Last year, I lost my favorite pair of wireless earbuds. I scoured everywhere for them: every drawer in the house, my wife’s car, my backpack...all to no avail. After weeks with no tunes to keep me company at the grocery store, I finally caved and bought another pair. Six months later, I found my old earbuds in the pocket of my winter jacket, stuffed in the back of my closet since...well, winter.
I wish this were a one-time story, but it happens to me often enough that my wife regularly makes fun of me for misplacing my headphones. And I can’t be the only one, given how many people reacted to Apple’s original AirPods announcement with a sour “I’m going to lose these.” But after years of orphaned earbuds littering houses across the world, manufacturers have caught up. Audio manufacturer Skullcandy has partnered with Tile—the company behind those little Bluetooth trackers—to ensure lost earbuds are a thing of the past.
The most affordable of their new Tile-enabled lineup are the Skullcandy Sesh Evo, which I recently got a chance to try out, and let me tell you—they’re worth the extra 10 bucks over their non-Tile counterparts. If you haven’t used Tile before, it’s simple: after registering both earbuds with the Tile app on your phone, you can open the app and tap “Find” at any time to locate your earbuds. If they’re far away, you’ll see their last known location on a map, but if they’re nearby—as mine always seem to be, hidden in last week’s pockets—you’ll see a diagram with concentric circles that glow as you get “warmer” or “colder” walking through your house. When you get close enough, you’ll hear the earbuds make a chirping sound, which should lead you to their exact location (probably under the couch cushions). It works whether you’ve lost a single earbud or whether you’re looking for the whole case with the pair stashed inside.
ADVERTISEMENT
Tile tracking is easily the banner feature of the Sesh Evo, but they’re solid earbuds in their own right, too. The sound is on the bassier side, but it doesn’t overpower the mix, and most people will find them great for rock, electronic, and other “fun” genres. They lack a bit of clarity compared to more expensive ‘buds, but for $60, they definitely compete with others in the price range. They also have an equalizer if you want to adjust the sound, and I found they stayed in my ears really well, which is not a given with many in-ear designs—though if you have trouble, there are three different sized ear tips to help you tweak the fit.
If you have more to spend, Tile has also added support for my beloved Bose SoundSport Wireless earbuds through a firmware update—they’re more comfortable and sound better than the Sesh Evo, though they aren’t “true wireless,” and they cost a fair bit more. Tile also supports a few over-ear headphones like the Sennheiser Momentum 3, but for now, Skullcandy has the widest range of options, including the more AirPods-esque Indy Evo, the workout-oriented Push Ultra, and the noise-canceling Method ANC. If you’re the kind of person that loses your earbuds often—like I am—the Sesh Evos are a great option that’s both affordable and hard to lose. Because some days, the best earbuds are the ones you can grab the quickest on your way out the door.
Scouted selects products independently and prices reflect what was available at the time of publish. Sign up for our newsletter for even more recommendations. Don’t forget to check out our coupon site to find more tech deals from Best Buy and Newegg. If you buy something from our posts, we may earn a small commission.
