Mixcder T2 true wireless earbuds review: secure fit, epic battery life, but unimpressive sound

The Beats Powerbeats Pro drew a lot of attention when it was released last year, making many people believe that was the right design for true wireless earbuds. But fellow headphone makers don’t seem convinced enough, with almost no major brands releasing similarly-designed products. But Mixcder, a company known for making budget-friendly headphones, is one of the few exceptions. The new Mixcder T2 has a form factor similar to that of the Powerbeats Pro, but comes with a way more affordable price tag ($39.99).


Unboxing

The T2 comes with very simple packaging.



Inside the box you will find a relatively big charging case, a charging cable, a user manual and two extra eartips. The two earbuds are laying comfortably inside the charging case.


Design and build

The charging case and earbuds are in black, and Mixcder offers no other color options for this model. The included charging case is a lot bulkier than the cases of the Jabra Elite 65T and the Astrotec S90 Pro. It has a flip-top design, similar to that of the Powerbeats Pro. Its matte black finish is resistant to catching unwanted fingerprints.



The rear panel of the case houses the uncovered Micro USB port, which is quite a shame, given most electronics are now carrying Type-C ports.



There’s a digital display inside the case to show you the percentage of battery left, as well as the charging status of each earbud.





The earbuds may look like the Powerbeats Pro in overall shape and size, but there are still enough differences for us to distinguish the two. The Mixcder branding on the outer panel is definitely more intrusive than the famous “b” marking on Apple’s Powerbeats earbuds.

The cross bar which houses the battery and driver is relatively larger than normal in-ear buds, but it is integrated into the soft stem that curves up to go over and around the back of the ear. Therefore, the weight of an earbud is more evenly distributed to the ear canal and the back of the ear.



The on-ear controls are mirrored left and right, so there's no need to memorize what one ear does versus the other. There's a dedicated volume rocker along the top edge of each earpiece, and it's one of the easiest volume controls I've used on a true wireless pair. The power button on the outer panel of each ear actually offers multiple functions, it can play or pause music, and answer or end calls. Holding it for a few seconds wakes the smart assistant on your phone, be it Siri, Google Assistant or Bixby. Double-tapping it skips forward a track, and triple-tapping it skips backward. There's nothing missing here, and the simplicity and tactile response is excellent.



The Mixcder T2 has an IPX5 rating, higher than the IPX4 rating of the Powerbeats Pro. This means these earbuds can handle sweat, splashes and even heavy rains, but you shouldn't submerge them or wash them off in the sink.


Comfort and Isolation



Seating the T2 earbuds into my ears was quite some task at first. They don’t have the simple shape of average true wireless earbuds such as the Creative Outlier Air and the Astrotec S90 Pro, so I have to pay a bit of attention getting them on and off. The advantageous difference from those “normal earbuds”, though, is that the over-ear hook can prevent the earbuds from falling out of the ears during intense workout. Also, the soft silicone ear tips come in 3 different sizes for customizable fit. The comfort of these earbuds are amazing, I can wear them for hours without experiencing fatigue.

The isolation on the T2 is better than that on the Apple Airpods, but not as good as it is on the Jabra 65T or the Creative Outlier Air. Better isolation means more immersive, undisturbed music experience in a noisy environment, but may result in higher risks when jogging on a country road, so it really comes down to personal preference. For those looking for a tight seal, you should probably look elsewhere.


Connection



The Mixcder T2 comes with Bluetooth 5.0 and EDR (enhanced data rate), but only supports SBC codec. That is to say, there’re no AAC and aptX. Since they’re not powered by a Qualcomm SoC., you can also forget about True Wireless Plus support, too. The music has to be transferred from one earbud to another.

Fortunately, the connection between these earbuds and my smartphones is solid and stable. I paired the T2 to both my Huawei Mate 20 pro and Apple iPhone X, and listened to a lot of music in the one month after receiving them. The T2 seldomly lost connection with my phone, even though there were a couple of times one side wasn’t making sound, but the disturbance normally only last 1-2 seconds, not really a big problem, especially when compared to the Jabra’s Elite 65T, which often loses connection for more than 10 seconds.

Auto-play is another selling point of the T2. Sensors detect when you put the earbuds in and start playing music immediately. More and more headphones offer this feature nowadays, but I am not really that big of a fan. Sometimes I only put the T2 in my ears so I can watch some YouTube videos or make a phone call, but I need to pause the music first because there’s no way to disable the auto-play function.


Sound Quality

These earbuds come with 10mm dynamic driver units, which should somehow make up for the lack of higher-standard codecs. The frequency response of the T2 ranges from 50Hz to 20KHz, pretty standard for true wireless earphones at this price point. With an impedance of 16Ohm and sensitivity of -85dBm, you should not expect these earbuds to work miracles, and they don’t.

Bass
There is a decent amount of bass, which can go fairly deep as well. But is unfortunately a little on the loose end. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like Stormzy’s "Own it", the Mixcder T2 fails to deliver a powerful low-frequency response. On other average hip-hop tracks such as Cardi B’s “Money” and Tyga’s “Taste”, drums just lack the kind of punch and weight, as a result, the recording sounds less engaging than it is supposed to be. At higher volume, unwanted muddiness starts to kick in.

Mids
The Mixcder T2 does an okay job with the midrange. Vocals are reasonably forward-sounding, with some intricate details in them. Listening to Celeste’s “Strange”, her angelic voice sounds layered, and full of emotions. With that said, the T2 is still no match for the Astrotec S90 Pro in terms of clarity, as the latter has dual Knowles armature drivers in it.

Treble
The high-end on the T2 is a shade darker than it is on the Astrotec S90 pro. There’s a lot of energy in the lower treble, which ensures enough attack for chime-like instruments. But mid and upper treble responses are somewhat tamed, you get very little shimmer.

Soundstage
Like all true wireless earbuds, the Mixcder T2 doesn’t offer much soundstage. For the most part it is more of an in-your-head feel. While there are some height and depth, they are shallow and the width of the stage extends to your ears at most. Instrument separation is not impressive, either. With more complex recordings, the T2’s struggle with dynamic range also starts to show. The hard pounding in the middle of Emeli Sande’s “Hurts” somehow turns into pitter-patters, making the track sound less exciting than it is supposed to be.

If sound quality is your primary concern in finding a pair of new wireless earbuds, the T2 will probably disappoint you. In fact, not many true wireless headphones at this price point could offer decent sound, the only few exceptions I know are the Astrotec S80 and the Creative Outlier Air/Gold, but neither of them can give you the kind of secure fit brought by the Mixcder T2.


Latency

I experienced no latency in audio watching YouTube videos on either the Huawei Mate 20 Pro or Apple’s iPhone X. But there is some time lag in graphics and sound while playing games on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. In fact, I encountered the same problem with almost all of the true wireless earbuds I have tested, something you should bear in mind before buying headphones in this form factor.


Battery Life

One of the perks of the Mixcder T2’s large charging case is a large 950mAh battery under the hood, which can give the earbuds 4 extra charges. Even as a pair of standalone earphones, each earbud houses 100mah battery and can deliver up to 10 hours of playtime. As a complete system, the T2 offers a whopping 50 hours’ battery life. In the two months’ time I have spent with the T2, I only needed to charge the case twice.

The T2 also supports fast-charging, the earbuds can be fully charged in around 1 hour, but the case itself demands 2 hours to go from 0 to 100%.


Verdict

The Mixcder T2 is not carved out to be the best-sounding true wireless earphones. But priced at only $39.99 on Ali-express, these earbuds could give you the comfort and secure fit needed during intense workout, and the battery life which will spare you from charging the case every week. For those of audiophiles who put audio quality above all the rest when choosing wireless earbuds, you should probably look elsewhere, but for average consumers looking to get their first pair of TWS earphones, the Mixcder T2 is simply the best bang for the buck product out there.

These iems are just way over-hyped and over-priced. I compared them to the Astrotec Lyra Nature, and surprisingly the latter delivered better-defined bass and midrange, and crisper highs.

I found that Shanling were investing heavily on advertising these few years and forgot to really work on their products. I've owned the M5 DAP, the MTW100. They both sound subpar in comparison to similarly priced competitions and have minor issues here and there.

When thinking of ANC headphones, the first two brands that cross people’s minds are definitely Bose and Sony. Those who know the industry better would probably come up with names such as B&O, B&W, Jabra, AKG, etc. In fact, almost all famous audio companies are making ANC headphones nowadays. But products from those industry-leading brands normally cost quite a fortune, and aren’t always easy to recommend to average headphone users.

Fortunately, we’ve also seen an increasing number of affordable ANC headsets entering the market in recent years. The Samini N1 ($49), Taotronics BH060 ($59.99), and COWIN E7 PRO ($67.99) are all solid entry-level offerings for basic listening. Last month I had the pleasure to review the Mixcder E7. My expectations weren’t very high before I got the sample but those headphones turned out to be very well-designed, and way better-tuned than what their price tag had suggested. I ended up recommending them to a lot of friends that were looking for closed headphones. The new Mixcder E10 comes with aptX support, a more premium design and an astonishing 30-hour battery life. Priced at $89.9 on Amazon, they are clearly a higher-end offering, and arguably the most expensive from Mixcder to date. These headphones even won the 2019 Prestigious National Parenting Product Awards (NAPPA) for its Active Noise Canceling Technology and sound quality. But how much more do they really offer than entry-level products, and how will they compare to the best in the industry? Let’s find out in this review.


Specs of the Mixcder E10
Brand: Mixcder
Model: E10
Speaker Diameter: 40mm
Impedance: 32Ω
S.P.L: 120dB
THD: <3%
Frequency Response: 20-20KHz
Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth v5.0
Support Profile: A2DP/AVRCP/HFP/HSP
Support Audio Codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Low Latency
Weight: 304g
Package Content: 1*headphone, 1*carrying case, 1*AUX cable, 1*Micro USB charging cable, 1*airplane adapter, 1*user manual


Retail Package

Like the E7, the Mixcder E10 also comes with very simple packaging. There is a nice-looking faux-leather carrying pouch inside the box. In addition to the E10 headphones, the case also contains a Micro USB charging cable, an AUX cable, an airplane adapter and a user manual. Although the cables are very high-quality, I have to say I am a little disappointed to learn that, as the top-of-the-line product of Mixcder, the E10 still hasn’t upgraded the charging port to Type-C.


Design

Mixcder has taken an extremely subtle approach with the design of these E10 headphones. There is nothing quite shouty, nothing brash and in your face. Even the Mixcder branding, which is normally very prominent on the back of the earcups of their headphones, is inconspicuously marked on the joints between the headband and the cans.

The chassis of E10 is a combination of plastic and aluminum. It’s nicely finished and not tacky. The leatherette earpads and headband are very soft and offer ideal cushioning for the head. The product feels extremely premium, in fact these headphones look like they belong to the same class of much more expensive headsets such as the B&O Beoplay H8 and the B&W PX. Most people I’ve shown the E10 to could not believe these were sub-100-dollar headphones.

The joints on these headphones have fantastic flexibility as the earcups can swivel and rotate in many different directions for users to achieve the most comfortable fit.

The hinge is smooth and quiet. The buttons (power/pairing and ANC) are quite solid, offering decent travel, and snap back quickly after being pressed. You can turn on or turn off active noise cancelling, but the E10 doesn’t offer different levels of noise reduction like some high-end ANC headphones do. A Micro USB charging port and a 3.5mm audio jack sit on the and left and right can, respectively.

Mixcder headphones are known for their good quality, and the E10 is no exception. Although these headphones have the most flexible joints I’ve seen on Mixcder’s products, they still feel quite robust, and look like they could even survive some occasional falls.


Connection

Pairing the E10 to your smartphone is very easy. Press and hold the power button for a few seconds, until the LED flashes in red and blue, then you can find the “Mixcder E10” in the Bluetooth settings on your phone.

I had no trouble pairing and repairing these headphones with a Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Apple iPhone X. I was also able to maintain a reliable wireless connection, far more reliable than the Jabra Elite 65e and Creative Outlier Air earphones.


Comfort, isolation and ANC

These headphones get great ratings from me for comfort and isolation, as the leatherette pads and headband both have an ideal amount of padding. Clamping pressure is just right for my normal-sized head and the smooth rotating motion on the earcups help them mold closers to my ears. I

The headphones are closed back and this does an excellent job of blocking out unwanted external noise. Even when active noise cancelling is turned off, they still offer very satisfying isolation. Listening to music at medium volume can make you forget about most noises from the outside world, and these earcups don’t tend to leak sound into the environment.

But when you are taking a crowded morning bus, or walking down a busy street in the city center, or sitting in an airplane, the passive isolation is simply not enough. Fortunately, the E10’s active noise cancelling works nice, helping to drown out most low-frequency noises such as the rumbling of cars, buses and trains, knocks from the construction sites. One day, when I was crossing a big shopping mall to get to the movie theater, the loud, boomy Chinese hip-hop song being played there turned into gentle, light music coming from a distant place. Another day when I was wearing these headphones on a subway, there were a couple of middle-age women chatting right behind me, but the Active Noise Cancelling greatly diminished their presence and made it much harder to pick out individual words.

There is slight pressure on the ears when active noise cancellation is turned on, which is something to be aware of. While I still think the Bose QC35II offers slightly better noise cancellation, the Mixcder E10 isn’t far off, and even slightly edges the Panasonic HD605N in comparison, although the latter has 3 adjustable noise reduction levels for you to play with.

But there is one complaint from me. The E10 doesn’t give you any form of voice feedback when ANC is enabled/disabled. In a relatively quiet environment, it’s hard to know whether it is on or off. Besides the ANC button there’s an LED indicator, which will light up in blue when active noise cancelling is turned on, but who would really take off their headphones just to see that?


Sound

The E10 headphones feature 40mm Neodymium Iron Boron speaker units, and support SBC, AAC, aptX and aptX LL (Low Latency) codecs while streaming music via Bluetooth. In theory, these headphones should sound a bit better while using an Android device that supports the aptX codec, but I did not hear noticeable quality reduction paring them to the Apple iPhone X.

In terms of audio, I was expecting amazing sound from the Mixcder E10, as the much cheaper E7 really wowed me last month. Unfortunately, it turned out that the E10 is only a minor step up from the E7, thus still wouldn’t match the likes of the Bose QC 35II or Panasonic HD605N when it comes to overall sound quality.

Bass

The low-end is the highlight of the Mixcder E10. It is composed and clear whilst at the same time managing to deliver solid levels of sub bass. These headphones have the ability to hit quite hard, but I would not consider them as bass-head headphones, since the lows are never really over-exaggerated. Details have been preserved quite well as you can feel different layers coming together to offer a great sense of attack. One thing I need to mention is, when ANC is turned on, these headphones will lose a lot of bass, making bass-centric recordings sound less engaging. I also detected this kind of bass-reduction with the E7, and reported the issue to Mixcder. Hopefully they will be able to solve this problem in future products.

Mids

The midrange is smooth and warm with good separation amongst instruments. I found that they sounded great with stringed instruments. There is a decent amount of decay through the midrange notes and engage you with a sense of intimacy. Detail retrieval from the mids is okay, but they do lose out to the Panasonic HD605N in out an out clarity. However, bass bleeding into the mids can be detected on bass heavy tracks. Vocals, especially female vocals are not particularly refined and can sound distant in wireless mode.

Highs

These aren’t super-bright headphones. The treble is smooth and inoffensive, rather than challenging and brimming with high-frequency sizzle. Fortunately, there are lots of fine details in the highs, and the E10 never sound harsh.

Soundstage

The soundstage of the E10 is good, but not impressive, especially when compared to the open-sounding Panasonic HD605N. There is a decent sense of space around your head. Instruments have some room to breathe most of the time, but still jostle for attention with more complex recordings.

Wired vs Wireless

I found the E10 sounded a lot better in wired mode with tamer, tighter bass and a much wider soundstage. The vocals are also clearer and more straightforward. Whenever the wire isn’t that much of an annoyance, I prefer listening to the E10 with AUX cable plugged in.


Battery life

In terms of battery life, the E10 comes with 30-hour rating with noise cancelling activated, which is excellent, and easily beats the playing time offered by the B&O Beoplay H9 (14 hours), Bose QC35II (20 hours), B&W PX (22 hours). Only the Jabra Elite 85H (35 hours) can last longer on a single charge. I have been using headphones extensively since they arrived two weeks ago, but only until two days did I get the notification to charge them.

Mixcder’s own quick charge feature is also amazing. Just 5-8 minutes of charging will yield 3 hours of battery life, a full charge takes less than 1 hour. In comparison, the SONY WH-1000XM3 charges fast in the first few minutes (10 minutes’ charging gives you 5 hours’ battery life), but will take significantly longer to finish a full charge (3 hours). ANC headphones from other brands don’t even come close to what Mixcder has achieved with the E10 in terms of charging speed.


Verdict

If you want the very best, the Sony WH1000XM3 and Jabra Elite 85h still offer much more mature noise cancelling technology (4 or 8 noise reduction microphones respectively) and arguably superior wireless sound quality due to their support for more advanced Bluetooth codecs such as aptX HD and LDAC. But Mixcder gives those with a tighter budget a more-than-solid alternative here. With a premium design, great build quality, decent noise reduction performance, impressive audio, and a battery life that can rival the best of the best, the Mixcder E10 ANC headphones are easy recommendations to anyone who wants a pair of over-the-ear headphones.

Headphones with active noise cancelling were once considered a novelty, and those major brand products (SONY WH-1000XM3 and BOSE QC35 II) will still cost you more than 300 dollars, but you can find lots of more affordable ANC headsets on the market nowadays.

Mixcder is known for making high-quality budget headphones and speakers, and their budget ANC headphones earned them a lot of popularity among users in many different countries. The brand recently renewed their best-selling Mixcder E7 for 2019. With Bluetooth upgraded to V5.0, the active noise cancelling performance improved, and two more color variants (Twilight Orange, Mint Green) in stock, Mixcder is definitely hoping to gain more market share with these headphones.




Retail Package

The package of the Mixcder E7 is quite simple, but I am pleasantly surprised to find a sturdy carrying pouch inside the box.





In addition to the E7 headphones, there are also a USB to Micro USB charging cable, an AUX cable and a user manual included in the retail package.


Design and build



The 2019 Mixcder E7 has three color variants. The one that I received is Twilight Orange, which is more like peach pink in my opinion. Mixcder has clearly taken the minimalistic approach with the design of the E7, and the vibrant monochrome color kind of reminds me of the Urbanears Plattan 2 BT, although there are still lots of different elements to distinguish the two.



The aesthetics of the E7 elicits neutral feelings from most people I've shown them to, which might be a positive or negative, depending on your fashion sense. But the vibrant “Twilight Orange” color will definitely draw a lot of attention to you if you are wearing them in public.



Like most budget headphones, the design is all-plastic with a faux leather headband and earcups. However, the E7 do not feel cheap at all. In fact they look particularly refined, with no ugly mold lines on the surface.



Adjusting the length of the headphones is as easy as pulling down on the speaker units, and when it comes time to turn off your music, you can easily swivel the headphones up into themselves for compact storage in the included carrying pouch.





The right earcup offers easy controls for your volume and power, and there’s an on/off switch for active noise cancelling on the left speaker.



Connection

Pairing the E7 to your smartphone is extremely easily. Press and hold the power button for a few seconds, until the LED flashes in red and blue, then you can find the “Mixcder E7” in the Bluetooth settings on your phone.

The connection between these headphones and my Huawei Mate 20 Pro is very stable. I have experienced no interruption during my two weeks testing the E7. The same cannot be said about my Jabra Elite 65e, which often loses connection with my phone when there’s some EMI.


Comfort, isolation and ANC

Wearing the E7, they felt a little tighter on my head compared to the Bose QC35 II. However, after playing around with the length and wearing them for a couple of days, I ended up really liking how they feel. The leatherette surrounding the earcups and headband does a great job at allowing you to listen for hours on end without feeling fatigue.

With that said, these earcups can easily get warm and sweaty during workouts, and tend to hug my neck when I take them off. Wireless earphones with a neckband or true wireless
earbuds are still better options for gym workouts.

Even when active noise cancelling is turned off, these headphones offer very satisfying isolation. Listening to music at medium volume can make you forget about most of the ambient noise, and these earcups don’t tend to leak sound into the environment.



When it comes to active noise cancelation, Mixcder E7’s performance is supposed to be quite solid. With a second-generation ANC chip (the same used in the more premium Mixcder E10) in them, these headphones can now reduce 96% of ambient noise in low frequency ranges, a least that’s what Mixcder has claimed.

As for my real-life experience, I used the E7’s noise canceling extensively in the office and gym, as well as commuting to and from work, and on two train rides. Although the active noise cancelling of the E7 is still not quite as impressive as what Bose has achieved with the QC35II, it works well and isn't anything to complain about in the slightest. The E7’s noise reduction algorithms are similar to that on the Panasonic HD605N headphones, and work great against heavy sounds like the rumbling of the subway, bus and cars, and in my case, the big noise from the air conditioning in my office. Human voices and some higher sounds will be reduced, but still come through. Last week I took a bullet train back home for my grandpa’s funeral, a few kids screamed and shouted the entire way. After a few minutes of it, I turned on E7’s active noise cancelling, and threw a hoodie over my head. The kids’ screaming faded to faint whispers and I rested peacefully for 4 whole hours.


Sound

These headphones have two 40mm driver units in them, and support SBC and AAC codecs when streaming music via Bluetooth. When it comes to sound quality, the Mixcder E7 headphones are good, but not exceptional, and clearly no match for the likes of the Bose QC 35II and Panasonic HD605N. Given their $60 price tag, that should have been expected.

Bass

The most notable aspect of the Mixcder E7’s sound signature is its meaty punch. It’s not boomy or warbled on the low end, but everything from the lower-mid frequencies and below has a weight to it that gives pop music and hip-hop a dense base to stand on. Songs like Cardi B’s “Money”, Tyga & Offset’s “Taste” and Billie Elish’s “Bad Guy” all benefit from the headphones’ unique tuning, which makes everything sound full-bodied and dynamic. Unfortunately, when the active noise cancelling is turned on, the bass will be significantly reduced, making bass-centric songs sound less engaging.

Mids

The midrange is a bit recessed, and vocals can sound a bit veiled and muddy at times. But there’s still a decent amount of details. Playing Lauren Daigle’s “You Say”, her vocal lacked the burst and clarity heard on the Bose QC35II and Panasonic HD605N, but the different layers in her voice were still presented beautifully.

Highs

The treble from the E7 is bright, but not overpowering, offering a clean shimmer that really helps acoustic and electric guitars shine in the mix. I particularly enjoyed listening to Emeli Sande’s “Highs and Lows”, with acoustic piano, guitars, and high-pitched harmonies coming through with a decent amount of depth and clarity.

When used with the included 3.5mm audio cable, these headphones sound a lot better, but so do most of wireless headphones.


Battery life

The Mixcder E7 headphones can easily live up to their promised 22 hours of battery life with active noise cancelling on. Even as a heavy headphone user and a dedicated tester, I only need to charge them once every week. They charge via a small micro USB port on the bottom right earcup — I was somewhat disappointed that a pair of 2019 headphones wouldn’t have a Type-C port for faster charging and better compatibility, but it’s not a deal breaker for most consumers.

Fortunately, these headphones charge as fast as the Bose QC35II. A full charge only takes 2 hours, and 5 minutes’ charge can give the users two hours of music listening via Bluetooth.


Verdict

Overall, I'm quite impressed with what Mixcder's cranked out here. Priced at $69.99 on Amazon, these E7 headphones won’t give you features such as the adjustment of ANC levels, hear-through function, aptX or LDAC codecs found on premium offerings by SONY, Bose and Jabra, but they do offer you beautiful design, great build quality, solid noise reduction and decent sound. For those who want a pair of ANC headphones that won’t break your bank, the E7 are worth looking at.

The Creative Pebble 2.0 speakers, which were released a year ago, have received great reviews from the media, as well as the customers. Somehow, they didn’t make their way into the Chinese market until recently, and when they finally did, the reception from Chinese consumers seemed nothing but underwhelming.

The reason is quite simple: in the same price, there are many well-made 2.1 speaker systems to choose from, and an actual subwoofer is considered a must for the majority of Chinese PC users, especially those who would not spend money on more musically satisfying speakers.

And here comes the upgrade which is designed to please almost everyone. Not much more expensive than the Pebble, the Pebble Plus is now a 2.1 speaker system with a dedicated subwoofer.


Design

The Creative Pebble Plus looks like the old Pebble with an added subwoofer, but that’s not entirely the case. The 2-inch drivers of the left and right speakers are still angled upward at 45 degrees to meet the listener's ears, but the passive radiators found on the back of the original Pebble is now gone. According to Creative, the shape of those speakers is inspired by a Zen Japanese Rock Garden, which I know nothing about. As someone who doesn’t have much respect for the Japanese culture, the only thing I could say here is that I also adore the unique but not too abrupt design.

There are as many as 4 fixed wires spilling out of the right speaker:
1)A cable with a USB-A plug for power.
2)An Aux-in cable with a 3.5mm plug for audio input.
3)An audio cable which connects the left and right speaker
4)A cable with an RCA plug for connecting to the subwoofer

In an era dominated by wireless speakers, this seems all too old-fashioned. Unfortunately, it is also not easy to hide those wires as they would likely run in multiple directions in the real-life usage, and you end up getting a pretty messy desktop.

The right speaker also houses a power/volume knob on the front, and a gain switch at the rear. The left speaker seems relatively clean as there is no control on it.

Creative has employed the minimalist design with the subwoofer, which sports a 4-inch downward-firing driver on the bottom side. There are 4 rubber feet to elevate the subwoofer, and keep a nice distance between the speaker and the desktop. There isn’t any form of branding or control here, only a port which is needed to for it to be connected to the right speaker.

Despite being an inexpensive system, the speakers and the subwoofer are quite well-made. They lack the sturdiness of those high-end desktop audio systems, but the build quality here does blow many similarly priced offerings out of the water. The only complaint that we have is the messy wires, and we would really appreciate the product more if they are detachable, or coming from the subwoofer instead of the right speaker.


Setup

Since all the cables are fixed, it is extremely easy to set up the Pebble Plus: connect the right speaker to the subwoofer, plug the power cable in a USB Port, be it on a PC or on a charger, and you are good to go.

What is disappointing is that the USB cable is for power input only, and you can not stream audio from your PC with it, the only way to get some audio coming is through the 3.5mm Aux-in plug.


Performance

The entire system is powered by USB. The left and right speaker can only deliver 2 watts of audio each, and the subwoofer is rated at 4 watts, you won’t get an ear-splitting amount of sound from them. The frequency range of the Pebble Plus is from 50Hz to 20kHz, so there won’t be incredible highs and lows. To be honest, I didn’t really expect much sound quality before receiving these speakers, but I was pleasantly surprised when I started to play some music with them.

Sources: HP EliteBook 745, Microsoft Surface Pro 3, Alldocube X, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Shanling M5.
Tested tracks:
Cardi B – Money
NF – Lie
Lady Gaga ft. Bradley Cooper – Shallow
George Ezra – Shotgun
John Mayer – New Light
Sam Smith ft. Normani – Dancing with a Stranger
Jess Glynne – Thursday
Tyga ft. Offset – Taste
Childish Gambino – Sober
Ed Sheeran – I See Fire
Mariah Carey – I Don’t Wanna Cry
Ariana Grande – Thank You, Next!
Migos, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj – Motorsport
Bruno Mars – Treasure
Halsey – Without Me
Whitney Houston – Run to You
Charlie Puth ft. BoysⅡMen – If You Leave Me Now

Compared to AC powered 2.1 systems, the Creative Pebble Plus pales in terms of volume output. With that said, even at medium volume, these speakers are already able to fill up my small bedroom with sound. When compared side by side with the built-in Bang & Olufsen speakers of the HP EliteBook, the Pebble Plus sounds much louder. Also, the quality offered here is extremely impressive, as these speakers sound well-balanced, clear and full of life.





There is a lot of bass, thanks to the dedicated subwoofer, and the low-end comes not only in quantity, but also in quality. It is sturdy with lots of intricate details, and can go fairly deep as well. Also, the ice on the cake is that the bass of the Pebble Plus never sounds too overwhelming, and doesn’t tend to bleed into the lower-mids like most similarly priced 2.1 systems do. The mids can sound a little recessed at times, but there’s still a lot of clarity in the vocals. The highs are bright and crisp clear, there is a decent amount of sparkle in instruments like a drummer’s cymbals and in the sibilance of a vocalist’s ‘S’ and ‘T’ sounds, but it is never really over the top. The soundstage and separation are also splendid here, even with some complicated recordings, the Pebble Plus still manages to handle everything with composure.

In comparison, the Mixcder MSH169 2.0 system almost matches the Pebble Plus in terms of the amount of bass, which is already impressive considering that it only has two passive radiators, but the quality doesn’t even get close. And when it comes to the mids and highs, the MSH169 just sounds too thin and unengaging, while the Pebble Plus offers a lot of life to these frequencies.

We also compared the Pebble Plus to the B&O Beoplay P2, which is a mono speaker that can only stream music wirelessly. The Plus does offer much more full-bodied sound, but the warmer vocals coming from the Beoplay P2 might sound a lot more appealing to average consumers. Also, being as small as it is, the P2 is able to produce similar volume at maximum.



Simply looking at the price tag, it is easy to assume that the Pebble Plus will be crushed by the $400 Vifa Helsinki in terms of listening experience, but that’s not entirely the case, at least not for us. The most noticeable difference is that the Pebble Plus is much more open-sounding, while the Helsinki does sound somewhat boxed most of the time. The two are almost evenly matched when it comes to bass presence and soundstage, but in terms of imaging, midrange and treble processing, dynamics and overall sound quality, the Helsinki is still in another league.

The Pebble Plus also works decently well with movies. Watching the thriller “Get out”, These speakers were not able to deliver the same level of immersive experience produced by my SONOS Playbase and Harman Kardon Aura Studio, but still kept me engaged by offering relatively accurate positioning, and decent sub-bass presence. But with movies such as “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, which contain lots of intense battle scenes and thus require a lot more soundstage, separation and treble boost than usual, the Pebble Plus simply sounds too crowded and cannot deliver the listening experience the sound mixing in those movies deserves.

The sound of the Pebble Plus does distort at the highest volume, but it is to be expected for a system at this price point. Fortunately, distortion only kicks in after the volume has been turned up to more than 85% of its absolute output limit.

Overall, for an inexpensive, USB-powered 2.1 system which is meant to be used primarily with your laptop, the Pebble Plus leaves little room for complaints in terms of sound quality.


Final Verdict

The Pebble Plus is not for audiophiles, nothing at this price point is. Although the overall volume output won’t match that coming from an AC-powered 2.1 system, but the sound quality of these speakers is almost unrivaled in the same price range. PCMAG claims that “the Creative Pebble Plus speakers deliver the best 2.1 audio experience you'll find for $40.” And we have to say that we completely agree with them, or that we aren’t blessed enough to have heard any other speaker at this price point to offer fuller, richer and more balanced sound. If you need a set of inexpensive desktop speakers but don’t mind the messy fixed wires, the Pebble Plus is an easy recommendation.

Alldocube is probably an unheard name in the headphone industry, but it is a brand quite well-known for making affordable Android and Windows-based tablets. As the demand for tablet products is shrinking, this Chinese company began to venture into other markets.

The Alldocube F40 quad-driver headphones are arguably the brand’s first attempt to break into the Hi-Fi industry. Don’t get me wrong, Alldocube has released a couple of wireless headphones before, but none of those products has made an impact big enough for the company to be considered a legit headphone maker. With four driver units in each of the earbuds and the OFC 4-wire cable, the F40 definitely looks like a promising start and may have the potential to be an ambitious contender. However, could the lack of experience in processing and tone tuning be made up for by impressive hardware remains a question that needs to be answered.


Retail Package

The F40 comes with very simple packaging.

Inside the box you could only find the earphones and two extra pair of tips (big and small). There’re no premium accessories such as a carrying case or an airplane adapter.


Design and build

This is a very familiar form factor. The Alldocube F40 design looks like a cross between the Astrotec S50 and Shure Sennheiser IE60. Probably the most striking part of the F40 is the back of the earbud. Made from natural tophus, we can see these beautiful, yet unique patterns of lines. However, the Alldocube branding is way too intrusive and totally ruins the aesthetics in my opinion. Something more subtle or no branding at all would give these earbuds a much more premium feel.



The F40 nozzle also doesn’t have such a prominent lip like the ones on the Creative Trio or the 1more Tripe Driver do, but it is still able to grip the eartip nicely.

The cable is the standard OFC 4-wire cable with a heat-shrunk black plastic finish. In fact, it looks a lot like the cable used for the Creative Trio, only the latter is detachable and the one on the F40 is not. the physical qualities of the cable are good with a very lightweight feel, super low physical noise on the wire and next to no memory retention.

Unlike the 1more E1001 triple driver or the Creative Aurvana Trio, the F40 employs the more ergonomic over-the-ear design. The part of the cable that connects the earbud is wrapped by transparent silicone, which has memory and can be bent to fit different ear shapes.

Alldocube has also seen fit to throw in a remote playback and mic option down the right side for smartphone users.

The IEM feels sturdy and could probably take some knocks without any damage, but made mainly from plastic, the overall build quality is still nowhere near premium like the 1More Triple Driver, it is also not on par with the Aurvana Trio when it comes to those intricate details.


Comfort and Fit

The Alldocube F40 is meant to be worn over the ears, which definitely gives a more stable fit than the straight-down wearing of the 1more Triple Driver and Creative Aurvana Trio. Thanks to the lightweight earbuds, there won’t be a lot of fatigue during the first couple of hours’ wearing the F40. But the discomfort will kick in if you wear them for a long period of time, like it is with most in ear monitors.


Isolation and leakage

The isolation of the F40 is decent, but not great. It could passively seal out most of the ambient sound if you use the right-sized tips and play the music loud enough. The IEM doesn’t leak much sound. Your colleagues sitting across you will struggle to hear any audible sound leakages unless the volume is crank a volume even unbearable for yourself.


Sound quality

The F40 has triple dynamic driver units and one armature unit in each of the earbuds. This is a solution rarely used in other headphones. The IEM has an impedance of 16Ω, a sensitivity rating of 102dB, and frequency response of 20-20KHz, these numbers mean that the F40 should work fine with most sources. I’ve used it with my headphones, tablets, DAPs and PC, none of these devices struggled too hard to give the F40 the drive it needed, but sound quality did vary among different sources. Alldocube recommended using the F40 with its very own Alldocube X tablet, which has an AKM AK4376A DAC in it. This combination is definitely better than using the headphones with average smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and Huawei Mate 20 Pro. But I did find that those earbuds could deliver significantly better sound when plugged into a professional DAP like the Shanling M5.

Source: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Alldocube X, PC, Shanling M5
Tested tracks:
Ed Sheeran – I See Fire
Cardi B ft. Kehlani – Money
Sam Smith ft. Normani – Dancing with a Stranger
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
Marshmello Feat. Khalid – Silence
Enya – Only Time
Florence and the Machine – You’ve Got the Love
Years & Years – Shine
Michael Bublé – Love You Anymore
Lionel Richie – Hello
George Ezra – Shotgun
Justin Timberlake – Breeze off the Pond
G-Eazy ft. Charlie Puth – Sober

As a brief summary, the F40 sounds good. These earbuds offer the forthright bass and mid-range of much higher end headphones, producing a powerful sound. In fact, it sounds clearer, richer and more textured than my Monster Turbine and B&O Beoplay H3, both of which only come with a single dynamic driver.

There is quite a lot of bass, which can go fairly deep, too. Listening to Cardi B’s “Money” and G-Eazy’s “Sober”, I got fast punchy impactful and deep beats over and over again, but no boomyness at all.

These earbuds also handle voices and instruments quite well. Compared to the more expensive 1more Tripe Driver, the F40 is not quite as tonally sweet but there is no shortage of detail and the separation. It even manages to give large pieces of music like the high res FLAC of Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire” a sense of soundstage - something that is a tricky task for most in-ear monitors. Voices and instruments generally sound right and believable although the former is slightly better than the latter. Simple pieces with solo piano or guitar have a slightly metallic tone, which can be a little distracting.

What really astonishes me is how coherent these earbuds could sound. Despite being a quad-driver, there is very little driver phase coherence issues. The three dynamic drivers and one armature driver really work very well together in creating a cohesive, full-bodied, yet textured sound. In comparison, the 1more Triple Driver and many other entry-level hybrids often struggle with delivering the smoothness in transitions of different frequencies.

With that said, like all entry-level hybrids, the F40 is bound to have some compromises. There is some amount of thickness to the upper-mids and low-bass, and it gives the F40’s sound a lot of warmth, but can also confuse more complex recordings or those that have a particular emphasis on this part of the frequency spectrum.

Unlike the Creative Aurvana Trio, the F40 doesn’t perform very well at low volume, the music becomes weak and limp, and lots of intricate details in the arrangement disappear.

High-end detail and resolution are also not a patch on the Creative Aurvana Trio, which provides a more open, clear sound. The F40, on the other hand, can sound a little too boxy at times. Of course, comparing with headphones more than twice the price is rarely a favorable comparison, but this lack of top-end focus married to the low-mid bump results in less clarity than many similarly-priced sets, such as the 1more Triple Driver and Astrotec AM850.


Conclusion

For $69, the Alldocube F40 offers a lot of Hi-Fi. These earbuds work well with many genres of music, particularly with modern pop, R&B and Hip-hop. Although they won’t rival midrange or high-end hybrids such as the Creative Trio or the Astrotec Delphinus5 Penta Driver in terms of overall sound quality, they do better most of the offerings in the same price range. If you want an entry level hybrid and don’t mind the design with the intrusive branding, the poor packaging and lack of accessories, the F40 is worth taking a look at!

 
 
The good
Amazing design and build quality
Lots of functionalities
Full and balanced sound
Solid battery life
 
The bad
No carrying case included
The sound reproduction lacks coloring and processing.
 
Creative Lab, a Singaporean company specialized in audio products, released the first generation SoundBlaster Roar in 2014, and the portable speaker soon became a global sensation, winning the ears and the hearts of the customers around the world. Its successor, the SoundBlaster Roar 2, was also very well received. Eying for continuing this on-going success, Creative didn’t wait long to release the third generation product – the SoundBlaster Roar Pro at CES 2016.
 
 
Creative Roar Pro Main Specs:
 
Dimensions: 4.5 x 7.9 x 2.2 inches
Weight: 2.5 pounds
Connectivity: Bluetooth, NFC, AUX, USB
Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 3.0
Bluetooth Profile: A2DP (Wireless Stereo Bluetooth), AVRCP (Bluetooth Remote Control), HFP (Hands-free Profile)
Speaker Drivers: 2*1.5” high frequency speaker, 1*2.5” subwoofer, 2*passive radiators
Amplifiers: two dedicated amplifiers (1 for the high frequency speakers, 1 for the subwoofer)
Battery: 6000mAh rechargeable Li-Po battery, 10 hours of battery life
Accessories: 1*AUX Cable, 1*USB Cable, 1*Wall Charger
 
 
Packaging and accessories
 

 
 
The Creative SoundBlaster Roar ships with very simple packaging. The box which contains the products has a lot of printed information on the outside.
 

 
 
Inside the box you will find a portable speaker, a wall charger (15V-1.6A), a USB Cable, and an AUX cable with 3.5mm straight plugs on both sides. There are also a user manual and a warranty card. Unfortunately, a carrying case is not included. You can buy the official case Creative’s online store, in China it costs RMB99 ($14.8), prices in other countries may differ.
 
 
Design and build
 

 
 
The Creative SoundBlaster Roar Pro looks like the identical twin brother of the first generation Roar, which is bigger and heavier than the second generation product. I can only assume that’s why this new Roar is named Roar Pro instead of Roar 3.
 

 
 
The general design of the Roar Pro is a cuboid with rounded corners. The front side, the left and right sides and the majority of the top side are covered by black metallic mesh, which looks exquisite, refined and cool. There is also a shiny “Creative” Logo sitting comfortably in the middle of the front.
 

 
Part of the top side and the entire back side of the speaker are covered by rubberized plastic, the gray color used here can reduce the cold and arrogant feel of black technology. You can find five physical buttons on the top side: Bluetooth/Phone Call, Volume -, Volume +, Roar and Power. There is am LED indication light besides the Bluetooth/Phone Call button to show you the connection status, you can also find another next to the Roar button, indicating whether the Roar effect has been enabled. There is also an NFC reading area and 3 LEDs indicating the battery level.
 

 
 
In order to make a more versatile product, Creative has to sacrifice some elegance of the Roar Pro. As you can see from the photo above, the back side of the Roar Pro is very crowded.
 

 
 
The left half the back side plays host to all the ports and slots. From left to right there is a charging port, a 3.5mm audio jack, a full USB 2.0 port, a Micro USB port, and a Micro SD card slot which supports cards up to 32GB.
 

 
 
The right half hosts several groups of physical controls, including Voice/Room recording controls,
A group of controls for audio stored in the SD card, an audio profiles (warm, neutral and energetic) switch, a Tera Bass button, and a toggle switch which allows you choose from connecting the Roar Pro as a mass storage device or using it as a SoundBlaster audio adapter for your PC.
 

 
 
The SoundBlaster Roar Pro looks and feels expensive, thanks to the elegant design and premium material used by Creative. The build quality is simply great. The edges are nicely joint, the mesh is clean, the ports and slots are firm, and the buttons offer nice tactile feedback. There are no such things as sharp edges, sloppy construction or mold lines, which we often find on budget portable speakers.
 
 
Connectivity and Functionalities
 

 
 
The SoundBlaster Roar Pro offers more connectivity options than any other portable Bluetooth speakers. Wireless connection can be established via Bluetooth and NFC. The speaker features the more dated Bluetooth 3.0 instead of the latest Bluetooth 4.1. Since the improvement of the Bluetooth 4.1 is very limited, especially when it comes to audio transmission, I wouldn’t call this a pity or shame. The Roar Pro supports high quality wireless audio codecs such as aptX low latency, aptX and AAC, all of which ensure that the wireless audio sounds as good as a wired connection.
 

 
 
Besides wireless connections, you can also connect the speaker to your source with the stock AUX cable. For DAPs, Laptops and Desktop PCs which have neither Bluetooth nor NFC on board, this is extremely useful. You can also connect the speaker to your PC with the USB Cable. With necessary drivers installed, the Roar Pro can turn into an external audio adapter and a speaker system for your personal computer.
 
The Creative Roar Pro can also work without a source. With a Micro SD card inserted, the built-in MP3 player of the Roar Pro can play the audio files stored in the card. You can use the physical controls on the back side of the speaker to manage the music playing.
 

 
 
You can also charge your smartphone or tablet with the Roar Pro. The full USB port featured on the back of the speaker has an output of 5V-1A. Not that I would suggest anyone to carry the 1.1kg Roar Pro around as a portable charger, but this function can actually come in handy when your smartphone runs out juice and there isn’t any other way to charge it.
 
Besides, the Roar Pro can also perform as a speakerphone and a voice recorder, useful in conference calls.
 
According to Creative, when the Roar Pro is paired with the iRoar Mic, it can transform into a portable personal public address system, perfect for presentations, public speaking or karaoke sessions. Since the iRoar Mic is sold separately and really isn’t cheap, I don’t have it and really can’t tell you how it really works.
 
 
Sound Quality
 

 
 
Tested Tracks:
Usher – His Mistakes (APE)
Justin Timberlake – Take Back the Night (MP3@320kbps)
Little Mix Feat. Jason Derulo – Secret Love Song (MP3@320kbps)
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Otherside (FLAC)
Drake feat. Wizkid & Kyla – One Dance (MP3@320kbps)
Ed Sheeran – Runaway (APE)
Demi Lovato – Cool for the Summer (MP3@320kbps)
Beyonce – Daddy Lessons (MP3@320kbps)
Coldplay – Up & Up (APE)
Gavin DeGraw – Fire (APE)
Lana Del Rey – Young and Beautiful (FLAC)
Adele – When We Were Young (APE)
And Some Chinese songs
 
Source: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, LG G3, iriver U100, Microsoft Surface Pro 3
 
Comparisons: Monster Clarity HD, Kef Muo
 

 
 
The Creative SoundBlaster Roar Pro’s sound is powered by 5 separate drivers and 2 dedicated amplifiers. There are two 1.5” high frequency speakers facing forward, a 2.5” subwoofer facing upward, and two passive bass radiators firing sideways. One amplifier is dedicated to bring out the best in those forward-facing drivers, and the other takes care of optimizing the subwoofer. The SoundBlaster Roar generally sounded better from a distance greater than 1 foot, where these sonic differences between the drivers are not noticeable.
 
The Roar Pro dwarfs many of the similarly-sized competitions when it comes to volume. This sound output can easily fill up a large bedroom and an average-sized living room. I remember playing Macklemore’s “Growing Up” with it in a park, I could hear the music loud and clear from 10 meters away. Even though I am a huge fan of loud music, I never feel the need to crank up the volume of the Roar Pro to more than 60% while using it in my two-bedroom apartment.
 
 
Bass
 
The bass of the Roar Pro is powerful, but not overwhelming. If you still want more bass prominence, you can activate the Tera Bass mode (with the Tera Bass button located on the back of the speaker). This mode works perfectly well with bass-centric music such as Hip Hop, R&B and Soul, everything has a deeper tone and more dynamics. But when there’s musical-oriented tracks being played, the lower bass could bleed into the lower mids, and cause certain notes to sound subdued. Audiophiles may find themselves turning on and off the Tera Bass mode very often.
 
Mids
 
The midrange frequencies are presented very well in general. The vocals, both male and female, are very defined and clean. I remember listening to Emeli Sande’s “Next to Me”, I could hear her voice piercing through the piano sound and people clapping in the background. And the contrast between the vocals and the instrument music could create very enjoyable dynamics.
 
Treble
 
The treble of the SoundBlaster Roar is smooth, bright, defined and full of intricate details. Even at the highest volume, it still doesn’t sound distorted, and there is no noise and rattling.
 
Generally, the sound reproduction is almost the same as it is on the recordings. There is very little coloring or processing involved. Some people may appreciate this balanced and neutral sound profile, but others may criticize the Roar Pro’s ruler-flat, and sometimes even uninvolving sound.
 
When using the Roar Pro out in the open or in a relatively large room, you can activate the “Roar” effect by pressing the Roar button on the top side of the speaker. This dramatically increases the overall sound output, overpowering the noises in the background. The Roar effect can also enlarge the soundstage, making the sound more space-filling, ideal for dance parties and outdoor activities.
 
 
Creative SoundBlaster Roar Pro vs Monster Clarity HD
 

 

 
Compared to budget speakers such as the Monster Clarity HD, the Roar Pro just sounded much better in every way. The bass was bigger and fatter, the mids and highs were much cleaner and more defined, with more details. At a relatively high volume, the Monster Clarity HD’s lightweight body couldn’t stabilize itself and began to move backwards on the table, but the Roar Pro still stood steadily.
 
 
Creative SoundBlaster Roar vs Kef MUO
 

 

 
Kef MUO is priced twice as much as the SoundBlaster Roar Pro, and is considered by many to be the best Hi-Fi sounding Bluetooth speaker. But the overall sound output at the highest volume is only half of what the Roar Pro can produce.
 
The Roar Pro has a very decent amount of bass and very nice lower extension, especially with the Tera Bass function activated. But the Kef Muo is weak in this area, not only does it lack the quantity of bass, we are also missing some real punch here. When it comes to clarity, the Kef Muo is probably second to none, even at the highest volume, the sound is still extremely defined and clean, but the Roar Pro’s bass starts to sound muddy at 80% of volume.
 
The Roar Pro’s sound reproduction lacks coloring and processing, and that’s exactly where the Kef MUO’s strength lies. The vocals are much more forward, Instrument separation and positioning are more accurate, and the treble is even brighter than the already bright Roar Pro.
 
 
Battery Life
 
According to Creative Lab’s advertising, the SoundBlaster Roar Pro can offer 10 hours of consecutive music playback, and they are not exaggerating. With 60% of volume, I can normally get 7-8 hours of battery life out of the speaker. If you turn down the volume a little, it is not impossible to get 10 hours of wireless music playback. This handily beat the B&O Beoplay A1 and A2, both of them could only last around 4 hours at 50% volume.
 
 
Competitions
 
Priced at only $172.25 on Amazon, it is also extremely affordable. However, there are many competitions in the same price range. The B&O Beoplay A1 may be superior in terms of overall sound quality, especially in the mids and highs, but only 3-4 hours’ battery life at 50% volume constantly drove me crazy when I was using it. Other Bluetooth speakers in this price range include the JBL Charge 3, the Bose SoundLink Mini 2, and UE Boom 2 Phantom. All three are solid for battery life, the JBL and UE speakers are even water-proof, but when it comes to overall sound quality, they are no match for the Roar Pro.
 
 
Verdict
 

 
The Creative SoundBlaster Roar Pro has found a perfect balance in volume, sound quality, portability and battery life, and it offers more functionalities than any other wireless speakers on the market. For people who are into the aesthetics of black technology, it is also one of the best-looking portable speakers available right now. I could easily recommend it to all of my friends as the best all-around speaker below $250. With that said, if sound quality is your absolute top priority and battery life is far down the list, then you should probably go for the Beoplay A1. And if you really care about the water-resistance and endurance, you should give a serious look at the JBL Charge 3. 

 
Astrotec is well-known for their affordable quality headphones. They do have high-end offerings such as the AM1000 and the AX60, but it was their cheaper in ear monitors such as the AM700 and AM90 that really made the impact on the headphone industry.
 
The AM850 is Astrotec’s latest flagship in-ear headphone. Looking at the name, initially I thought it was just a regular upgrade of the AM800, which were released last year to replace the popular multi-awards-winning AM700. Well, I was so wrong. The Astrotec AM850 was greatly improved in almost every aspect, and should even be considered as a completely different product. However, those upgrades come with a cost. The AM850 is priced at RMB666 ($95.8), which is more than twice the price of the AM800 (RMB248/$35.7).
 
 
Specifications
 
Type: Closed, dynamic
Rated input: 3mW
Driver unit: 10mm dynamic driver
Frequency response: 10-40,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 110 dB/mW
Impedance: 16 Ω
Cord type: 1.2 ± 0.3m, silver-plated OFC
Plug: Gold-plated straight stereo mini plug (3.5mm)
Supplied accessories: silicone rubber eartips (5 pairs), foam eartips (1 pair), silicon ear hooks (1 pair), a leather carrying case, an aviation plug adapter.
 
 
Retail package
 

 

 

 
First impressions are important, and Astrotec knows that very well. The Chinese brand took a sophisticated but straightforward approach with the AM850’s packaging. It isn’t excessively extravagant, but still feels beautiful and elegant.
 

 

 
Inside the box you will find the headphones and all the accessories, including five pairs of silicone rubber eartips, one pair of foam eartips, two silicon ear hooks, an aviation plug adapter and a leather carrying bag.
 
 
Design
 

 
The AM850 has a design which is quite different from its predecessors. Although the housing of the in-ears is still a combination of metal and wood, the arrangement of these elements is not the same, and the material has also been upgraded. The metal used for the AM850 is Aluminum alloy 7075, which has very good fatigue strength and is mainly used for aircrafts. The surface of the in-ears has hairline finish, and has been treated with anodic oxidation, so you don’t have to worry that they will pick up scratches easily. The back of the in-ears is made of Rosewood imported from Cote d'Ivoire, Astrotec claims that this kind of wood have extremely ideal density and can minimize the secondary reflection of the treble.
 

 
 
The cord of the AM850 is also nice. According to Astrotec, the silver-plated OFC used here can minimize the loss in the audio transmission. Coated in reinforced Kevlar fiber, the cable also has very high tensile strength. Unfortunately, I did notice an annoying amount of microphonics when the cord was brushing against my clothes.
 

 
The Y-split also looks modern and exquisite.
 

 
The headphone has a beautiful sturdy L-shape 3.5mm plug, which is compatible with 99% of the sources. Astrotec announced that they would soon release a version of the AM850 with lightning plug, but right now if you want to use these headphones with an iPhone 7 (Plus), you will need an adapter.
 

 
The AM850 isn't really breath-takingly beautiful, it won't make you go wow when you lay your eyes on it for the first time. But it is easy on the eyes and has a lingering charm. The headphone is also extremely polished. Unlike other entry-level headphones, there are no ugly mold lines on the in-ears or the Y-slit. With a metallic build, the headphone also feels extremely sturdy, and looks like it could survive some occasional drops.
   
 
Comfort and isolation
 

 
Then AM850 is lightweight, the right-sized nozzles and soft ear tips fit into my ears comfortably, I can wear them for hours and won’t feel any amount of burden. Once you insert the eartips into your ears, the headphone won't fall out easily, you can even wear it in gyms or during jogging.
 
The isolation of the AM850 is good, but not great. It could passively block most of of the noise from the outside world. But compared to the Monster Turbine, I do feel that the AM850 needs higher volume to drown out the crowd on a morning bus.
 
 
Performance
 

 
Tested tracks:
Beyoncé – Daddy Lessons
Alicia keys – Unthinkable
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Let’s Eat
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – White Privilege
Justin Timberlake – Mirrors
Maroon 5 – Harder to Breathe
Gavin DeGraw – Fire
DNCE – Cake by the Ocean
Demi Lovato – Cool for the Summer
Snow Patrol – Run
Emeli Sande – River
Drake – Controlla
DNCE – Body Moves
Little Mix feat. Charlie Puth – Oops!
 
Source: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, vivo X9, Meizu Pro 6 Plus, Shanling M5, iriver U100
 
Comparisons: Monster Turbine, B&O Beoplay H3, 1more E1001
 
The AM850 has a sensitivity rating of 110dB/mw and an impedance of only 16om, so it is extremely easy to drive, and should work fine with most smartphones and portable players. I have tried the AM850 with many different sources, and none of them had any problem driving the headphone to an earsplitting level when given enough volume. When it comes to sound quality, the A850 has a very sound profile that is more musical than Hi-Fi. Songs across a variety of genres sound neutral and clean and the sound engineer didn't tune them to emphasize certain frequencies. The sound is natural, realistic and balanced. The harsh bass and treble boosting prevalent with many other headphones priced below $100 are non-existent here.
 

 
Most of headphones sound a lot better with a dedicated audio player or with an amplifier, but I didn't really notice any significant improvement in sound quality when pluging it into my Shanling M5 than using it with my vivo X9.
 
Bass
 
There was a decent amount of bass and, in terms of sub-bass extension, these headphones could reach very deep. The sub-bass contained texture and lots of detail, and on certain tracks this became very evident. The mid-bass had nice punch and presence, as well. Both the Monster Turbine and the Beoplay H3 had a more prominent bass presence, and they might bring out more energy in a hip-hop track, but the boosting sound and dilution of details could be problematic for other genres of recordings.
 
Midrange
 
There was a lot of warmth and clarity in the midrange, which is always a strong suite of Astrotec headphones. Vocals sounded rich, smooth, relaxed and fairly forward. Listening to Emeli Snade's "River", I could clearly hear her breathing in between notes. Compared to the Beoplay H3, the AM850 definitely has a much more natural and acurate presentation of her voice.
 
Treble
 
The treble of the AM850 was full, crisp and clear. Not overly bright, but it is very smooth, sweet and easy on the ears, and has ideal density for most of the tracks. The treble extension is decent as well.
 
Soundstage
 
One of the AM850’s most prominent sonic attributes is its remarkable soundstage. The headphone's spaciousness is easy-going, roomily and effortless. There are no real perceptible borders to the sides and that the soundstage varies in expansion, depending on the track being played. While listening to a song, I could close my eyes and imagine where instruments were placed while the track was being recorded. The layering is also very homogeneous, without any gaps in between.
 
Also, The AM850 had a tendency to magnify detail. As a result, some buried treasures we’ve missed in familiar recordings were exposed, like guitar clicks, inadvertent chair movements, and accentuated tape hiss, bringing a heightened degree of vibrancy and authenticity to the music.
 
The overall sound signature of the AM850 is pretty laid back, and more suited for listening to musical recordings. Fast and Hi-Fi tracks such as EDM may sound too lazy for you to enjoy them. For instance, I missed the enthusiasm while listening to DNCE's "Body Moves", which was supposed to be an energetic song.
 
 
 
Conclusion
 

 
 
The Astrotec AM850 has a lot going for it, but at the same time, it does cost much more than its predecessors. Still, if you're after a premium-looking headphone with musical, neutral and balanced sound, the AM850 could be an appealing choice. But if EDM or Hi-Fi centric tracks are what you are mainly listening to, you should consider other options.

 
 
Only a few months after the ShareMe Pro went on sale, Mixcder, the Shenzhen based Chinese acoustic company released another set of headphones called the Mixcder ShareMe 5, a new addition to its popular ShareMe headphones line.
 
I am a little confused with Mixcder’s product naming, though. The first product of the ShareMe series was named the ShareMe 7, but the newest edition has a name of ShareMe 5. Since I know Mixcder’s products very well, I know which one I should pick, but for average consumers who know little about the Chinese brand, those names might be misleading.
 
Anyway, does the ShareMe 5 offer any improvements over last year’s ShareMe 7, and how does it compare to the ShareMe Pro? We will try to answer those questions in this review.
 
 
Main specs of the Mixcder ShareMe 5
 
Type: Over-the-ear headphones
Color: Gloss black
Driver Size: 40 mm
Transducer Type: Dynamic
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Sensitivity: 95±3db
Bluetooth Profiles Supported: HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP
Operating Range: 33 feet (10 m)
 
 
Retail package
 

 
 
Just like the other ShareMe headphones released before, the Mixcder ShareMe 5 come with a very simple retail package and only a few accessories. You will find a charging cable and an Aux cable inside the box. Since a dedicated wall charger is absent, users will have to use their smartphone chargers, computers, or other devices with a USB output to charge these headphones.
 
 
Design and build
 

 
The first impression I had on the ShareMe 5 is: finally, there are premium-looking headphones from Mixcder! The ShareMe Pro, which were released earlier this year, might be a huge leap from the original ShareMe 7 in terms of design and overall build quality, but the all-plastic build still didn’t give them a high-end feel. Mixcder took a very different approach with the ShareMe 5 so that they don’t look like any of the previous models.
 

 
The ShareMe 5 headphones are particularly refined. From the aluminum backing of the earcups and the solid brackets that hold them in place, to the clean lines and thick ear pads, it is obvious Mixcder has taken measured steps to offer the users both style and functionality.
 

 
All physical controls are hosted on the edge of the left earcup. You will find a Power Button and a Volume Rocker, both are pretty easy to locate. The right earcup plays host to a Micro USB charging port, an LED indicator and a 3.5mm audio jack.
 

 
Like most over the ear headphones, the ShareMe 5 can be folded for better portability. The mechanism is quite similar to what we have seen on the original ShareMe 7. But unfortunately, like their predecessors, the ShareMe 5 do not come with a carrying case.
 

 

 
The overall build quality of the ShareMe 5 is simply great. These headphones feel polished, robust and durable. Also, those ugly mold lines which really kept the ShareMe 7 from looking premium are nowhere to be found on the ShareMe 5. To summarize it up, the ShareMe 5 are by far the best-looking over the ear headphones from Mixcder.
 
 
Comfort and isolation
 

 
 
Mixcder headphones never disappoint us when it comes to comfort, and the ShareMe 5 are no exception. Although there is metal used on the back of the earcups, and the headphones are a little larger than many of their peers, still, they are quite light, and have the right amount of clamping pressure to keep the headphones on your head while not causing any discomfort. The cushions on the earcups are also very soft, so is the material used on the bottom side of the headband.
 
The isolation of the ShareMe 5 is slightly above the average of headphones without active noise cancelling, thanks to the tight fit. You don’t necessarily have to turn the volume all the way up to drown out the noises surrounding you. For me, I only need to fix the volume at 60% - 70% to ignore other folks’ voices while standing on a crowded bus.
 
 
Connection and the ShareMe function
 

 
Connecting the ShareMe 5 with your smartphone, or other sources with Bluetooth is as simple as it can be. Hold the power button for a few seconds until the LED besides the charging port flashes in red and blue, the headphones are ready to connect. The connection is pretty solid once it is set up, I could leave my smartphone in my bedroom and still enjoy music with the ShareMe 5 on the balcony of the living room.
 
However, as you can guess from the product naming, the major selling point of the ShareMe series headphones is the ShareMe function, and the ShareMe 5 can share music not only with another set of ShareMe 5, but also with a set of ShareMe Pro. Pairing two sets of ShareMe headphones is also quite simple, just hold the power button on both units until both LED indicators flash in red and blue, then the connection between the two units will be established automatically. There will be a primary unit and a secondary unit, the primary one, on which the LED indicator still flashes in red and blue, is ready to pair with your source, while the secondary one has its LED indicator lighting in static blue.
 
I paired the ShareMe 5 up with a unit of ShareMe Pro. In my personal experience, keeping the two units of headphones and the source close, the sounds coming from both units of headphones are in sync most of the time, but the secondary headphone did lose connection for about 1 second every now and then. For people with OCD like me, that could be a pain in the ass.
 
 
Sound
 

 
Tested tracks:
Little Mix – Shout out to My Ex
Bruno Mars – 24K Magic
Beyonce – Daddy Lessons
Alicia keys – Unthinkable
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Let’s Eat
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – White Privilege
Justin Timberlake – Mirrors
Maroon 5 – Harder to Breathe
Gavin DeGraw – Fire
DNCE – Cake by the Ocean
Demi Lovato – Cool for the Summer
Snow Patrol – Run
Emeli Sande – Clown
Drake – Controlla
G-Eazy – Calm Down
Nick Jonas – Chains
99 Souls ft. Destiny’s child & Brandy – The Girl is Mine
 
Sources: Shanling M5, Fiio X7, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, Microsoft Surface Pro 3
 
The two earlier models from Mixcder’s ShareMe line didn’t really excite us in terms of sound quality, the ShareMe 5 really have a lot to prove. After 48 hours of burning in and some serious listening with many different sources, I have the confidence to say that the ShareMe 5’s performance in sound quality is really a pleasant surprise.
 
Please don’t get me wrong, these are still not musical headphones designed for audiophiles. But compared to the hollow-sounding ShareMe 7 and the too-boomy ShareMe Pro, the ShareMe 5 did have a more musical sound profile. There is still great emphasis on the bass, but unlike the thumpy and tight beats we had experienced with the ShareMe Pro and many other entry-level headphones, the punches of the ShareMe 5 were more precise, more relaxed and more refined.
 
The midrange of these headphones sounded okay, although by no means exceptional. Vocals were generally clear, and weren’t subdued by the more dominant bass. Still, compared to higher-end headphones such as B&O BeoPlay H8 and Marshall Major, the lack of depth and details could still bother those audiophiles.
 
The treble was somewhat recessed, but very smooth. Treble extension wasn’t quite there, and headphone nuts might miss those intricate details in the higher end. Fortunately, the ShareMe 5 was quite forgiving to low quality recordings, as the warmth and thickness easily veiled the flaws in the details.
 
Like all headphones in the same price range, the ShareMe 5 didn’t really offer much soundstage. Complex recordings could sound busy, and sometimes even muddled. Instrument separation was generally fine, but it was hard to tell the positioning of these instruments and vocals sometimes.
 
Using these headphones wired wouldn’t elevate the sound quality by a mile, but the improvement was still noticeable: the bass presence was less dominant, thickness and warmth gave some way to details, and the overall sound was a little more layered and cleaner in general.
 
For a set of headphones without aptX support, the ShareMe 5 did exceed our expectations in terms of sound quality, and were acceptable for videos, broadcasting and even pop music.
 
 
Battery life
 
Battery life has always been a strong suit of Mixcder headphones, and the ShareMe 5 did not dishonor the tradition. In our battery rundown test, streaming music with a relatively high volume, the 5 lasted a little more than 12 hours. In the real life experience, using these headphones for an average of 2 hours per day, I can leave them unplugged for an entire week.
 
 
Verdict
 

 
 
The Mixcder ShareMe 5 are easily our favorite product from the Chinese brand by far. We loved their simplistic but premium design, great build quality and impressive performance. There were still things that let us down a little bit, such as the imperfections of the ShareMe functions, and the lack of aptX support…. but given the $55.99 price tag, all of them could be easily forgiven. I remember saying in the reviews of the ShareMe Pro that if you didn’t need the ShareMe function, your money could be better spent on the Ausdom M05. With the ShareMe 5, it is more difficult to recommend anything over it. In the same price range, the Ausdom M05 would still be my No.1 pick in terms of sound quality, but the more modern design of the ShareMe 5 is also very tempting, and may be the deciding factor for some. But either way, your money won’t be spent in vain.       

 
 
The Mixcder Shareme Pro is an upgraded version of the original ShareMe 7, which went on sale last year. The major selling point of the ShareMe series is the “ShareMe” Function, which allows users to share the same audio source simultaneously with two sets of ShareMe headphones.
 
 
Retail package and accessories
 

 

 
 
 
The ShareMe Pro comes with a very simple retail package and only a few accessories. You will find a charging cable and an Aux cable inside the box. Since a dedicated wall charger is absent, users will have to use their smartphone chargers or their computers, or other devices with a USB output to charge these headphones.
 
 
Design and build
 

 
 
Compared to the original ShareMe 7, the Mixcder ShareMe Pro is a much more polished set of headphones. The material choice for the chassis feels superior to last year’s ShareMe 7, and there are no ugly mold lines.
 

 
 
The adjustable left and right ear cups are connected by a stainless steel band with plastic rails in the middle. The ear cups are covered in artificial leather ear pads, which are very soft. The headband is also covered in the same material.
 

 

 
 
There are many buttons and ports on the ear cups of the ShareMe Pro headphones. On the left side you will find the power/pair button, volume rocker and 3.5mm audio jack. The right era cup plays host to the play/pause button, previous track/next track switch, and the Micro USB charging port, with a removable lid.
 

 
 
Like the ShareMe 7, the ShareMe Pro can be folded into a smaller package for easier carrying, but the mechanism is somewhat different (The photo above shows the difference). The difference is basically footprint versus thickness. For me, I prefer the ShareMe Pro’s mechanism, which is the same as the Ausdom Anc 7 headphones. Unfortunately, the Mixcder ShareMe Pro does not come with a beautiful carrying case like the ANC 7 did.
 

 
 
When it comes to overall build quality, the ShareMe Pro is definitely a lot better than the ShareMe 7, and also superior to most of headphones in this price range.
 
 
 
 
Bluetooth connection and the ShareMe function
 

 
 
Designed mainly as wireless headphones, the ShareMe Pro can be connected to a source via Bluetooth. For the first time pairing, you only need to press and hold the power button for a few seconds until the LED besides it flashes in red and blue. Enabling Bluetooth on your source devices and you will find the “Mixcder ShareMe Pro”, tapping or clicking on it and the connection will be instantly established.
 
If you have two sets of ShareMe Pro headphones and want to share audios from the same source with them, the connection will take a few more steps, but it is still very easy: press and hold the power buttons until the two sets of headphones are both in pairing mode (LEDs on these two headphones both flash in red and blue), a few seconds later the LED on one of these headphones will light in static blue, but the other still flashes. Now you just need to pair your source with this set of headphones. When both sets of headphones’ LEDs become static blue, you are able to share music with your partner.
 
Since I do not have two sets of ShareMe Pro, it is impossible for me to test how well the ShareMe function works on them. But from my experiences with my two sets of ShareMe 7 headphones, I am confident to expect that the sounds coming from the two sets of ShareMe Pro be perfectly in sync.
 
Also, Bluetooth connection is extremely solid between the source and the ShareMe Pro. I can leave my source in my bedroom and cook in the kitchen, which is a few walls and approximately 10 meters away from my bedroom, and still listening music with these headphones.
 
If the internal battery gives up, you can also connect the ShareMe Pro to your source with the Aux cable, which is included in the retail package.
 
 
Comfort and isolation
 

 
 
These headphones are extremely comfortable to wear, thanks to the soft ear cushions and the lightweight plastic material used for the chassis. I experienced very little discomfort after wearing them for 5 consecutive hours, watching 3 movies.
 
Although there is no active noise cancelling module on board, the ShareMe Pro still does an excellent job at isolating most of the sound from the surroundings. I have used them in a gym once, it could block out the noise from the treadmill, and people talking to their coaches.
 
 
Sound
 

 
 
Tested tracks:
Emeli Sande – Read All about It
Little Mix – Shout out to My Ex
Beyonce – Daddy Lessons
Usher – Scream
John Legend – All of Me
Justin Timberlake – Sexy Back
Demi Lovato – Cool for the Summer
Christina Aguilera – Pero Me Acuerdo De Ti
Shawn Mendez – Life of the Party
Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – Need to Know
Nicki Minaj – Right by My Side
Drake – Controlla
 
Sources: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, LG G3, MS Surface Pro 3, Cube i7 Book, iriver U100
 
The ShareMe Pro has a sound profile that is generally more appealing to bass-heads than audiophiles, in some way it even sounds like my Monster Inspiration. The bass is big and fat, and very well controlled. The Sub-bass could also reach very deep. In fact, the bass dominates the entire spectrum of these headphones and easily overwhelms the mids and treble. I do feel like that it slightly lacks in details and texture when compared to the other bass-heads headphones such as the Monster Inspiration and Beats Studio, but if you take prices into consideration, it isn’t really fair to compare a $50 headset to those priced many times higher.
 
The mids of the ShareMe Pro are a little bit recessed and muddy. Vocals generally sound veiled and a foot more distant than I would have preferred. When dealing with complex recordings, the sound could become very muddled.
 
The treble of these headphones is a shade darker than most of the high-end headphones I’ve listened to, and the treble extension isn’t really there.
 
These headphones are definitely not designed for dedicated music enthusiasts, unless you only stick to bass-centric recordings, otherwise the lack of clarity, texture and details in the mids and highs is going to drive an audiophile crazy. Personally, I believe those headphones are better suited for some random listening, such as watching TV, movies and YouTube videos.
 
 
Battery Life
 
Mixcder claims that the ShareMe Pro could offer more than 20 hours of battery life, and they are not exaggerating. In my personal experiences, using the ShareMe Pro on a daily basis, I only need to charge it once a week. Putting the hours of using the headphones upon one full charge together, the battery life of the ShareMe Pro is indeed close to 20 hours.
 
 
Conclusion
 
Priced at $59.99 per set on Amazon, the ShareMe Pro is marketing towards people who actually need the ShareMe function. If you are only purchasing one set of wireless headphones for yourself, there are many other options I could recommend over the ShareMe Pro, including the cheaper Ausdom M05. But if you want to try the ShareMe function and need something that is all-around better than the ShareMe 7, the ShareMe Pro is definitely a solid choice, only that you need to spend $20 more on each set.

Once considered a novelty, active noise cancelling in-ear monitors are more common now since many manufacturers started adding this cool feature to their affordable headphone products. Mixcder, a Shenzhen based company which is known for making inexpensive headphones, also released a new set of in-ear headphones with Active noise cancelling, and named them the Mixcder ANC-G5.

 
Packaging and accessories

 


 

 
 
The Mixcder ANC-G5 headphones come with extremely simple packaging. Open the box and you will find a carrying case, a user manual, and a warranty card.
 

 


 


 
The headphones and all the accessories can be found in the carrying case. There are a USB charging cable, two pairs of ear tips.
 

 
Design and build

 


 
The Mixcder ANC-G5 have plastic housings with metallic finish on top, which gives them a more premium feel. There are many ventilation holes on the housings, which can alleviate the pressure to your ear drums while there is a tight fit.
 

 

 
 
Like many in-ear headphones which are designed for sports activities, the Mixcder ANC-G5 has ear loops, which are designed to give users a more stabilized fit. In my personal experience, those ear loops did do their job in keeping the headphones in my ears, but they were not really as effective as the “shark fins” used on many Bose IEMs.
 
 


 
The nozzles of the in-ears are relatively short, so they won’t go too deep into your ears. Bad news for isolation, but great news for comfort.
 

 

 
 
The back sides of the in-ears are pretty big, and I think this design is more for beauty rather than usability.
 

 

 
 
The Y-split of these headphones is pretty large, as there are noise cancelling electronics and a Li-Po battery under the hood. You can also find an on/off switch for the ANC function as well as control for phone calls. On the left side of the Y-split is a Mini USB port, which allows you to charge the built-in battery.
 
 

 

 
 
However, in a modern world dominated by Micro USB ports and USB Type-C ports, the Mixcder ANC-G5 feature a 8-pin Mini USB port, which means you cannot charge those earphones with the charging cables for your smartphone, and that’s going be tricky if you need to travel often.
 

 

 
 
The cable is a combination of rubber and nylon. The wire above the Active Noise Cancelling Module is coated in rubber, while the wire below that module is coated in nylon. While the nylon coating is very effective in improving tensile strength and preventing tangling, it also increases the noise of friction. The tubing which connects with the housing has some memory and allows you to use the cable as an adjustable ear hook.
 

 

 
 
The build quality of these headphones is nice, but far from amazing. Although there are no sharp edges and sloppy construction, you can still see mold lines clearly.
 

 
Comfort and Isolation
 
 

 
The plastic in-ears of the Mixcder ANC-G5 are extremely light. Although the Y-split with an anctive noise cancelling module does add a lot of weight to these headphones, fortunately you can easily clip it to your clothes so that none of that weight will be distributed to your ears. Wearing them is relatively comfortable, and the loops can help keep the earbuds in your ears even when you are taking a light jog or doing exercises in the gym.
 
The isolation, even with a pair of right-size ear tips, isn’t really all that solid. Compared to iems such as the Monster Turbine and the 1more E1001 Tripe Driver, which can keep out 80% - 90% of the outside noise, the Mixcder ANC-G5 can barely seal out 60% of the outside noise. If you are walking on a road with relatively busy traffic, you have to turn the volume all the way up to actually prevent the noise from drowning the sound coming from these headphones. Thankfully, the selling point of this product is the active noise cancelling feature, which means you don’t have to solely rely on a tight seal to reduce the noise from the outside world.
 

 
Active Noise Cancelling
 


 
The active noise cancelling feature is a mixed bag. With the ANC Function enabled, the volume instantly becomes higher, low frequency noises are almost all gone. I remember running on a treadmill in the gym with the Mixcder ANC-G5 in my ears, I could barely hear any noise coming from the machines and the fans. And when I entered the locker room, it almost felt like I was the only person in the room even though there were four people taking showers 2-3 meters away from me.
 
However, when it comes to high frequency noises such as human voices, birds singing and cicada chirping, the ANC feature isn’t very effective in blocking them. I could still hear old women talking loud and clear on a bus from where I live to the tennis court and, sometimes the ANC function even intensifies certain sound from the outside world.
 
With that said, the active noise cancelling feature still offers more pros than cons, and allows me to better concentrate on the audio that I am listening to with minimum interference from the surroundings.
 

 
Sound

 
Tested tracks:
Beyonce – Daddy Lessons (mp3@320kbps)
Alicia keys – Unthinkable (FLAC)
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Let’s Eat (mp3@320kbps)
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – White Privilege(mp3@320kbps)
Justin Timberlake – Mirrors (FLAC)
Maroon 5 – Harder to Breathe (FLAC)
Gavin DeGraw – Fire (APE)
DNCE – Cake by the Ocean (mp3@320kbps)
Demi Lovato – Cool for the Summer (APE)
Snow Patrol – Run (FLAC)
Emeli Sande – Clown (APE)
Drake – Controlla (mp3@320kbps)
G-Eazy - Calm Down (mp3@320kbps)
Nick Jonas – Chains (FLAC)
 
 
 
Source: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, LG G3, Huawei P9 Lite, iriver U100

 

 
 
The overall sound quality of the Mixcder ANC-G5 is good, but not impressive, and the sound profile is more suited for bass heads than audiophiles. These headphones can be extremely loud, much louder than I would ever need them to be, but the sound is not well-balanced, the bass still dominates the entire spectrum.
 
Bass response is very good and extends pretty low in the lower frequencies. You can clearly hear it rumble and never seems to wobble in lower notes. However, it lacks the definition of higher-end headphones such as my Bose Freestyle and Monster Turbine.
 
Most budget headphones tend to compromise the mids for more bass punch, but the mids of the Mixcder ANC-G5 is better than average. It is clean and well positioned. Male vocals sound smooth and extremely right, higher mids seems to be quite fluid, as well. However, the higher mids is a little over-exaggerated, music sounds thin, and female vocals are sometimes harsh and fatiguing. The bass also sometimes bleeds into the lower mids and certain details in the midrange can sound subdued.
 
The treble has pretty decent extension, and isn't shrill or overwhelming. But I wouldn’t really call it smooth or natural, either. The details are not particularly refined, and separation isn’t as crisp as I would have liked. Also, these headphones can sound unpleasantly metallic while you crank up the volume to a relatively high level.
 
The soundstage of the ANC-G5 is surprisingly good. Most of the time I can feel myself being surrounded by the sound. It's not on par with many higher priced headphones, but I can still pick out where the sounds are originating from. Lots of of cheaper iems tend to sound very 2-dimensional at times, like the sound is only coming from Left/Right channels. These are totally the opposite and you can clearly tell where the singers and instruments are positioned.
 

 
Battery Life

 
The built-in rechargeable Li-Po battery is on board to power the active noise cancelling function, and it can last very long on a full charge. In my battery rundown test, the ANC feature worked for 8 consecutive hours. Given that it only needs to be enabled in certain environment, you won’t need to charge it very often.
 

 
Conclusion

 
Priced at $59.99 on Amazon, the Mixcder ANC-G5 are marketing towards people who need headphones with noise cancelling but are on a tight budget. They look nice, sound good, and have decent build quality, the ANC function works very well, too. However, they are not really the cheapest on the market right now. Cheaper options include the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC23 QuietPoint ($49), the August EP720 ($39.75), the KIROBO Active Noise Cancelling Headphones ($38.99). Since I haven’t tested any of them myself, I can’t tell whether they offer more value than the Mixcder ANC-G5. The only other noise cancelling IEMs I tested were the Bose Quiet Comfort 20 Acoustic, which definitely bettered the ANC-G5 in almost every aspect, but the $299 price tag could easily put people off. 

 
 

Pros:
Bright and realistic sound.
Noise cancelling works well in blocking out all kinds of background noise.
Solid battery life.
Possible for both wired and wireless use.

 

Cons:
The volume is significantly lower while the noise cancelling is off.
The build quality is only average among headphones in this price range.

 
Active noise cancelling has always been considered a feature only for high-end headphones. But here come the Ausdom ANC7, which have a price tag of $129 on Amazon. Since many wiereless headphones released by this Shenzhen based manufacture offer quite compelling values, we’d like to take a closer look at these all new headphones.

 


Packaging and accessories

 



 
 



 
 

Many Chinese headphone brands seem to be obsessed with excessive packaging, hoping to win the customers over with their beautiful boxes and accessories. Ausdom takes a completely different approach. The Ausdom ANC7 comes with very simple packaging, inside the box you will find a very good-looking semi-hard carrying case with a zippered closure.

 



 
 

Inside the case you will find the headphones with their earpieces fold flat, a wire with 3.5mm straight plugs on its two ends, a Micro USB charging cable, a user manual and a warranty card.

 

 
Design and build

 



 
 

The Ausdom ANC7 has an overall design language identical to the Ausdom M05, the only difference you will instantly notice is the red color on the top band and ear cups.

 



 
 

Each ear cup has a carbon-fibre exterior finish which offers much more resistance to scratches than normal plastic seen on many other over the ear headphones. I didn’t find any marks after one month of using them.

 



 
 

The extendable arms are made of metal, offering both flexibility and strength to the frame. The headband and earmuffs are fabricated from artificial leather, which makes those headphones comfortable to wear for a long time.

 



 
 

A few physical controls and ports can be found on the ANC7, the left-hand ear cup has a noise cancelling switch and a Micro USB charging port, while the right-hand ear cup plays host to a multi-purpose button (power/Bluetooth connection/play/pause), a volume rocker and a 3.5mm audio jack.

 



 
 

The build quality of the Ausdom ANC7 doesn’t blow us away like the Ausdom M05 did two months ago. In fact it is only average among headphones in the same price range. These headphones are not fragile, but they don’t feel very solid, either. The using of red colors gives them a more interesting look than the M05, but the overall plastic feel still dominates. The portability of the ANC7 is also average, these headphones can be folded, but not in a shape shifting way which makes them much smaller than they are while we are using them. Thanks to the slim and solid carrying case, they are still easy to throw into a cross-shoulder bag or a backpack.

 

 
Fit and Isolation

 



 
 

These headphones are relatively comfortable to wear, thanks to the lightweight ear cups and soft cushions. These cups can completely cover your ears, and you probably won’t feel any unpleasant pressure even after hours of wearing them. When the noise cancelling switched off, the ANC7 can still passively filter out 80% of the background sound.

 

 

Pairing

 



 
 

Pairing the ANC7 is as easy as pairing any Bluetooth headphones and speakers. Holding the power button for a few seconds and the headphones will announce they are ready to pair, the LED will also flash in red and blue. Then you only need to turn on the Bluetooth on your smartphone, tablet or laptop, find the Ausdom ANC7 and tap to pair them up. Once you have established the first-time pair, next time you only have to turn on the headphones and they will be automatically connected to the devices they were paired up with.

The Bluetooth connection was stable without interferences from other devices most of the time, but there are a few occasions where these headphones seemed to stop delivering the sound for half a second and then back on while I was playing movies on my Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with the ANC7 connected. I have no similar issues connecting the ANC7 to my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, LG G3 or Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, but I am sure my Surface Pro 3 doesn’t have a problem because it also have no such issue while connected to the Ausdom M05 or the Astrotec BX50.

 

 

Performance

 



 
 

Sources: iriver U100, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, LG G3, LG G Pro 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, Microsoft Surface Pro 3

 

Tracks:

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – White privilege (MP3@320kbps)
Emeli Sande – Heaven (APE)
Drake – Controlla (APE)
G Eazy – Me, Myself and I
Adele – River Lea (MP3@320kbps)
Alicia Keys – Girl on Fire (FLAC)
Shawn Mendez – Stitches (FLAC)
Nick Jonas – Chains (MP3@320kbps)
Demi Lovato – Cool for the Summer (APE)
Drake – Keep the Family Close (MP3@320kbps)
Beyonce – Pray You Catch me (MP3@320kbps)
Future & The Weeknd – Low Life (MP3@320kbps)

 
Comparisons:

Monster Inspiration (with active noise cancelling), Ausdom M05, 1more E1001 Triple Driver, Bose Freestyle
The sound profile of the Ausdom ANC7 is a little different from other Ausdom headphones. The bass can go extremely deep, but it never sounds boomy. Also, the ANC7’s bass is much brighter than most entry-level headphones, with a lot of details.

The midrange of the ANC7 follows form, in that it is quite ruler-flat, perhaps even to the point of sounding slightly dry and uninvolving. Also, due to the lack of warmth, is not very natural on vocals, especially female vocals and some acoustic instruments. This is not to say the ANC7's midrange is bad, but it will take a specific preference to appreciate.

The highs of the ANC7 are not as clean as my 1more E1001 triple driver headphones. At the very top of the treble, the sound starts to break up a little, and is a bit more fragile than my personal preference.

The ANC7's soundstage is a bit more open than that of most entry-level headphones, with a better sense of what is going on at the edges.

On the whole, the Ausdom ANC7 headphones are more "Hi-Fi" sounding than "musical" sounding. They can be spectacular, especially when watching a movie or listening to pop, hip-hop and R&B music, but they are not natural with acoustic music. To be honest, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the sound quality of the ANC7. As I was really blown away by the Ausdom M05, which were less than half the price of the ANC7, so I had high expectations for the ANC7, but they didn’t seem to live up to those expectations.

The active noise cancelling on the ANC7 was pretty effective at blocking out background noises, including human voices, someone can shout in your face and you will have no idea what it is about. I was always annoyed by the electrical whine in the background while listening to my Monster Inspiration with active noise cancelling on, but fortunately it is not the case with the ANC7. With that said, it does seem that the ANC7 lose a lot of volume while active noise cancelling is off.

 

 

Battery life

 

The battery life of the ANC7 was average among wireless headphones, lasting around 18 hours between charges. With noise cancelling turned on, the battery could be killed a little bit faster, but you could still get more than 15 hours on a full charge. Charging only took just over an hour using the stock micro USB cable.

 

 
Conclusion

 



 
 

There’s a lot to love about the Ausdom ANC7. They offer enjoyable and balanced sound, especially if your music choice is more towards pop than classical. Active noise cancelling is a welcome feature, and works extremely well in keeping out almost all the noises in the background. Also, they are very comfortable to wear, and can be used with a wire after running out of battery.

Priced at $129, the ANC7 are one of the cheapest pair of headphones to feature active noise cancelling, so the value it offers is pretty compelling for those who are interested in this feature but don’t want to spend $300 on a BOSE QC25. But compared to industry-leading high-end headphones such as the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless and Definitive Technology Symphony 1, the lack of overall build quality is still quite obvious. And they didn’t really wow me with their audio performance like the Ausdom M05 did when I tested them a few months ago as I was astonished by how much a pair of headphones priced under $50 could offer in terms of sound quality. The ANC7 are pretty nice headphones in almost every aspect, but I expect them to be nice at this price point.

Introduction
 
 

 
 
Once considered a novelty, headphones with armature drivers are now more common as many Chinese brands such as Astrotec, Dunu and Sound Magic have released a variety of less expensive armature and hybrid headphones in recent years. No brand went as far as Xiaomi, though, pricing its hybrid dual driver in-ear-headphones at only $17.54, which is truly affordable to everyone.
 
1more is a fairly new Chinese brand specialized in making headphones, but they did come with lots of promises. The fabulous packaging, refined design and moderate pricing showed their determination in making it big. Having released several entry-level iems and gained a lot of positive feedback, they finally aimed at the higher-end of the market, releasing an all new hybrid model – the 1more E1001 hybrid 3-way in-ear headphone.
 
 
 
Specifications
 
Type: Closed, hybrid
Rated power: 5mW
Driver unit: HD Hybrid 3-way (16mm dynamic + 2×Balanced Armature)
Frequency response: 20-40,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 99 dB/mW
Impedance: 32 Ω
Cord type : Approx. 1.25m, enameled copper cord
Plug: Gold-plated straight stereo mini plug (3.5mm)
Weight: 18g
Supplied accessories: Hybrid silicone rubber earbuds (5 pairs), Foamed silicone earbud (3 pairs), Cord adjuster, Carrying case, flight plug adapter
 
Perfectly aware of their limited influence and brand value in this chaotic headphone industry, 1more knows that they have to do more in order to draw customers’ attentions. The 1more E1001 headphones are quite good on paper with a solid 99db/mW sensitivity rating and a frequency response of 20-40,000Hz. And the fact that their 3-button remote is compatible with both Android and iOS makes them more valuable to users who mostly listen to music with their phones.
 
Of course, the $99 price tag may raise a lot of questions about what is special about the 1more E1001 headphones, especially when it comes to sound quality. Are they better than most dynamics iems under $100, how could they be so much cheaper than other triple driver iems, or are they just equivalent to the Xiaomi earphones? Let’s take a closer look.
 
 
Packaging
 
 

 
 
For a pair of earphones priced under $100, the packaging of the 1more E1001 is simply extravagant. The box itself is rather slick, with a magnetic latch which makes the packing more like a jewelry box.
 

 
Inside the box you will see stylish graphics showing the design outline of the E1001, as well as the beautifully printed statement.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
All accessories are contained in independent boxes, you will find 8 pair of eartips (5 pairs of rubber silicon ones and 3 pairs of foam silicon ones), a cord adjuster, a flight dual plug adapter, a black leather carrying case, the warranty card and user manual.
 
 
 
Design and build
 
 

 
The 1more E1001 has a very premium metallic design, with a combination of rose gold and deep blue. The forged aluminum alloy body houses two balanced armature drivers and a dynamic driver. It is not as high-profile as some Monster and B&O in ear monitors, but it is still one of kind.
 

 
The cord is engineered to stand the test of time and even some occasional torture. The interior of enameled copper is wrapped around by Kevlar fiber to maximize tensile strength.
 

 
There is also an inline remote/microphone, which is compatible with both Android and iOS based smartphones and tablets. Though I don’t use this kind of remote very often, I know it is valuable to users who use their smartphone as their main audio player and make occasional phone calls while listening to music.
 

 
The E1001 earphones are a little heavier than average iems with plastic shells, but as they are ergonomically shaped, the weight is evenly distributed while they rest in my ears. Thus, I never felt uncomfortable, even after wearing them for a few hours.
 

 
Build quality of these headphones are simply great. They feel even sturdier than my Monster Turbine, which costed me $299.
 
 
Isolation and fit 
 

 
The 1more E1001 earphones are designed to give the users a perfect fit and decent isolation. With eartips of the right size, they can give you a very comfortable fit, and a tight seal which helps you block out 90% of the outside noise.
 
However, the E1001 headphones are not designed for sports activities such as running and cycling, as the wind noise can sabotage your fun of listening to music. Also, although the fit is decent enough for walking and jogging, the earbuds could fall from your ears if you work your body a little harder.
 
 
Performance
 

 
Audio Players:
Iriver U100, Apple iPod Shuffle, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, LG G3, MS Surface Pro3
 
Tested tracks:
Sade – King of Sorrow (APE)
Ed Sheeran – Afire Love (MP3@320kbps)
Coldplay – Every Teardrop is a Waterfall (FLAC)
Alicia Keys – Brand New Me (FLAC)
Destiny’s Child – Say My Name (MP3@320kbps)
G-Eazy – Me, Myself and I (FLAC)
Adele – Hello (FLAC)
Demi Lovato – Confident (FLAC)
Kris Allen – Falling Slowly (APE)
Ariana Grande – Focus (MP3@320kbps)
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Otherside (APE)
Emeli Sande – Next to Me (FLAC)
Emeli Sande – Heaven (FLAC)
The Weeknd – Often (FLAC)
Drake – Hotline Bling (APE)
 
Comparisons:
Monster Turbine, Bose Freestyle, Fox Extreme UR20, Ausdom ANC7, Astrotec GX50
 

 
Unlike most high-end headphones, the 1more E1001 can be easily driven with anything. It will surely sound slightly better with an amplifier or a high-end audio player, but it still sounded perfectly fine running off my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, my LG G3 and Surface Pro 3.
 

 
The 1more E1001 triple-driver earphones have a sound profile that could be more appealing to most audiophiles than bass heads. The sound is very clean, relaxing and well-balanced, with a lot of detail. But the bass is not that fat. I am not saying that the 1more E1001 are severely lacking in bass, but if you are used to the boomy Monster and Beats headphones or other dynamic headphones with that kind of sound profile, you will crave for more bass prominence with the E1001.
 
If the 1more E1001’s bass is not satisfying enough for certain users, the mids and highs are where they really shine, easily blowing my Bose Freestyle and Monster Turbine out of the water. The midrange is smooth, rich, and seductive. Both male and female vocals are presented clearly and accurately.
 
The high frequency spectrum is full, bright, crisp and clear. The 1more E1001 are not a pair of headphones that would ever be called muddy—though some listeners might find it on the slightly overly-bright side, depending on your personal tastes and what genre of music you're listening to.
 
The E1001 aren't the most open-sounding, you will notice that when you listen to tracks which are made to make you feel the spaciousness and openness, such as Coldplay’s “Paradise” and Emeli Sande’s “Heaven”. But the detail is brilliant, I even enjoyed a full hour of American country music on the radio, and I am normally no fan of country. I also did notice some harshness and dryness while playing Drake’s “Hotline Bling” and some old British Rock songs, and there can be some unwanted metallic feel sometimes, but above all, the E1001’s sound is rich, warm, and full of intricate detail.
 
 
Conclusion
 

 
I've tested quite a number of in-ear monitors recently and the 1more E1001 triple driver earphones rank up there with my favorites. For only $99, these headphones are extravagantly packaged, beautifully designed, with build quality that could even rival products priced many times higher. Offering a comfortable fit, well-balanced sound, and a remote that works well with almost all smartphones, the 1more E1001 could be the iem to beat in the $100 realm.
 
With that said, the E1001 are definitely not headphones for bass-heads. Although it works fine with most bass centric music, it just lacks that extra punchiness to stimulate the excitement. But if you are more about accuracy and do not stick to a certain genre of music, you can’t go wrong with the E1001 triple driver headphones.

 
Let’s get something out of the way from the get-go. The Astrotec GX-50 in-ear Speakers are a great pair of in-ear headphones for the money — and decent headphones period.

 

Astrotec GX-50 Specs:

Drive Unit: φ9.0mm Dynamic

Impedance: 16OHM

Plug: φ3.5mm

Rated Power: 3mW

Max Power: 10mW

Frequency Response: 12Hz – 25000Hz

Sensitivity: 104dB/1mw (S.P.Lat 1kHz)

Cable: 1.2m ± 0.3m PU

Colors: Athens Black / Dream Blue / Crystal Purple / Jewel Pink / Space Grey / Neptune Blue

 

Design

 


 


 

Well, for starters, they’re well-built and have a design that’s not only fashionable, but also looks and feels like it will hold up well over time. The back of the headphones’ earbuds are crystal glass which has been shaped by diamond cutting techniques.

 


 

 

The earbuds fit well (you get a few different size ear tips) and the bendable nature of the cable conforms nicely to the contour of your ears. With this type of in-ear headphone, it’s important to get a tight seal because you lose a lot of bass if you don’t (and one of the appeals of this headphone is that it does offer a whole lot of bass).

The GX-50 is relatively comfortable to wear, you won’t feel the burden on your ear until a few hours after you put it on.

 


 

I spent some time comparing this model to the Monster Turbine, which I liked a lot and carries a street price of around $180. In terms of design, it’s hard to declare a clear winner. Both are designed to woo users who actually care about the look of their headphones. With that said, there are things I like more about the Astrotec GX-50 and things I like more about the Monster Turbine, I assume it all comes down to personal preference.

 


 

The one thing missing for on-the-go listening is a built-in microphone and in-line remote for making cell phone calls. But this set is more designed for purists and it doesn’t have any extra bells and whistles.

 


 

Clearly, the high-profile design isn’t really for everyone, but those who do appreciate fashion would instantly fall in love with it.

 

Performance

 


 

I thought the sound quality was quite decent for a pair of in-ear headphones, particularly in this price range. I ran an eclectic mix of music through them and the Astrotec GX-50 sounded really nice with everything I threw at them. They’re clearly designed to play well with just about any kind of music — or movies and games for that matter. Like higher-end headphones that cost much more, these headphones make you want to go back and listen to old songs in your music collection that you haven’t heard in a while just to hear what the headphones can bring out in the song. As I said, there’s lots of detail; the sound is rich, refined, and open for closed-back headphones.

Compared to the Monster NErgy NCredible, the Astrotec GX-50 headphones also play a little louder and offer slightly fuller, more detailed sound, with deeper, better defined bass, which gives it a more exciting sound. That said, it is a little warmer headphone and may be more pleasant to listen to for some people. The Monster NErgy comes across as a more aggressive, forward headphone, and is going to be a better match for those who listen to more hip-hop and techno music.

Take Ed Sheeran’s “X” album, even on CD it can sound aggressively harsh and grating, but here on the GX-50 the grit subsides and the music sounds better for it. The softening doesn’t totally rob better sounding recordings of detail, and the sound is plenty of energy and texture. The GX-50 sound best played fairly loud, and that’s when you really feel that deep bass massaging your eardrums.

Playing Alicia Key’s “Brand New Me” (192KHz/24bit), The sound from the earbuds of the Astrotec GX-50 has an extra deep and thumpy, but not overwhelming bass. Despite the heavy low-end, the GX-50 also manages to offer an impressive amount of clarity, with crisp, shimmery highs. Also, mids are rich and buttery–just like we like them.

Satisfied with what we heard from the GX-50 on their own we switched over to the $188 Monster Turbine in-ear headphones, and we did notice some difference. The Monster Turbine has equally prominent bass fullness, but with a little more detail and texture. Cheryl Cole’s “Parachute” with its snappy percussion lit up the Monster Turbine, while the Astrotec GX-50 diluted details.

Although the Astrotec GX-50 doesn’t have the active noise-cancellation feature of the Sennheiser IE80 or the SONY XBA-NC85D, it still does a good job of passively sealing out the sound from the outside world. No, you don’t get the same level of noise reduction, but they’re a good alternative for people who are sensitive to the slight pressure of active noise cancellation.

Designed for entry-level listeners, the Astrotec GX-50 is definitely not the most accurate sounding in-ear speakers, but the sound is pretty well-balanced, and you won’t get anything less than you get from other similarly priced headphones.

 

Summary

In recent months we’ve tried quite a few quality in-ear headphones in the $100 price range: the Beyerdynamic DX 160 IE, Klipsch R6i and Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear, to name a few. The Astrotec GX-50 are right there in the mix. They are nicely balanced and offer impressive detail and good tight bass that’s ample but not overpowering. Also, there’s no denying the style and high-end feel of these nice-looking buds. Priced at $80 (Retail Price in China, in other countries prices may vary), they’re good value and well worth a long look, particular if you’re someone who doesn’t stick to a particular kind of music.

 
The Astrotec GX-40 is a much anticipated release because of the positive reception of the GX-50, which went on sale just two months ago. Astrotec claims that the GX-40 is as good as the GX-50 in terms of material and sound quality, but the price is $13 lower.
 
Specifications
 
Driver：9mm lanthanon permanent magnet
Impedance: 16 OHM
Frequency response: 8 Hz-24.5 kHz
Sensitivity: 104db
Rated power: 3mw
Power capability: 15mw
Cable length: 1.2m PU
Plug: 3.5mm gold painted straight plug
 
Retail Package
 

 
The Package came in a yellow box with their brand’s logo and a see-through window for the back of the headphone’s earbud. It doesn’t get much simpler, especially for in-ear speakers in this price range. The back of the box displays some basic specifications, while the sides contain some slogans.

Accessories
 

 

 
Astrotec GX-40 in-ear headphone
Cleaning cloth
3 pairs of eartips (M/L and a pair of sponge eartips)
Carrying bag
 

Design
 

 
We don’t normally like talking about the design of headphones while we are reviewing them, but the Astrotec GX series headphones are truly special in their look.
 

 

 
The GX-40 is almost identical to the GX-50 in terms of design, the only noticeable difference is its fixed cable, compared to the detachable cord of the GX-50. Also, the GX-40 get rid of the shape memory material used on the part where the cable joins the housing, likely due to the reason of cutting cost.
 

 
The design that really makes the GX series headphones (including the GX-40 and GX-50) stand out is the crystal glass with 3D diamond shaped pattern on the back of the headphone’s ear buds. The glass disperses light in an interesting manner at different angles, giving the headphone a very shiny and premium feel. Offering more personalization to the consumer, the glass decoration and the shell are available in many beautiful colors. The unit that we are reviewing here is Neptune Blue, which has a mirror glass and a blue transparent shell.
 

 
The cable is made of oxygen free copper and is covered in a slightly rubbery and springy PU coating. It has very nice strain reliefs where the cable meets the housing. The cable jack is a straight plug, made of metal coated in gold.
 

 
The build quality of the GX-40 (as with all Astrotec headphones) is as good as those high-end headphones. By “high-end” I mean the likes of Monster Turbine, Beats Powerbeats, which would normally cost you several hundred dollars. The GX-40 feels like a much more premium pair of speakers than the price tag would suggest.
 
 
Performance
 

 
For listening, I mainly used a LG Optimus G Pro 2, an Apple iPod Shuffle and the Acer ICONIA W700 tablet/ultrabook hybrid with various tracks of different genres (to gauge what genres the GX-40 is a good match with), without an amp. Almost all portable devices have plenty of power for the GX-40, the amplification is not necessary at all.

TEST TRACKS:
Sam Smith – I’m Not the Only One
Ed Sheeran – Blood Stream
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Otherside
Emeli Sande – Read All About It
Daft Punk – Get Lucky
Cheryl Core – Parachute
Ed Sheeran – Sing
Rebecca Ferguson – Teach Me How To Be Loved
Alicia Keys – We Are Here
Usher – She Came To Give It To You

BASS: I’m a huge fan of bass-centric music, and I would say that the GX-40 does not disappoint in this area, nor does it impress. It offers good texture and detail without lingering too long in its decay, but the slam and punch is not so hard as the Monster Turbine or the GX-50, and the sub-bass even more so. It is definitely capable in providing fun and some excitement whether I listen to EDM or Metal, but it is certainly far from the best. Overall, I’m happy with the GX-40′s bass performance. However, if compared to the Astrotec GX-50, the GX-40 is just a little bit behind in speed, and most of all in quantity. Please note that this observation was attained by pairing the GX-40 with the Acer Iconia W700. When paired directly to an iPod Shuffle, HTC Desire, or even the LG Optimus G Pro 2, the bass seems to lag behind the findings above, especially in speed and detail.
 
MIDS: I would say I am happy about how the midrange is presented with the Astrotec GX-40; it may sit a bit lower than bass and treble frequencies but the detail and clarity is retained no matter what genre I listen to. I’m happy to report it doesn’t sound veiled nor muddy. Vocals are presented well, quite accurate and detailed. Most instruments including the Piano sounds natural with excellent timbre. Overall, the midrange presence is quite good thanks to its excellent imaging and instrument separation. The Monster Turbine was more upfront for female vocals and guitars which made it sound more edgy in general. Personally, I’d prefer the Turbine for guitar driven songs but I’m happier with the GX-40′s for multi-genre listening.
 
HIGHS: I am quite surprised to hear such a smooth treble presentation on the Astrotec GX-40, as the GX-50 which I have been listening to since receiving it two months ago really didn’t deliver in this department. In most cases, treble quality will highly depend on how the music was originally mastered. Well mastered recordings sound excellent on the GX-40. If I were to nit-pick, I’d say the GX40′s timbre in the treble region is a bit off. Also I personally think that it lacks just a bit of air although it’s not really bad for most genres. This affects the soundstage width a bit; not as wide as the Monster Turbine but definitely better than the GX-50.

 
Comfort and isolation
 

 
As with the Astrotec GX-50, the GX-40 is pretty easy to pop in and take out, which is useful when we are taking a walk and suddenly decide to enter a grocery store for some necessities, etc. With that said, the GX-40 is the most comfortable pair of headphones to wear for a long time. I started to feel the burden on my ears after wearing the GX-40 for two to three hours, although not to the point of desperately wanting to take it off.
 
The isolation offered is the same as the GX-50 – par excellence. Although it doesn’t have the active noise-cancellation feature of the some higher-end speakers, it still does a good job of passively sealing out the sound from the outside world. I used the GX-40 on a crowded bus, on an airplane and on a speed train and it blocked out more than 95% of the noise.
 

 
 
CONCLUSION: The Astrotec GX-40 may look like the GX-50, but the sound it offers is quite different. The GX-50 is more designed for bass heads, as it offers excellent sub bass rumble, slam and punch. The GX-40 is much more balanced in the bass, mids and highs, and presents much better vocals and piano sound. Overall, I would describe the Astrotec GX-40 as one of the best, if not the best in-ear headphones priced below $70.