AXGIO Dash Wireless Earbuds Cordless Running Jogging Bluetooth Headphones V4.2 for iPhone 7, Samsung, LG, Android Smartphone

pkshiu

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: bluetooth range, reasonable sound, wires free, price
Cons: hash highs, bulky looks, ear hook not fitting well

The completely wireless Axgio Dash seems to be a pair of $49 Apple Airpod killer. I was skeptical at first. The Dash arrived in a small, simple no frills box. It looks exactly like the packaging for the Axgio Backfit that I reviewed earlier.
 
The pairing with my iPhone7 is easily enough. Once I put them on, I was blown away by the feel of freedom from any wires between the ear buds. I use bluetooth earbuds a lot during the day in the office, either my Bose noise canceling QC30 or the Bose Soundsport wireless. Even though those are extremely comfortable, I can still feel the tug of the cable when I turn my head with the Soundsport. With the QC30, sometimes the neckband gets tangled with my shirt collar and need adjustments.
 
With the Dash I can turn my head, move around, with zero issues. Now I know why these “truly wireless” earbuds are a thing.
 

In the Box

 
The Dash comes with a small round carrying case, S/M/L ear tips, and a charging cable. The charging cable is unique because it has a full size USB plug on one end, and two micro USB at the other so that I can charge both earbuds at the same time. Another design problems presented by these “no wires” earbuds.
 

Quality and Comfort

 
The first negative I find with the Dash is that the battery compartment is covered by a hard plastic cover. It is hard to open and close. Remember you need to do this with both earbuds.
 
The earbuds are huge ! You can take a look at the pictures. Comparing them with the Klipsch X11 may not be fair, but with the standard Bose earbud, you can see how large is the body of the earbud. The build material is of all hard matte plastic. The Dash is not going to win any design awards on looks.
 
Luckily they are not heavy. Even without using the ear hooks I can keep them on my ear in an indoor environment. The position of the ear hook is interesting. I  find that I have to angle the unit up to have it fit onto my ear. It fits over my thick rim eye glasses without problem.
 
Overall the comfort is fine. The ear tip is made from a very soft plastic materials.  The appear to be identical to the Axgio Backfit, and I have the same concern with their durability.
 

Bluetooth and Setup

 
The setup is very easy. The headphones have voice prompt built in. I followed the sequence as described in the manual. First pair one headset (I picked the right side). Then when I switch on the second headset, both units will automatically find each other.
 
One interesting operational feature — I can power off both units by just powering off the main unit with a long press of the center multi functional button (MFB). To skip tracks, long press on either the + or the - volume button instead of double / triple press the center button like most Apple compatible headphones.
 
The user manual says I can use the MFB to activate the camera shutter. I cannot get that to work with my iPhone7 running latest iOS software.
 
The Dash uses bluetooth 4.2. I am not sure if that is the reason, but the Dash has an incredible range ! Paired with my iPhone7, not only I can walk around the entire first floor of my 900 s.f. first floor, I can go to the opposite end of my second floor, behind several walls, before the Dash intermittently cut out.
 
How about the linking between the left and right earbuds? They stay connected all the time under normal condition. I find that they will take a second or two to connect at the beginning. One interesting behavior is that I can make them disconnect from each other by covering both earbuds with my hands, over my ears.
 

Sound Quality

 
If you read my review of the Axgio backfit, you’ll see that I like them in general, but they have boosted highs with a lot of sibilance. I was worry that the Dash will be the same. Fortunately, while the Dash still has boosted highs, the sibilance is not as bad. These are my test tracks:
 
Record Collector, Catching a Tiger,  Lissie, (2010) https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/record-collector/id385669816?i=385669838 — This is one track that highlighted the harsh highs of the Axgio Backfit. I am happy to say that the highs are much more manageable with the Axgio Dash. While the highs are still boosted, it is much more enjoyable with this pair of headphone.
 
Happy Theme Song, Grace Kelly, Mood Changes (2008) https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/happy-theme-song/id304993279?i=304993292 - This track is full of interplay between the base and Kelly’s saxophone playing. The base response is good. The sax lacks fine detail if you really push the expectation, but overall it passes for a pair of bluetooth IEM.
 
Soneto de Separacao, Sensus, Christina Branco (2003), https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/soneto-de-separacao/id23147885?i=23147889 - Fado acoustic guitar and Branco’s emotional voice comes through cleanly with good soundstage, with a hint of sibilance, for some reason it is not as pronounce as the Axgio Backfit.
 
Viva La Vida, Viva La Vida, Coldplay (2008). https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/viva-la-vida/id1122773394?i=1122773680 - This is a complex track with vocals in front of layers of instruments building up in the song. As the layers get deeper, the clarity is lost. So the Dash is not going to compete with the Klipsch X11 or a $500 pair of Grado.
 
A Thousand Years, Brand New Day, Sting (1999) https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/brand-new-day/id1147704679?i=1147704785 - The rumbling base at the beginning of this song shows that the dash can handle base. It is quite fun to crank up the volume and get pulled into Sting’s moody lyrics.
 

Conclusion

 
Overall, especially considering the price point, the sound quality is good. The true wireless setup is much more useful that I originally thought. The Dash’s bulk look is not going to win on looks, but it wins on value and usability, not to mention an amazing bluetooth range.
 

Note: Axgio provided a review unit for review. Opinion are completely my own.
 
EMT03424.jpg
 
EMT03425.jpg
 
EMT03429.jpg
 
EMT03432.jpg
 
EMT03435.jpg
 
EMT03437.jpg
 
EMT03438.jpg
 
EMT03442.jpg
 
EMT03444.jpg
tomtran561997
tomtran561997
Just throwing this out here
 
I have these, great earphone for working out. However, you can find multiple sellers have this earphone listed with their brand and different price (AXGIOSoundPEATSThermaltake - all can be found on amazon). An unbranded version can be found here on eBay. However, they are all the same generic stock with different branding on it. You can now find the best deal with the Thermaltake version for $39.99 on Amazon. After a bit of research, all these brand apparently have their stock orders from this manufacturer in China (I am 95% sure)
Mortalcoil
Mortalcoil
Nicely written review.  I suppose the moral of the story here is that sometimes you actually get what you pay for.
 
Don't buy cheap headphones guys life is to short. 
pkshiu
pkshiu
@tomtran561997 I often wonder about that. Good research ! Thanks for the info.

bhazard

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Full Wireless! Bass, Battery, Mic
Cons: Detail, recessed yet peaky midrange
Introduction
 
Axgio offered me a chance to review the Axgio Dash, and I was glad to do so. They look to be a great alternative to the Wireless Apple Airpods for a third of the price.
 
I’ve noticed that a lot of first gen unknown fully wireless earphones had connection issues that plagued their performance. It wasn’t until recently that this tech became somewhat fully stable. Are the Axgio Dash Wireless earphones worth a purchase? Let’s find out….
 
I’d like to thank Axgio Audio for providing me the Dash for review purposes.
 
Specifications
 
Chip: CSR64210
Bluetooth Version: 4.2
Profile Supported: HSP, HFP, A2DP and AVRCP
Frequency Response: 200Hz-10Khz
Battery Capacity: 100mAh
Charging time: about 1-2 hr
Charging port: USB cable
Talk and music time: 8hr
Weight: 22.6g
 
Package Includes:
1* Headphones
3* Ear Tips
1* Micro USB Charging Cable
1* Carrying Case
 
Presentation
 
IMG_20161215_213203.jpg
 
 
Axgio provide the Dash in a simplistic yet modern box, like what you would get when buying adapters and batteries from companies like Anker. I personally like the efficient presentation, allowing less clutter for storage purposes. A standard case is included along with a split USB cable to charge both earpieces at the same time (which is a nice and necessary touch). Eartips are standard fare, and I immediately replaced them with KZ Starline tips.
 
Housing/Fit/Isolation
 
One of the best features of the Dash over the Apple Airpods is the ear hook design. The Airpods have nothing to secure them to your ear, making them easily lost if jarred out of your ear. The Dash’s hook allows the earpiece to sit securely in both ears, making them a much better choice for active users. There is something very freeing about not having to worry about wires at all. These are an excellent choice for the gym based on this alone.
 
The housing itself is a standard plastic elongated plastic shell. Volume and track buttons sit atop each earpiece, easily accessible. Isolation seemed to be very good.
 
Sound Review
Testing Gear (in order of quality)
 
LH Labs Pulse X Infinity 2.0
LH Labs Geek Out V2+ Infinity (Balanced)
Axon 7
Asrock Fatality amped onboard DAC/amp
 
Music used for testing
 
Vomitron, GaMetal (8 bit Metal)
Death Angel
Meshuggah
Metallica
Run the Jewels
Korn
Deadmau5
In Flames
Testament
Jamie Foxx
Etc…
 
 
Amplifier Needed?
 
N/A
 
Wireless and Battery performance
 
The Dash surprised me with its range. I could easily walk around my entire apartment without breaking the connection, even between rooms.
 
The other surprise is that I only experienced a dropout between both sides once in my entire time with them. This was impressive, as any sync issues would ruin wireless earphones for me. These had none.
 
The battery easily lasted 4-5 hours of listening, which isn’t much compared to most Bluetooth sets with a wire, but very good for a fully wireless pair.
 
The Dash also has a mic which can also be used for phone calls, which is a nice touch. I was unable to test this feature for the review though.
 
 
Sound Signature
 
Great Bass impact, recessed midrange with peaks, lacking treble extension (No aptX).
 
I tried measuring the Dash via a Vibro Veritas and ARTA, but I could not get an accurate measurement.
 
Bass
 
Bass levels are the highlight of the Dash. This is a very consumer oriented, Beats like bass sound. With most Top 40 music, the pleasing bass masks the lack of micro detail, focusing more on impact than accuracy. Deadmau5 was a very fun listen with these, making them very good for EDM. The Dash takes hard hitting bass lines with ease
 
Midrange
 
The Dash also carries a recessed midrange, but with a twist. There are some large peaks and dips near the 4k region. Certain vocal and guitar ranges can sound peaky, while the rest of the midrange is laid back. This could be due to tuning, or from the lack of aptX to provide a higher bandwidth sound.
 
Treble
 
Due to the lack of aptX, again the sound quality and extension of the treble suffers a bit. It starts to roll off around 8k, and drops sharply after 10k. Due to the recessed midrange, the treble can be heard despite the lack in quantity. This isn’t much different compared to other non aptX Bluetooth headsets however, so it should be a familiar relaxed sound (which many people enjoy)
 
Soundstage, Imaging, Resolution
 
Soundstage, Imaging, and Resolution are all average for the price range, accounting for the full wireless capabilities. Detail is decent, but lacking in micro details. Again, this is very much like other Bluetooth sets, with the major added benefit of true wireless capability. For non-critical listening and gym sessions, the wireless freedom is a tradeoff I would make over my wired, much more expensive sets.
 
Conclusion
 
Axgio did a heck of a job with the Dash. While I wish that the Dash had aptX HD and a higher quality sound that I’m normally used to, having no wires for the first time listening to music was liberating and inspiring. I hope the next version can really focus on sound quality, using 3 well-tuned hybrid drivers or so.
 
 
Axgio Dash Headphone: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IHM2YJW    https://www.axgio.com/listing/axgio-dash-cordless-earbuds-for-iphone-7/8#ad-image-0 

Axgio official site: http://www.axgio.com/

 
Axgio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Axgio.Fans/
 
Axgio Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1ORAR8IUt_biiNR3l-zqzQ 
 
Thread here:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/831673/axgio-dash-wireless-earbuds
  • Like
Reactions: trellus and crabdog
Back
Top