When it comes to truly wireless earbuds, everyone is getting into the game. Apple has their AirPods, Anker has the Zolo Liberty+, and then there’s Rowkin.
Rowkin started in the headphone game a few years ago and has been making leaps and bounds as the company progresses in wireless headphone technologies. The latest from Rowkin, the Ascent line, features new styling, and one feature lacking from AirPods that everyone is has been waiting for.
I’ve spent the past week or so testing out the Rowkin Ascent Micro truly wireless earbuds. These have become my go-to for doing yard work or working out, and I’ll get into the why in just a few minutes. But first, let’s go over the differences between the different models offered by Rowkin.
The Ascent Micro is the base model for the Ascent line. There is a metal case with two earbuds in it, and it’s a little larger than the normal AirPods case. The earbuds charge while in the case, and the case itself charges over USB-C (finally!)
The Ascent Charge is the next step up, and this comes in a completely different case. You’ll get a case that slides open, instead of opening from the top, and charging is a completely different experience. The Ascent Charge can be powered over Qi-enabled wireless chargers, meaning you can just toss the earbuds on your desktop charger and be ready to go at any time.
This is a feature Apple has talked about for over a year now, yet never released. I’m still waiting to be able to charge my AirPods with Qi charging pads, and it just isn’t a thing yet.
The Ascent Charge+ includes a 5W Qi charging pad, so you can get into the wireless charging game if you’ve not done so previously. Other than this difference, the Ascent Charge and Charge+ are very similar devices. Both can be charged up via USB-C should you not have a wireless pad around.
All Ascent earbuds have 3.5-hours of play/talk time on a single charge, and the case can recharge the buds up to 15 times, giving you up to 50 hours of use from a single charge according to Rowkin.
This holds true in real-world use as I’ve used them for several hours and have yet to charge the case except for the initial power cycle.
The entire Ascent line features Bluetooth 5.0 as well, which is going to become a gold standard with new earbuds and headphones coming out from here on into the future.
The sound quality on my Ascent Micro was pretty good, with much better noise isolation than AirPods provide. I could wear my Ascent Micro and be listening to music at maybe ⅓ volume and had no problems blocking out any noise from around me, even people talking.
The lows were ok, and the highs were fine. These weren’t the best-sounding earbuds ever, but they sounded pretty great for their size.
My favorite part about the Ascent line is the water and sweat resistance. Living in Florida, it’s hot most of the year, and since it rains a good portion of the time, our grass never stops growing. I used to use Jaybird earbuds when doing yard work, but the cord around my neck was always cumbersome, and I didn’t want to risk breaking AirPods with extreme heat and the potential for it to rain or sweat while wearing them. With the Rowkin Ascent, I worry about neither of those things anymore and the fit is great.
The Rowkin Ascent line starts at $99.99 when purchased directly and $119.99 if purchased on Amazon. Best Buy also offers these headphones for $99.99, with a discount to $89.99 for My Best Buy members. The price increase for Amazon is interesting, and the reason unknown, but the earbuds are there if you prefer to use the shopping giant.
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