Mark Levinson is a luxury audio brand founded in 1972 by Mark Levinson, a musician, audio engineer, audio equipment designer, and entrepreneur. He left the company in 1984 and since then the company has changed ownership several times. Now, Mark Levinson brand is owned by Harman, a subsidiary of Samsung. The product range covers pre-amplifiers, amplifiers, turntables, streaming CD players, car audio systems. The № 5909 is the brand’s first headphones product and proudly exhibits the same characteristics of their line of products. It is all about clarity. I received this loan unit from Clarity Audio Singapore and spent 2 weeks testing it out.

Features​

I would want to jump straight into talking about the audio quality itself, because that is the most exciting thing about the No.5909. Yes, it is a wireless over-ear headphones with active noise cancelling and awareness modes. It also supports wireless Hi-Res LDAC codec (as well as aptX and AAC), passive wired analog 3.5mm input, wired digital USB input up to 24-bit 96kHz. These technical capabilities are above average compared to majority of premium headphones, and only a handful of headphones can match the functionality, like the Shure AONIC 50.



The thick deep ear cushions envelop the entire ears to passively keep noise out and large enough to keep my ears cosy and comfortable. The clamping force is also sufficient without wear fatigue. The No.5909 can provide 34 hours playback time or 30 hours with ANC. It comes with a hard case, airplane adapter, 6.3mm adapter, USB-C to USB-A adapter, USB-C cable (for charging and digital audio), two 3.5mm cables (1.25m and 4m length). On the left earcup, there are two buttons – one for power and the other for ANC. On the right, there is the volume rocker and play-pause button in the middle. The buttons are well-spaced and I do not have issues accessing them for the necessary controls. There is an option to auto-pause when the headphones are removed from the ears, but this can be disabled from the smartphone app.

Audio Quality​

Mark Levinson prides itself in optimising the No. 5909 headphones to the Harman Curve. To the uninitiated, the Harman target curve is researched to be the ultimate sound signature that most users prefer when listening to headphones. The tuning for headphones is different from speakers due to the human anatomy: on headphones, the audio is fed directly to the ears, while audio from speakers interact with the entire body. Simply-put, a flat frequency response will not sound good on headphones compared to speakers. Research also indicates that about 15% of the listeners prefer more bass while 21% prefer lesser bass. So on the smartphone app, you can select the bass contour, but there is no option for EQ across the frequency range.



I always review products without put too much credit or emphasis on the technology or hardware, because consumers are outcome-oriented. You can throw in all the best materials and R&D but it would not mean anything if consumers do not like what they experience. I, for one, do not worship the Harman curve, although it is supposed to be the “reference” tuning. But people needs a reference point, and for that, I do not deny the benefits of creating a “standard”. Still, a frequency curve does not reflect the sound quality of headphones. Simply put, even if two headphones attain identical frequency curve, they might not sound the same, because the frequency curve does not measure how the sound is presented, like the sound staging, instrument separation, dynamics.



Harman curve or not, the Mark Levinson No.5909 is simply an outstanding headphones purely from the audio quality perspective. The bass is so clean and not bloated that you hear them instead of feel them. The treble is also not overcooked, offering comfortable space in between the various instruments. The sound is presented in a frontal spatial headspace that delivers utmost details within each instrumental channel without encroaching another. Ask your ears what instrument you want to listen to, and you will be able to pick it up. Most headphones would require your ears to be more trained to pick up details because of distractions from other instruments like bass and other instrumental harmonics. The No.5909 takes all these distractions away so you can pick up even subtle timbre.



Switching between other headphones like the Sennheiser HD 800S, I come to realise a trade-off to achieve the musical precision on the No.5909. It is relatively shy of warmth and tame in harmonics, the sound is clinically detached, lacking in emotional connection (“It’s not personal, it’s business.”). This can be somewhat compensated by turning up the volume which elevates the lower frequencies presentation while maintaining composure at the upper frequencies without hurting the ears.

I also compared with the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2, which is rather close in terms of the treble brightness. For casual laid-back listening experience, the M50 is equally gratifying in offering treble sparkles. Relative to the No.5909, the M50 sounds more cluttered and clouded. The same softer instruments are obscured by the louder instruments and the booming bass. Try as I might to adjust the EQ, I cannot achieve the same layering clarity that No.5909 offers. However, from an overall audio presentation, the M50 is more energetic and exciting. Switching to the Shure AONIC 50, the vocals are more warmth and intimate, bass has more beef, instruments are more forthcoming, while achieving the treble shimmer. Yet, the instrumental distinction is still not a match.

Despite the coldness of reality, I really love how the No.5909 brings out music in a precise fashion, making muddy tracks sound sparkling and rejuvenated. You will not be wowed by the energy, but more on the aural distinction to let you appreciate every musical element. The No.5909 will be exceedingly helpful if you want to transcribe music parts. Needless to say, the No.5909 is excellent for listening Classical, Jazz, and all audiophile-grade productions with meticulous arrangements. Bass-heavy genres like EDM, hip-hop turns out too academic for bass heads, and for that, you should consider Sony WH-XB910N.

• Bass: 6.5/10. Detailed, musical, disciplined, lacks extension and excitement.
• Midrange: 6.8/10. Detailed, clinical, lacks warmth and overtones.
• Treble: 8.8/10. Outshines with clarity, definition, dynamics, resolution

Connectivity​

There are three connection methods – Bluetooth wireless, 3.5mm analog wired, USB digital wired. Switching among the different audio modes have little difference in the sound tuning. If your DAC is premium, you might extract better audio resolution over analog wired, but the digital USB connection is very convenient to plug to Android smartphones where most no longer support 3.5mm connection, though I find the volume not loud enough on the Google Pixel 4XL. Connecting via digital wire also charges the headphones, but you cannot use the headphone mic for voice calls.

ANC, Awareness, Call Quality​

Mark Levinson No.5909 comes with three ANC modes – High, Low, and Adaptive. They do fine in reducing airplane noises and urban traffic but could not keep out the upper frequencies. The Awareness mode comes with two options – Voice Pass and Ambient. The Voice Pass makes voice more prominent while Ambient enables general sound to be heard. Overall, the Awareness modes still do not let you hear the surrounding in utmost clarity, once music is played, it would drown most ambient sound like fan, and you can only hear loud sudden noises, or keyboard clatter.



Mic pick-up is loud and clear. During calls, the Awareness mode is enabled to ensure you can hear yourself and prevent raising your voice excessively. There is no option to toggle the ANC mode.

Verdict​

For a pair of premium audio headphones to price at S$1499, the Mark Levinson No.5909 is actually not too exorbitant compared with other audiophile headphones like the Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 3 (also S$1499) or Sennheiser IE900 (S$1999). What makes it seem “expensive” is the association to “wireless headphones”, which makes people question why a wireless headphones cost so much.

The treble brilliance is nothing new in the world of audio. What is impressive on the Mark Levinson No.5909 is the ability for the headphones to deliver sonic distinction among the instruments and give them the space that they deserve. It is not often that I come across such musical qualities on a pair of wireless headphones, so at this moment, the No.5909 is a class of its own.

Technics was late in the game on the true wireless earbuds, but it came in with a bang. The Technics AZ70 launched in late 2020 has almost everything in the package: active noise cancelling, ambient sound, adjustable EQ, smartphone app. This year, Technics took no chances and followed up with new TWS models – the AZ60 with ANC and the entry-level AZ40 without ANC. Panasonic Singapore reached out to me to try out the AZ60 few weeks before its retail launch in Singapore. At S$379, it is S$20 cheaper than the AZ70 launch price (now available at a much lower price if you can find one).



After getting response from their debut TWS, the AZ60 delivers improvements in all aspects to make it more desirable and competitive against the incumbents.

• Dual Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling with adjustable levels
• Ambient Sound with adjustable levels
• Attention Mode increases human voice clarity
• EQ that can be adjusted directly in the earbuds
• Multipoint Pairing (LDAC disabled)
• Manage earbuds with Smartphone App
• 8mm Biocellulose drivers
• JustMyVoice (TM) technology with adjustable noise-reduction
• 8 MEMS mics to deliver all the noise cancellation, ambient sound and voice processing features
• IPX4 water rating
• LDAC audio codec, Hi-Res Wireless Audio certified
• Supports Google Fast Pair
• 7 hours (ANC on), 24 hours with case (ANC on)

Comparing AZ60 and AZ70​

After enjoying the AZ70 for a year, I have similar expectations on the AZ60. From the list above, the technical improvements are obvious, and I have little doubt after comparing both models that the AZ60 is a better product overall – except for one arguable yet critical feature.

First, the charging case is smaller and more compact, albeit in plastic, which is not a deal-breaker. Most of the TWS cradles are plastic.




Second, the earbuds are slimmer and more ergonomically designed, achieving a more comfortable fit. The eartips come in 7 sizes, including 2 variants on XS, to cater to people with smaller ear canals. The ear tips have a foam insert, which I believe is part of the acoustic design.



The AZ60 is slimmer, shaped for more comfortable fit in-ears.

Improved Features​

Getting the Technics AZ60 to work with your Android devices are simple via Google Fast Pair. Without doing anything, the smartphone will prompt that the AZ60 is nearby and offers to connect it. If your device does not support Fast Pair, enable pairing mode by pressing the AZ60 left or right touch controls for 7 seconds.

I also like the re-designed Technics Audio Connect smartphone app, which accesses the earbuds for plenty of customisation as well as firmware updates. As you can see in the screenshots, you can customise the touch sensor, turn on-off Bluetooth blinking LED, define auto-off timer, adjust ambient sound and ANC levels, adjust EQ.



The LDAC audio codec will make a difference in the audio quality if you are very particular with that. You also need to have a good audio source. I tested with the Huawei P30 Pro and it could not stream smoothly at high-quality mode. I had to downgrade to “stability” mode. I faced no issues when pairing the AZ60 with LG V30+, and the overall audio presentation is also less compressed. Note that the LDAC is not enabled by default: from the smartphone app, go to “Connection Mode” to enable “LDAC for Headphones”.



Another popular feature found in recent wireless headphones is the Multipoint Pairing. This allows the headphones to be connected to multiple devices simultaneously and switch to either active devices when needed. To enable Multipoint pairing, LDAC has to be disabled.

One other feature is the ability to use the AZ60 with a single earbud. The audio will be switched to mono (two channels down-mixed into one). When the other earbud is removed from the charging case, the audio reverts to stereo.

Mic Noise Reduction Really Works​

One key feature that Technics has been shouting with their new TWS is the JustMyVoice (TM) technology, which is essential picking up your voice against the background noise that many other earbuds claim they can do well. As what I have mentioned in all my previous reviews, I do not care the technology jargon, as long as it works. Technics is so confident about this technology that they even provided a test page to let you compare the difference.



I am quite impressed with the demo, so I went further to take the test to real life situation. I tested the AZ60, AZ70, Sennheiser CX Plus and Sennheiser MTW2 at a food centre during the peak hours. Take a listen at this YouTube clip.


Besides this, I have conducted several other scenarios like walking, in-car with windows wound down. The AZ60 really can detect my voice and suppress all noise when I am not talking at all. But as you have heard in the video, it is still not as super clear as when you are in a quiet environment. It still sounds muffled, but at least you can have a decent conversation at a noisy location.

ANC and Ambient Sound​

When you first start the smartphone app, it will ask you to optimise the noise cancellation. This feature is not commonly offered, and the other brand that has this is the Jabra Elite TWS series. What I find is that the most effective level is at about 65-75%. Anything higher, I would hear some hissing noise. Once this is tuned, you can then adjust the intensity of the ANC from the main page.



After doing some close comparison, I have to say that the ANC level is on par with the AZ70, maybe just a little bit better, but I would not say it’s noticeable. The ANC is good enough to be one of the top, surpassing the Sennheiser, but Sony is still the king thanks to its ability to suppress upper frequency even more.

With the Ambient Sound, I can hear a difference between the 2 models. The AZ60 emphasizes more on the midrange frequency, making the sound a little veiled and probably more natural, while the AZ70 sounds more open, detailed and more hiss.



The AZ60 has a new feature not available on AZ70, and that is the “Attention” Ambient mode. Clearly taking a leaf from their national competitor, Sony, this mode pauses the audio and emphasizes the vocal frequency while reducing the lower ambient sound. It works if you really just want to be aware of people and voices, for example, on public transport. Personally, I prefer the standard “Transparent” Ambient mode as I could faintly hear the ambient sound while enjoying music, making the AZ60 somewhat an open-back headphones.

Audio Quality​

The AZ60 uses a 8mm BioCellulose driver as opposed to the 10mm Graphene drivers on the AZ70. One of the first impressions I got from the AZ60 is the sound staging. The instruments are positioned wide with the bright upper frequencies resonating in a small room, while the bass is kept rather close. This gives good listening comfort to enjoy details, but the disadvantage is that there is a lack of stereo authenticity. The overall mix is more laid back than the AZ70 or the Sennheiser. Though the mid-bass is more prominent than AZ70, the midrange remains clean, hence the overall mix remains detailed and not too bloated. Vocals and solos sounds wider, percussions are more sparkly but mixed softer. On the other hand, the AZ70 engages the main instruments better, more transience, more timbre, more tight.

If I were to adjust the EQ on the AZ60 to make it sound closer to AZ70, this is how it would look like:



What I find is that the AZ70 is a way better earbuds for instrumentals and jazz, or genres that you would rather have upper midrange details than bass. I enjoy the vocal lines on the AZ70, above all other instrumentations. I must admit though, that the AZ60 is tuned to be less “imperfect” in the eyes of the consumers. See, there is more bass, but not excessive, and it has clearer treble without overwhelming the senses. The AZ60 sounds less pushy and forward, which encourages you to turn up the volume, resulting in a more immersive sound across the frequencies.

When compared to the Sennheiser MTW2, the Technics AZ60 bass is less boomy, the treble is more blended into the mix. Sennheiser sounds more exciting with stronger bass, clearer treble. If your source has a stronger treble, it creates a balance to counter the beefy bass. So while Robert Len’s Fragile sounds too warm and muffled on MTW2, Daft Punk sounds more groovy than on AZ60.

• Bass: 8.2/10. Impact contained within the frequency range, keeping midrange clean.
• Midrange: 8.2/10. Spatial instrumental placement.
• Treble: 8.2/10. Sparkling performance with balanced mix.

Verdict​

The Technics AZ60 has once again caught up with the competition with a new true wireless release, plus an entry-level AZ40 to cover the market segment. Its focus on balanced audio quality for the discerning listener brings about a different acoustic tuning but I believe it is better suited for a wider audience. Due to this, the AZ70 still remains a relevant model and should continue to hold its value to audiophiles. Other than the acoustic tuning, everything about the AZ60 is better: lighter, more comfortable fit, relaxed but detailed mix, and a full suite of noise cancelling features to handle the noisy distractions in life.

After my last review of the SS V5 Opamps, Burson has sent over some more SS (Supreme Sound) discreet op-amps for my review. Operational amplifiers are specialised amplifiers that have high input impedance, low output impedance, high gain as well as large bandwidth. Op-amps are one of the options to upgrade your headphone amplifiers and alter the sound quality. Based on my review, they do make a difference, and it is up to your ears to pick up the subtleties.

All Burson Opamps have a lifetime guarantee. The 6th-gen V6 come with reverse power protection circuit to prevent damage if you insert the circuits the wrong way.




For this review, I will be do the following comparison:

1. SS Opamp V6 Vivid Dual (I/V Stage) + V6 Vivid Dual (LP Stage + Headamp Output Stage)
2. SS Opamp V6 Classic Dual (I/V Stage) + V6 Vivid Dual (LP Stage + Headamp Output Stage)
3. SS Opamp V6 Vivid Dual (I/V Stage) + V6 Classic Dual (LP Stage + Headamp Output Stage)

Burson V6 Vivid​

The V6 Vivid opamp is characterised to have great details and transparency. Swapping out from the V5, the V6 Vivid immediately makes the music less cluttered. Where the highs were slightly energetic on the V5, they sound more resolving on the V6 Vivid. The one thing that the V6 Vivid lacks is the meat at the lower frequency. If you needed more bass extension, then the V5 would work better, but between the two, I certainly enjoy the V6 Vivid a lot more, because of the improved sound staging and the sparkles at the highs without too harsh. Listening to jazz numbers like Hiromi “Player”, you get more of the bass and piano warmth filling the space, while the drums are positioned wide and almost behind the ears. On the V6 Vivid, the bass is less prominent, the piano is clearer, the drums are staged slightly more forward at the corners of my eyes.

Burson V6 Classic​

The V6 Classic is designed to have a more cozy sound staging and delivers slightly less transparent. But I also would not say they sound warm. For my review, since I only have one pair of V6 Classic, I could not fill up the entire Playmate with the opamps, so I mixed with V6 Vivid. For the current observation, the V6 Classic is used for the I/V Stage. Listening back to Hiromi “Player”, the recording is less spatial, more intimate, the piano sounds a bit more acoustic, while the pure V6 Vivid config tends to sound a bit too clinical. This definitely puts the V6 Classic as a better choice if your listening preference is towards a more authentic acoustic presentation.



Interestingly, the V6 Classic brings out a bit more instrumental texture that was not as obvious with the V6 Vivid. On Daft Punk “Give Life To Music”, the recording captures the crispy snap as the foot pedal hits the skin of the kick bass drum. Hence the V6 Classic does not entirely suppress the upper frequency, but merely re-presents them.

Indeed, I find the V5+V6 combination more balanced, bringing me closer to the recording while retaining the character and details of the instruments. The V6+V6 does have its charm with a more spatial sound staging that offers more breathing space. The instrumental details are more spaced out and layered, offering a little more laid back experience without sacrificing



The last thing I tried is to swap the V6 Classic to the Headamp Output Stage and move the V6 Vivid to the I/V Stage. Honestly, I thought this setup elevates the clarity somewhat towards the pure V6 Vivid setup while retaining the V6 Classic character. Regardless, if you have decided on this dual V6 Classic+Vivid setup, you can swap yourself to see which one you prefer.

All the above hearing analysis is done using the Sennheiser HD 800 S Anniversary Edition.

Verdict​

When you compare products, you will pick up the difference and might detect the weakness in your current setup. Sometimes, I myself was surprised at the sonic improvements that audio equipment could bring to reference tracks that I have listened for decades.

The V5 would be a good opamps if you like to have a bit more bass and bite at the treble. The V6 Vivids are excellent for listeners who love more imaging and transparency. The V6 Classic brings instruments closer as well as picking up finer texture with slightly more acoustic feel, not too exaggerated highs.

Technics is back in the audio game! Known mostly for their amplifiers and turntables in recent years, Technics spared no expense on the AZ70 to offer an almost complete set of true-wireless features that out-match the incumbents Sony and Sennheiser. Thanks to Panasonic Singapore for sending over this complimentary unit for my unaudited review.

Here is the list of what it offers:

• Active Noise Cancelling with adjustable levels
• Ambient Sound with adjustable levels
• EQ that can be adjusted directly in the earbuds
• Manage earbuds with Smartphone App
• 10mm Graphene-coated PEEK diaphragm drivers
• Left-Right Independent Signalling System
• MEMS mic for clarity and labyrinth cabinet structure to suppress wind noise
• IPX4 water rating
• 6.5 hours (ANC on), 19.5 hours with case (ANC on)

Hybrid Noise Cancelling
Technics AZ70 implements dual hybrid noise cancelling, using feedforward and feedback system. The ANC can be customised by selecting the desired level on the app which instantly updates the earbuds, but the maximum level does not equate to highest cancellation. Interestingly, setting the middle level is the best for me. At the lower level, the ANC removes low frequencies while revealing more ambient air. At the max level, I could hear more high-frequency ambient hisses. The best is to try yourself and adjust the level to suit your preference, as some people might not like the stuffed-up feeling.



Compared to Sony WF-1000XM3, the Technics AZ70 is pretty much on par, although the WF-1000XM3 seems to still take the lead in dulling the upper frequencies just a teeny bit more. What I do not like with the WF-1000XM3 is the earbud design, as it protrudes out of the ears and I need to really push it deep into the ear canals to get a better ANC. AZ70 has the advantage of allowing adjustments, so for consumers with air-pressure discomfort, the AZ70 offers the best solution.

Ambient Sound Mode
While consumers may be focused on ANC quality, to me the more important feature is the ambient sound. This is because it allows me to stay in touch with my surroundings, and at the same time makes music sound open.

Just like the ANC controls, I could finetune the Ambient Sound to mix with my audio. Even at max level, it does not sound over-amplified. The tuning is quite natural and provides a full spectrum of sound, including the lower frequency, just like when you are not wearing the earbuds. Comparatively, the Sony WF-1000XM3 thins out the lower frequency so it does not sound that natural. On the Sennheiser MTW2, the amplification is stronger so you hear more ambience.

Technics AZ70 compares with Sennheiser MTW2, Audio-Technica ATH-ANC300TW and Sony WF-1000XM3.

Another good thing about the AZ70 is that the frequency response between the ANC and Ambient Sound is quite similar. When the ANC is turned off, there is just a slight loss in sub-bass intensity.

Audio Quality
The Technics AZ70 is tuned differently from the rest of the true-wireless pack, which can be a good thing. What AZ70 delivers is a lot of the mid-treble vocal presence and clear highs without overcooking the sibilance. The tame bass with subtle sub-bass oomph also gives space for instrument texture to express themselves better. The AZ70 works great when listening to instrumental tracks: like Robert Len “Brasilia”, the solo is more forward and full while the bass and accompaniment, including percussion, are slightly recessed, though still achieving clarity. Acoustic piano tracks from Yiruma “Sunset Bird” sounds clean without the excessive overtones and harmonics. For vocal genres, the AZ70 sounds detailed as long as you do not expect strong bass performance.

When doing A/B comparison, the AZ70 might sound not as exciting as Sennheiser MTW2 due to the lean bass. Turning on the Bass Enhancer in the “Sound Enhancement” bumps the sub-bass slightly but still could not give the elevated impact. The 5-band EQ does not also dramatically alter the frequency response, which I suspect is purposely designed to prevent any unwarranted distortion. But if you yearn for a more bodied solo expression, the AZ70 offers that presentation a lot better, while the other MTW2 has more bass-bodied, sparkly-highs and thinner mids.

Comparing to Audio-Technica ATH-ANC300TW, the Technics AZ70 sounds clearer without too pushy at the treble while the lower bass gets a little more rumble. The former has a little more energy at the upper midrange, so instrumental tracks offer more body comparatively.



Verdict
Technics has offered their first true-wireless earbuds complete with adjustable ANC, Ambient Sound levels as well as EQ customisation. The AZ70 sound tuning highlights the treble favourably without harshness and sibilance, keeping it clean yet not too thin nor too muddy, supported by natural bass with a little rumble at the lower end. The AZ70 differentiates its sound from the rest of the true-wireless ANCs in the market, delivering a relaxed sound with spotlight on the solo performer.

After completing the review of the Shure Aonic 5, I now move on to provide my detailed impressions on the Aonic 4. This is Shure’s first earphone that uses dual-driver hybrid setup – a balanced armature and a dynamic driver. This combination usually achieves good balance of bass and high frequency detail, allowing the earphone to produce a wider frequency range.



Unboxing
The Shure Aonic 4 is packed with so much variety of ear tips – Shure calls them “sleeves”. From the standard silicone (grey) to black conforming foam and even a triple-flange silicon as well as Shure’s iconic yellow foam. As I mentioned in the Aonic 5 review, the ear tips play a very important role in altering the audio balancing.

Just like the Aonic 5, the Aonic 4 comes with carrying case and detachable MMCX cable with in-line remote that supports both Android and iOS smartphones.

These earbuds achieve excellent noise isolation. In a noisy food court, I can enjoy music details without the need for digital noise cancellation which technically compromises audio authenticity.

Comparing AONIC 4 and AONIC 5.

Audio Quality
The Aonic 4 fills the ears with an immersive cohesive sound staging which allows lots of music details to be heard comfortably. Bass impact is felt more readily yet it’s not too pushy, treble clarity is blended into the mix and does not take over-prominence, yet achieves satisfying detail. Saxophone solos sound smooth and full, not too artificially bright. I am very comfortable listening tracks predominantly treble-biased on Aonic 4, for instance, Yanni Live At The Acropolis. For bass-heavy tracks like Billie Eilish “Bad Guy”, the bass is full and moderately kicky yet it does not overpower the vocals. For Sam Smith “Pray”, the vocals are so balanced with the accompaniment that I actually hear more of the instruments than just shouty chorus.

The Aonic 4 tuning is something that I rarely come across. When I compared it with my previous wired favourites, the Aonic 4 clearly outshines them. Yes, the Klipsch X12i offers more prominent details on certain instruments while retaining neutrality. Yes, the Creative Aurvana Trio delivers better bass experience and vocal sparkles. But the Aonic 4 delivers amazing balance and overall musical details where I could hear more readily across the board without cluttering nor getting drowned by any frequency. The musicality is achieved by spreading the instrumentation yet not too disjointed or distanced with one another.

If you think my description of Aonic 4 seems to make it seems so desirable, wait till you try the Aonic 5. Well, when it comes to casual enjoyment, I am happy to recommend many other earphones without guilt because they do deliver great impressions and fun to listen to. What the Aonic 5 betters the Aonic 4 is producing more midrange details, achieving even more balance, and delivering even more body across the frequency. Bass is fuller yet clean, treble is warmer yet clear without any mess or bloat. That is, once you fix the sibilance issue (which I have).

Still, what strikes me on the Aonic 4 is that it is easier to be enjoyed. There is no need to go through nozzle swapping or ear tip rolling to get the desired comfortable sound. On the Aonic 4, be it silicone tip or foam tip, there is no sibilance issue. A casual listener picking up the Aonic 4 would describe the sound as “full bass, clear controlled treble, good overall details”.



Verdict
The Shure Aonic 4 and Aonic 5 are my top favourites for wired earphones at the moment. The triple balanced armature drivers on the Aonic 5 provides a fuller-bodied sound that completes the audio experience, while the Aonic 4 is easier to enjoy across genres. It may seem that there are many other earphones with hybrid drivers that retails at lower prices, but the secret is in the sauce. Too often have audio makers succumb to “bright treble, strong bass” tuning that degenerate the current decade of personal audio listeners who only wants impact (bass) and clarity (vocals). All the craft that puts into the musical arrangements do not get appreciated if headphones and earphones do not produce a well-balanced sound.

Technically speaking, the Aonic 5 delivers better balanced sonic details than Aonic 4, but for my enjoyment, I am very satisfied with Aonic 4. For consumers who are looking to improve their listening experience, they should try the Aonic 4 or Aonic 5 to hear more music from their existing collection. I’m sure there are other better earphones that deliver even more detailed musicality, and the Shure Aonic series is a good start to re-train your ears.

Shure has joined the bandwagon to offer their premium wireless headphones. The AONIC 50 is the over-ear headphones model and Shure has thrown in every feature that can possibly be made available on the latest wireless headphones. It is less expensive compared to Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose Headphone 700 but its audio features and quality surpasses both.



Unboxing

The packaging is unique and certainly the largest I have unboxed for consumer headphones. Audiophile-grade wired headphones are typically big, but because those are not designed to be portable. The Aonic 50 seems to be unabashed by the sheer size and took it in its stride.



The Shure Aonic 50 has everything that a latest wireless headphone could have. Here is the list of features that gets the tick:

• Active Noise Cancelling with 2 modes – normal and max
• Environment Mode, a.k.a. ambient sound, with 10 adjustment levels
• Supports LDAC, aptX HD, aptX LL, aptX, AAC, SBC
• Supports High-Resolution USB digital audio
• Supports direct analog audio cable passthrough without power
• Supports Bluetooth multi-point, connects to 2 devices at the same time
• Comes with smartphone app to adjust EQ, personalise settings, update firmware

Design and Features
You can easily tell that the Aonic 50 is a premium-built headphones, with leather and metal details all over. The outer headband is thick natural leather with sewn thread around the sides, while the inner headband is soft leather. The retractable band uses thick matt-finished aluminium, and the removable earpads feel very comfortable even for people wearing glasses.



The earpads are made of leatherette on the exterior and fabric lined within, and the circumference is large so it barely touches my ears. I believe these combination of factors contribute to the comfort I have experienced when wearing them. It achieves a good balance of isolation and comfort. I can wear them whole day at home with normal airflow without aircon.



The buttons and switches are located on the right earpad. They are flushed against the earcups but I can still manage to find them thanks to the protruding multi-function button which guides me. Tapping the power button twice will read out the battery level.



One disappointment would be that the headphones do not fold compactly. I guess Shure prefers to create a solid frame headphones like Bose did on their Headphones 700. The Aonic 50 earcups turn 90-degrees inwards and the pivot joints are uncharacteristically stiff. Other headphones like Sony WH-1000XM3 and Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC have joints that swing loosely, which is good when you want to fold and pack very quickly. The Aonic 50 requires force to twist the joins to fold flat.



Indeed, the Aonic 50 traveling case is huge compared to even the Bose 700, which despite non-foldable is at least optimised in size.

Carrying case size comparison: Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC, Bose HP 700, and Shure Aonic 50

But being large as its advantages. The generous earcups offer excellent comfort and I do not feel compromised. The Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC is less comfortable as the earpads are thinner, while the Bose HP700 is just right for my ears. It’s quite clear that Aonic 50 is not designed to be travel-friendly, but if you have the luxury of space, it can be part of your entourage.


Comparing Bose HP 700, Shure Aonic 50, Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC

ANC Quality
I compared the Aonic 50 with the Sony WH-1000XM4, Bose Headphones 700, the Master & Dynamic MW65 and the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC, and the Aonic 50 is the weakest among them. The Aonic 50 does not provide the same intense noise-cancelling experience as the leaders. I tried it on the underground train and while it does remove the bulk of the low tunneling murmurs, the upper frequency retains the presence. Noise cancelling on trains is a lot more challenging than on planes because there are so much happening across the audio frequency spectrum: the scratching tracks, the PA announcement, the rumbling tunnels, and the engine. So as a whole it does not provide a satisfying noise-killing experience.

The good thing is that the “cabin” pressure is not as prominent, yet the noise cancelling feat is sufficient to be useful in less demanding situations, like urban traffic, shopping mall chatter, smartphone speakers when seating next to your spouse.



As for Environment Mode, a.k.a. ambient sound, the Aonic 50 has audible white noise. The Bose Headphones 700 is most natural sounding in the implementation. I set the Aonic 50 to around Level 5 which I feel offers the representation of the ambient sound level. Note that once audio starts playing, the ambient effect is not obvious at all unless the noise is very loud, for instance vehicle horn or loud noises. Once the ambient level is set correctly, I feel the ambient sounds blend with the audio nicely and does not over-exaggerate, so I feel comfortable wearing them even without turning on the music. But, if you feel you need to up the sensitivity for a supersonic hearing experience, you can turn up to the max, and Aonic 50 lets you customise that preference.



One thing I like with the hardware ANC switch is that the changes are immediate. On most other ANC headphones, it takes a few seconds to switch from one mode to another, some even have annoying voice prompts. The ANC/Environment mode works with voice calls, so I can switch around without disrupting the call flow.

Audio Quality
Shure has over 90+ years of audio experience, the quality of which the Aonic 50 inherits. On the Aonic 50, Shure put emphasis on the musical details at the midrange and highs without excessive emphasis on the lows. It also sets a more “live” sound staging that is a little more space apart, not too cosy and “in-your-face”. All these factors contribute to the overall listenability of this headphones. It does not deliver the excitement that party goers need – no big bass, no pushy vocals. Yet, it offers great satisfaction in musicality and crisp.

On instrumental tracks, the bass support is adequate for warmth and fullness, while the treble is balanced and extended. The upper treble is unexaggerated yet clear. On pop tracks, the bass could not outshine the vocals and other instrumentation that occupy the upper frequency range, but the bass remains rooted to the cause to offer support. Other background instruments, while somewhat blended into the mix, are still obvious enough to be picked up for critical enjoyment, thanks to the pristine treble tuning and spatial placement.

To give you an idea of the differences with the other ANC headphones, from the most emphasis to the least:

• Bass: Sony WH-1000XM4, Master & Dynamic MW65, Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC, Bose HP 700, Aonic 50
• Treble: Aonic 50, Lagoon ANC, MW65, Bose HP 700

The best ANC Headphones in 2020

The above applies to ANC-off and Environment Mode. When ANC is on, the tuning changes, more kick at the bass, fuller midrange, and tighter treble, and overall volume is louder. I enjoy turning on the Aonic 50 with Environment Mode at home so that I can work peacefully with some awareness. It’s as good as wearing an open-back headphones, but better still, you can adjust the Environment level to suit your preference.

What’s even better is the ability to support high-resolution digital audio over USB-C. The sound quality is further improved with wires, as the dynamic range is more expanded, there is more headroom, less compression when listening to high-res tracks. On Windows OS, I can configure the audio setting up to 32-bit 384kHz sampling rate.

Another absolute plus point is the ability to listen to Aonic 50 without power. Passive audio can passthrough the 3.5mm cable. The sound quality remains details albeit a flatter tuning, which is a standard behaviour for most powered headphones.

Verdict
The Shure Aonic 50 can pretty much do everything I expect from a pair of premium wireless headphones. It supports all audio codecs, connects both wirelessly or wired, digital or analog, powered or passive. They are probably the most comfortable ANC headphones I have reviewed, although the drawback is its size. Its audio tuning is towards treble but they sound very clear, detailed and non-sibilant.



My favourite use case for the Aonic 50 is enabling Environment Mode and playing music at soft volume, so that I remain aware of what’s going on around the house. I would quickly turn on ANC when a noisy situation occurs – like when wifey blows dry her hair or when she is having an online meeting.

If you need better ANC features when traveling and taking public transport, then you have to go for Bose HP 700 or the new Sony WH-1000XM4. The latter is undeniably the most tech-loaded headphones in the market now (go read my review to find out why), but if your focus is on audio quality and versatility, I would recommend Aonic 50.

Months after I received the Burson Playmate and did a thorough review, Burson sent over two pairs of Supreme Sound (SS) V5 discrete opamps to review with the Playmate. By swapping opamps in existing DAC, audio signal is processed differently, resulting in an alteration of the sound quality.



Playmate supports 4 opamps, in dual configurations, at various stages of the signal chain. You can choose to change 2 opamps or 4 opamps, and they need to be replaced as a pair.



On its own, Burson Playmate is already sounding better than a lot of DACs. Now with the opamp rolling, you can tweak the Playmate sound to what you like. Burson Playmate encourages opamp rolling as you can simply pull out existing opamps from the circuit board connectors. Different opamps will bring out different character on your DAC.



The default opamp on the Burson Playmate is JRC5532D (NE5532). While these are relatively tiny, they are still made of discrete circuits instead of integrated circuits. Discrete circuits have major advantages of allowing manufacturer to handpick the best known components to assemble them together using premium soldering techniques, while integrated circuits may have to compromise in quality for the sake of size and cost.

Burson SS Opamp V5D compared with JRC5532D opamp

The major drawback of the SS Opamps are the size. Compared to other components in the circuit board, they are towering, so they might not fit portable DACs. But it’s not stopping hobbyists from modding their players just to get the best sound out of their investment.



And how does the V5 sound? The most obvious difference to me is that it sounds more transparent than with the default opamps. Depending on what headphones you use to listen, it could work for you or against you. On the Sennheiser HD650, the Playmate + V5 delivers improved transparency at the upper frequency, yet it still retains the signature warmth and smoothness. Instruments get an elegant lift at the highs without exaggerated. This combination seems to match somewhat with the Chord Mojo in the clarity. I also ran a comparison with the Sony ZX-507 which delivers a slightly elevated mid-bass to achieve more fullness, with clear and warm vocals. With the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro, the closed-back design lets me listen to far more details than the HD650. The mid-treble is more energetic and the bass is tighter. Between these 2 headphones, I prefer to listen with HD650 as it sounds more open and balanced with details and clarity, while the DT 1700 Pro can get a little too hot on the treble.

But the Playmate offers something that the others could not match: more details, enhanced with transparency and a more prominent sound staging. What it means is that I could hear the subtle room reverbs that the instruments produce, which makes the mix roomier and less cluttered. I am also picking up track details with better clarity, like the delayed echos that the sound engineer carefully mixed for Daft Punk “Get Lucky” somehow comes to my ears more willingly. Instruments like Nile Rodger’s guitar riffs are more distinct. On Classical music, the instrumental separation and clearer texture provide a more engaging listening enjoyment. This is not just a simple EQ tweak: the combination of the premium Burson Playmate amplifier unit with V5 opamp further enhances musical details when paired with capable headphones.



Verdict
For listeners with sharp ears, they can hear the difference, and thanks to Burson for the review samples, I can realize the difference. As the saying goes, you never know what you are missing until you experience it. I know that hardware plays a significant part in delivering audio quality, but the more important question is whether you can hear it and if it is worth paying for that improvement. This is why I do not pursue blindly to own the “best” audio equipment and accessories, but once a while I will experience the “extraordinary”.

Shure Singapore sent me the Aonic 3,4,5 for my reivew. I started with the Aonic 5, and it took me more than 2 weeks to get the right tuning for me using the sleeves (ear tips) and nozzles. As it is so customizable, I don’t know if my review is a good reflection of what you might experience, since you could mix and match various accessories in the package to get a completely different sound as what I am hearing.

The Shure Aonic 5 is driven by two woofers and one tweeter balanced armature drivers, which is the same setup as its predecessor, the Shure SE535 launched in 2010.



There are three ways to change the sound signature of the Aonic 5. First, there are nozzles that can be swapped, just like the Shure SE846. The pre-installed nozzle is the balanced sound, and the other two pairs stored in the metal capsule adjusts to either the bright sound or the warm sound. According to the manual, the nozzle adjusts about 2.5 dB up and down around the 1-8 kHz frequency.



Second, there are numerous sleeves or ear tips made of various materials, from the standard silicone to the black Comply Foam as well as the striking yellow foam tips. In case you are skeptical, different ear tips actually alter the sound, for better or for worse.



Finally, the cables are detachable from the earbuds connected with MMCX. And as we know, cable materials can alter the sound balancing. The included cable comes with in-line remote control and a switch to make it compatible with both Android and iPhones.

Audio Quality

The Aonic 5 carries the legacy of both SE535 and SE846, and all their audio characteristics focuses on midrange. In most consumer-tuned headphones, this part of the frequency is usually the most-neglected because they are not easy to control, and when done poorly, the headphones will sound muffled and bloated. To casual listeners, they want “clear treble” and “strong bass”, and most chart-topping genre songs are tuned for this.



The general sound signature of the Aonic 5 – using the neutral nozzle as a baseline – is a strong midrange presence, balanced bass, and expansive treble. Despite two woofer BA drivers, the bass impact is not massive at all, but very musical. A musical bass allows you to hear the instrumental fabric and not just a blast of subsonic rumbles, and on the Aonic 5, you can enjoy the bass tonality without overpowering the rest of the instrumental details. So for tracks like Sam Smith “Pray” or Billie Eilish “Bad Guy”, you get the deep bass thumping politely while occupying about 30% of the air, leaving the vocals and accompanying instruments room for presentation.

Moving up the frequency, the midrange delivers forthcoming details and fullness while carrying the weight of balancing between the bass and treble. I find that the Aonic 5 achieves an impressive balance. The music sounds more “real”, less “digital”. I can pick up the full extent of the musical notes being delivered for each instrument, from attack to decay. Every instrument plays a part in a song, and Aonic 5 helps bring their beauty out.

The treble on the Aonic 5 is the most tricky aspect. Using the default neutral nozzle and the pre-installed grey silicone ear tips, I am uncomfortable with the peaky sibilance occurring with aggressive vocals, saxophone, cymbals and hi-hats. And this is where changing the ear tips helps. I find that the black foam tips reduces the sibilance energy and make them slightly more controlled. The yellow foam tames the sibilance a little more and delivers a little more warmth, which I also like. I would switch between these two depending on my mood.



When I explored further with the various nozzles, I found my sweet spot with the warm nozzle (in black). It achieves an improved bass response while retaining the treble engagement without the uncomfortable sibilance. I was surprised the warm nozzle did not really darken the treble, but rather eases on the mid-treble pushiness while giving room for airiness. So in effect, the treble sounds cleaner and more transparent. But it still could not attain the transparency level of Shure KSE1200.

Sound staging wise, the Aonic 5 provides compact stereo imaging, in front of me and slight apart. The instruments are not spaced out wide but still achieves good separation. I could pick up instrumental details better than most other earphones despite the warm tuning. In fact, the Aonic 5 is a very sensitive pair earphones, and on some equipment, it is unforgiving in revealing floor noise and electrostatic interferences. On the Burson Playmate, the volume is already quite loud even below 10.

Verdict

With the right ear tips and the nozzle, the Shure Aonic 5 achieves an impressive musical balance across the audio spectrum. Most earphones are focused on making them sound “clear” and “boomy”. The Aonic 5 delivers instrumental details, achieves musical impact on all frequencies without compromising any. The bass fills without drowning the highs, the treble provides clarity without exaggeration, and the midrange holds them together with details, definition and expression. They are not easy to like, I have to admit, and treble energy took me a while to get it right, which fortunately I did. For casual listening, I would very much prefer a brighter clearer more transparent sound, which the Aonic 4 achieves better.

What I like about listening to Aonic 5 is that it gives equal prominence to all frequency ranges. It’s not about strong bass, nor about super clear treble. It’s about respecting the music.

Thanks for reading. If you like them, please visit musicphotolife.com for more reviews.

The Huawei Freebuds 3 is the first open-fit earphones with active noise cancelling. Despite its best efforts, it is extremely challenging to cancel noise with open-fit earphones. It works to a certain extent, and provides noise relief to consumers who totally cannot take the stuffed-up feeling of in-canal earbuds.



Then the Freebuds 3i comes along. Usually when smartphone manufacturers produce in-house audio products, they are usually not comparable to the audio specialist brands. Hence I am delightfully surprised that the Freebuds 3i delivers an overall excellent product that I would use it as my daily driver.


The audio quality is not audiophile-grade, but it does not sound poorly. What the consumer wants is “clear treble, strong bass”. And the Freebuds 3i has it. The bass is tangible without too overpowering. The treble is clear and bright, nicely balancing the bass. Midrange has sufficient details thanks to the controlled yet forthcoming bass, but not as full as neutral earbuds. The mid-treble like the crashing cymbals could sound a little harsh, an attempt to make the earbuds sound more presence, but not too harsh to make me reject them. I enjoy listening to them at lengths, but there’s more to why I like the Freebuds 3i besides audio quality.

I also find the audio codec processing not as good. Even though it supports SBC and AAC, I detect compression artifacts causing upper frequency to be slightly fuzzy. You will only hear it if you listen hard, so it doesn’t bother me much.

The Freebuds 3i is intuitive to use, quite similar to what Apple has done with the AirPods Pro. I won’t convince you that the Freebuds 3i is better than AirPods Pro, but at half the price, the Freebuds 3i is probably about 90% as good as AirPods Pro. And at 45% of the price.



Noise Cancellation and Awareness
Huawei did pretty well in this area. The ANC and Awareness (ambient mode) is not adjustable, but the quality is good. When riding on underground train, the Freebuds 3i takes away most sound, except for some fine high-pitched noises which would be covered by your music. The Awareness mode is also natural sounding, so much so that sometimes I could not tell if it’s on. In this mode, the earbuds do not exaggerate the ambient sound, which is good. It actually sounds like you are wearing an open-fit earbuds, so I think consumers who dislike feeling stuffed up might find the Freebuds 3i acceptable to use.

Critically speaking, the Sony WF-1000XM3 still does a better job in absolute noise cancellation, but I would bring out the Freebuds 3i anytime to use compared to the Sony buds, which is a lot more cumbersome to use.

Proximity Sensor
The Freebuds 3i has a sensor that detects whether the earbuds are in your ear or not. When it’s out of the ears, the noise cancellation and Awareness (ambient sound) mode will be disabled. At the same time, the music will auto-pause. When you place the earbuds back in your ears, the ANC features will resume, and with EMUI 10 devices, playback will auto-resume too.



Smart Mic For Voice Calls
The mic quality is one of the better ones I have reviewed in recent months. There is good volume and clarity, and does not sound too tinny. What I am impressed is that the active microphone will switch to the earbud that is on your ear. If both are on your ears, the Awareness mode will be enabled so that you can have a balanced conversation.



Custom Touch Controls
The touch controls can be changed from the AI Life smartphone app. Although the options are fixed, it works well for me. I opted to use touch-and-hold action for noise control (ANC, Awareness, Off) and double-tap for track changes – double-tap left earbud to go previous track, and double-tap right earbud to skip to next track. Volume controls are not supported. If I want to pause the track, I just remove one of the earbuds and audio will pause. To resume, I could double-tap and it somehow resumes playback – this is not documented.

Battery Indicator
It’s a small detail, but one that is so sensible. Most other earbuds uses either number of LED or blink patterns to communicate the remaining battery life. Huawei Freebuds 3i does that with the colour: green means full, yellow means half, red means low. It’s so unambiguous! No guesswork.



The Freebuds 3i are rated with 13.5 hours battery including case. It’s not a lot compared to other brands, but in an urban setting, you can charge it regularly.



Verdict
The Huawei Freebuds 3i is the best value noise cancelling true-wireless earbuds to buy. I like the intuitive functions using the proximity sensor to enable the noise cancelling, pause the audio, switch the active mic during calls



The Freebuds 3i is awesome value, delivers ANC very well for the price, and an excellent starter for consumers trying out noise cancelling earbuds.

Aukey is known for its portable power solutions like wall chargers, power banks, computer accessories. They also expanded into audio products like wireless speakers and wireless earphones, the latter falls under their sub-brand called Key Series, recognisable with their key-like logo. Here on review is the EP-T18NC True Wireless ANC Earbuds.

Unboxing and Operations
The T18NC round casing has a sliding door that disappears when opened. The earbuds is inspired by the AirPod Pro or Pamu Slide with an elongated mic extension and an oval-shaped ear tips, only bigger. And like the AirPods Pro, the T18NC feels very comfortable on my ears. The silicone-coated body offers better finger grip and does not slip off the fingers as easy as glossy surface earbuds. They are also IPX5 water rated.

Pairing T18NC
And just like AirPods, Bluetooth pairing is initiated from the charging case by pressing the button next to the USB-C port for 3 seconds. Interestingly, the earbuds automatically go into pairing mode when no devices were connected, without initiating from the case.

Touch Controls
Operating the earbuds is by touch controls. Tap once to play-pause, tap twice to go to next song. There is no way to go to previous track. To enable ANC, tap and hold the sensor. Double-beep means ANC is on, single long beep is ANC off.

Works as Individual Earbud
The moment the charging case door is slid open, the earbuds will establish connection with the device, even before removing the earbuds. Both earbuds can work independently, so you can use either earbud or both earbuds, and still enjoy audio seamlessly. However, when using one earbud, the audio does not switch to mono.

Battery Life
Each earbud delivers 7 hours listening time, with the casing adding another 17 hours. The case supports wireless charging or using USB-C. It’s one of the more bulky cases, but still manageable.

Aukey

Audio Quality
The T18NC delivers bright treble, slightly harsh and grainy, depending on the volume level you listen to. The bass is natural without too pushy, and after I switched to the largest eartips that provides a tighter seal, the bass is little more elevated which better matches the highs, though still insufficient. The midrange is subdued to give an overall clean sound that does not cloud the overall tonality. On top of that, the sound stage is quite wide, which somewhat makes the harsh treble a little more bearable.

ANC Quality
Comparing with the other ANC TWS earbuds that I have with me, the Sony WF-1000XM3 is still the best in eliminating ambient sound across the frequencies. Even though the upper frequency is still audible, it is at least attenuated. The AirPods Pro also kills sound better. The Huawei Freebuds 3 is the poorest, naturally, since it is an open-fit design. The T18NC is nevertheless effective in removing ambient noise in general, but the highs remain elusive, so much so that you end up hearing more highs than usual because the earbuds remove the rest of the sounds.

Many in-ear headphones already achieve passive noise cancellation, but at the expense of comfort, as the ear tips tend to be harder and thicker, and they put pressure against your ear canals to get the seal. The T18NC achieves better noise cancellation than most standard ear tips, but the high pitched sounds are audible, and normal earbuds removes them much better.



Call Quality
It’s not easy to find true-wireless earbuds with call quality that are comparable to wireless or wired. The T18NC does not deliver premium voice call details, as my callers said I sounded muffled (the loudness depends on how much I speak up). The mic picks up more of the low frequencies hence the voice tend to be more chesty.

Verdict
There aren’t many true wireless earbuds with active noise cancelling, and none of them costs below S$200. The Key Series EP-T18NC by Aukey makes a compelling buy, and offers great listening experience especially for consumers who love a punch at the highs with balanced lows. The only drawbacks are the large round case and the lack of volume controls over the earbuds. Otherwise, I’m impressed at what a non-audio brand like Aukey can produce.

This review unit is on loan from Aukey's distributor in Singapore, iCentral Mobile.

The last time I reviewed a Master & Dynamic headphones was the MW60 in 2016. I was very impressed with the overall craftsmanship of the product, while the sound quality is smooth though not exciting. The latest release MW65 is, in short, miles better in audio quality while retaining the supreme finishing.



The Brand
Since launching in 2014, New York City-based Master & Dynamic has kept to its vision of building premium quality, durable, timeless audio products. Inspired by WWII aviator headsets, they have retained the design DNA throughout the headphones product line, improving each new release with new technology and materials. The latest MW65 which weighs only 245g is the lightest and most technically sophisticated headphones made by Master & Dynamic. Featuring dual-mic active noise cancelling technology, it is covered with leather, lambskin ear pads and anodised aluminium. In comparison, the similarly elegant Beoplay H9i weighs 285g, while the mostly-plastic Sony WH-1000XM3 weighs 250g.



The Details
Compared to the earlier models, the MW65 reveals more aluminium, skewing towards a more industrial feel yet retaining the earthy luxurious air. The meticulous details in both ends are exceptional: the double stitching towards the upper headband, the rear cup grille pattern, the hidden wires running within the adjustable metal headband, the embossed buttons. Despite appearing identical in colour tone, your hands would feel that the leather materials between the exterior and interior headband is different.


The tiny switches and buttons are designed to be inconspicuously small yet practical enough for the fingers to get it right. Even the ANC button is purposefully prominent with a design intent. All the accompanying accessories like the cables and adapters are also branded with metal accents.


Other than the design, the electronics are similarly premium. The headphones are driven by 40mm Beryllium drivers, there are 2 beam-forming noise-reduction mics, and it supports aptX HD. The headphones deliver 24 hours of continuous music enjoyment and up to 12 hours with a 15-minute quick charge. They are also optimised for Google Assistant, not just for triggering commands, but also to receive Google notifications and to read out messages.



The Sound
As earlier mentioned, the MW65 sounds better than MW60 I reviewed 3 years ago. In ANC modes, it delivers the impactful bass feel but not too boomy, and achieves the treble clarity and sparkle without too harsh. At loud volumes, the energy and intensity gets my feet tapping while I enjoy the clarity without sounding too noisy. In ANC mode, the MW65 are not clean enough for reference: the audio is slightly compressed, the details are not as resolving. At low volumes, the sound is slightly laid back, but thanks to ANC, I still enjoy adequately.


Under passive audio mode, which is when playing audio through the 3.5mm audio plug, the MW65 produces an impressive sound tuning. With the bass less pumped up compared to the ANC mode, the treble reveals more details and a little cleaner. The direct wire audio also delivers lossless signal, translating into better sound resolution. Midrange is clean, instrumental layering is impressive. The tuning is similar under active wireless mode with ANC off.

I compared the MW65 favourably to Sennheiser HD650, where MW65 delivers a more intimate direct stage for the main melody (vocals or instrument lead). Being a closed back headphones, the MW65 has more tightness in the sound, more directional when it comes to instrumental positioning. The HD650 achieves more roomy staging, delivers warmer tonality, treble is less forward.

The ANC
Overall, the noise cancelling is above average. No, it could not match the industry leaders, Sony and Bose, and higher-frequency environmental hiss can still be heard in a shopping mall when no music is being played. The MW65 is less aggressive in eliminating the upper frequency, but the low and mid range is suppressed sufficiently well. I compared closely with the Jabra Elite 85h and find that the MW65 removes low frequencies better than upper frequency, while the Elite 85h lets in the midrange.



The Complaints
There are a few areas that would make the MW65 an even better headphones. First, I find the ear cups are too small. They are just nice, touching my ears when worn. I would prefer them to be a little larger so that my ears can get some room. Second, in ANC mode, I could hear occasional thumping sounds as the ear cups flex when moving around. Finally, they are not ideal for high volume listening as the closed-back design results in pressure build-up.

Verdict
The Master & Dynamic MW65 is a special breed of headphones. It looks good, feels good, and most importantly, sounds good. I enjoy the audiophile-grade tuning when listening through passive audio wires, and the flexibility of eliminating ambient noise outdoors so that I can immerse better in high-res wireless audio over aptX HD. The ANC is not spectacular, but it works good enough for me to indulge in my music better than other non-ANC over-ear premium headphones.

Among the ANC headphones, the Master & Dynamic MW65 wins hands down in design, style and build quality. It will delight owners who appreciate both premium product design and balanced sound quality. For consumers looking for practical ANC, it would still be a choice of Bose HP700, QC35II, or Sony WH-1000XM3, but for sound quality, I would go for MW65.

Jabra gained popularity in the consumer audio with their mono headsets in 2000s. They later expanded into stereo headphones which I reviewed with great potential. They continued to improve on their audio signature and met my listening standard with the Jabra Rox Wireless (which I bought). I also later bought the Jabra Sport Pulse, the first wireless earphones with heartrate monitor. Then the Elite series debuted and won many fans. On review here is the new Elite 75t.



Compared to Jabra Elite 65t
For far, the Elite 75t appears similar to Elite 65t. Improvements over the Elite 65t, the charging case of the Elite 75t is more compact, lighter and can now stand upright, carrying almost double the battery life in total with the buds. The earbuds are now secured on the case with magnets so they do not drop out easily, unlike the Elite 65t. The volume controls operate on both earbuds: press-and-hold the right earbud to increase volume, and the left earbud to decrease. To change tracks, double-click the left earbud to go next track, and triple-click to go previous track. To bring up voice assistant like Google and Amazon Alexa, double-click the right earbud.



Features
When most true wireless earbuds are implementing the Qualcomm QCC302x chipset to transmit audio signals to both earbuds simultaneously, the Elite 75t continues to implement Near-Field Magnetic Induction (NFMI) to communicate to the secondary left earbud. With that, the earbuds audio automatically pauses when the earbuds are further than the distance between your ears, a simple but effective solution without the need to build proximity sensors. To pair, user has to power down the earbuds first (press-hold 1 second), then press-hold both earbuds for 3 seconds, and the LED should flash blue.


Another feature not commonly found on wireless headphones is multi-connect: the Elite 75t can remember up to 8 devices, and 2 of them can be connected at the same time. When you are listening audio from one device, you will be able to answer an incoming call from the second device. Very useful for people carrying multiple devices.



Audio Quality
I have liked Jabra’s audio quality for the past few years, including the Elite Sport and Elite 65t. While the Elite 75t continues to excel in the higher frequencies, I feel that the lower frequencies are overdone. When listening without comparison, most consumers would easily be impressed with the overall sound. You get clear and transparent treble and deep bass boom that rumbles your ear drums. Even in my case, after listening for a while, they do sound exciting and hyped. But once you switch to another better-tuned earbuds, you would suddenly realise how much musical details you have missed out. The Elite 75t lacks musicality and warmth, relegating the mid-bass to midrange into the unknown regions as if it is ashamed of their existence in audiology.


If you do not have software EQ to compensate this aural blasphemy, your saviour is Jabra Sound+, the smartphone app that provides personalisation of features. So using the app, you can adjust the EQ to tame the sub-bass and elevate the midrange to give more soul to the music. The app only has 5-band adjustment, which is inadequate for finer tuning. Below is the EQ compensation I applied using PowerAmp. Noticed how I reduced 30Hz by over 10 dB, while boosting 125 – 1000 Hz to revive the lost details.


As far as I can see, there are no exclusive features added from the app to the Elite 75t, so just like earlier models, you get to select one of three “Moment” modes, where in each “Moment” mode you can customise the HearThrough mode, EQ, Sidetone (hear your own voice when on a call), sleep timer, and others. The Jabra HearThrough mode is similar to “Transparency” or “Ambient” mode on other earbuds, which lets the users hear what’s going on around them, and a slider from the app adjusts the amount of ambient sound to be heard. To enable HearThrough, single-click the left earbud.

Like all true-wireless earbuds, there is a short audio lag but negligible for video. Gaming would be a risk if you are counting on audio responses to win. Voice calls sound close and rounded.

Compared to Plantronics BackBeat PRO 5100
I compared the Elite 75t and Plantronics BackBeat PRO 5100. Both have similar design style, price and targets the same segments. The Elite 75t has a slightly smaller case with more battery life, IP55, HearThrough, multi-connect and different personalisation features through the app. The BackBeat PRO 5100 is only IPX4 water-rated, able to customise the tap controls, and can use either earbuds independently for voice calls. When it comes to sound quality, the BackBeat PRO 5100 has a wider sound staging, less packed, while the Elite 75t has a tighter sound, excessive sub-bass, weak midrange. Fit-wise, the Plantronics is slightly more comfortable as the nozzles are more angled and eartips are more contoured. For calls, the BackBeat PRO 5100 sounded a little more distant but clearer, while Elite 75t sounded closer but more baritone, and only the right earbud.



Verdict
Just like how the new-gen smartphone camera owners who love their image quality in over-saturated over-processed look, the Jabra Elite 75t will win fans who are into this “extreme-V” shaped sound signature. These earbuds sweeten the tracks to sound crystalised with heart-thumping deepness, while lacking in warmth and character. Consumers will love it, audiophiles will despise it, but the Elite 75t will satisfy.




Source

FiiO is an audio brand established in 2007 that manufactured dozens of portable audio players, amplifiers earphones, and accessories. Like many China start-ups, they worked hard and produced a good track record of products which helped them grow globally. The EH3 NC is their first over-ear headphones as well as their first active noise cancelling model. The EH3 NC would have been a formidable product against the incumbents, if only they had gotten one thing right.



Unboxing and Operations
The EH3 NC is designed for the frequent traveller and regular commuter in mind. It easily folds to reduce storage footprint, and comes with a 50-hour battery life that keeps you company continuously for over 2 full days. Its 5-LED battery indicator keeps you informed of the remaining battery life. Another unique design element is the use of 2.5D glass panel with carbon fibre texture, and a pleather-wrapped headband to elevate the premium look and feel. They are not as compact as most other ANC headphones, but they feel comfortable on the head and can fold down to a manageable size for transport.


Pairing is an ease using NFC, which most smartphones should come with. The EH3 NC can initiate NFC pairing without even turning the headphones on, just place the smartphone or DAP on the right earcup. For manual pairing, turn off the headphones, then press-hold the power button for 3 seconds.

With their experience in wireless audio codec implementation, it comes no surprise that the EH3 NC is packed with them. In fact, it supports all the major Bluetooth codecs – SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX LL, aptX HD, and LDAC. Additionally, it also supports USB digital audio when plugging the USB-C cable directly to the computer (power has to be turned on to operate). It also supports direct 3.5mm passive audio (power not required). With all these technical capabilities, the headphones earned its certifications of Hi-Res Audio and Hi-Res Audio Wireless logos embossed on the headphones.


The button placements are a little awkward to reach: the power button and the ANC switch are located towards the front of the right earcup, which requires me to twist the hand for my thumb to reach them and operate. Perhaps it would be better to position them on the left earcup, but I reckon it is easier to build all the components in a single earcup. The volume buttons are well-placed, but to control the track changes, I had to operate the opposite way. Hence, the same button to increase volume in single tap is to go back to previous track when held.


Using the FiiO Music smartphone app, you can personalise a few things on the headphones, like selecting which codecs to enable, LED behaviour, auto power off timing, applying EQ. The app itself is a full-fledged audio player, and to access the headphone settings, go to “Bluetooth Device Control” menu.



Audio Quality and ANC
Inside the EH3 NC is a high-end ADI noise-cancelling DSP chip powering a 2-way, 4-microphone array in a feed-forward hybrid active noise-cancelling design. The noise-cancelling is not as aggressive as the industry-leading Bose and Sony models, but is sufficient to remove the daily environmental noise from traffic, appliances, and more importantly, airplane cabin noise and public transport. A good thing is that the user would not feel excessive ear pressure which in some cases could cause nausea to some people.

As an ANC headphones, the primary judge for the audio quality would be in the ANC mode. For the EH3 NC, this mode offers the poorest audio tuning among the modes. The upper-bass to midrange is excessive which obscured the treble clarity, resulting in a somewhat dark mix.

Turn ANC off, and the EH3 NC shows why FiiO is one of the more popular audio brands from China. The EH3 NC delivers well-balanced details from natural tight bass to clear treble that sits comfortably in the mix. Even for tracks with fierce highs, there is no fatiguing harshness as the sibilance is subtly eased off. This is not warm-sounding nor neutral, but retains the clarity and the right amount of bass delivered but not pushy, thanks to a wide small-room staging.

With power on, the sound is tighter, more compact, overall more forward. With power off and playing over 3.5mm analog cable, the sound is more relaxed, more dynamic, less compressed, better room imaging and cohesive instrumental positioning. With USB-C digital audio, the sound is slightly improved with more resolution and instrumental details.

To learn what songs I use to review my headphones, go to this page.

Compare with Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC
The closest ANC headphones to EH3 NC would be the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC. Both have similar connectivity options – powered, passive, and USB digital audio, and can be folded. Both also has a long list of supported wireless audio codecs, but EH3 NC has aptX HD and LDAC which Lagoon ANC does not.


Between the two, there isn’t a straight-up winner: in ANC mode, the Lagoon ANC sounds better. In non-ANC mode, the EH3 NC sounds better. In general, the EH3 NC is a better overall headphones: lower price, more comfortable earpads, better bass presence, fuller midrange. The EH3 NC offers better vocal clarity, while the Lagoon ANC is tuned to be more neutral (except ANC mode) with details across the board.

For ANC feature, both are on par, though I felt that the Lagoon ANC has more tendency to leak sound if you wear glasses as EH3 NC ear pads are thicker. Having said everything, if you need a better-sound headphones in ANC mode, then Lagoon ANC is the one to get, as it really sounds better in this mode. EH3 NC is a great-sounding headphones, but only when ANC is off, so you can’t enjoy them as much in public places.


Verdict
FiiO’s first over-ear headphones delivers great audio quality and offers all-rounder specs and generous connectivity options. I truly enjoy the audio tuning on most of the connectivity modes, except ANC On, which is such a shame, because that is what want out of a noise-cancelling headphones. If you need good audio with ANC, then EH3 NC is disappointing. If you want a comfortable pair of headphones with balanced sound – right amount of bass, treble and musical details – then this is satisfying.

Beyerdynamic has launched their first active noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones in Singapore and I’m really excited to get my hands (and ears) to do this headphones review. The 95-year-old company has undergone a corporate rebranding with a new logo and brand positioning which appears more welcoming to the younger crowd. The Lagoon ANC retails at S$599, putting it at the same price range as the Sony WH-1000XM3 and the new Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.



Unboxing and Details
The Lagoon ANC comes in 2 colours, and beyerdynamic distinguishes then with the names. Lagoon ANC Explorer is brown, while Lagoon ANC Traveller is black. Unboxing the retail package is straightforward: the headphones is already packed in the hard case, ready to be used. The only other accessories are the USB-C cable and the 3.5mm wire, as well as the quick start guide.


The case is in an asymmetrical shape, so you can only store the headphones in one way, which is to fold the left earcup inwards. The hinges are quite loose, just grab the headband and the headphones will unfold in place.


All the switches, controls and connections are located on the right earcup. There is the power-Bluetooth switch, the ANC mode switch, USB-C charging port, the 3.5mm line-in port, and the touch panel. I like that the touch panel can adjust volume quickly and fast forward tracks by sliding and holding onto the panel, instead of swiping multiple times. But I dislike the switches that are small and hard to slide accurately. It requires muscle control to slide the ANC switch to Mode 1, and quite often I over-slide. Another bugbear is that I sometimes slide the wrong switch, turning off the headphones instead. And the startup sequence takes almost 12 seconds before I get to hear the streaming audio again. I recommend disabling voice prompts from the app so that every setting change will be faster and less disruptive to the listening experience.


I noticed that the ear cushion is thicker at the bottom rear of the earcups to contour around the back of the lower ear. It is a nice attention to detail to achieve better seal. When you replace the earpads, make sure you fit the correct sides. The soft artificial leather and memory foam offers the right amount of comfort for me.

Battery life is 24.5 hours with ANC and 45 hours without, more than adequate to last you an entire flight. If battery runs out, switch to passive mode by connecting the audio cable directly to the source.

Light-Up Earcups
The Light Guide System inside the earpads is an interesting implementation, keeping the operational notification discreet, but very obvious when not wearing. Unlike other headphones where the LED indicator is too small to be noticeable, you will know whether the Lagoon ANC power is on. The LED light inside the ear cups will pulsate with various colour indicators, which you can learn from the link here.


It takes a while to remember what the lights mean, but you will get more familiar as you use more often. For starters, when you remove the headphones, it will show continuous orange to indicate it’s on Bluetooth mode. After 10 seconds, the light will turn off. If you touch the headphones, the light will turn on, the left side will be white-purple and the right side will be red (useful when trying to wear the headphones in low light. During charging, the lights will pulse in various colours from red to green to denote the battery level. If you think it’s annoying, just face the earcups on the surface.

Flashing blue means the headphones is in Bluetooth pairing mode.

Sound Personalisation
The MIY app provides some information on the headphones like firmware version, and can do factory reset. It informs you on your listening stats and warn you if your ears need a rest. It can also adjust the touch panel sensitivity, disable voice prompts, and to change the default LED colour. With the latest firmware update, it can also disable the auto-pause sensor, which I find is not as reactive as other brands like Jabra Elite 85h, because Lagoon ANC uses gyroscope sensor instead of proximity sensor. That is, if you turn the headphone 90-degrees forward, it will auto-pause. It does not pause if you turn the headphone backward, the position when you lean backwards in a sleeping position.


The main feature of the app is to personalise your sound profile by going through a hearing test, which determines how well you hear each frequency range. During the test, the headphones will play very soft frequency tones and you will press the on-screen button if you can hear it (I recommend you to do this exercise in a quiet area). The test will be done one ear at a time. After the test is completed, I can activate it from the app. For me, the difference on the tuning after the test is that the tweeter frequencies are made more transparent. Personally, I prefer without the upper boost as it is less fatiguing for me, but from this test, I get to understand my hearing deficiency.



While the app notifies you of a firmware update, you can only do so from the Update Hub software on the Windows or Mac (download instructions here), when most other headphones already support over-the-air updates through the smartphones. It would be good to have OTA, but not a deal breaker for me since firmware updates are not frequent.



Audio Quality
The Lagoon ANC dynamic drivers can handle 10 – 30,000 Hz frequency range, and there are many listening options, from passive audio to digital audio to wireless audio (SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX LL), from non-ANC and ANC.


Let’s start with the ANC modes enabled. There is deep bass response on the Lagoon ANC, not too massively boomy, but is sufficient to give impact without overwhelming. It’s telling you that “I’m here, you can hear me, but I won’t make a scene.” The midrange is also slightly elevated, though still not quite reference level warmth yet. This elevation adds support to the vocals and instrumental tonality. The treble is revealing, analytical, yet not too fatiguing. Piano pedal movements are so easy to be heard, and so are the subtle vocal crackles.

Sound staging is spacious, instruments are layered, and you can sense the room reverb through the detailed aftertones and echoes. It is easy for my ears to pick up the numerous instrumental details. Even when the volume level is high, the midrange-occupying instruments are still audible despite the prominent solo instrument. Still, as a closed-back headphones, sound pressure will build up at loud volumes, so it will not be as open-sounding.

Comparatively, the Bose QC35II achieves tighter sound staging, fuller mids which might be too intense for laid back enjoyment. The Sony WH-1000XM3 is pleasantly balanced but does not offer the musical details as readily as Lagoon ANC. The Master & Dynamic MW65 offers tighter enjoyable sound, but not as revealing. There are a lot of information and it takes an analytical ear to pick them up, which makes the Lagoon ANC a brain-teasing headphones for audiophiles like myself.

Active Noise Cancelling
The ANC effect on the Lagoon ANC could not reach the level of Bose or Sony, but beyerdynamic describes it as “relaxed silence”. For Bose and Sony, the silence might be too deafening for many. The ANC effect on the low frequency elimination is on par with Master & Dynamic MW65 except MW65 lets in a little more upper frequencies. But Lagoon ANC is less effective when spectacles are worn, while on other ANC headphones, my specs does not affect ANC.

With ANC off, the Lagoon ANC lacks sub-bass feel, giving the midrange slight improvement, with more warmth and more forward, vocals sound more chesty, the airiness reveals more without the bass fighting for attention. For audio purists, this might be a preferred mode as the bass is not artificially boosted. You can still hear the sub-bass, albeit less intense.

You can tell the quality of a pair of headphones when you listen to it in passive mode, which is turning off the power and connecting by wire to the player. The sound is more natural, less compressed, more resolving, than through Bluetooth wireless audio. The bass is not too forcefully loud, neither is the treble too sparkling. The beauty is in the musical details that I get to enjoy, true to beyerdynamic’s audiophile legacy.

One feature that is not often mentioned in other reviews is that the Lagoon ANC supports USB Audio. Plug the USB-C cable to the computer and you can listen to digital audio through the built-in DAC on the headphones. Volume can be controlled from the headphones, but not track changes and play-pause. Needless to say, the audio details is further improved. The other ANC headphones don’t have this feature.



Verdict
There is a lot of goodness in the beyerdynamic LAGOON ANC. In many ways, the company wants to be innovative with their first ANC headphones, forging their unique style to appeal to a more discerning group. The audio quality is undeniable a league of their own, and the flexibility of audio transport – wired or wireless, analog or digital, ANC or without ANC – is fantastic. I like the ability to fast forward and change volume with swipe-and-hold, and with the loose folding joints, I can easily unfold and wear the headphones. The matt plastic offers lower maintenance compared to glossy or fabric surfaces.


New owners may experience some learning curve to familiarise with the overall usage. For instance, the asymmetrical casing requires the headphones to be folded in a specific way, the LED colour codes need to be remembered to make sense. My biggest issue is the tiny switches for ANC and power, but after a few days of constant usage, I have remembered the position of both switches and to push the ANC mode ever so lightly to get to Mode 1. As for the hard case, I am using my own cloth bag to store the Lagoon ANC, which as you can see from the photo below, is capable of achieving a much smaller footprint than the original case.

Sudio Fem is Sudio’s third-generation true-wireless earbuds, and suffice to say, it gets better. So good that they are charging a little more with each new release.



Unboxing and Operations
With the Sudio Fem, Sudio design team improved on the design of the earbuds with more contours and better ergonomics. They are now IPX5 water rated, operates with touch controls, and each earbuds have two mics to improve voice pickup and noise cancellation. The package even comes with 5 pairs of eartips in various sizes, which is really appreciated to ensure the user gets the best fit and listening experience.

With touch controls, user can change tracks, adjust volume, and activate smart assistant like Google or Siri. Just like Tolv, the Fem auto-activates Bluetooth pairing mode if it’s not connected to any device.



But the case design seems to back-track, opting for a larger size compared to the Sudio Tolv. Another unfriendly feature is that the 4-LED battery indicator is inside the case instead of outside, so I wouldn’t be able to see the battery level without opening up the case. And despite a larger case than the Tolv, the Fem offers less battery life – 20 hours compared to 35 hours on the Tolv.



Audio Quality
Fortunately, the sound quality makes up for the design drawbacks. When I tried the Sudio Fem for the first time, I was drawn into the audio tuning. Compared to the Sudio Tolv, the Fem is less bassy in a good way, as it eases on the boominess yet retains the musical discipline. As for the treble, the Fem delivers the clearest and most deliberate tuning of all the Sudio true-wireless earbuds, surpassing most earbuds I have reviewed in recent months. The treble clarity is not just sizzling, there is depth thanks to a slightly more detectable presence of the reverb. The instruments are spatially positioned but close enough for the ears to hear the textural layers. The midrange is warm yet devoid of clouded overtones, allowing great ease of picking up individual instrument lines.



The Sudio Fem belongs to my favourite category of clean-bright sounding earbuds and I would group it together with Plantronics BackBeat PRO 5100, Audio Technica ATH-CK3TW. I feel that I enjoy listening to Sudio Fem a little more because the treble clarity is slightly more extended, less harsh, where the cymbals and hi-hats is cleaner without excessive lingering. Among the 3, the Sudio Fem is less bassy, but it also means the mid and upper frequency ranges are less obscured by the booms. The BackBeat PRO 5100 offers a wider sound staging which may sound more comfortable and spatial, less cosy and clinical. The ATH-CK3TW is more V-shaped, offering fun bassy feels and bright highs, more forthcoming than the Sudio Fem where the highs are less in-your-face. All in, the Sudio Fem delivers better analytical listening experience.



The audio handover between the earbuds are seamless. When one earbud is docked onto the charging case, the other earbud takes over the connectivity to the input device and switches to mono channel within seconds without audio disruption. When the other earbud is removed from the case, the earbuds switch to stereo promptly. Call quality is sufficiently clear (Plantronics BackBeat PRO 5100 is clearer), although I encountered minor distortion when using the right earbud alone for conversations. Audio lag when playing games is very obvious, though YouTube is ok with just a tiny fraction of lag.

Verdict
Sudio Fem is one of the true wireless earbuds that makes me want to keep on listening. They play very well with most genres: where there the tracks lack treble clarity, Sudio Fem compensates; where the treble levels are already mixed in, Sudio Fem does not further overcook it.

Burson Audio is founded in 1996 by a team of audio engineers from Melbourne, Australia. For over 20 years, they developed premium quality audio products that define new benchmarks for the audiophile industry. Their current product catalogue includes headphone amplifiers, digital-to-analog amplifiers (DAC), and audio op-amps. For this review, Burson sent over their latest product, Burson Playmate, retailing at US$399.

Unboxing
The Playmate is technically a headphones amplifier, pre-amp, and DAC all-in-one. The review sample unit does not have the full retail accessories (PC desktop accessories are absent), nor does it come with user manual, though I found the PDF copy on their website.


It’s pretty clear that Burson products are not for the mainstream consumers but targeted for audio enthusiasts. They even include the hex key so that you can unscrew the case to do some legal modding, that is, to do opamp rolling (changing different opamps). Burson website also sells premium opamps. Also included is a spare replacement fuse.

There are 3 ways to receive input signals: the rear USB-B port, rear Toslink optical digital port and the front USB-C port. For outputs, there is the rear AUX-IN RCA ports and front headphone jack. For the front USB-C port, you need an OTG cable to connect to your smartphone. If you find that your USB-C to USB-C cable does not work, just use the normal USB-C to USB-A cable and plug a USB-A to USB-C adapter (found in some smartphone retail boxes like Samsung Galaxy S10).


The size of the Burson Playmate plus the availability of the molex connector means it can fit in a 5.25″ drive bay of a PC desktop, although you should make sure there are proper ventilation as the Playmate heats up a lot. The review unit did not come with all the connectors, but retail version would have brackets and adapters to connect the rear USB and RCA ports to various sections of the PC.


Technical Details
Opamps, or operational amplifiers, are specialised amplifiers that works not unlike basic amplifiers. Opamp has high input impedance, low output impedance, high gain as well as large bandwidth whereas basic amplifier has comparatively low input impedance, high output impedance, moderate gain and limited bandwidth. Additionally, opamp is effective in removing noise and other unwanted signals because of differential input with negative feedback mechanism, as differential circuit amplifies the difference between the input signals.


The Burson Playmate utilises a unique power supply design called Max Current Power Supply (MCPS), which Burson claims can deliver high current with no noise. As they explained on their product page, MCPS resolves 2 major issues in power management: noise and resistance.

Electricity is transported over 50-60Hz sine wave which is within human hearing hence often interferes with audio playback. Burson MCPS increases the working frequency to 170 kHz, well above the human hearing, so that electricity noise is inaudible. MCPS also converts sine wave energy to square wave which charges faster hence it does not require a bigger capacitor bank.


Traditional power transformer uses long wires with high resistance which is not ideal as demand for power fluctuates rapidly during audio playback but resistance constraints supply. Burson uses transistors with less than 1 ohm of resistance, delivering electric current instantly to meet any power demand.

The Burson Playmate is also a Class A amplifier, considered the best among the classes due mainly to their excellent linearity, high gain and low signal distortion levels. The disadvantage is that they are not power efficient and so they generate heat and consumes power regardless of audio output level.


Operations
The red power switch is located at the rear. The blue LED shows the volume level, input source, output source, and playback resolution. The Burson Playmate has a menu button located at lower right of the volume knob. Pressing it brings up the menu, which is navigated by the volume knob. Select the menu item by pushing the volume knob, then turn the volume knob to toggle the options. Finally, push the volume knob to select.


The Burson Playmate uses the ESS SABRE 9038 DAC which supports a variety of digital filters. Here are the definitions:

• Brickwall – Maximum flat response
• CMFR – Corrected Minimum Phase Fast Roll-off
• Reserved – Reserved for future updates
• AP Fast – Apodizing Fast (default)
• MP Slow – Minimum phase slow roll-off
• MP Fast – Minimum phase fast roll-off
• LP Slow – Linear phase slow roll-off
• LP Fast – Linear phase fast roll-off

Generally, I could not tell any significant difference among the filters, but for certain tracks that stresses on certain frequency range, I do notice some differences. Generally, the filters do not alter the sound significantly, and if you do feel one of the filters seem to sound better, go for it.

And as recommended on the user manual, as well as common knowledge in relation to audio amplifiers, the sound of Burson Playmate improves steadily within minutes after power-up, and will continue to improves over the weeks.

Sound Quality
A premium digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) can bring out a lot more musical information than you never know existed. Paired with a great pair of headphones, it makes music more enjoyable. Some instruments become clearer and easier for my ears to pick up and analyse without too pushy to feel uncomfortable. The Burson Playmate truly delivers exceptional sound that makes any audio connoisseur salivate.

The first thing I do when reviewing an audio product is to determine the general audio character. I know that different headphones will sound different, which is why I tried several headphones on Burson Playmate, like the Sennheiser HD 650, Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro, Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC (passive wired mode), Klipsch X12i, Creative Aurvana Trio. I compared the Burson Playmate to several playback devices, like the LG V30+, Samsung Galaxy S10, E-MU 1820M, Chord Mojo, as well as Creative SXFI Amp.


Here are the reference music tracks that I used primarily for the review, and what to look out for:

• Eagles “Hotel California” (live) – a standard for reviewing audio products, listen for the sound staging. Does it sound like it’s in a spacious venue, does the individual instrument and audience applause sound separated or packed together? Is the kick bass defined, the percussion shaker distinct among the mix?
• Daft Punk “Get Lucky” – normal players/headphones would make the song sound with overpowering bass and vocals while other instruments would be less detailed, like Nile Rodger’s guitar
• Robert Len “Brasilia” – it’s an excellent reference track to determine how the audio product handles the audio spectrum – horns for mid-range, bass for lows, guitars for mid-treble, triangles and percussion for upper treble.
• Earth Wind & Fire “Boogie Wonderland” – use this track to test the speed of the audio response. Does it sound snappy or a little messy due to the slower decay? Also, some audio products tend to mess up the main male vocals and counter-female vocals.
• Andrea Bocelli “Amapola” – the intro started with a more rounded strings sound, and when Andrea started his line, it should sound a little more brighter. Notice the subtle reverb after his line. Once the full orchestra comes in after his chorus, does the audio product handles the intensity well or does it sound messy?
• Kenny G “Going Home” – this track is used to test how the audio product handles the treble with the sizzling saxophone. Also, listen to the Rhodes piano tone to see how the product handles mid-range.

On the Burson Playmate, I find that it improves overall details, space, and clarity, mostly at the upper frequency range. With more electrical power and greater bandwidth, Burson Playmate feels unconstrained in converting all the digital data into analog audio signals to the headphones.

Here is how each device sounds against the Burson Playmate:


E-MU 1820M – this is a professional audio interface for desktop PC. Both amplifiers powers all headphones confidently, but the Burson Playmate sounds slightly brighter, less midrange, while bass remains musical. Overall impression is that the Playmate sounds cleaner.

Chord Mojo (with LG V30+ as transport) – Mojo is known to deliver very transparent sound, and indeed, it sounds a little more sparkling than the Playmate. To Playmate’s credit, it sounded less harsh on the mid-treble, wider sound stage, hence less tight, with the bass is little less emphasis. For instance, when playing Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” on the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro, I can hear guitar riffs better on the Playmate, and the percussions get more space to breathe.

Samsung Galaxy S10 – on its own, the S10 appears to sound clear and detailed, but when doing close comparison with Playmate, sounded compressed. The Playmate sounded more comfortable, better headroom, better dynamics.

LG V30+ – with ESS Sabre DAC ES9218+, the V30+ achieves excellent details and depth, thanks to its overall warm tonality. Clearly, the Burson Playmate beats the V30+ with its elevated treble performance.

Creative Super X-Fi Amp – this tiny USB-C device uses AKM AK4377 DAC, so I tested it without the SXFI mode. SXFI Amp offers slightly more highs and lows compared to the V30+, but once again unable to match Playmate’s layering instrumental separation.

Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro – the Burson Playmate drives well to achieve excellent details that are not difficult to discern, be it the deep bass or the elusive percussion. Even the usually-shy midrange instruments are easily detected.

Sennheiser HD 650 – as an open-back headphones, my ears are disturbed by the ambient room noises, but its higher frequency is cleaner, matching nicely with the Burson Playmate and helping the HD 650 lose its relatively dark impression. I prefer the balance of HD650 over the DT1770 Pro, but the latter delivers more details for critical listening.

Klipsch X12i – this low impedance single Balanced Armature earphones performs great, bringing out the Playmate characteristics without exaggeration.

Creative Aurvana Trio – with a more V-shaped tuning, they sound a little harsh on the upper frequency on the Burson Playmate.

Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC – in my separate review of the Lagoon ANC, I find the passive mode (i.e. direct 3.5mm cable without battery power) offers one of the best among the Bluetooth wireless headphones, making it a valued headphones to enjoy with even after the electrical components die off. Burson Playmate achieves tight sound, closed staging, bright treble, extended bass. It’s a versatile headphones that delivers faithful sound with cable, while the wireless mode is tuned to be a little more consumer-friendly with stronger deep bass and cleaned-up treble.


Verdict
The Burson Playmate is proven to be a premium headphones amplifier built with quality circuitry that enhances fidelity without altering the original sound. To the casual listener, the Playmate would not turn night into day, unlike what some treble-biased headphones (like Audio-Technica M50 or Sennheiser Momentum ) could achieve. But this DAC is capable of converting loads of fine musical information, and when coupled with a great pair of headphones, you will be able to appreciate even more instrumental character in the audio tracks. I love that the Playmate can drive the headphones at high volumes yet does not sound too compressed and forceful, unlike other players mentioned above. The other positive attribute is the ability to swap the opamp to alter the sound profile.

Thanks for reading. I share my reviews on Head-Fi.org and at my blog, musicphotolife.com .

Alpha & Delta is a Singapore brand that designs and manufactures earphones. Being audiophiles themselves, their products receive a healthy following of audiophiles and fans. My first encounter with A&D earphones was the D2M wired earphones that feels amazingly comfortable with respectable audio balance.



The new D2W is the first wireless earphones and takes after the D2. With the same earbud mould and behind-ear cable design, the D2W is equally comfortable. Like the D2, the D2W is IPX4 water rated, and connects via the latest Bluetooth 5. The benefit of Bluetooth 5, besides high data transmission for better sound quality, is the ease of pairing. The D2W automatically goes into pairing mode when no connection is found.



Many wireless earphones come with cable management clips. What I like about the D2W is that the cables are already clipped out of the box so that I can use it instantly without fussing over the setup. There are 2 in-line compartments, one of which stores the battery, but the D2W only has 60mAh capacity and lasts merely 4 hours music play time, which is below average for wireless earphones in this era.

Audio quality
The D2W sounds better than the D2M, thanks to better sound staging, instrumental separation, and a little more treble presence. The bass gets really full when you get a good in-canal seal, but the treble is able to present its clear and bright tones without harshness or sounding pushy, though lacking the midrange support resulting in a not-so-rounded experience. Sound staging is wide and close, with distinct instrumentation positioning to allow comfortable listening and detailing. You get the bassiness without veiling the highs, which is great for modern genres, while Classical tracks might lack excitement.

The unfortunate side-effect is the hiss noise which is distracting for soft music, though most casual users would not notice it when using the earbuds at open environments. Another unpleasant feature is the voice prompts and button beeps which I find too loud. When battery runs low, the loud voice prompts play persistently every 15 seconds for about 6 times before shutting down.

Verdict
The D2W is Alpha & Delta’s first wireless earphones, retaining the comfortable behind-the-ear fit of the wired D2 series. The battery life is too short for my liking, the noise floor is audible in quiet environments, the beeps with button presses are too loud. In comparison, the similarly-priced local brand Creative Outlier One might be too bright-sounding, less bass-warmth, and more fatiguing on the ears as the earbuds protude more and requires ear hooks to hold the earbuds in place.

Official Product Website: https://www.alphandelta.com/d2w

Specifications

• Bluetooth Chipset: Bluetooth 5.0
• Driver: 10 mm Dynamic Drive
• Battery capacity: 60 mah
• Music playback time: 4 hours
• Talking time: 5 hours
• Charging port: Micro USB Type B
• Sensitivity: 97 +/- 3dB
• Microphone sensitivity: 42 +/- 3dB
• Supports Multipoint: Yes

Advanced Sound Group is an audio equipment manufacturer who makes earphones, headphones, DAC amplifier, ear tips, cables. With the relative popularity of Model X and their expertise in customised audio accessories, Advanced developed the new M5-TWS which is crafted using 3D-printing technology.



Design
The M5-TWS is the world’s first true wireless earbuds that is mass-produced with 3D-printing. Its ergonomic housing is designed based on 50,000+ actual ear impression data collected over the years to ensure maximum compatibility and comfort. Its complex contours that resemble the actual in-ear shape could only be achieved by implementing the 3D-printing technique over the traditional mould tooling method. The surface is hand-polished to perfection and the striped pattern plate added for that striking look.



To add to the distinctiveness, the earbuds are in different colours: one is in striking red while the other is in glossy black. The round casing is CNC-machined and uses anodized aluminium material for a durable build. 4 tiny LEDs provide information on the charging status and battery level.

As the earbuds are ergonomically contoured, there is no need for any twisting to lock them. Just push the earbuds straight into the ears and they sit in place comfortably. They seal the canal perfectly and cause no pain nor excessive intrusion because of the perfect mould where the earbuds hug onto my ear walls. The glossy surface feels like silk against the skin.

Operation
The M5-TWS automatically goes into pairing mode when no device is connected. Either earbud can be the master simply by picking up your favourite side first and let your smartphone connect to it first. The second earbud to remove from the charging case will be the secondary unit.



To prevent accidental triggers, a single tap on the sensor does nothing. To play-pause, double tap on either earbud. To jump to next track, triple tap the right earbud. To go to previous track, triple tap the left earbud. For calls, double tap answers, while triple tap rejects. The earbuds cannot control volume nor can they trigger smartphone assistant like Google or Siri.

Battery life per earbud is 9 hours, while the charging case affords up to 32 hours. With IPX5 water rating, you can safely use them in wet conditions but not submerge in water.

Audio Quality
Like the Advanced Model X, the M5-TWS tuning has emphasis on the mid-treble frequency, but it’s a little more detailed in the tuning compared to the Model X. As a result, I find that while there are still hints of harshness on certain audio mixes, the treble is more palatable. Additionally, the bass is elevated with distinct body yet it does not overpower and occupy the ears.

I enjoy listening Classical and Jazz tracks on the M5-TWS because it brings out the treble energy supported by adequate brightness at the high treble. Occasionally they do sound a little veiled, but it was forgivable with the intense bass pumped up by the orchestra. On Jazz tracks, the acoustic double bass reverberates sweetly while the main instrument delivers a full and warm rendition. Strings do not sound clinically sparkling, more of a vinyl texture.

For pop tracks, where the vocals are already mixed with strength, the M5-TWS might further boost which turns out a little excessive for my liking. On Hotel California “Live” version, the vocal levels are nicely balanced, not too forward, with only harshness at the sibiliance vowels if you turn the volume too high. Other than that, the bass guitar is distinct and warm, the percussion is prominent but not too transparent, the guitar counterpoint lines are detailed but blended. On the whole, the M5-TWS achieves a neutral delivery of music, with distinct bass for enjoyment and energetic treble for expression.

With the latest Qualcomm QCC3020 chipset delivered through aptX and AAC, the M5-TWS has no lack of fine details which my ears picked up, especially in live recordings where I can detect orchestral instruments or audience creaking on their seats, in some cases, master recording hisses. Sound staging is close to the face and spread to the sides of the ears, not large enough to feel a sense of roominess, but on tracks with less crowded mixes, the spatial feel is more prominent as the echos are more apparent. Like all TWS, there are some audio lags on gaming apps, but general gaming is acceptable.



Verdict
The Advanced M5-TWS scores high for me in the unique design and ease of pairing. I also appreciate the overall frequency response tuning but they are a little more picky in the mid-treble reproduction, hence do not complement across genres. If you enjoy the treble energy, you will be rewarded with detailed musicality and distinct low responses.

Earfun reached out to me to review the Earfun Free, their crowdfunding true-wireless earbuds that are available for for US$49.99 at selected Amazon sites. The specs are impressive: Bluetooth 5.0, 6 hours play time per charge, 30 hours with charging case, IPX7 water resistant, wireless charging, USB-C, ergonomically-shaped earbud design.

Crowdfunding Fatigue?
There are so many crowdfunding true-wireless headphones that it’s so hard to determine if they are really as good as they have claimed. The challenge is that the prototypes were reviewed by tech sites which might not be the final product during the manufacturing. The other factor is that during the crowdfunding process, the project team might modify the specs, for better or for worse. Quite often, these crowdfunding products achieve success only after they have received overwhelming acclaim after the commercial launch.


I have reviewed quite a handful of these TWS that started as crowdfunding projects, like Bragi The Dash, Earin, AVIOT TE-D01b, xFyro xS2. Of all the crowdfunded earphones I have reviewed so far, the Earfun Free is the lowest priced, but being low-priced might not be a good thing for a crowdfunding as it is associated with either low-quality or potential scam.

Unboxing and Design
I received the production version and the packaging looks professionally done up. The instruction booklet and inserts are printed of good quality paper and does not look like fly-by-night product. The 2 pairs of additional eartips are housed on a strip of plastic holder instead of just in a ziplock bag.


The casing is made of plastic with matt gloss, the same material as the earbuds. This is to allow wireless charging. The top case cover has some resistance at the joint such that it does not just slam shut when you push the cover down. A cover is held by weak magnet which allows the cover to be opened without excessive effort while enough to keep the cover closed. The 4-LED indicator is helpful to show the remaining battery level, and the USB-C charging port is behind.


There are ample room in between the 2 earbuds to slip your finger to push the earbuds sideways, a well-thought design. Without this space, the user would have to lift up by pressing at the top and bottom of the earbuds, and given the strong magnet and the contour, it would be quite a feat to get them out elegantly.

To pair the earbuds to the device, turn off the right earbud, then press and hold the right earbud for 3 seconds to turn on and then go into pairing mode. Once the right earbud is paired, there is no need to worry about the left earbud as it will auto-connect. The Earfun Free is designed as a pair and the buttons on each earbuds operate differently. For instance, the left earbud button controls the track changes while the right earbud button activates voice assistant (Siri, Google, etc.).


True to the product website description, the earbud buttons are easy to depress. The button is made of silicone instead of a stiff plastic, which means user can press with a finger tip without too much force, as opposed to pushing the entire surface on other earbuds. Good thing is that you can feel the click when pushing with your finger tip, so you are sure that the action will be registered.

The earbuds attach to my ears snugly, thanks to the ergonomic design. There is no unwanted weight or pressure felt inside my ear canals, as the main earbud body is supported by the outer ear wall. The voice prompts are rather soft, too soft if I may critique, though it’s probably not a bad thing. Running with them is fine, they don’t wriggle nor exhibit any risk of dropping out of the ears. But due to the tight seal which isolates noise well, the drawback is that I hear my thumping footsteps as I jog.


Sound Quality
I was surprised that the Earfun Free produces respectable audio details for its price. Despite supporting only SBC codec, the audio reproduction is smooth with no jarring compression artifacts. The bass is heavy, punchy but leaves room for the treble, though the lows are slightly slow in the decay. Yet at the same time, I could hear the bass guitar lines clearer than some other earphones. The bass presence is impressive and offers some fun to my ears. The midrange benefits from the detailed bass and offers musical balance which I enjoy. Earfun Free achieves that without muddying the overall sound.

The treble is less forward, and its first impression might not deliver that transparency that makes earphones stand out. But I prefer this balanced tuning for a more comfortable extended listening experience, even at higher volumes. The treble details are all there, just not as outstanding and pushy as the lower frequencies. The sound stage subtly reveals the depth when the track is not too overwhelming, for instance, when listening to Classical genres. The Earfun Free produces the dynamic range well, and my ears could not detect any distortion. Earfun Free has one of the better implementation of the SBC audio codec.

Verdict
The Earfun Free true wireless earbuds are few of the TWS gems in the saturated audio market that I recommend getting your hands on, especially if you prefer a balanced treble sound quality, or one that loves to listen to music at higher volumes but dislikes harsh treble. The wireless charging case offers a nice geek feature to show off.

I am a consumer tech blogger from Singapore. When Ausdom contacted me for a review opportunity on their products, I scrutinised hard. The brand is unknown, yet there seems to be quite a lot of positive reviews. To prevent disappointment, I picked one of the higher tier product, M08, to review.

Build and design

The build is mostly good quality hard plastic, but I love the classy design that does not look pretentious. Its synthetic ear cushions are comfortable, and there are pivots to adjust the speakers to fit your ears. The cushions offer sufficient passive noise isolation to let me enjoy music in a noisy café.
 

 
The headset is foldable, but the folding mechanism is partially made of plastic so I reckon it would break down over time.
 
There are just 3 buttons to operate the headset. Power button functions also as play-pause and for Bluetooth pairing, while the volume buttons doubles as track next-previous selection when press-and-hold. 1 red LED on the left earpad next to the USB port indicates power and charge, while the other blue LED on the right indicates Bluetooth pairing.
 

Audio Quality

I usually would not go for unknown brand audio products. The last time I reviewed the Bluedio Hurricane Turbine H+ headset, it fell flat.
 
But for the Ausdom M08, it is surprisingly good. I wouldn’t say awesome, but the audio experience is satisfying. It meets my benchmark for a good-sounding headset. In fact, it exceeds my expectations for an unknown brand.
 

What M08 offers is a neutral sound balance. The treble is not bright, but there is sufficient clarity, and definitely not muffled. The bass response delivers sufficient natural boom without sounding too forced.
 
If the battery runs out, you can plug the 3.5mm cable direct to the source. The audio quality is identical to wireless, except the treble is just a tinge less bright, but you wouldn’t notice the immediate difference.
 
On top of that, the voice prompts speak in understandable English accent, eliminating the stigma of a China product.

Verdict

The Ausdom M08 is one of the gems among the lesser-known brand market segment. Very often, consumers purchase cheap audio headphones and headsets because they don’t care much about the audio quality. Then there are discerning consumers who want the best bang for the buck, yet they do not want to pay a premium for popular brands.
 
If you are not brand-sensitive and want a great sounding and functional wireless headset that lets you answer phone calls, I highly recommend the Ausdom M08.
 
You can purchase the M08 via Amazon or GearBest (click the links for latest online prices).