these earphones have a tonne of bass, I mean a tonne. Even Mozart will sound like it was hit with some dirty Grime beat from Croydon. The sub-bass goes deep and extends into the lower frequencies admirably. There’s no audible cut-off here and with a full-fat bass slam, there’s a thump and grumble about the Pumps that’s truly mind-blowing.

The mid-bass is a tad uncontrolled, though, and with the sheer amount of low-end on show here it does have a tendency to overpower the rest of the audio spectrum. The result is a warm, “V-shaped” sound signature that reminds me of the Beats by Dre products.

In particular, the mids are recessed and pushed back, which means vocals seem a little distant on many tracks. In tracks with prominent vocals, such as Biggie Smalls – N.o.t.o.r.i.o.u.s, you’ll feel as there’s a pop filter between you and the music.

The upper-treble and highs extend well, though. Cymbals aren’t rolled off and music is given plenty of life – enough to get you tapping your foot. One thing I wasn’t impressed at all, though, was the Mix Wireless’ soundstage, which I found to be a little closed and congested.

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Pump Audio Mix Wireless review: Verdict

The Pump Audio Mix is a Bluetooth earphone that offers something different. Rather than shying away from what it actually is, Pump has embraced the nature of its product. It’s a very bassy earphone, which anyone  looking for an earphone that can deliver in the lows should consider.

On the flip side, the price makes them a lot less fun. Although they’re not as expensive as the BeatsX, Pump can’t claim to be a household brand that can sell audio products at a higher premium purely because of its reputation.

And at £90, make not mistake, the British company is asking for a lot of money. For the same price, I could buy a wired £30 SoundMAGIC E10, the Bluetooth J&L-102 for £23 and still have change to buy a £30 Superlux HD668B for the home.