I don't know if this will interest anyone, but thought I'd throw it up here just incase. I think they're awesome. The review is written for Parkour/free-running forums but I think it's pretty transferable to bocking. It's a pretty long read so you might just want to look at the scores out of ten written in bold.
Aza Extremes Sound Walk Speaker VestThe Sound Walk Speaker Vest is an in-vest, shoulder-mounted portable speaker system that allows you to listen to music whilst being “extreme” lol. “Extreme” was the tagline in a cheesy YouTube vid about the vest - I don’t recommend the video but I seriously recommend the product! It was originally designed for cyclists and runners but it’s also a perfect piece of kit for Parkour and Free-running. Just like when working out in the gym, loads of people I train with like to listen to music at jams and conditioning sessions. It helps get you in the right frame of mind - whether that’s to chill out or get psyched up, and it can enhance dull solo sessions. There’s nothing like a big summer jam with good friends and a great sound track!
Like me you may have tried attaching a portable speaker to your hydration pack, or more likely you just wear earphones. The problems with those methods are that most portable speakers are either too bulky and hard to mount, or they’re small enough but produce disappointing sound quality and volume. Also it’s hard to roll or do certain flips whilst wearing a bag. With ear phones you have to manage wires and put up with them falling out pretty much every time you get upside down. And they make it difficult to hear your surroundings and the people you’re jamming with. You can always wear just one ear phone, but then you don’t get the sound in stereo. A few years ago my friends even tried taking an old school ghetto blaster to jams but it wasn’t long before we got sick of dragging it around. It’s fine on days where you spend hours training in one area, but some days you just want to go on runs and missions. Then bags and stereos just aren’t practical.
Well the ‘Sound Walk Speaker Vest’ is the solution to all those problems. It’s light-weight and form-fitting design means you can perform all movements, including the roll, completely uninhibited and still hear your landings or your friends yelling “LOOK OUT!” just before someone accidentally flash kicks you in the back of the head or a bus tries to run you over. So it gets points for safety too.
So, marks out of 10.
Practicality and Function – 10/10It couldn’t really be better. It solves the problem of what to do with the wires because like the ‘Urban Tool Sports Holster’ reviewed not long ago, they’re all kept neatly inside the vest and there’s a place for your MP3 player and phone. Unlike the ‘Sports Holster’ there’s no pocket for your wallet or a pouch on the back for a camera. Personally I wouldn’t want to keep anything on my back as I wouldn’t be able to roll – but it might be nice to have a small pouch on the front for your wallet and keys so you didn’t have to take a bag at all… but I guess that’s why combats have pockets. If it had such a pouch I wouldn’t hesitate to award it 10/10… as it is I was tempted to give it 9/10 but then I remembered it’s not meant to be a replacement for your bag, it’s a replacement for bad portable speakers. As a solution for people who want music on the go but don’t like earphones it’s a perfect 10.
Sound Quality – 9/10I was pleasantly surprised… no, amazed at the sound quality from these small speakers. Like all portable speakers it suffers from limited bass, so anything by Timbaland or some of your favourite 3run vid sound tracks like ‘B-Boys War’ won’t sound quite as good as they could. But most instruments sound great and the voice clarity is crystal! So if you’re sad enough to have the mirrors edge soundtrack on your MP3 like me you won’t be disappointed. Also the sound is in perfect stereo.
Finally, a few of my more polite friends asked “but won’t it annoy people around you?” Well, maybe, but because the sound from the speakers is directed upwards and they’re so close to your ears you don’t need the volume that high for it to seem loud when wearing it. So anyone walking past you on the street won’t have to listen to your music for long. With a little consideration everyone will be happy. When you’re alone or in an isolated area you can pump up the volume, when walking through the street turn it down a little, and if you find yourself in a museum or library turn it off. Simple. So, somewhat disappointing bass but way better than any other small portable speakers I’ve heard. 9/10.
Comfort and Fit – 8/10It fits like a glove… an upper torso glove. Ok it’s more like a bra. With its two easy-to-adjust straps and light weight design it conforms to your body and is so comfortable you could forget you’re wearing it. That said the top I was wearing had a small collar like that on ‘Under Armour’ and ‘Nike pro’ shirts. I can imagine it would rub your neck a little if your shirt didn’t have such a collar… in fact yep, I just tested it and it does rub – so I have to give it 8/10 instead of full marks. But with a collar, I wore it for about 9 hours in complete comfort and it didn’t budge. Big jumps, dive rolls, wall tricks, and a tricking session had no effect on its snug fit, and my phone and MP3 player were safe and secure the whole time. Also, the shape of the vest meant that all movements were completely uninhibited. It comes in 3 sizes – small, medium and large.
Style – 10/10The styling is great - somewhere between a climbing harness and a tactical vest or holster. In black with white reflective stitching it’s quite subtle and from the front just looks like you’re wearing a hydration pack. However if you want something to stand out in it’s also available in red, orange, green, or pink. The material and metal accents make it look very high quality in addition to being well made and durable. I think it looks awesome, but even if you don’t, it’s form fitting enough to wear under a hoody or thick t-shirt. I tried this and you can still hear the speakers perfectly. Top marks. 10 out of 10!
Value - 8/10At around £50 it’s not exactly cheap, but then you get what you pay for. Compared to alternative products I consider it a fair price. I’ve had cheaper speakers in the past… but the sound quality was rubbish, and I’ve heard some amazing head phones but they cost twice as much as the vest and still have the problems mentioned earlier. To buy speakers of this quality plus a similar harness or bag to attach them to would undoubtedly cost more, and on that basis I consider the ‘Sound Walk Speaker Vest’ a good investment (was that a pun… I hope not. At least I didn’t call it a sound investment). You also have to factor in that the system requires 2 AAA batteries, but they didn’t die during a 9 hour jam at which I had the music playing for at least 5 hours. I’ll turn it on again later to see how many hours it lasts on continuous play. Of course £50 is unfortunately a little outside of some people’s price range so it’s worth noting that ‘Aza Extremes’ also sell the speakers alone for around £30. So you could buy the speakers and attach them to your own bag.
Overall – 9/10I think it’s pretty clear that the ‘Sound Walk Speaker Vest’ gets a big thumbs up from me. I loved it! Amazing style and comfort with surprisingly great sound quality perfect for jams and solo training. You can train to music and still hear your surroundings and landings – and no more fussing with wires or having your earphones fall out every time you vault, roll or flip. “Extreme!” LOL. For more info go to
www.azaextremes.com. Or
http://www.ultimate-travelgear.com/Soundwalk-Audio-Cycling-Vest___63.htm.
