H2O Audio Ript Ultra Review

Price

The H2O Audio Ript Ultra was announced and launched in January 2025 and is currently only available to buy through H2O Audio’s own website. They cost $249.99/£244, making the Ript Ultra the most expensive headphones in H2O Audio’s range and sits above its Tri 2 Pro waterproof bone conduction headphones.

There are a few on-ear headphones you could truly class as fitness-friendly There’s the Adidas RPT-01 (£150) and the Philips A4216 (£47.99), but then venturing into the realm of non-sporty options there are the AirPods Max (£499) and Beats Studio Pro (£349). The Ript Ultra are considerably cheaper than either of those options.

Design

• Comes in two colours
• Includes removable ear cushions
• Carry case included

The Ript Ultra aren’t headphones that ape the look of other on-ears. While they feel well-built, I wouldn’t say they are the best-looking pair you can pull on.

You can pick them up in either black (pictured) or grey colours, with both versions featuring blue accents around the cups in a clear nod to H2O Audio’s logo colours. They’ve got a sizable frame that I’d have preferred to sit a little smaller, though thankfully isn’t cumbersome to wear even for longer periods.

I’ve used them for workouts including indoor rowing and bike sessions, general strength and mobility workouts as well as sitting at a laptop working and they’ve stayed put. I certainly wouldn’t want to grab them for high intensity workouts or fast runs. For everything else, they seem up to the task.

What makes them more suitable for exercise compared to other over-ears lies with the ear cushions. H2O Audio provides two sets: one are the plush, soft ones you’ll find on most on-ear headphones. The other set are a silicone pair that can be washed and cleaned. Swapping between the two is really easy, a simple case of twisting each cushion to clip them off.

Unlike H2O Audio’s waterproof headphones, the Ript Ultra doesn’t carry an IP rating to protect against moisture. I was told that’s something reserved for its swimming headphones and that with the silicone cushions in place, they’re 100% sweatproof. That’s combined with the nano coating and mesh around the speaker area to protect the electronics against sweat. I’ve not experienced issues with them in sweatier testing, but it does seem odd not to have an IP rating at all.

There’s a pretty sizable hard case to store the headphones in, while a hinged design and ability to rotate the cups to lie flat make them far more manageable to carry around. When I’ve not put them in that case I have noticed that the outside of ear cups have started to pick up some scratches.

Features

• Built-in physical controls
• Up to 50 hours battery life in ANC battery life
• Wired and wireless listening

It’s always good to see sports headphones with physical controls and the ones on the Ript Ultra are a good set.

On the left cup, you’ve got the ANC and Transparency mode button to toggle those modes on and off or opt to listen without either in use. On the right side, there’s dedicated buttons for turning the volume up and down.

You can hold those buttons down to skip back and forward a track. The button in between lets you play and pause and turn off the headphones. There’s good space between those buttons and the textured finish means there’s been minimal fuss picking out one button over another.

Along with Bluetooth streaming there’s a 3.5mm port and cable included for wired listening, which came in handy for the entertainment system on a flight.

In terms of battery life, H2O Audio state some big numbers. You can expect up to 50 hours with ANC in use based at an 80% listening volume. That jumps to 90 hours with ANC off and again listening at 80% of the volume. The battery in general did hold up well, with the odd quirk.

An hour’s listening with ANC on barely dented the battery. It was a similar story with ANC off. When I checked the battery drop on an Android phone, the headphones would briefly suggest a more severe drop (like 20%) but would quickly return to the original percentage. Bottom line, I’ve not had to charge these headphones a huge amount even over a week’s use and there’s a well-placed USB-C port when you do need to power them up again.

Sound Quality

• Plenty of power and depth
• Good ANC performance
• Solid call quality

The Ript Ultra features 45mm drivers to deliver what H2O Audio refers to as “rich, immersive audio and deep bass”. That should make them great to use whether you’re sitting on an exercise bike staring at a film or you’ve got them paired up to phone streaming a Spotify playlist.

I was pretty surprised in general with what the Ultra delivered sound-wise. The drivers ensure there’s plenty of power and a very pleasing depth to its overall sound profile.

On bass-heavy tracks like Burial’s Archangel or Bonobo’s Rosewood, the bass performance is nice and tight and doesn’t dominate proceedings as can often be the case with over-ears and sports headphones.

There’s some finesse and balance to go with its power and deep, bassy sound. On London Grammar’s Wasting My Young Years and Fleetwood Mac’s Rhiannon, mids are detailed and trebles have a nice grainy quality to them. If you’re craving good clarity when swapping music for podcasts, audiobooks or taking a call, the Ultra is more than up to the task. These are really good-sounding sports headphones that work well when you’re not exercising.

When ANC is in use, the performance, while perhaps not the very best in class, still does a very good job of muting the sounds around you. I’ve had the opportunity to use them on two long flights and a fair few busy morning and evening gym sessions and they managed to reduce exterior sounds to more or murmur. In quiet environments listening at louder volumes there does seem to be some more noticeable audio leaking, but if you want good ANC powers, they are capable of delivering it.

Should you buy it?