Reviews by FYLegend
The SoundPeats T2 is the company’s first foray into Active Noise Cancellation. For a reasonable price point they have a lot up their sleeve, but how well do these fare in real life?
NOTICE: I purchased these in April 2021 when it was first released in Canada. SoundPeats has stated the unit I received is the second batch which addresses clipping distortion at louder volumes reported in the first batch.
Design 8/10
Overall the design is a bit uninspiring but decent enough for me. The charging case stands tall and is slim with a soft-touch plastic, but after some time it can get scuffed up easily. It charges with USB Type-C which is a no-brainer at this day and age but unfortunately does not have Qi wireless charging.
Comfort and fit 9/10
The earbuds themselves are quite large but surprisingly comfortable and stay put in my ears very well. They have an ergonomic negative profile - the issue is more into how much they protrude out of your ears than the fit. Therefore they are not ideal for sleeping with or wearing a hat over.
Isolation 6/10, ANC 8/10
Passive isolation is mediocre, it is fine for most general background noise but does poorly for commuting. For a negative fit design that fits quite nicely and stays in my ears, this is a tad disappointing.
ANC is very good for this price point. It is quite aggressive at removing mid to low frequencies, and takes a slight edge off higher frequencies. It does however, hiss noticeably in complete silence and doesn’t do much for removing the sounds of people talking (especially loudly).
Most concerning is that I notice a slight buzzing artifact after prolonged listening on the left earbud - I hear it regardless of whether ANC is turned on or off. There have been several conflicting reports of this defect, with some users saying it doesn't occur to them or only when ANC is turned on. While it is not too bothersome, it is unfortunate that the second batch has not addressed this issues. [See more about ANC settings with the AirReps156X app]
Another gripe is that the ANC setting is not remembered - these will always default to ANC off each time you power on the earbuds. You also must cycle through passthrough mode in order to activate ANC mode, which is rather tedious.
Controls 5.5/10
These earbuds have touch controls for play/pause, controlling the volume, next track, smart assistant and toggling the ANC mode. Unfortunately there is no previous track button though I just need to say “previous” on the smart assistant on Android.
Holding the touchpad for 6 seconds puts the earbuds into pairing mode. Not as convenient as having multipoint (which is still few and far in TWS), but it does save the step of disconnecting to my current device. Holding the touchpad for about 10 seconds turns off both earbuds. This proves important, because the earbuds don’t power off in the case if it is depleted. The earbuds power off together but need to be powered on again individually.
However, the touch controls have many issues. There is some overlap between the durations, such that sometimes I inadvertently power them off when I meant to go into pairing mode if I just hold it slightly too long. There are also occasions where the touch controls for play/pause and hold (ANC or next track) fail to work. Usually it fails on the right earbud, so next track and play/pause fail to work on that bud. While it can sometimes resolve eventually, the only reliable way to get around this is to re-connect the earbuds. For this reason I have to deduct points for reliability.
Usability + Connectivity 7.5/10
The T2 is also the first SoundPeats product to feature ambient hearthrough, and it is quite a good implementation. The volume stays constant without any fluctuations, so these are great for playing instruments while listening to music. Even though the ambient feed is reasonably loud, it is more emphasized in the higher frequencies, and I have to turn my music way down in order to hear conversations clearly.
These support AAC and SBC codecs. They still sound good even if you’re using SBC on Windows 10. However, with SBC they often start up music with slightly delay on one earbud - not an uncommon issue with true wireless earbuds but it can be annoying in that first second or so. Connectivity is quite solid with very infrequent dropouts (I notice some on my phone when I have its bluetooth modem oriented a certain way, but I’m not sure I can blame the earbuds for this issue which occurs on other devices as well).
On Android, latency in gaming is slightly below average at this day and age. While not as bad as some BT 4.2 or early 5.0 devices, it is quite underwhelming for a new product. On Windows 10 latency is slightly improved but trails behind other contemporary products.
App Support [unofficial AirReps156X]
There is no official app support, but the Android AirReps156X app (designed for Airpods clones and other devices using Airoha chipsets) is partly compatible with the T2. The app requires you to select and connect your device each time you open it but after that you are able to quickly adjust ANC modes and even low-latency mode. Note that the settings made in this app are only temporary and will be forgotten the next time you power on the earbuds.
Among the ANC modes, aside from the default hybrid ANC, you are able to adjust feed-forward and feed-back ANC modes. Feedforward ANC is not as powerful as hybrid mode but emits less overall hiss, and may be better suited for indoor settings. Feedback ANC is terrible - it does not block out much background noise and almost sounds almost like a half-baked ambient mode. You are also able to force transparency mode on using the app, but once you take both earbuds out it will go into default ANC off. I've also had one occasion where after doing this the two earbuds no longer recognized each other as a stereo pair, until I re-paired them.
The AirReps156X also allows you to enable Low Latency mode, but I can see why SoundPeats didn’t include it. On Android, the connectivity suffers quite a bit such that holding my phone around its Bluetooth modem causes several dropouts.
Unfortunately, the equalizer function appears to be disabled by SoundPeats. The app also does not appear to be available for Windows 10 or iOS (understandably so as it pertains to Apple clones). As long as your earbuds are powered on they preserve the settings made on the app and so you can just disconnect then connect them to a second device (eg. Windows 10 laptop). This is the only way on Windows 10 you can use low latency mode, for example. (the connection is much better, probably because SBC is being used instead of AAC).
Sound Quality 8/10
Overall, the tuning is organic and warm, with an emphasis on the bass and lower mids. The low end is punchy without being bloated, while vocals sound full but a tad lacking in upper registers. They don't sound veiled or muffled, just like something is missing up top. The treble rolls off but is a tad peaky/hot at higher volumes. While these can get loud, I have mixed feelings about changing the volume. I generally listen around 70% but sometimes find it a tad lacking in detail, but turning it up brings out the hot lower treble.
The soundstage is intimate but not congested and have a good sense of depth such that layering/instrument separation is excellent, often bringing out elements I don’t really notice before, particularly in the lower mid frequencies without sounding muddy.
My unit is supposedly from the second batch, which SoundPeats claims to address clipping distortion at higher volumes. Unfortunately, the noise floor is rather high such that hissing is quite noticeable, and intermittently I hear a buzzing static from the left earbud. While these are serious reliability issues, I will not be factoring this into the sound quality score as various users have reported not having this issue or being present on the opposite earbud instead.
Battery Life 7/10
The earbuds themselves claim to have up to 10 hours of battery life, though this only pertains to having ANC off. With ANC on, the earbuds last about 6 hours or so. The battery indicator for the earbuds themselves still shows about 90% left after 1-2 hours of use, but drops more abruptly within the last 2 hours or so. Overall, I am still impressed with the battery life but the percentage indicators could be more accurately scaled.
The case seems inefficient in constantly topping up the earbuds to 100%, which leads them to become depleted within 2 days (~12 hours of use), even though the earbuds themselves could last for another full cycle. You also can’t power off the earbuds by closing the case when it is “depleted” (even though one LED is still blinking). If ambient mode is turned on in this situation, putting them in the case will cause a high-pitched feedback sound until you manually turn of the earbuds. Fortunately you are able to power the earbuds off, but having to power them on individually in this situation is cumbersome. Although this is not uncommon among budget true wireless earbuds, the fact that something like Earfun Free Pro is able to still do this has me a bit disappointed.
Overall
In terms of ANC and sound quality, the SoundPeats T2 are a solid presentation for the their ANC earbuds. However, they have a number of serious shortcomings, much of which seem to be down to QC issues (intermittent audio hiss) and software glitches (touch controls failing). For the most part, I can live through these issues which only occurs intermittently, but the uncertainty you may receive a faulty unit prevents me from giving these my highest recommendation.
7.3/10 (weighed due to possible issues/defects)
8.3/10 (unweighted score)
NOTICE: I purchased these in April 2021 when it was first released in Canada. SoundPeats has stated the unit I received is the second batch which addresses clipping distortion at louder volumes reported in the first batch.
Design 8/10
Overall the design is a bit uninspiring but decent enough for me. The charging case stands tall and is slim with a soft-touch plastic, but after some time it can get scuffed up easily. It charges with USB Type-C which is a no-brainer at this day and age but unfortunately does not have Qi wireless charging.
Comfort and fit 9/10
The earbuds themselves are quite large but surprisingly comfortable and stay put in my ears very well. They have an ergonomic negative profile - the issue is more into how much they protrude out of your ears than the fit. Therefore they are not ideal for sleeping with or wearing a hat over.
Isolation 6/10, ANC 8/10
Passive isolation is mediocre, it is fine for most general background noise but does poorly for commuting. For a negative fit design that fits quite nicely and stays in my ears, this is a tad disappointing.
ANC is very good for this price point. It is quite aggressive at removing mid to low frequencies, and takes a slight edge off higher frequencies. It does however, hiss noticeably in complete silence and doesn’t do much for removing the sounds of people talking (especially loudly).
Most concerning is that I notice a slight buzzing artifact after prolonged listening on the left earbud - I hear it regardless of whether ANC is turned on or off. There have been several conflicting reports of this defect, with some users saying it doesn't occur to them or only when ANC is turned on. While it is not too bothersome, it is unfortunate that the second batch has not addressed this issues. [See more about ANC settings with the AirReps156X app]
Another gripe is that the ANC setting is not remembered - these will always default to ANC off each time you power on the earbuds. You also must cycle through passthrough mode in order to activate ANC mode, which is rather tedious.
Controls 5.5/10
These earbuds have touch controls for play/pause, controlling the volume, next track, smart assistant and toggling the ANC mode. Unfortunately there is no previous track button though I just need to say “previous” on the smart assistant on Android.
Holding the touchpad for 6 seconds puts the earbuds into pairing mode. Not as convenient as having multipoint (which is still few and far in TWS), but it does save the step of disconnecting to my current device. Holding the touchpad for about 10 seconds turns off both earbuds. This proves important, because the earbuds don’t power off in the case if it is depleted. The earbuds power off together but need to be powered on again individually.
However, the touch controls have many issues. There is some overlap between the durations, such that sometimes I inadvertently power them off when I meant to go into pairing mode if I just hold it slightly too long. There are also occasions where the touch controls for play/pause and hold (ANC or next track) fail to work. Usually it fails on the right earbud, so next track and play/pause fail to work on that bud. While it can sometimes resolve eventually, the only reliable way to get around this is to re-connect the earbuds. For this reason I have to deduct points for reliability.
Usability + Connectivity 7.5/10
The T2 is also the first SoundPeats product to feature ambient hearthrough, and it is quite a good implementation. The volume stays constant without any fluctuations, so these are great for playing instruments while listening to music. Even though the ambient feed is reasonably loud, it is more emphasized in the higher frequencies, and I have to turn my music way down in order to hear conversations clearly.
These support AAC and SBC codecs. They still sound good even if you’re using SBC on Windows 10. However, with SBC they often start up music with slightly delay on one earbud - not an uncommon issue with true wireless earbuds but it can be annoying in that first second or so. Connectivity is quite solid with very infrequent dropouts (I notice some on my phone when I have its bluetooth modem oriented a certain way, but I’m not sure I can blame the earbuds for this issue which occurs on other devices as well).
On Android, latency in gaming is slightly below average at this day and age. While not as bad as some BT 4.2 or early 5.0 devices, it is quite underwhelming for a new product. On Windows 10 latency is slightly improved but trails behind other contemporary products.
App Support [unofficial AirReps156X]
There is no official app support, but the Android AirReps156X app (designed for Airpods clones and other devices using Airoha chipsets) is partly compatible with the T2. The app requires you to select and connect your device each time you open it but after that you are able to quickly adjust ANC modes and even low-latency mode. Note that the settings made in this app are only temporary and will be forgotten the next time you power on the earbuds.
Among the ANC modes, aside from the default hybrid ANC, you are able to adjust feed-forward and feed-back ANC modes. Feedforward ANC is not as powerful as hybrid mode but emits less overall hiss, and may be better suited for indoor settings. Feedback ANC is terrible - it does not block out much background noise and almost sounds almost like a half-baked ambient mode. You are also able to force transparency mode on using the app, but once you take both earbuds out it will go into default ANC off. I've also had one occasion where after doing this the two earbuds no longer recognized each other as a stereo pair, until I re-paired them.
The AirReps156X also allows you to enable Low Latency mode, but I can see why SoundPeats didn’t include it. On Android, the connectivity suffers quite a bit such that holding my phone around its Bluetooth modem causes several dropouts.
Unfortunately, the equalizer function appears to be disabled by SoundPeats. The app also does not appear to be available for Windows 10 or iOS (understandably so as it pertains to Apple clones). As long as your earbuds are powered on they preserve the settings made on the app and so you can just disconnect then connect them to a second device (eg. Windows 10 laptop). This is the only way on Windows 10 you can use low latency mode, for example. (the connection is much better, probably because SBC is being used instead of AAC).
Sound Quality 8/10
Overall, the tuning is organic and warm, with an emphasis on the bass and lower mids. The low end is punchy without being bloated, while vocals sound full but a tad lacking in upper registers. They don't sound veiled or muffled, just like something is missing up top. The treble rolls off but is a tad peaky/hot at higher volumes. While these can get loud, I have mixed feelings about changing the volume. I generally listen around 70% but sometimes find it a tad lacking in detail, but turning it up brings out the hot lower treble.
The soundstage is intimate but not congested and have a good sense of depth such that layering/instrument separation is excellent, often bringing out elements I don’t really notice before, particularly in the lower mid frequencies without sounding muddy.
My unit is supposedly from the second batch, which SoundPeats claims to address clipping distortion at higher volumes. Unfortunately, the noise floor is rather high such that hissing is quite noticeable, and intermittently I hear a buzzing static from the left earbud. While these are serious reliability issues, I will not be factoring this into the sound quality score as various users have reported not having this issue or being present on the opposite earbud instead.
Battery Life 7/10
The earbuds themselves claim to have up to 10 hours of battery life, though this only pertains to having ANC off. With ANC on, the earbuds last about 6 hours or so. The battery indicator for the earbuds themselves still shows about 90% left after 1-2 hours of use, but drops more abruptly within the last 2 hours or so. Overall, I am still impressed with the battery life but the percentage indicators could be more accurately scaled.
The case seems inefficient in constantly topping up the earbuds to 100%, which leads them to become depleted within 2 days (~12 hours of use), even though the earbuds themselves could last for another full cycle. You also can’t power off the earbuds by closing the case when it is “depleted” (even though one LED is still blinking). If ambient mode is turned on in this situation, putting them in the case will cause a high-pitched feedback sound until you manually turn of the earbuds. Fortunately you are able to power the earbuds off, but having to power them on individually in this situation is cumbersome. Although this is not uncommon among budget true wireless earbuds, the fact that something like Earfun Free Pro is able to still do this has me a bit disappointed.
Overall
In terms of ANC and sound quality, the SoundPeats T2 are a solid presentation for the their ANC earbuds. However, they have a number of serious shortcomings, much of which seem to be down to QC issues (intermittent audio hiss) and software glitches (touch controls failing). For the most part, I can live through these issues which only occurs intermittently, but the uncertainty you may receive a faulty unit prevents me from giving these my highest recommendation.
7.3/10 (weighed due to possible issues/defects)
8.3/10 (unweighted score)
FYLegend
Maybe it's just how I was graded back in school or how games are reviewed, but something rated 85% is very good for most uses but already has some reservations so a B+. I wasn't sure whether to round it to 4.5 stars or just 4 stars, but a truly outstanding product would be only above 90% in my book.
The connectivity issue is relatively infrequent, and many other earbuds have had a similar (sometimes worse) with my phone, so I cannot fully blame it on the audio device. Perhaps I should have separated it into "connectivity" and "usability". Previously I gave the Astrotec S60 a 6.5/10 for poor connectivity with the AAC codec, where it would drop out every 5-10 minutes or so. At this day and age I would have given it a lower rating like 4-5/10.
The connectivity issue is relatively infrequent, and many other earbuds have had a similar (sometimes worse) with my phone, so I cannot fully blame it on the audio device. Perhaps I should have separated it into "connectivity" and "usability". Previously I gave the Astrotec S60 a 6.5/10 for poor connectivity with the AAC codec, where it would drop out every 5-10 minutes or so. At this day and age I would have given it a lower rating like 4-5/10.
FYLegend
Yeah, unfortunately on Windows 10 we're stuck with SBC up to bitpool 53 or AptX. SBC 52 or 53 is quite good for general music listening but does sound a tad behind AAC, and also distorts in more technical tests such as frequency sweeps though this rarely occurs with actual music. Samsung devices distort badly in the highs as their bitpool is 37.
webvan
Good reviews, thanks for sharing.
Just picked up a pair after seeing Oluv praise them repeatedly.
For €59 there is nothing to complain about really. I do find the press a bit on the top of my head, more so than my old QC25 that must be lighter (will check that).
Also multipoint doesn't work between my Android and Windows 10, Windows 10 just hijacks the connection it seems.
Just picked up a pair after seeing Oluv praise them repeatedly.
For €59 there is nothing to complain about really. I do find the press a bit on the top of my head, more so than my old QC25 that must be lighter (will check that).
Also multipoint doesn't work between my Android and Windows 10, Windows 10 just hijacks the connection it seems.
FYLegend
Didn't have any issues with multipoint connectivity between Android and Windows 10, but I recall reading similar issues and it might be that you need Bluetooth 5.0 on both devices. Either way, it only remembers the last-connected device so you must manually connect the second device.
The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 is one of several recently released budget true wireless earbuds with active noise cancelling. With a complete feature set, is it a giant-killer ANC true-wireless earbud?
Last updated 12/19/2020
Design - 7/10
The charging case is a little on the large size, but is fairly rounded so that it should still be quite portable.The charging port is USB Type-C and supports a C2C connection, so you can charge this off a PD charger or with your laptop. The only thing missing is Qi Wireless charging, which I consider a "nice to have feature" but not an absolute must. The earbuds themselves have a nice housing that fits ergonomically into my ears. The housing design looks rather uninspired, unlike the SoundLiberty 79, but fortunately the TaoTronics branding doesn't stick out much in person as it does in the promo renders.-
Comfort and fit 8.5/10
These have a nice negative profile flush in my ears. My only gripe is that the eartips are the shallow, large-flange type rather than typical IEM eartips, so it may be harder to find replacement eartips. They don't fall out easily unlike some other TWS I've used.
UPDATE: Galaxy Buds eartips do fit these such that they can still charge in the case. They offer a deeper fit and slightly better midrange clarity. HOWEVER, the deeper fit also leads to odd sealing issues with my ears.
Isolation and ANC - 7.5/10
Passive isolation is fairly good on these due to the flush fit, similar to wired IEMs back in the day. It doesn't block out high frequency that well though, and the noise cancelling doesn't do much about this either. ANC mainly blocks out noise in the mid and lower frequencies. If you are planning to use ANC while running or working out, I don't recommend these because they suffer from "runner's thud", where loud footsteps will cause the ANC hiss to abruptly thump. While commuting, I noticed less rumble except for the deepest frequencies, but high-pitched sounds like the trains screeching actually sounded more jarring. They also hiss with the ANC, but it is not particularly distracting. However, on my first unit I noticed a high pitched hiss or EMI static on the left bud, only when the ANC was turned off or ambient mode was used. Almost sounded like a cricket chirping. TaoTronics was kind enough to send me a replacement quickly - now the hiss is still present but far less apparent when ANC is turned off, but I still hear a fair amount when I turn on ambient sound. It is likely this varies between units which gives me doubts about the QC.
EDIT: I have decided to split up ANC and passive isolation. The combined score is 7.5/10 but the ANC itself is 6/10 on top of 7.5/10 for passive isolation.
Sound Quality - 7.5/10
Whether you have ANC turned on or off, these have a dark/warm tuning. The bass is rather punchy although it mostly emphasized in the midbass.
ANC ON: The sub-bass is rolled off and the midrange is cleaner but somewhat hollow - the midbass is still quite punchy. The lower mids sound recessed when ANC is turned on, causing snare drums to sound thin. Vocals are clear but a tad thin and lacking in richness. There is some emphasis on the treble so detail retrieval is still quite good and they're by no means muddy. Volume is a tad lower and I find myself often listening above 90%.
ANC OFF: The bass sounds deeper and more punchy, with some mid-bass bleed into the lower mids. Snare drums and kicks sound very impactful but vocals take a slight hit.
Using both AAC and SBC, the sound quality is quite similar, with only a slight degradation when using SBC. The highs are a tad more splashy and the bass more boomy.
Connectivity - 7/10
These are listed to have Bluetooth 5.1 but my current devices are only Bluetooth 5.0. From what I can find, BT5.1 mainly only improves power consumption and connectivity. In my experience, connectivity is only average with my Galaxy Note 9 and ASUS Zenbook Pro 15. They seem to suffer a little from a "death grip", as there is a tendency to cut when I put my hand near the device's Bluetooth modem, though not as severe as some other Bluetooth chips. The chipset is said to be Airoha but it is not as solid as the Jabees Firefly Pro when used with my phone. You can use the earbuds individually and the transition is typically quite seamless, but on some occasions switching buds causes the buds to re-connect. Also, in single bud mode, ambient mode is on by default and can't be turned off with the touch controls.
The control set is quite complete compared to similarly-designed TWS but misses out in execution. To play and pause, you have to double-tap the left earbud. A double tap on the right earbud activates ambient sound, while a hold turns off ANC. Volume control is a single tap left or right, while skipping tracks is a triple tap. Note that activating ambient mode will cause the music to pause, and activating ANC will cause the music to play. You have to be careful of how fast you tap or you might just change the volume instead of pausing the track, not too slow or fast (tap....tap)
As these share some of the same components with the 20Decebel, as of this writing it is compatible with the 20Decebel app. You can use it to turn on and off ANC without pausing the music. The EQ function of this app is not recommended as it dips the volume significantly and doesn't sound very good.
Ambient sound is decent - it is prone to hissing (cricket-chirping) on the left earbud but otherwise the audio feed is quite good and remains at a constant level. It does, however, temporarily shut down when exposed to a loud sound, such as a finger snap or clapping your hands.
Latency is quite good, even for some casual/basic gaming on the PC. Call quality is also pretty decent. Voices sound clear and not muffled. In busy areas, background noise can still be heard but on the plus side these don't apply aggressive noise reduction.
Overall, the connectivity and controls, while complete and decent, leave something to be desired for.
Battery Life - 5/10
*Update - after some more testing, unfortunately the replacement unit has the same if not only slightly better battery life on the case. Within a two days and less than 10 hours of total usage of the earbuds themselves, the charging case becomes depleted. I understand I could probably get another 4 hours in this situation, but the fact that the earbuds cannot power themselves off means they will continue to drain in the case until I charge it. In my opinion, 360 mAh is way too small for an ANC earbud.
With ANC turned on these are rated at 5 hours of battery life and 20 hours with the case, but this only seems to hold up with lower volumes. With my laptop they are only getting about 4.5 hours at about 90% volume. However, I found the case to be very inefficient. Within the first day, I've had the case become depleted after using the earbuds for less than 5 hours. It seems the case starts out strong but ends up dropping rapidly when the LED indicator only shows 2/4. From the percentages in the 20Decebel app, it seems like the battery charges quite fast after only a few minutes, hence the drain.
One annoyance is that these do not power off once the case is depleted, forcing you to have to manually disconnect from your phone otherwise they will constantly drain battery. You won't have any way to power them on again until you get your case charged. On the first unit, the battery started to drain rapidly after the first few charges. On the replacement, the battery seems improved but still rapidly drops when reaching below 2/4. By the time it gets to last LED indicator which blinks rapidly, the earbuds no longer charge or power off.
Overall - 7/10
At this point with few budget ANC true wireless earbuds, the TaoTronics 94 feels like it is trying to be the jack of all trades. As my first foray into ANC true wireless, these are respectable/decent across the board but suffer from battery life and potential quality control issues. Unfortunately, I have to take off points for battery life and the fact that the earbuds don't power off when the case is low on battery. While this is not an uncommon quirk among true wireless earbuds, I believe the 360 mAh case is way too small for ANC earbuds and is not giving me any more than an additional charge of usage.
vs Samsung Galaxy Buds+
The TaoTronics are more comfortable and offer better passive isolation with ANC on top of that. They also do much better on Windows 10 because the bitrate is at its default value. In terms of tuning the two are polar opposites, the lean and bright Galaxy Buds wins out in clarity but is missing the bass.
vs Sabbat E12 Ultra
The Sabbat is a step ahead sub-bass extension, while maintaining midrange clarity. Taotronics can achieve a similarly punchy bass with ANC turned off, but also has some midrange bleed. The Sabbat doesn't seem to resolve details as much but doesn't sound as "splashy". In terms of fit and isolation, the Sabbat E12 Ultra are obviously inferior and I sometime struggle to keep them in my ears.
Last updated 12/19/2020
Design - 7/10
The charging case is a little on the large size, but is fairly rounded so that it should still be quite portable.The charging port is USB Type-C and supports a C2C connection, so you can charge this off a PD charger or with your laptop. The only thing missing is Qi Wireless charging, which I consider a "nice to have feature" but not an absolute must. The earbuds themselves have a nice housing that fits ergonomically into my ears. The housing design looks rather uninspired, unlike the SoundLiberty 79, but fortunately the TaoTronics branding doesn't stick out much in person as it does in the promo renders.-
Comfort and fit 8.5/10
These have a nice negative profile flush in my ears. My only gripe is that the eartips are the shallow, large-flange type rather than typical IEM eartips, so it may be harder to find replacement eartips. They don't fall out easily unlike some other TWS I've used.
UPDATE: Galaxy Buds eartips do fit these such that they can still charge in the case. They offer a deeper fit and slightly better midrange clarity. HOWEVER, the deeper fit also leads to odd sealing issues with my ears.
Isolation and ANC - 7.5/10
Passive isolation is fairly good on these due to the flush fit, similar to wired IEMs back in the day. It doesn't block out high frequency that well though, and the noise cancelling doesn't do much about this either. ANC mainly blocks out noise in the mid and lower frequencies. If you are planning to use ANC while running or working out, I don't recommend these because they suffer from "runner's thud", where loud footsteps will cause the ANC hiss to abruptly thump. While commuting, I noticed less rumble except for the deepest frequencies, but high-pitched sounds like the trains screeching actually sounded more jarring. They also hiss with the ANC, but it is not particularly distracting. However, on my first unit I noticed a high pitched hiss or EMI static on the left bud, only when the ANC was turned off or ambient mode was used. Almost sounded like a cricket chirping. TaoTronics was kind enough to send me a replacement quickly - now the hiss is still present but far less apparent when ANC is turned off, but I still hear a fair amount when I turn on ambient sound. It is likely this varies between units which gives me doubts about the QC.
EDIT: I have decided to split up ANC and passive isolation. The combined score is 7.5/10 but the ANC itself is 6/10 on top of 7.5/10 for passive isolation.
Sound Quality - 7.5/10
Whether you have ANC turned on or off, these have a dark/warm tuning. The bass is rather punchy although it mostly emphasized in the midbass.
ANC ON: The sub-bass is rolled off and the midrange is cleaner but somewhat hollow - the midbass is still quite punchy. The lower mids sound recessed when ANC is turned on, causing snare drums to sound thin. Vocals are clear but a tad thin and lacking in richness. There is some emphasis on the treble so detail retrieval is still quite good and they're by no means muddy. Volume is a tad lower and I find myself often listening above 90%.
ANC OFF: The bass sounds deeper and more punchy, with some mid-bass bleed into the lower mids. Snare drums and kicks sound very impactful but vocals take a slight hit.
Using both AAC and SBC, the sound quality is quite similar, with only a slight degradation when using SBC. The highs are a tad more splashy and the bass more boomy.
Connectivity - 7/10
These are listed to have Bluetooth 5.1 but my current devices are only Bluetooth 5.0. From what I can find, BT5.1 mainly only improves power consumption and connectivity. In my experience, connectivity is only average with my Galaxy Note 9 and ASUS Zenbook Pro 15. They seem to suffer a little from a "death grip", as there is a tendency to cut when I put my hand near the device's Bluetooth modem, though not as severe as some other Bluetooth chips. The chipset is said to be Airoha but it is not as solid as the Jabees Firefly Pro when used with my phone. You can use the earbuds individually and the transition is typically quite seamless, but on some occasions switching buds causes the buds to re-connect. Also, in single bud mode, ambient mode is on by default and can't be turned off with the touch controls.
The control set is quite complete compared to similarly-designed TWS but misses out in execution. To play and pause, you have to double-tap the left earbud. A double tap on the right earbud activates ambient sound, while a hold turns off ANC. Volume control is a single tap left or right, while skipping tracks is a triple tap. Note that activating ambient mode will cause the music to pause, and activating ANC will cause the music to play. You have to be careful of how fast you tap or you might just change the volume instead of pausing the track, not too slow or fast (tap....tap)
As these share some of the same components with the 20Decebel, as of this writing it is compatible with the 20Decebel app. You can use it to turn on and off ANC without pausing the music. The EQ function of this app is not recommended as it dips the volume significantly and doesn't sound very good.
Ambient sound is decent - it is prone to hissing (cricket-chirping) on the left earbud but otherwise the audio feed is quite good and remains at a constant level. It does, however, temporarily shut down when exposed to a loud sound, such as a finger snap or clapping your hands.
Latency is quite good, even for some casual/basic gaming on the PC. Call quality is also pretty decent. Voices sound clear and not muffled. In busy areas, background noise can still be heard but on the plus side these don't apply aggressive noise reduction.
Overall, the connectivity and controls, while complete and decent, leave something to be desired for.
Battery Life - 5/10
*Update - after some more testing, unfortunately the replacement unit has the same if not only slightly better battery life on the case. Within a two days and less than 10 hours of total usage of the earbuds themselves, the charging case becomes depleted. I understand I could probably get another 4 hours in this situation, but the fact that the earbuds cannot power themselves off means they will continue to drain in the case until I charge it. In my opinion, 360 mAh is way too small for an ANC earbud.
With ANC turned on these are rated at 5 hours of battery life and 20 hours with the case, but this only seems to hold up with lower volumes. With my laptop they are only getting about 4.5 hours at about 90% volume. However, I found the case to be very inefficient. Within the first day, I've had the case become depleted after using the earbuds for less than 5 hours. It seems the case starts out strong but ends up dropping rapidly when the LED indicator only shows 2/4. From the percentages in the 20Decebel app, it seems like the battery charges quite fast after only a few minutes, hence the drain.
One annoyance is that these do not power off once the case is depleted, forcing you to have to manually disconnect from your phone otherwise they will constantly drain battery. You won't have any way to power them on again until you get your case charged. On the first unit, the battery started to drain rapidly after the first few charges. On the replacement, the battery seems improved but still rapidly drops when reaching below 2/4. By the time it gets to last LED indicator which blinks rapidly, the earbuds no longer charge or power off.
Overall - 7/10
At this point with few budget ANC true wireless earbuds, the TaoTronics 94 feels like it is trying to be the jack of all trades. As my first foray into ANC true wireless, these are respectable/decent across the board but suffer from battery life and potential quality control issues. Unfortunately, I have to take off points for battery life and the fact that the earbuds don't power off when the case is low on battery. While this is not an uncommon quirk among true wireless earbuds, I believe the 360 mAh case is way too small for ANC earbuds and is not giving me any more than an additional charge of usage.
vs Samsung Galaxy Buds+
The TaoTronics are more comfortable and offer better passive isolation with ANC on top of that. They also do much better on Windows 10 because the bitrate is at its default value. In terms of tuning the two are polar opposites, the lean and bright Galaxy Buds wins out in clarity but is missing the bass.
vs Sabbat E12 Ultra
The Sabbat is a step ahead sub-bass extension, while maintaining midrange clarity. Taotronics can achieve a similarly punchy bass with ANC turned off, but also has some midrange bleed. The Sabbat doesn't seem to resolve details as much but doesn't sound as "splashy". In terms of fit and isolation, the Sabbat E12 Ultra are obviously inferior and I sometime struggle to keep them in my ears.
KopaneDePooj
Hi, thanks for the review!
I thought the Harman Target has a warmer, bassier tuning than the Diffuse Field. Am I in error?
I thought the Harman Target has a warmer, bassier tuning than the Diffuse Field. Am I in error?
FYLegend
Sorry for the late reply, but I recall the in-ear target has a focus on the upper mids and treble.
Review will be updated to reflect usage with AAC on Windows 11 Beta.
Review will be updated to reflect usage with AAC on Windows 11 Beta.
Last year, many Bluetooth budget headphones offered active noise cancelling as well as aptX codec, but most were missing one seemingly minor feature - the lack of USB Type-C charging. With a stylish design and some improvements over the previous model, the Dyplay Urban Traveller 2.0 is one of the few available but emerging options to have this particular feature. Early reviews suggested it had very good noise cancelling and sound quality for the price, but does excel beyond its price point?
I bought these off Aliexpress on Black Friday. Shipping via UBI to Canada took approximately 2 weeks.
Design 8.5/10
For a budget product, these have very nice build quality and aesthetics. I really dig the orange accents on the grey soft-touch plastic finish - a nice departure from the typical glossy plastic found in headphones at this price point. Although there is some slight clicking noises, the hinges don't creak or squeak as much as some other plastic headphones. They fold flat (with earcups facing out when around your neck) as well as inward so they can be compacted into the carrying pouch. It would have been nice to see a hard carrying case though, as the original Urban Travellers had this.
The headband is padded with rubber while the earpads are made of gel. They appear to be not readily removable. The ANC switch is on the left earcup while the three multi-function buttons are on the right earcup. ANC operates independently of the Bluetooth power.
These have a USB Type-C charging port and supports a Type-C to Type-C connection. This means I can charge it directly off my Type-C laptop, unlike some other products out there which only support Type-C to A connections. Charging speed is quite fast - it took about 45 minutes to go from the "low battery" warning to a complete charge. They also have a 3.5mm port for wired audio.
Comfort 7.5/10
These headphones have gel-cushion earpads which are quite plush and comfortable. They are similar to memory foam but a tad more firm. They also trap a bit of heat meaning your ears will stay warm, but it may be hot on summer days (in the cold Canadian winter I have yet to test this out!). The headband does not have much adequate padding, with the inner section being made of rubber. Clamping force is ok, but they do press slightly against the top of my head. I've noticed that after a long listening session, they do exert some strain on my forehead, and the fit is a tad loose around my ears. Shaking my head vigourously will cause the headphones to slip off fairly easily. Indeed I found that laying back slightly on a reclining chair was enough for the headphones to gradually start slipping off from my ears.
Isolation - 8.5/10
The Urban Traveller 2 touts dual-mic noise cancelling. In my testing, I found it does very well for low frequencies, effectively removing the droning sound of my ceramic heater or the low-frequency rumble while commuting. However, it does not do much to remove high frequency noises. I can still hear my laptop's cooling fan or the higher frequencies of vehicle noise and people talking, although it is slightly attenuated by the passive isolation. ANC also adds a fair bit of hiss and is sensitive to sudden vibrations which cause it to distort. I do not recommend these for running. For everyday non-active usage, I find that these headphones do a very respectable job with ANC at this price point, but the way it handles higher frequencies and sudden noises sees something to be desired.
Sound quality - 7/10
Overall, the sound quality is a mixed bag and varies greatly on how you are listening to these, in particular whether ANC is turned on or off. Thus I have separated the impressions accordingly:
ANC off and wireless - They sound relatively balanced with some emphasis in the bass. The sub-bass is punchy without drowning out the mids. The treble has some decent sparkle but there is also somewhat of a muffled tone. That said, if I didn't know how these sounded with ANC turned on, I probably wouldn't mind this tuning as it is still quite decent. 7/10
ANC on + wireless - The muffled tone of the mid-bass/lower-mids is gone and the treble is greatly emphasized, giving a sense of more detail and a larger soundstage. The bass is very well-controlled in this mode, lacking any sense of bloat or boominess while still having a good amount of punch. There are occasions where it does lack a bit in impact though. The lower mids sound recessed while the upper-mids have some emphasis towards the lower treble, although vocals tend to sound crisp. Although I personally prefer this lean, detailed tuning, I can see how those who are sensitive to sibilance may be put off by it. 7.5/10
Wired playback is rather muffled in the lower mid-bass and the highs sound rolled-off, even more so than ANC-off + Wireless. I would only use it as a last-resort when the battery is drained. Turning on ANC brightens the treble significantly and reduces the bass, even more so than ANC-on +wireless. The treble is borderline sibilant in this configuration and I need to turn the volume down considerably - avoid if you have treble-sensitive ears. 5/10
The Urban Traveller 2 supports the AptX codec which should offer better quality than SBC or AAC, but I have noticed a few situations where it actually sounds worse. In certain tracks, usually when a snare drum hits hard, using AptX seems to introduce a crackling or plosive sound that occurs intermittently left and right. An example of where this occurs is in the intro of Luv(sic) Part 3 by Nujabes (Modal Soul version), when the DJ-scratches come in. Upon further testing my older 1More MK802 also exhibits the same behaviour. AAC or SBC playback doesn't have these issues, and the volume is slightly lower with the treble a tad more rolled-off. However, the device still re-connects the next time to AptX by default. On Windows 10, I am pretty much stuck using AptX.
UPDATE: I have found somewhat of a solution to this AptX crackling issue on Windows - lowering the volume of your music player (preferably below 80%) will stop the distortion from happening. Unfortunately this does not work with Android.
I have noticed my unit seems to have slightly more treble and mids on the left channel than the right one. Pressing the earcups against my ear sometimes evens out the sound suggesting it could be an issue with driver pressure, but I have run across quite a few audio products recently with poor driver matching.
In all modes, I find the loudness to be acceptable for most situations, but it is still on the low side compared to some other over-ear headphones. There is also a fair bit of audio hiss when using Bluetooth and audio is playing. One annoying quirk is that there is a volume limit in place and the loudness does not change above 60% on my devices. Dyplay has confirmed to me that they have set a volume limit, but it would have been far more practical if these scaled properly to 100%. If I want to lower the volume I have to bring my volume all the way below 60%. Note that this issue only occurs if your device has its volume synced to the headphone; activating "disabling absolute volume" or disabling "media volume sync" on Samsung devices allows you to scale the volume levels independently.
Connectivity - 9/10
As long as you are using this with one device, the Bluetooth connection is very solid. I've had next to no disconnects as long as I am near my source device. They also support multipoint connection with 2 devices at once. This is convenient if I wish to use it with both my laptop and phone without having to re-pair it each time. However, I have noticed interference if I am playing music on my laptop, while scrolling certain videos on my phone. To minimize this issue, turn the audio output device to the phone or another device when you are not using it. Also, they will constantly make a faint beep and attempt to reconnect, if I happens to be too far from my laptop while it is still awake. I had not turned off my laptop before going outside to shovel snow, only for the audio to constantly beep and reconnect.
Usability - 6.5/10
These use button controls which respond quite well. On the right side, the power button doubles as play/pause while the other two buttons can be used to change tracks or increase/decrease volume. At maximum and minimum volume, there is a voice prompt telling you of such.
Another irritating quirk is an auto-power-off feature which cannot be disabled. While this is meant to save battery life, Even when you have the headphones connected to a device, they will automatically power off after about a minute of inactivity, with the voice alert saying "power off". A small workaround for this on PC is to open a video/audio editor like FL Studio or Sony Vegas, which causes the audio to be constantly "active" and thus prevents the headphones from turning off. ANC can still be left running as it is independent of the Bluetooth switch, but I often forget to turn it off because it is on the opposing earcup. Dyplay has told me that the power-off feature is built into the chipset (QCC3005), but I could not find any further information on this. This does not happen with true wireless earbuds that use QCC chips and a number of competing ANC headphones reportedly don't have this issue.
Battery life with ANC is rather mediocre at 12 hours. For me, this translates to about 2 days of regular usage. Note that the last portion of battery will have a repeated warning and is therefore unusable (a common issue with many Bluetooth headphones). Without ANC, wireless playback is a respectable 22 hours. Although the charging speed is reasonably fast, I would have preferred if there was more battery capacity even if it meant a longer charging time. You cannot use Bluetooth while it is charging, which is a bit of a disappointment and inconvenience.
Conclusion 7.5/10
Overall, Dyplay Urban Traveller 2 has to offer for the price - decent ANC, a detailed sound and reliable Bluetooth connection, they are let down by a number of unnecessary compromises. With more budget Bluetooth headphones closing the gap with similar features (AptX, ANC and USB-C charging), it will be harder to recommend these.
I bought these off Aliexpress on Black Friday. Shipping via UBI to Canada took approximately 2 weeks.
Design 8.5/10
For a budget product, these have very nice build quality and aesthetics. I really dig the orange accents on the grey soft-touch plastic finish - a nice departure from the typical glossy plastic found in headphones at this price point. Although there is some slight clicking noises, the hinges don't creak or squeak as much as some other plastic headphones. They fold flat (with earcups facing out when around your neck) as well as inward so they can be compacted into the carrying pouch. It would have been nice to see a hard carrying case though, as the original Urban Travellers had this.
The headband is padded with rubber while the earpads are made of gel. They appear to be not readily removable. The ANC switch is on the left earcup while the three multi-function buttons are on the right earcup. ANC operates independently of the Bluetooth power.
These have a USB Type-C charging port and supports a Type-C to Type-C connection. This means I can charge it directly off my Type-C laptop, unlike some other products out there which only support Type-C to A connections. Charging speed is quite fast - it took about 45 minutes to go from the "low battery" warning to a complete charge. They also have a 3.5mm port for wired audio.
Comfort 7.5/10
These headphones have gel-cushion earpads which are quite plush and comfortable. They are similar to memory foam but a tad more firm. They also trap a bit of heat meaning your ears will stay warm, but it may be hot on summer days (in the cold Canadian winter I have yet to test this out!). The headband does not have much adequate padding, with the inner section being made of rubber. Clamping force is ok, but they do press slightly against the top of my head. I've noticed that after a long listening session, they do exert some strain on my forehead, and the fit is a tad loose around my ears. Shaking my head vigourously will cause the headphones to slip off fairly easily. Indeed I found that laying back slightly on a reclining chair was enough for the headphones to gradually start slipping off from my ears.
Isolation - 8.5/10
The Urban Traveller 2 touts dual-mic noise cancelling. In my testing, I found it does very well for low frequencies, effectively removing the droning sound of my ceramic heater or the low-frequency rumble while commuting. However, it does not do much to remove high frequency noises. I can still hear my laptop's cooling fan or the higher frequencies of vehicle noise and people talking, although it is slightly attenuated by the passive isolation. ANC also adds a fair bit of hiss and is sensitive to sudden vibrations which cause it to distort. I do not recommend these for running. For everyday non-active usage, I find that these headphones do a very respectable job with ANC at this price point, but the way it handles higher frequencies and sudden noises sees something to be desired.
Sound quality - 7/10
Overall, the sound quality is a mixed bag and varies greatly on how you are listening to these, in particular whether ANC is turned on or off. Thus I have separated the impressions accordingly:
ANC off and wireless - They sound relatively balanced with some emphasis in the bass. The sub-bass is punchy without drowning out the mids. The treble has some decent sparkle but there is also somewhat of a muffled tone. That said, if I didn't know how these sounded with ANC turned on, I probably wouldn't mind this tuning as it is still quite decent. 7/10
ANC on + wireless - The muffled tone of the mid-bass/lower-mids is gone and the treble is greatly emphasized, giving a sense of more detail and a larger soundstage. The bass is very well-controlled in this mode, lacking any sense of bloat or boominess while still having a good amount of punch. There are occasions where it does lack a bit in impact though. The lower mids sound recessed while the upper-mids have some emphasis towards the lower treble, although vocals tend to sound crisp. Although I personally prefer this lean, detailed tuning, I can see how those who are sensitive to sibilance may be put off by it. 7.5/10
Wired playback is rather muffled in the lower mid-bass and the highs sound rolled-off, even more so than ANC-off + Wireless. I would only use it as a last-resort when the battery is drained. Turning on ANC brightens the treble significantly and reduces the bass, even more so than ANC-on +wireless. The treble is borderline sibilant in this configuration and I need to turn the volume down considerably - avoid if you have treble-sensitive ears. 5/10
The Urban Traveller 2 supports the AptX codec which should offer better quality than SBC or AAC, but I have noticed a few situations where it actually sounds worse. In certain tracks, usually when a snare drum hits hard, using AptX seems to introduce a crackling or plosive sound that occurs intermittently left and right. An example of where this occurs is in the intro of Luv(sic) Part 3 by Nujabes (Modal Soul version), when the DJ-scratches come in. Upon further testing my older 1More MK802 also exhibits the same behaviour. AAC or SBC playback doesn't have these issues, and the volume is slightly lower with the treble a tad more rolled-off. However, the device still re-connects the next time to AptX by default. On Windows 10, I am pretty much stuck using AptX.
UPDATE: I have found somewhat of a solution to this AptX crackling issue on Windows - lowering the volume of your music player (preferably below 80%) will stop the distortion from happening. Unfortunately this does not work with Android.
I have noticed my unit seems to have slightly more treble and mids on the left channel than the right one. Pressing the earcups against my ear sometimes evens out the sound suggesting it could be an issue with driver pressure, but I have run across quite a few audio products recently with poor driver matching.
In all modes, I find the loudness to be acceptable for most situations, but it is still on the low side compared to some other over-ear headphones. There is also a fair bit of audio hiss when using Bluetooth and audio is playing. One annoying quirk is that there is a volume limit in place and the loudness does not change above 60% on my devices. Dyplay has confirmed to me that they have set a volume limit, but it would have been far more practical if these scaled properly to 100%. If I want to lower the volume I have to bring my volume all the way below 60%. Note that this issue only occurs if your device has its volume synced to the headphone; activating "disabling absolute volume" or disabling "media volume sync" on Samsung devices allows you to scale the volume levels independently.
Connectivity - 9/10
As long as you are using this with one device, the Bluetooth connection is very solid. I've had next to no disconnects as long as I am near my source device. They also support multipoint connection with 2 devices at once. This is convenient if I wish to use it with both my laptop and phone without having to re-pair it each time. However, I have noticed interference if I am playing music on my laptop, while scrolling certain videos on my phone. To minimize this issue, turn the audio output device to the phone or another device when you are not using it. Also, they will constantly make a faint beep and attempt to reconnect, if I happens to be too far from my laptop while it is still awake. I had not turned off my laptop before going outside to shovel snow, only for the audio to constantly beep and reconnect.
Usability - 6.5/10
These use button controls which respond quite well. On the right side, the power button doubles as play/pause while the other two buttons can be used to change tracks or increase/decrease volume. At maximum and minimum volume, there is a voice prompt telling you of such.
Another irritating quirk is an auto-power-off feature which cannot be disabled. While this is meant to save battery life, Even when you have the headphones connected to a device, they will automatically power off after about a minute of inactivity, with the voice alert saying "power off". A small workaround for this on PC is to open a video/audio editor like FL Studio or Sony Vegas, which causes the audio to be constantly "active" and thus prevents the headphones from turning off. ANC can still be left running as it is independent of the Bluetooth switch, but I often forget to turn it off because it is on the opposing earcup. Dyplay has told me that the power-off feature is built into the chipset (QCC3005), but I could not find any further information on this. This does not happen with true wireless earbuds that use QCC chips and a number of competing ANC headphones reportedly don't have this issue.
Battery life with ANC is rather mediocre at 12 hours. For me, this translates to about 2 days of regular usage. Note that the last portion of battery will have a repeated warning and is therefore unusable (a common issue with many Bluetooth headphones). Without ANC, wireless playback is a respectable 22 hours. Although the charging speed is reasonably fast, I would have preferred if there was more battery capacity even if it meant a longer charging time. You cannot use Bluetooth while it is charging, which is a bit of a disappointment and inconvenience.
Conclusion 7.5/10
Overall, Dyplay Urban Traveller 2 has to offer for the price - decent ANC, a detailed sound and reliable Bluetooth connection, they are let down by a number of unnecessary compromises. With more budget Bluetooth headphones closing the gap with similar features (AptX, ANC and USB-C charging), it will be harder to recommend these.
FYLegend
@Prutser Somehow the distortion got fixed after a few months, so it might have been a Bluetooth driver issue with both my phone and PC. I agree the ANC is great and well ahead of its price point, better than the Soundcore Q30 and 1More SonoFlow, and I prefer the sound signature to those two though I wish they were a bit less fatiguing. Unfortunately I no longer have them.
With features such as wireless charging and ambient awareness, this true wireless earbud from Jabees looks like it does it all for a very reasonable price, but does it live up to expectations?
1/19/2020 - Jabees has released a firmware update for the Firefly Pro via a mobile app. The update process is a bit confusing, the instructions say to take out the buds individually and put them back in which led them to stop playing audio. I performed the update again with the earbuds still in the case which properly updated the firmware. The review has been updated to reflect on any improvements. Unfortunately shortly thereafter I lost the buds themselves, so I can no longer give any more additional impressions.
The past two years have represented a push towards budget level true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds that have features rivaling those by mainstream brands. The Jabees Firefly Pro is an improved version of the Jabees Firefly released last year, which offered features such as USB Type C charging and ambient awareness mode. It retails for 80$ USD but with a 20% coupon it can be purchased for 64 USD from Jabees’ online store. I had previously tried the original Firefly briefly at a store while travelling and was not particularly impressed, but to be fair it was a brief session. Although I have been told by Jabees that the Firefly Pro sounds mostly the same as the original, it offers improvements in battery life and has a different charging case design that supports Qi wireless charging.
Charging Case
The Jabees come in a plastic rectangular charging case that is a tad bulky, with a similar girth to the Earfun Free – battery life is rated at an additional 18 hours on top of 6 hours of the earbuds. The earbuds snap on magnetically and remain securely in place. The plastic lid is a tad flimsy, but overall the case seems quite durable. There is a large power button in the case only for doing a factory reset for the earbuds. Some odd quirks are the fact that it has 2 charging LEDs only light up turquoise and red when they are charging, and you have no telling what the charging progress (green-yellow-red) is until the turquoise left light turns off or you stop charging. I am thus perplexed by why there is a red light on the right in the first place. This is not a huge issue on its own, but it would have been nice if the lights accurately reflected battery life while they were charging, both for the earbuds and the case. Additionally, the yellow light that denotes medium battery life from 25-75% still has a green tint, which can be confusing under certain conditions.
The Firefly Pro supports Qi wireless charging and has a USB Type-C port, so it seems to be quite future-proof. Unfortunately the Type-C port only charges with a Type C to A connection, not with USB power delivery via a Type-C to Type-C cable. This seems to be a common cost-cutting measurewith many budget Type-C TWS (essentially using a USB 2.0 IC with a Type-C connector on one end), but many original Firefly users had already complained about this issue on the original Firefly, so it is unfortunate it has not been improved. As most of my mobile accessories are currently Type C to A, this is not a huge issue for me, but is not as future-proof as it could be.
Wireless charging is a nice addition to the case. Like other budget TWS with this feature, there is also an issue with compatibility, with 5W wireless chargers being the most ideal. While it readily charges with my 10W ADATA charger, my 10W wireless power bank sometimes has problems initiating the charge. It is tall enough that it can be charged with my Samsung Fast Charging stand, but only if it's plugged into either a Samsung Fast Adaptive or Qualcomm QC2.0 power brick.
Battery Life
Battery life is excellent these are rated at 24 hours total playback (6 hour single use + 18 hours from the case) and last me 4-5 days with heavy usage, roughly equating these numbers in total play time. However, I have noticed what seems to be a calibration issue with the case, as it sometimes stops charging the earbuds when the LED indicator is still yellow (which designates anywhere from 25-75%). Sometimes repeatedly opening and closing the case will show red or yellow. I had one occasion where the earbuds kept showing inconsistent capacity between 40% and 70% until they were charged with the case plugged in.
Connectivity
Unlike some other TWS, these power on and attempt to connect the moment the case is opened. Pairing is reasonably quick, but isn’t much faster than TWS where they power on when taken out of the case. The music actually plays pretty early upon opening the case, but you still hear the sound to say it’s “connected” for a few seconds. The case must be snapped shut to turn off the buds. Although this is fine in practice, if the lid was to break you’d probably have trouble shutting down the earbuds, as they do not have a power-off function via the buttons. They will, however, turn off after 5 minutes of being unpaired.
Connectivity with AAC codec is rock solid – among the best I’ve experienced so far. I very rarely ever get hiccups/skips/cut-outs, although there is occasionally a faint crackle at higher volumes. Latency is not an issue for video players, but is noticeable with games as with many other TWS. SBC sounds nearly as good with the bass being slightly more boomy, b̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶r̶a̶c̶k̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶t̶o̶r̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶u̶n̶l̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶a̶b̶s̶o̶l̶u̶t̶e̶ ̶v̶o̶l̶u̶m̶e̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶m̶e̶d̶i̶a̶ ̶v̶o̶l̶u̶m̶e̶ ̶s̶y̶n̶c̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶a̶b̶l̶e̶d̶.̶ ̶S̶e̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶n̶k̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶W̶i̶n̶d̶o̶w̶s̶ ̶1̶0̶.̶ ̶U̶n̶f̶o̶r̶t̶u̶n̶a̶t̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶S̶B̶C̶ ̶i̶m̶p̶l̶e̶m̶e̶n̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶l̶s̶o̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶a̶t̶e̶n̶c̶y̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶Y̶o̶u̶T̶u̶b̶e̶ ̶v̶i̶d̶e̶o̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶g̶a̶m̶e̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶W̶i̶n̶d̶o̶w̶s̶ ̶1̶0̶,̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶o̶c̶c̶a̶s̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶c̶o̶n̶n̶e̶c̶t̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶y̶s̶t̶e̶m̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶v̶y̶ ̶l̶o̶a̶d̶ ̶(̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶a̶u̶l̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶P̶C̶)̶.̶ ̶D̶i̶s̶a̶b̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶b̶s̶o̶l̶u̶t̶e̶ ̶v̶o̶l̶u̶m̶e̶ ̶a̶l̶s̶o̶ ̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶u̶d̶i̶o̶ ̶d̶e̶v̶i̶c̶e̶s̶ ̶d̶i̶p̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶v̶o̶l̶u̶m̶e̶ ̶u̶n̶l̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶p̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶r̶e̶-̶e̶n̶a̶b̶l̶e̶d̶,̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶c̶h̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶d̶e̶s̶i̶r̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶l̶u̶t̶i̶o̶n̶.̶
The latest firmware fixes the SBC distortion issue such that I no longer need to disable absolute volume.
Call Quality
Unfortunately, call quality is rather poor. It sounds as if the noise reduction is too excessive, with some distortion and static. When I’m commuting on a bus or train, or when a vehicle passes by, recipients have trouble hearing me.
Controls
The Jabees use physical buttons which are rather small, and overall I found the controls rather finicky. On my unit at least the right MFB button being far less clicky than the left one. After a few days, this becomes less cumbersome, but I wish the buttons were more consistent. Changing volume, which requires a button hold for several seconds, is particularly cumbersome as if you hold it too briefly (>5 seconds) it also pauses your music, but if you hold it too long, the volume will continuously increase or decrease too much. Playing and pausing can be done on both sides with a single tap, while a double tap will switch tracks. Triple-pressing the right earbud quickly will activate your device’s voice assistant. Ambient sound awareness/hear-through is activated with a fast triple-press on the left. Sometimes if you press too slowly these features will not be activated. Also note that triple-pressing when the earbuds aren't paired will change the language to Chinese.
Ambient Sound Mode
Budget TWS with this feature are few and far, so it is a nice addition to have, but you’re really getting what you pay for in terms of quality and reliability. The mic feed has some hissing and a very slight delay, and overall I find its audio quality worse than the Jabra Elite 65t, especially for wind noise. On a vehicle, there is a tendency to abruptly increase hiss or buzzing.There is a slight “sucking” sound heard when vehicles pass by or certain static noise, perhaps due to the slight delay in the mic feed and added/removed phase inversion artifacts. On a positive note it offers a more constant audio stream without affecting audio playback. Nonetheless, the ambient sound is still fairly usable for most purposes.
However, one very odd issue I experienced is that the right earbud’s mic feed cuts when exposed to direct sunlight, with an odd clunking sound heard each time I turn towards the sun and the mic feed turns on and off. As there is a narrow window that allows light to pass through, I suspect there is some interference going on since some of the internal components are visible. Another issue I’ve experienced is that the ambient sound is too loud after ending a call, if I had been using it before the call. The only solution is to re-activate ambient sound again. It remains to be seen if this occurs on other units or just mine – I̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶i̶f̶i̶e̶d̶ ̶J̶a̶b̶e̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶s̶s̶u̶e̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶r̶e̶c̶e̶i̶v̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶u̶p̶d̶a̶t̶e̶. The 1.4 firmware update has rectified this issue. It does, however, add a "call ended" voice prompt when you end your calls.
Comfort and Isolation
I found these to fit quite securely in my ears. Ergonomics are good but could be a bit better. Isolation with the wide-bore stock tips is mediocre. Small-bore tips can improve isolation, but even so the isolation is only average – I could still hear people talking or making coffee at the coffee shop. They also alter the sound quality such that it the bass becomes thicker. This leads me to suspect the drivers are vented just behind the nozzle. On the plus side, the Firefly Pro appears to be devoid of driver flex/ear pressure issues present in some other dynamic driver TWS, and the bass retains its clarity even in noisy conditions.
Sound quality
The Firefly Pro has a bass-heavy V-shaped sound. The sub-bass is quite deep with a further emphasis on the midbass. Although it is mostly well-controlled, the midbass can be overwhelming and bleed into the lower mids which sound recessed. As a result, vocals can sound distant in certain tracks. The treble has good presence and detail without sounding sibilant. However, there is a slight artificial, metallic tone to it, sometimes amplifying pre-existing distortion in a track, making them unforgiving of poorly mastered music, including LoFi tracks that intentionally add distortion effects. The soundstage is slightly above average, and the instrument separation is excellent outside of the lower mid region.
Channel imbalance appears to be a fairly common issue with TWS I have tried so far. Out of the box, I thought there was a bit more bass on the right bud out of the box. However, after a week of use I started noticing the left bud seemed to have clearer mids and treble – this seems to be in part due to the nozzle filter is wearing out and becoming misaligned. It is made of a stringy felt material, and thus difficult to realign without further damaging it. After further testing and the removal of the filter, this imbalance is still present, but is far less intrusive as some other TWS I have received recently.
For a basshead TWS, the Firefly Pro definitely hold their ground, while retaining good treble detail. However, look elsewhere if you want a balanced or mid-forward sound.
Conclusion
For only 80$, the Jabees Firefly Pro fulfills much of my criteria to be a daily driver – USB-C to A charging, wireless charging and ambient awareness. However, you get what you pay for in terms of quality/execution, and thus I can only recommend them with a number of reservations. They have a borderline boomy bass response, so look elsewhere if you want a more neutral sound and better noise isolation. The ambient sound feature is a great addition, but it is not a perfect implementation, and the call quality is poor.
Case Design 8.5/10
Comfort 7.5/10
Isolation 6/10
Connectivity 9/10
Call quality 4/10
Controls 5/10
Sound quality 7.8/10
Overall: 7.7/10
Comparisons with other TWS can be found in my blog post of the same review.
1/19/2020 - Jabees has released a firmware update for the Firefly Pro via a mobile app. The update process is a bit confusing, the instructions say to take out the buds individually and put them back in which led them to stop playing audio. I performed the update again with the earbuds still in the case which properly updated the firmware. The review has been updated to reflect on any improvements. Unfortunately shortly thereafter I lost the buds themselves, so I can no longer give any more additional impressions.
The past two years have represented a push towards budget level true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds that have features rivaling those by mainstream brands. The Jabees Firefly Pro is an improved version of the Jabees Firefly released last year, which offered features such as USB Type C charging and ambient awareness mode. It retails for 80$ USD but with a 20% coupon it can be purchased for 64 USD from Jabees’ online store. I had previously tried the original Firefly briefly at a store while travelling and was not particularly impressed, but to be fair it was a brief session. Although I have been told by Jabees that the Firefly Pro sounds mostly the same as the original, it offers improvements in battery life and has a different charging case design that supports Qi wireless charging.
Charging Case
The Jabees come in a plastic rectangular charging case that is a tad bulky, with a similar girth to the Earfun Free – battery life is rated at an additional 18 hours on top of 6 hours of the earbuds. The earbuds snap on magnetically and remain securely in place. The plastic lid is a tad flimsy, but overall the case seems quite durable. There is a large power button in the case only for doing a factory reset for the earbuds. Some odd quirks are the fact that it has 2 charging LEDs only light up turquoise and red when they are charging, and you have no telling what the charging progress (green-yellow-red) is until the turquoise left light turns off or you stop charging. I am thus perplexed by why there is a red light on the right in the first place. This is not a huge issue on its own, but it would have been nice if the lights accurately reflected battery life while they were charging, both for the earbuds and the case. Additionally, the yellow light that denotes medium battery life from 25-75% still has a green tint, which can be confusing under certain conditions.
The Firefly Pro supports Qi wireless charging and has a USB Type-C port, so it seems to be quite future-proof. Unfortunately the Type-C port only charges with a Type C to A connection, not with USB power delivery via a Type-C to Type-C cable. This seems to be a common cost-cutting measurewith many budget Type-C TWS (essentially using a USB 2.0 IC with a Type-C connector on one end), but many original Firefly users had already complained about this issue on the original Firefly, so it is unfortunate it has not been improved. As most of my mobile accessories are currently Type C to A, this is not a huge issue for me, but is not as future-proof as it could be.
Wireless charging is a nice addition to the case. Like other budget TWS with this feature, there is also an issue with compatibility, with 5W wireless chargers being the most ideal. While it readily charges with my 10W ADATA charger, my 10W wireless power bank sometimes has problems initiating the charge. It is tall enough that it can be charged with my Samsung Fast Charging stand, but only if it's plugged into either a Samsung Fast Adaptive or Qualcomm QC2.0 power brick.
Battery Life
Battery life is excellent these are rated at 24 hours total playback (6 hour single use + 18 hours from the case) and last me 4-5 days with heavy usage, roughly equating these numbers in total play time. However, I have noticed what seems to be a calibration issue with the case, as it sometimes stops charging the earbuds when the LED indicator is still yellow (which designates anywhere from 25-75%). Sometimes repeatedly opening and closing the case will show red or yellow. I had one occasion where the earbuds kept showing inconsistent capacity between 40% and 70% until they were charged with the case plugged in.
Connectivity
Unlike some other TWS, these power on and attempt to connect the moment the case is opened. Pairing is reasonably quick, but isn’t much faster than TWS where they power on when taken out of the case. The music actually plays pretty early upon opening the case, but you still hear the sound to say it’s “connected” for a few seconds. The case must be snapped shut to turn off the buds. Although this is fine in practice, if the lid was to break you’d probably have trouble shutting down the earbuds, as they do not have a power-off function via the buttons. They will, however, turn off after 5 minutes of being unpaired.
Connectivity with AAC codec is rock solid – among the best I’ve experienced so far. I very rarely ever get hiccups/skips/cut-outs, although there is occasionally a faint crackle at higher volumes. Latency is not an issue for video players, but is noticeable with games as with many other TWS. SBC sounds nearly as good with the bass being slightly more boomy, b̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶r̶a̶c̶k̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶t̶o̶r̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶u̶n̶l̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶a̶b̶s̶o̶l̶u̶t̶e̶ ̶v̶o̶l̶u̶m̶e̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶m̶e̶d̶i̶a̶ ̶v̶o̶l̶u̶m̶e̶ ̶s̶y̶n̶c̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶a̶b̶l̶e̶d̶.̶ ̶S̶e̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶n̶k̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶W̶i̶n̶d̶o̶w̶s̶ ̶1̶0̶.̶ ̶U̶n̶f̶o̶r̶t̶u̶n̶a̶t̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶S̶B̶C̶ ̶i̶m̶p̶l̶e̶m̶e̶n̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶l̶s̶o̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶l̶a̶t̶e̶n̶c̶y̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶Y̶o̶u̶T̶u̶b̶e̶ ̶v̶i̶d̶e̶o̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶g̶a̶m̶e̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶W̶i̶n̶d̶o̶w̶s̶ ̶1̶0̶,̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶o̶c̶c̶a̶s̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶c̶o̶n̶n̶e̶c̶t̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶y̶s̶t̶e̶m̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶v̶y̶ ̶l̶o̶a̶d̶ ̶(̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶a̶u̶l̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶P̶C̶)̶.̶ ̶D̶i̶s̶a̶b̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶b̶s̶o̶l̶u̶t̶e̶ ̶v̶o̶l̶u̶m̶e̶ ̶a̶l̶s̶o̶ ̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶u̶d̶i̶o̶ ̶d̶e̶v̶i̶c̶e̶s̶ ̶d̶i̶p̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶v̶o̶l̶u̶m̶e̶ ̶u̶n̶l̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶p̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶r̶e̶-̶e̶n̶a̶b̶l̶e̶d̶,̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶c̶h̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶d̶e̶s̶i̶r̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶l̶u̶t̶i̶o̶n̶.̶
The latest firmware fixes the SBC distortion issue such that I no longer need to disable absolute volume.
Call Quality
Unfortunately, call quality is rather poor. It sounds as if the noise reduction is too excessive, with some distortion and static. When I’m commuting on a bus or train, or when a vehicle passes by, recipients have trouble hearing me.
Controls
The Jabees use physical buttons which are rather small, and overall I found the controls rather finicky. On my unit at least the right MFB button being far less clicky than the left one. After a few days, this becomes less cumbersome, but I wish the buttons were more consistent. Changing volume, which requires a button hold for several seconds, is particularly cumbersome as if you hold it too briefly (>5 seconds) it also pauses your music, but if you hold it too long, the volume will continuously increase or decrease too much. Playing and pausing can be done on both sides with a single tap, while a double tap will switch tracks. Triple-pressing the right earbud quickly will activate your device’s voice assistant. Ambient sound awareness/hear-through is activated with a fast triple-press on the left. Sometimes if you press too slowly these features will not be activated. Also note that triple-pressing when the earbuds aren't paired will change the language to Chinese.
Ambient Sound Mode
Budget TWS with this feature are few and far, so it is a nice addition to have, but you’re really getting what you pay for in terms of quality and reliability. The mic feed has some hissing and a very slight delay, and overall I find its audio quality worse than the Jabra Elite 65t, especially for wind noise. On a vehicle, there is a tendency to abruptly increase hiss or buzzing.There is a slight “sucking” sound heard when vehicles pass by or certain static noise, perhaps due to the slight delay in the mic feed and added/removed phase inversion artifacts. On a positive note it offers a more constant audio stream without affecting audio playback. Nonetheless, the ambient sound is still fairly usable for most purposes.
However, one very odd issue I experienced is that the right earbud’s mic feed cuts when exposed to direct sunlight, with an odd clunking sound heard each time I turn towards the sun and the mic feed turns on and off. As there is a narrow window that allows light to pass through, I suspect there is some interference going on since some of the internal components are visible. Another issue I’ve experienced is that the ambient sound is too loud after ending a call, if I had been using it before the call. The only solution is to re-activate ambient sound again. It remains to be seen if this occurs on other units or just mine – I̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶i̶f̶i̶e̶d̶ ̶J̶a̶b̶e̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶s̶s̶u̶e̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶r̶e̶c̶e̶i̶v̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶u̶p̶d̶a̶t̶e̶. The 1.4 firmware update has rectified this issue. It does, however, add a "call ended" voice prompt when you end your calls.
Comfort and Isolation
I found these to fit quite securely in my ears. Ergonomics are good but could be a bit better. Isolation with the wide-bore stock tips is mediocre. Small-bore tips can improve isolation, but even so the isolation is only average – I could still hear people talking or making coffee at the coffee shop. They also alter the sound quality such that it the bass becomes thicker. This leads me to suspect the drivers are vented just behind the nozzle. On the plus side, the Firefly Pro appears to be devoid of driver flex/ear pressure issues present in some other dynamic driver TWS, and the bass retains its clarity even in noisy conditions.
Sound quality
The Firefly Pro has a bass-heavy V-shaped sound. The sub-bass is quite deep with a further emphasis on the midbass. Although it is mostly well-controlled, the midbass can be overwhelming and bleed into the lower mids which sound recessed. As a result, vocals can sound distant in certain tracks. The treble has good presence and detail without sounding sibilant. However, there is a slight artificial, metallic tone to it, sometimes amplifying pre-existing distortion in a track, making them unforgiving of poorly mastered music, including LoFi tracks that intentionally add distortion effects. The soundstage is slightly above average, and the instrument separation is excellent outside of the lower mid region.
Channel imbalance appears to be a fairly common issue with TWS I have tried so far. Out of the box, I thought there was a bit more bass on the right bud out of the box. However, after a week of use I started noticing the left bud seemed to have clearer mids and treble – this seems to be in part due to the nozzle filter is wearing out and becoming misaligned. It is made of a stringy felt material, and thus difficult to realign without further damaging it. After further testing and the removal of the filter, this imbalance is still present, but is far less intrusive as some other TWS I have received recently.
For a basshead TWS, the Firefly Pro definitely hold their ground, while retaining good treble detail. However, look elsewhere if you want a balanced or mid-forward sound.
Conclusion
For only 80$, the Jabees Firefly Pro fulfills much of my criteria to be a daily driver – USB-C to A charging, wireless charging and ambient awareness. However, you get what you pay for in terms of quality/execution, and thus I can only recommend them with a number of reservations. They have a borderline boomy bass response, so look elsewhere if you want a more neutral sound and better noise isolation. The ambient sound feature is a great addition, but it is not a perfect implementation, and the call quality is poor.
Case Design 8.5/10
Comfort 7.5/10
Isolation 6/10
Connectivity 9/10
Call quality 4/10
Controls 5/10
Sound quality 7.8/10
Overall: 7.7/10
Comparisons with other TWS can be found in my blog post of the same review.
FYLegend
It seems to have been released in Japan already but I haven't seen any info on a worldwide release. Not sure if it would really be a huge difference from the 8100 - from its specifications it too has 8.6mm drivers and its frequency response isn't as wide. Many of the 8XXX and 9XXX series have 8.6mm drivers (the ones for the 8100 were claimed to be "re-engineered").
Any cheap Philips with more forward mids?
Any cheap Philips with more forward mids?
FYLegend
Also, I removed the filters and instantly regretted it - became even more sibilant and no improvement in mids. Fortunately the filters have quite a sticky adhesive and can be stuck back on.
FYLegend
I just saw some reviews of the 9720 and the users who have reviewed it so far are disappointed. It has been described variously as thin, bass-light, and the treble either being prominent or not detailed enough.
Bought the 3900 last week. Mids are a lot better than the 8100 but their soundstage is smaller than the 8100 and 3590, and they don't sound as warm as the 3590.
Bought the 3900 last week. Mids are a lot better than the 8100 but their soundstage is smaller than the 8100 and 3590, and they don't sound as warm as the 3590.
Jeff Y
Nicely written, but I can't say I agree with all your cons except for the tips and isolation.
The initial "congested sound" or "haziness" and so on clear up greatly after long burn in.
It is a long burn in but once you get there everything clears up so much it's a different iem compared to straight out of the box. You should really give them another shot.
Cheers.
The initial "congested sound" or "haziness" and so on clear up greatly after long burn in.
It is a long burn in but once you get there everything clears up so much it's a different iem compared to straight out of the box. You should really give them another shot.
Cheers.
FYLegend
Thanks for the reply. I've given these over a month of use already and they aren't as congested or hazy as they used to be, but I think in the end it still boils down to personal taste - I just think there's something lacking about the texture of the mids and treble over what I'm accustomed to. If I do see a change some time I will update this review.
Jeff Y
True, if there are people who like the sound of T-Peos and such other IEMs, I would also say that these Pistons relatively lack a little sparkle or the texture. I thought they were fine but I don't have experience at this price range except for these so maybe I should try some more 
Cheers.
Cheers.
I bought this speaker at Target before it closed, getting a decent discount (it was on sale plus I got a coupon for it). I wanted something more convenient for listening to music while studying, as using headphones can be a bit distracting and tedious to put on and off.
Design
The Charge 2 looks a bit like a giant soda can or battery (that's what it is), the build quality of the speaker itself is quite durable. Unfortunately there is no carrying case and the bass radiators appear vulnerable. The speaker is also rather prone to rolling around. The rubber ring on one side of the speaker is vulnerable to coming off, but I could just glue it back.
Battery life is excellent (I get around 10-12 hours) and it can also be used as a 6000 mAh power bank. (I haven't used it often enough to give a good impression though) You can also use the speaker wired (you will need to buy an auxiliary cable yourself), but it still uses the battery and can't be charged by USB fast enough to work continuously.
Sound
These have a bassy yet mid-forward sound, and can be quite loud for a small room. The sub-bass is quite powerful, though it is sometimes a bit "bouncy" and seems rolled off at the very lowest region. One problem I have noticed is sometimes the sub-bass seems to fade or mute out - this is noticeable in some tracks where it is relatively low. A good example of this is Daft Punk's Doin' It Right, when the synth comes in during the middle of the song - the sub-bass should be there but instead it fades out relatively quickly. The mids are quite forward and sound very crisp and refined- something I did not expect with a bluetooth speaker like this. Therefore, vocals sound excellent with the Charge 2. The highs are a bit splashy and thick, but not sibilant. Stereo separation is present but quite narrow, though given the size and portability of these speakers, that's to be expected. Unfortunately the Charge 2 can't be paired with a second unit for better stereo like the UE Boom.
Overall the Charge 2 has a fun, bassy sound signature that still works great with vocals. It is quite versatile but shines the most with more upbeat tracks.
The UE Boom is the closest competitor I can think of. I don't own it or have head it enough to give a good impression, but trying it out at the Apple Store and listening to some demo videos online (which compared it to the Charge 2), it seems to be lacking in bass and has a more treble-forward sound. The advantages it has over the Charge 2 are that it is louder, splashproof and can be paired with a second unit for wider stereo. The JBL Charge 2+, which was released last month, is splashproof.
Potential issues
Unfortunately, one issue to look out for with the Charge 2 is sound distortion at low volumes. There's a tad bit of buzzing sound and the highs sound distorted. Some reviewers have noted it is especially bad in early units of the Charge 2 and later users claimed that this was rectified to some extent. Later units have volume buttons that are synchronized to that of a connected iOS device (no difference on Android or other devices). I can confirm I have the later version. On my laptop I notice a bit of DSP distortion even at higher volumes, but it isn't as present when I use my phone or iPad (both fine at mid to high volumes), so I believe it may also depend on the device hardware and/or software. Another downside is that after a long period of silence, the Charge 2 sometimes doesn't play the first second or so of music - you need to keep it constantly "active". It also seems to lag a split-second after prolonged use on my laptop.
Final impressions
For a mid-100$ Bluetooth speaker, the Charge 2 is well-built speaker that has a relatively versatile sound signature. However, a few potential issues, such as the DSP distortion could be dealbreakers.
UPDATE: Sadly, the microUSB port broke in about a year and a half from purchase. Unless I bend the cable slightly and let it stay in that position, the device can't charge. As this problem has been reported in the original JBL Charge and Flip series it suggests they did not address the problem. For this I am taking off half a star...
Design
The Charge 2 looks a bit like a giant soda can or battery (that's what it is), the build quality of the speaker itself is quite durable. Unfortunately there is no carrying case and the bass radiators appear vulnerable. The speaker is also rather prone to rolling around. The rubber ring on one side of the speaker is vulnerable to coming off, but I could just glue it back.
Battery life is excellent (I get around 10-12 hours) and it can also be used as a 6000 mAh power bank. (I haven't used it often enough to give a good impression though) You can also use the speaker wired (you will need to buy an auxiliary cable yourself), but it still uses the battery and can't be charged by USB fast enough to work continuously.
Sound
These have a bassy yet mid-forward sound, and can be quite loud for a small room. The sub-bass is quite powerful, though it is sometimes a bit "bouncy" and seems rolled off at the very lowest region. One problem I have noticed is sometimes the sub-bass seems to fade or mute out - this is noticeable in some tracks where it is relatively low. A good example of this is Daft Punk's Doin' It Right, when the synth comes in during the middle of the song - the sub-bass should be there but instead it fades out relatively quickly. The mids are quite forward and sound very crisp and refined- something I did not expect with a bluetooth speaker like this. Therefore, vocals sound excellent with the Charge 2. The highs are a bit splashy and thick, but not sibilant. Stereo separation is present but quite narrow, though given the size and portability of these speakers, that's to be expected. Unfortunately the Charge 2 can't be paired with a second unit for better stereo like the UE Boom.
Overall the Charge 2 has a fun, bassy sound signature that still works great with vocals. It is quite versatile but shines the most with more upbeat tracks.
The UE Boom is the closest competitor I can think of. I don't own it or have head it enough to give a good impression, but trying it out at the Apple Store and listening to some demo videos online (which compared it to the Charge 2), it seems to be lacking in bass and has a more treble-forward sound. The advantages it has over the Charge 2 are that it is louder, splashproof and can be paired with a second unit for wider stereo. The JBL Charge 2+, which was released last month, is splashproof.
Potential issues
Unfortunately, one issue to look out for with the Charge 2 is sound distortion at low volumes. There's a tad bit of buzzing sound and the highs sound distorted. Some reviewers have noted it is especially bad in early units of the Charge 2 and later users claimed that this was rectified to some extent. Later units have volume buttons that are synchronized to that of a connected iOS device (no difference on Android or other devices). I can confirm I have the later version. On my laptop I notice a bit of DSP distortion even at higher volumes, but it isn't as present when I use my phone or iPad (both fine at mid to high volumes), so I believe it may also depend on the device hardware and/or software. Another downside is that after a long period of silence, the Charge 2 sometimes doesn't play the first second or so of music - you need to keep it constantly "active". It also seems to lag a split-second after prolonged use on my laptop.
Final impressions
For a mid-100$ Bluetooth speaker, the Charge 2 is well-built speaker that has a relatively versatile sound signature. However, a few potential issues, such as the DSP distortion could be dealbreakers.
UPDATE: Sadly, the microUSB port broke in about a year and a half from purchase. Unless I bend the cable slightly and let it stay in that position, the device can't charge. As this problem has been reported in the original JBL Charge and Flip series it suggests they did not address the problem. For this I am taking off half a star...
FYLegend
Thanks for the reply unfortunately I have 1.3.8. Will need to check where I can turn it in here (around Vancouver, Canada). Some users are saying not every JBL location knows about the firmware situation etc.
FYLegend
UPDATE: Sadly, the microUSB port broke in about a year and a half from purchase. Unless I bend the cable slightly and let it stay in that position, the device can't charge. As this problem has been reported in the original JBL Charge and Flip series it suggests they did not address the problem. For this I am taking off half a star...
Uberclocked
Gratz on front page!
rontant
This one is known as HTC Max300. A newer version is Max301 but I don't know if there is any improvement in the build quality. I agree with you that the separation and sound stage are excellent. I love the isolation and do notice the suction pop sound each time I pulled them out from my ears. It is very light and totally "disappear" in my ears. Yes, the cable microphonic is there but not as bad as Sony MH1. I don't find the bass bloated though maybe I am a bass head.
FYLegend
Thanks for the reply, how does their sound compare with the MH1?
rontant
MH1 is much darker compared to Max300. I personally prefer warmer sound, so Max300 is no doubt my preferred choice over MH1. Max300 also has the cable microphonic issue but it is not as bad as in MH1. By the way, MH1 also have some sibilance issue so I find MH1 very difficult to love.
ianeith
The review has it nailed, however.
ianeith
Have you guys tried switching to bigger tips? I find the bass is reliant upon the correct fit. With the right fit these sound great for the price.
Some hi-res "Fleetwood Mac-Rumours" from an Audioengine D1 putting out to an Audio Technica AT-HA22TUBE desktop amp, and these sound fantastically close (under the same setup) to other ubiquitously-lauded IEM models such as the Zero Audio Carbo Tenore, which costs approximately four times the price.
Some hi-res "Fleetwood Mac-Rumours" from an Audioengine D1 putting out to an Audio Technica AT-HA22TUBE desktop amp, and these sound fantastically close (under the same setup) to other ubiquitously-lauded IEM models such as the Zero Audio Carbo Tenore, which costs approximately four times the price.
FYLegend
I agree they are not terrible, perhaps I was a bit too harsh in the review (needs a bit of an overhaul), as it was largely based on them in the first few months without modding or different tips; the cable is more put-off than the sound. I loved the styling (reminds me of Sennheiser's recent CX and Momentum in-ears). They have quite a bit of sub-bass after burn in and the filter-foam mod I described above. I don't usually mind slightly recessed mids (like the M50) but I thought these were a bit muddy in the mids and mid-bass. The treble is very clean and not sibilant. In the end they sound like the M50, but a bit more muddy and less extension in the highs. The IM70 has a much more "lush" sound but unfortunately mine seems a bit broken. (right housing doesn't sound as punchy as the left)
Phillips SHE3590 tips isolate a lot better than the stock tips, to the point they "suck" on your ears a bit (they are completely enclosed).
Phillips SHE3590 tips isolate a lot better than the stock tips, to the point they "suck" on your ears a bit (they are completely enclosed).
buestad
I have had these headphones for some time, and I don't feel that they are hard to fit in my ears. I use the standard tips and they work just fine. I was concerned about this before buying them because of some reviews, but it was no problem. I would say that they work the best if you sit still, since if the cable bumps into your jacket, or something, a bump sound resonates into your ears and that's quite annoying. For running they are useless!
I have used them on long flights (ex. Amsterdam-Singapore) and after many hours, my ears got a bit sore, so I would rather recommend them for shorter commutes.
The noise isolation I find quite good, and the sound quality is in my opinion is also really good for these small headphones.
I have used them on long flights (ex. Amsterdam-Singapore) and after many hours, my ears got a bit sore, so I would rather recommend them for shorter commutes.
The noise isolation I find quite good, and the sound quality is in my opinion is also really good for these small headphones.
FYLegend
the tips fit fine but if they move slightly off in my ears (if I yawn or something and my ears twitch) the bass goes away, and amount of sibilance with the standard-style tips is a problem. With biflanges the sibilance is almost gone and it brings out the warmth of the mids, but they don't isolate as well and your ears REALLY get sore from them.
But understandeable we each have our own views that differ on things , and evolve with time.