Enacfire E90 IPX8 TWS True Wireless Earbuds AAC
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Model: Enacfire E90
Price: MSRP $49.99
Vendor Website: Enacfire
Review Reference: RC030
Manufacturer Specification:
1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
1 x User manual, warranty card
Real Life Experience
Enacfire are one of the first names to pop up on Amazon without fail, and usually with a LOT of 5 star reviews. Reviews that usually have the hallmarks of 'BS' laden through them. So I wasn't expecting too much despite the relatively high price tag for budget earbuds.
Enacfire are a brand within the Shenzhen LanKe E-Commerce Co, which also includes Homeyard. They have a lot of earbuds on Amazon, mostly very generic looking, and whilst the E90 are eye-catching - they appear to be a nod to the Huawei Freebuds Pro - their design also bears a more striking resemblance to the Himalaya Xiaoya AI TWS, manufactured by Beijing Xiaoya Xingkong Technology Co.
Under the hood, the comparison becomes even more interesting. Both use the seldom-seen ATS3015 chip. Hang on a sec - Qualcomm advertise these on their website - I thought they used the QCC3020?! Well, I quote Christian Amon, CEO of Qualcomm "If you asked me, 'what keeps me up at night?' Right now, it is this supply chain crisis we're having in the semiconductor industry," Qualcomm simply cannot manufacture quick enough for demand, and so we are seeing the likes of BES, PixArt and ATS all grab a share of the market to capitalize on this, and ODM's like Enacfire switching chip to maintain their own revenue target projections.
This is almost unprecedented, but hardly unsurprising. With COVID, Huawei's HiSilicone exit and the automotive industry leveraging its buying power, lead times for CSF Bluetooth chips from Qualcomm have hit 33 week lead times. So things are very quiet in the budget TWS world right now. The ATS3015 is, on paper, the ugly sister. Where it wins in latency, it struggles in CPU power but reduces transmission and no-load power consumption to compensate. It's efficient, and effective, but limited. This is the first review with the ATS chipset but I'm sure it won't be the last.
The Unboxing - 6/10
As per the intro, the blurb has been changed to reflect the new chip. Some basic parameters are detailed on the packaging. Once you remove the outer layer, it's hard not to see Equinix when you look at the Enacfire logo! The bright orange box is very Mpow/TaoTronics-esque, and doesn't scream 'quality' like the similarly priced offerings from Tronsmart and FIIL do.
Inside it's even more familiar with a rather ill-fitting case, an interesting envelope containing a pretty useless manual and two year warranty card, and a small box with a USB-C charge cable and replacement tips.
The Case - 7/10
The case is glossy white with the Enacfire logo on the front, and the buds slot in the top. It has a nice tight friction hinge, 4 lights on the front denoting battery life of the case, and USB-C connection on the bottom, meaning it doesn't stand up unfortunately. Unlike most earbuds these days, they do not feature hall-switch mode, so in order to pair them, they must be removed the case.
The case is portable, but rather beefy, measuring 62mm wide, 51mm high and 24mm deep. Whilst it is not the widest - the FIIL T1 Pro and 1More Comfobuds are wider, it is similar to the Alien Secret QCC010 in everything but depth - it is a slim case, and this makes up for the height and width. At 45.65g, it weighs in just slightly heavier than the FIIL CC2, so it is reasonably well proportioned for carrying around on a daily commute.
The case does not feature quick charge, so expect a two hour wait for a full charge, however it gives an excellent 5-6 full recharges, taking the total playtime to 48 hours.
The Ergonomics - 7/10, Build Quality - 6/10
The finish of the Enacfire E90 is consistent with the case - gloss white. The battery connectors are on the bottom, which keeps the elements away from your skin - ideal for those with nickel allergies. The metallic-look shiny plastic edges look a little cheap though, and the IPX8 water resistance appears a little ambitious, especially given the multitude of holes in the design.
The oval shaped driver surround is always a little odd to see despite it being reasonably commonplace these days - like the Tronsmart Apollo Bold, FIIL T1 Pro and Klipsch TWS, sticking them in without taking this into consideration will give your ear canals discomfort. It also limits the potential for alternative tips, although better quality tips will mould around the shape anyway.
With a maximum height of 23.8mm these are amongst the shortest earbuds I've ever tested. They make the Boya BY-AP4 and QCY T10 look enormous in comparison, and they are previous 'smallest in class'.
The actual stem itself is even shorter at just 21.3mm, which makes them look almost like neither stem nor traditional IEM style - as I alluded to previously, they share some traits with the Huawei Freebuds Pro, but are even shorter. On the build quality - it's nice to see a metallic mesh protecting the driver - only the FIIL T1XS has had this in recent reviews outside the IEM market.
That said, the poor finish is exposed under the macro, with jagged edges where the plastic meets quite obvious to the naked eye.
Once you bear in mind the little nuances, they can sit quite snugly, and with IPX8 water resistance can supposedly withstand workouts or rainfall.
At just 3.94g, they displace the weight well, and fit really nicely overall, offering good passive isolation and no comfort issues for prolonged use.
Audio Quality - 6/10 (for the price paid), 5/10 (raw score)
Sound is subjective - it's hard to review something on the basis of whether I like it or not, so I am always in two minds over whether to score this section without objective testing. Unfortunately my acoustic mic setup is out of service at the moment as I've been taking proctored exams and had to clear my workspace, so I can only offer subjective views here.
Out of the box though, they are waaayyyy too bassy and extremely loud. Sadly it isn't even 'good bassy' like the Soundpeats Sonic - the entire low frequency range is bloated - subbass rumble is uncomfortable on many tracks, and mids get very muffly and vocals sound stifled on R&B and baritone songs.
'Bleeding Love' by Leona Lewis is always a good barometer for bad headphones, and predictably the E90 sound dreadful on default setting, with the bass clipping, which had to be adjusted through Wavelet. Even with EQ, they just don't sound particularly good, which is a shame as we all want the new entrants to the TWS market - Advanced Advanced and BES - to get a good name quickly to keep the Qualcomms and Airoha's on their toes.
The sound stage is predictable and narrow, making them really not the ideal companion for any kind of detailed musical experience.
Call Quality - 6.5/10 Indoors, 5/10 outdoors
The E90 claim 'Crystal Clear Phone Calls' and whilst it's possible to use the E90 for calls, certainly internally, your voice sounds very deep. As long as the only noise in the room is you - this is fine. I'm no Barry White, but I sounded like him on a Zoom call, and as there appears to be little compression when nothing is going on in the scene, your voice will sound quite natural.
Indoors, whilst it will initially pick up high frequency sounds such as fan noises, it does adjust and compresses them, but outdoors is a different matter. Due to the short-burst nature of noises such as birds and traffic, the mics can't keep up and adjust quickly enough, so you end up a muddy mess over the top of overpowering whizzes and chirps.
Connectivity and Features - 6/10
The E90 have volume control via the touch controls, as well as voice assistant and call reject/answer. They are not laggy and reasonably intuitive, so well done there. No wireless charging, no app and no quick charge - they take around 90-120 minutes to fully charge. They do have 'game mode', reducing latency to apt-X levels, which is commendable, but obviously there is no Aptx support given the chipset.
There is no app, and whilst Wavelet can hide some of the flaws, there is only so much lipstick you can put on a pig. Connectivity is patchy - they drop out quite quickly, around 7m LOS, but voice commands are in English and are nice and clear.
Battery Life - 9/10
The battery life is superb - up there with the Alien Secret, with around 6.5-8 hours playtime and approx. 5 additional charges making them 'weekender' rather than 'daily commute'-friendly. This is pretty much unprecedented, certainly up there with the best of them, and whilst the case isn't small, it certainly packs a punch.
Summary
At an MSRP of £44.99 these are not cheap, so at this price point you expect either great sound or a rich selection of features. In a competitive market, sadly the E90 offer neither. Whilst the battery life is without question excellent, and the fit and appearance perfectly acceptable, the sound is way too heavy on the lows out of the box, and even with EQ'ing doesn't improve much. The mic is nice and rich internally, but is affected badly by ambient noise, making them less than ideal for the daily commute.
When compared with high performing, low cost buds like the Soundpeats TrueAir2, even with the sale price of £24.99, which is £4 more than what I paid, they are not in the same league. At the MSRP price break, it's an even bleaker picture - the ZMI Purpods and FIIL T1 Pro offer a degree of future proofing with BT5.2 support, have desirable features such as ANC and generally perform better all round. Whilst the e90 are not dreadful, it's advisable to avoid these given the efficiency and effectiveness of other options.
Price Weighted Score: 61%
Overall Score: 60%
Model: Enacfire E90
Price: MSRP $49.99
Vendor Website: Enacfire
Review Reference: RC030
Manufacturer Specification:
- Brand: Enacfire
- Model: E90
- Driver: 10mm Dynamic
- Chipset: ATS3015
- Mic: 4
- ANC: No
- Codecs: AAC, SBC
- Impedance: 24 Ω
- Earbud Weight: 3.9g (advertised 4.5g)
- Earbud Dimensions: 24mm stem length
- Gross Case & Buds Weight: 45.65g
- Case Dimensions: 62mm x 51mm x 24mm
- Earbud Battery Capacity: 40mAh
- Case Battery Capacity: 400mAh
- Input: 5V 1A
- Earbuds Charging Time: 90 Mins
- Full Charge Time: 120 Mins
- Quick Charge: No
- Wireless Charging: No
- Single Use Playtime: 8 Hours*
- Playtime with Charge Case: 48 Hours*
- Bluetooth Range: 10m/33ft advertised
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.0
- Bluetooth Protocols: HFP / A2DP / AVRCP
- Water Resistance: IPX8
1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
1 x User manual, warranty card
Real Life Experience
Enacfire are one of the first names to pop up on Amazon without fail, and usually with a LOT of 5 star reviews. Reviews that usually have the hallmarks of 'BS' laden through them. So I wasn't expecting too much despite the relatively high price tag for budget earbuds.
Enacfire are a brand within the Shenzhen LanKe E-Commerce Co, which also includes Homeyard. They have a lot of earbuds on Amazon, mostly very generic looking, and whilst the E90 are eye-catching - they appear to be a nod to the Huawei Freebuds Pro - their design also bears a more striking resemblance to the Himalaya Xiaoya AI TWS, manufactured by Beijing Xiaoya Xingkong Technology Co.
Under the hood, the comparison becomes even more interesting. Both use the seldom-seen ATS3015 chip. Hang on a sec - Qualcomm advertise these on their website - I thought they used the QCC3020?! Well, I quote Christian Amon, CEO of Qualcomm "If you asked me, 'what keeps me up at night?' Right now, it is this supply chain crisis we're having in the semiconductor industry," Qualcomm simply cannot manufacture quick enough for demand, and so we are seeing the likes of BES, PixArt and ATS all grab a share of the market to capitalize on this, and ODM's like Enacfire switching chip to maintain their own revenue target projections.
This is almost unprecedented, but hardly unsurprising. With COVID, Huawei's HiSilicone exit and the automotive industry leveraging its buying power, lead times for CSF Bluetooth chips from Qualcomm have hit 33 week lead times. So things are very quiet in the budget TWS world right now. The ATS3015 is, on paper, the ugly sister. Where it wins in latency, it struggles in CPU power but reduces transmission and no-load power consumption to compensate. It's efficient, and effective, but limited. This is the first review with the ATS chipset but I'm sure it won't be the last.
The Unboxing - 6/10
As per the intro, the blurb has been changed to reflect the new chip. Some basic parameters are detailed on the packaging. Once you remove the outer layer, it's hard not to see Equinix when you look at the Enacfire logo! The bright orange box is very Mpow/TaoTronics-esque, and doesn't scream 'quality' like the similarly priced offerings from Tronsmart and FIIL do.
Inside it's even more familiar with a rather ill-fitting case, an interesting envelope containing a pretty useless manual and two year warranty card, and a small box with a USB-C charge cable and replacement tips.
The Case - 7/10
The case is glossy white with the Enacfire logo on the front, and the buds slot in the top. It has a nice tight friction hinge, 4 lights on the front denoting battery life of the case, and USB-C connection on the bottom, meaning it doesn't stand up unfortunately. Unlike most earbuds these days, they do not feature hall-switch mode, so in order to pair them, they must be removed the case.
The case is portable, but rather beefy, measuring 62mm wide, 51mm high and 24mm deep. Whilst it is not the widest - the FIIL T1 Pro and 1More Comfobuds are wider, it is similar to the Alien Secret QCC010 in everything but depth - it is a slim case, and this makes up for the height and width. At 45.65g, it weighs in just slightly heavier than the FIIL CC2, so it is reasonably well proportioned for carrying around on a daily commute.
The case does not feature quick charge, so expect a two hour wait for a full charge, however it gives an excellent 5-6 full recharges, taking the total playtime to 48 hours.
The Ergonomics - 7/10, Build Quality - 6/10
The finish of the Enacfire E90 is consistent with the case - gloss white. The battery connectors are on the bottom, which keeps the elements away from your skin - ideal for those with nickel allergies. The metallic-look shiny plastic edges look a little cheap though, and the IPX8 water resistance appears a little ambitious, especially given the multitude of holes in the design.
The oval shaped driver surround is always a little odd to see despite it being reasonably commonplace these days - like the Tronsmart Apollo Bold, FIIL T1 Pro and Klipsch TWS, sticking them in without taking this into consideration will give your ear canals discomfort. It also limits the potential for alternative tips, although better quality tips will mould around the shape anyway.
With a maximum height of 23.8mm these are amongst the shortest earbuds I've ever tested. They make the Boya BY-AP4 and QCY T10 look enormous in comparison, and they are previous 'smallest in class'.
The actual stem itself is even shorter at just 21.3mm, which makes them look almost like neither stem nor traditional IEM style - as I alluded to previously, they share some traits with the Huawei Freebuds Pro, but are even shorter. On the build quality - it's nice to see a metallic mesh protecting the driver - only the FIIL T1XS has had this in recent reviews outside the IEM market.
That said, the poor finish is exposed under the macro, with jagged edges where the plastic meets quite obvious to the naked eye.
Once you bear in mind the little nuances, they can sit quite snugly, and with IPX8 water resistance can supposedly withstand workouts or rainfall.
At just 3.94g, they displace the weight well, and fit really nicely overall, offering good passive isolation and no comfort issues for prolonged use.
Audio Quality - 6/10 (for the price paid), 5/10 (raw score)
Sound is subjective - it's hard to review something on the basis of whether I like it or not, so I am always in two minds over whether to score this section without objective testing. Unfortunately my acoustic mic setup is out of service at the moment as I've been taking proctored exams and had to clear my workspace, so I can only offer subjective views here.
Out of the box though, they are waaayyyy too bassy and extremely loud. Sadly it isn't even 'good bassy' like the Soundpeats Sonic - the entire low frequency range is bloated - subbass rumble is uncomfortable on many tracks, and mids get very muffly and vocals sound stifled on R&B and baritone songs.
'Bleeding Love' by Leona Lewis is always a good barometer for bad headphones, and predictably the E90 sound dreadful on default setting, with the bass clipping, which had to be adjusted through Wavelet. Even with EQ, they just don't sound particularly good, which is a shame as we all want the new entrants to the TWS market - Advanced Advanced and BES - to get a good name quickly to keep the Qualcomms and Airoha's on their toes.
The sound stage is predictable and narrow, making them really not the ideal companion for any kind of detailed musical experience.
Call Quality - 6.5/10 Indoors, 5/10 outdoors
The E90 claim 'Crystal Clear Phone Calls' and whilst it's possible to use the E90 for calls, certainly internally, your voice sounds very deep. As long as the only noise in the room is you - this is fine. I'm no Barry White, but I sounded like him on a Zoom call, and as there appears to be little compression when nothing is going on in the scene, your voice will sound quite natural.
Indoors, whilst it will initially pick up high frequency sounds such as fan noises, it does adjust and compresses them, but outdoors is a different matter. Due to the short-burst nature of noises such as birds and traffic, the mics can't keep up and adjust quickly enough, so you end up a muddy mess over the top of overpowering whizzes and chirps.
Connectivity and Features - 6/10
The E90 have volume control via the touch controls, as well as voice assistant and call reject/answer. They are not laggy and reasonably intuitive, so well done there. No wireless charging, no app and no quick charge - they take around 90-120 minutes to fully charge. They do have 'game mode', reducing latency to apt-X levels, which is commendable, but obviously there is no Aptx support given the chipset.
There is no app, and whilst Wavelet can hide some of the flaws, there is only so much lipstick you can put on a pig. Connectivity is patchy - they drop out quite quickly, around 7m LOS, but voice commands are in English and are nice and clear.
Battery Life - 9/10
The battery life is superb - up there with the Alien Secret, with around 6.5-8 hours playtime and approx. 5 additional charges making them 'weekender' rather than 'daily commute'-friendly. This is pretty much unprecedented, certainly up there with the best of them, and whilst the case isn't small, it certainly packs a punch.
Summary
At an MSRP of £44.99 these are not cheap, so at this price point you expect either great sound or a rich selection of features. In a competitive market, sadly the E90 offer neither. Whilst the battery life is without question excellent, and the fit and appearance perfectly acceptable, the sound is way too heavy on the lows out of the box, and even with EQ'ing doesn't improve much. The mic is nice and rich internally, but is affected badly by ambient noise, making them less than ideal for the daily commute.
When compared with high performing, low cost buds like the Soundpeats TrueAir2, even with the sale price of £24.99, which is £4 more than what I paid, they are not in the same league. At the MSRP price break, it's an even bleaker picture - the ZMI Purpods and FIIL T1 Pro offer a degree of future proofing with BT5.2 support, have desirable features such as ANC and generally perform better all round. Whilst the e90 are not dreadful, it's advisable to avoid these given the efficiency and effectiveness of other options.
Price Weighted Score: 61%
Overall Score: 60%
G777
The Enacfire E60 is probably only good one they’ve made. I bought one for a family member and I don’t think there’s a cheaper TWS with a wireless charging case. SQ wasn’t bad either, but I recall it being a bit bassy.
