Hello!
First of all, thanks to Carrie at Dudios for providing me with the Dudios Zues Ace earbuds for my honest review of them.
Currently the Dudios Zues Ace True Wireless earbuds can be purchased on
Amazon.ca for $45.99 CAD
I have been using a few different bluetooth headphones for a while now, as well as the Radsone ES100 and Fiio BTR3K bluetooth receivers for use with wired earbuds. But I have not tried any "true wireless" earbuds before the Dudios Ace.
Note that I consider these to be IEMs (ie In Ear Monitors), but for the purposes of this review I will I will refer to them as "earbuds".
Before receiving the Dudios Ace's, there were a few things that I had concerns about:
(1) Would I be satisfied with sound quality considering they use the SBC codec? My bluetooth headphones use the APTX codec, and both the ES100 and the BTR3K bluetooth receivers use LDAC, so how would earbuds that use the SBC codec compare?
Answer: Yes, they sound surprisingly good!
(2) Would the battery life be satisfactory?
Answer: Yes, battery life is not a concern with the charging case functionality.
(3) Would they stay in my ears without falling out? I have always had problems getting IEMs to fit and stay properly in my left ear. This was especially going to be a concern with the Dudios because if one falls out, there is nothing to stop it from falling to the ground (ouch).
Answer: Yes, they stay in my ears surprisingly well.
I have been using the Dudios with my Samsung S8 for a few months now and in summary, they have surpassed my expectations for various reason. You will see the word "surprised" (in the positive sense) used often in this review.
Packaging:
The Dudios Zues Ace come in a nice, basic black box and the contents were very neatly packaged. Inside the box you get:
- charging case
- the earpieces
- 4 sets of good quality tips (different sizes)
- charging cable (Micro USB)
- user manual
The left and right earpieces fit perfectly into the case's respective receptacles, and a magnet locks them in firmly.
The case is small and is a very nice size for throwing into a pocket and transporting the Dudios. And the fact that the case charges the earbuds is an integral part of the excellent functionality.
Build, Fit & Comfort:
I really like the build of the Dudios. Although they are bulkier than most of your regular wired earbuds, they have a nice smooth finish and are very light. Although the L and R markings are a bit of a challenge to see, it's not important because you just take the left earbud out of the left side of the charging case and put it in your left ear (rinse and repeat with the right). Simple and intuitive.
As mentioned, I have challenges getting IEMs to fit and stay in especially my left ear. But the Dudios stay in my ears surprisingly well after I ensure that they are in snugly. In fact, I have gone on many runs with them, and they didn't fall out of my ears once which was surprising and great. So I have stopped being concerned about them falling to their death.
They are also quite comfortable. The smooth finish causes no irritation. And they are light enough that I don't feel any weight. Great design.
Isolation:
The Dudios isolate fairly well - as well or better than many other IEMs (especially those with bass ports etc). Loud outside noise does still get through, but that's fine with me since I prefer to have some awareness of my surroundings.
Connectivity & Functionality
The first time I took the Dudios out of the charging box, they automatically went into pairing mode and my phone found them and paired with them without any problem.
The next time I took them out of the charging box and put them in my ears, I was very pleasantly surprised to quickly hear "Power On" followed by "Connected". I am used to having to turn on my bluetooth devices manually, so the fact that the Dudios do this automatically and reduces that step is a great.
When playing music, the controls are intuitive:
- pause/play: single tap the right earpiece
- previous track: double tap left earpiece
- next track: double tap right earpiece
The buttons do not take much force to actuate, but still enough that the earbud gets pushed into my ear when pressing them. I've gotten around this by holding the top of the earbud out with my index finger, and pressing the button with my thumb. This works quite well.
The functions are simple and intuitive. It would be nice if the volume could also be controlled with the earpieces (like with my bluetooth headphones), but given how much space is available on the earpieces, I'm not sure how that could be done without creating other functionality issues.
Battery:
I initially thought that the "4 hours of music time" might be a deal breaker. But it is nothing of the sort. It turns out that the majority of my listening sessions are less than 4 hours, and when I am done or need a break, the Dudios naturally go into the charging case. With the charging case in play, the Dudios have a battery life of up to 30 hours, which for me means that all I need to do is to charge up the charging case every 4-7 days! Awesome.
And when the Dudios do provide the "battery low" indicator and need to be charged, it is very convenient just putting them back in their case (which is usually in my pocket), and I know that they will be ready to go the next time I need them. This is much more convenient than having to find a wall charger like I need to do with with regularity my other bluetooth devices.
In summary, this system works very well.
Range & Latency
I am not sure what the range is rated at, but it is good. Without any obstacles, I went at least 25 metres (ie 80 feet) without any issue. And the connectivity was very good when going into adjacent rooms as well. The range is as good or better than any of the other bluetooth devices, so it is very good in my opinion.
And latency is pretty much zero when watching youtube videos on my phone, which is awesome. I guess bluetooth 5.0 and low latency is for real!
Phone Sound Quality & Functionality:
I used the Dudios while driving to call my wife. My car isn't the quietest, and when I got connected, I was very surprised by how good the call sound quality was and how clear my wife's voice sounded. I didn't know it at the time, but apparently the Dudios include "CVC noise cancelling, to reduce surrounding noise when you are in a call". Assuming that was in play, it worked very well! Also, my wife could hear me quite clearly, which has been a problem when using other bluetooth headphones and receivers.
Full marks!
Music Sound Quality
Being used to bluetooth devices that use either APTX or LDAC, I wasn't sure how good the SBC codec would work for me, but as is often the case with the Dudios, I was pleasantly surprised. The Dudios are more balanced than I expected them to be, yet fun sounding, providing a full and rich sound. I like my bass, and the amount of bass is just about perfect for me - not too little and not too much - just enough to provide some weight and make trance sound great. The mids are very nicely present - vocals are not left behind in the mix and sound great. The highs are detailed and there is some nice sparkle, but they never sound harsh or sibilant (which I am quite sensitive about).
Overall the sound signature is a slight V shape - just the way I like it. Kudos for whomever tuned the Dudios
The soundstage is average to my ears for in ear monitors, and the imaging and layering is quite good.
Summary:
The Dudios Zues Ace wireless headphones are great! They are light, comfortable, very functional, and they sound very good. Highly recommended!
Cheers,
Wayne