At the time of the review, the iclever IC-BTH01 was on sale at Amazon’s website. Here is a link to the listing of the product:
http://www.amazon.com/iClever-IC-BTH01-Lightweight-Headphones-Transmitter/dp/B00RF27R9I/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1441638076&sr=8-21&keywords=iclever
Introduction
There are two markets for earphones. One is a market for the normal everyday consumer who is looking for an earphone that works for their everyday needs. The other are for Head-Fiers who are looking for a high fidelity earphone that will maximize their listening experience. Today I will review a product that sits somewhere in the middle of these two markets, the IC-BTH01 bluetooth headset from iClever.
Disclaimer
I was given an opportunity to review the IC-BTH01 in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I am in no way affiliated with iClever.
My Background
I AM NOT a numbers and graphs audiophile or sound engineer. Personal audio enthusiast? Absolutely! Headphone junkie? Possibly…
There’s something about quality DAPs, DACs, Amplifiers and Earphones that intrigues me, especially if they can be had for low prices. I will buy the $5 to $500 earphone that looks promising, in hopes that I will discover that one new gem that can compete with the big names in this industry. If you look at my Head-Fi profile you will see that I have purchased MANY different headphones and earphones, ranging from from dirt cheap to higher end products. For me, this hobby is more about getting great price to performance ratio from a product, and have a variety of different gears with varying builds and sound to mix and match. With personal audio gear, we tend to pay a lot of money for minor upgrades. One thing I’ve learned over the last few years is that just because a headphone has a higher price tag, it doesn’t mean that it has superior build and sound quality.
I’m always looking for great audio at a great price. I’m after headphones and IEMs that give me the “WOW” factor. I can appreciate different builds and sound signatures as long as they are ergonomic, and the sound is pleasing to the ear. It is my pleasure to share my experiences with audio products and make recommendations based gear I have owned and used.
REVIEW
The iClever IC-BTH01 came in a silver and clear plastic package. The front of the box had the name of the product printed along with a clear plastic displaying the actual earphones inside. The back of the package displayed a picture of the product along with a description of the product’s key features.
Specifications
- Bluetooth version: Bluetooth V4.0
- Bluetooth profiles supported: HSP, HFP, A2DP and AVRCP
- Operating distance: 10 meters
- Talk time: About 5.5 hours
- Music playing time: About 5 hours
- Standby time: About 150 hours
- Charging time: About 2 hours
Package Content
- 1 x IC-BTH01 Bluetooth stereo headset
- 1 x Micro USB cable
- 1 x Stabilizer
- 3 x Ear-tips (big/middle/small)
- 1 x Cord management clip
- 1 x User manual
- 1 x Warranty card
The package is formidable on a whole. While I find the velvet carrying pouch to be underwhelming, a big positive is the silicone tips that come with the unit. They are a very supple silicone that creates a great seal on my ears. Something to note is that the stock tips are very wide on the nozzle portion because of a wide nozzle on the earphone housing. This will make tip rolling difficult, if not impossible. With that being said, tip rolling shouldn’t be needed for the most part because of the high quality tips that are provided.
Housings
The housings of the IC-BTH01 are made of a lightweight plastic and are a bit on the bulky side. They are designed to be worn under the ear. There is an iClever logo on the top of the left housing, and an NFC logo located on top of the right logo. The back of each housing sports a plastic plate with a detailed ring pattern on each side. The right side plate flips open to reveal the charging port for the built in battery. There is a blue/red indicator light on the bottom of the right side housing.
Cable, Strain Reliefs
The cable of the iClever is a flat noodle style cable that is about a foot and a half long. The accessories package includes a cable cinch system that is pretty tedious to apply to the cable, but once situated it works great. This is intended for when wearing them behind the ear. There is also a clip that allows the cable to be connected when wearing them around the neck and not in the ears. There isn’t really any kind of strain relief at the housings. They go from a hard plastic to the flat cables. The cable is a pretty durable rubber material so I don’t think the lack of strain relief will cause any issues.
Ergonomics, Fit and Microphonics, Isolation
Because of the larger housings and under the ear fit design, I find the IC-BTH01 to be lacking in terms of ergonomics. For a bluetooth in-ear monitor they are a slightly awkward fit. There are also microphonics because of this design, and with the cable cinched I occasionally lost a seal because of tugging. Because I am a fan of over the ear fit, I did come up with a way that allowed me to use them over-ear. I will attach a pic below of how I did it. Still with this way of wearing them, the housings are bulky and awkward fitting.
Functionality
The IC-BTH01 operates like most bluetooth headsets. It has a three button microphone and remote that does the following key functions.
Center button: *Single tap-Play and pause music, Answer and hang up phone calls. *Double tap- Call the last number recorded in your phone log. *Long press-Turn device on and off or activate the bluetooth pairing function
Arrow up button: *Single tap-Volume up. *Long press- Skip backwards track (in music playback)
Arrow down button: *Single tap-Volume down. *Long press- Skip forward track (in music playback)
This device has NFC, which allows you to connect it to a corresponding NFC capable source by touching the devices together. If you don’t have NFC, you can also connect your bluetooth device via the pairing mode and bluetooth settings mode. I had no trouble connecting the IC-BTH01 to any of my devices. The IC-BTH01 automatically reconnects to whatever device you last used it with as long as you have the bluetooth setting activated on that source.
The IC-BTH01 holds a very steady connection and rarely lagged or got choppy during music playback. Buttons were responsive and worked well. I was easily able to use the device all day without needing a charge as long as I turned it off when not in use. When using the earphones for phone calls, friends and family had trouble hearing me when the cable was worn behind my neck. For the most part they reported a three on a scale from one to five in terms of how clear my voice came through when talking to them.
Sound Review & Materials
I used my usual same songs for testing gear:
“Limit to your love” by James Blake (bass speed, punch, response)
“Doin’ it Right” by Daft Punk (sub bass)
“Get lucky” by Daft Punk (bass to midrange transition resolution, male vocals)
“Madness” by Muse (soundstage, separation)
“Some nights” by Fun (soundstage and male vocals)
“The soundmaker” by Rodrigo y Gabriela (texture and imaging)
“Bassically” by Tei Shi (bass to midrange resolution, female vocals)
“Skinny Love” performed by Birdie (female vocals, acoustic playback)
“One” by Ed Sheeran (male vocals, acoustic playback)
“Outlands” from the Tron Legacy Soundtrack (symphonic presentation, imaging)
“Sultans of swing” by Dire Straits (detail, separation, balance)
“And Justic for All” by Metallica (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
“Ten thousand fists” by Disturbed (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
Note: Other tracks were used, but the listed songs were primarily used to asses and break down the gear’s response.
Sound Signature
When bluetooth earphone companies reach out to me to review their products, it usually means that they are confident in the way they sound. That holds true with these. They offer a consumer friendly signature that has better than average clarity and bass control.
Bass
The bass on these are lifted without being overbearing. I find them to have punch and rumble with a slightly forward midbass presence that doesn’t cause the other frequencies to be congested or distorted. Extension is decent and I get a decent sense of tone that becomes pretty monotone below 50Hz. Bass is controlled and enjoyable for the most part. The inoffensive yet forward nature of them works well.
Midrange
Midrange takes a slight back seat to the rest of the tuning. Occasionally the mid bass would hint at bleeding into the midrange. Although I felt it could have used a touch more timbre and forwardness, there was a very nice sense of clarity, especially for a bluetooth earphone in this price range.
Treble
The IC-BTH01 treble is safe and inoffensive to my ears. It wasn’t lacking in terms of tuning. things did occasionally get congested, especially during complex music passages.
Soundstage and Imaging
The IC-BTH01 has a slightly closed in sound that has a nice and safe tuning. Because there isn’t much extension and definition on either end, it has a slightly narrow soundstage. Imaging follows suit and I would consider it to be average.
Source Selection
Anything with bluetooth.
Comparisons
Meelectronics X7 ($75 to $100 USD on many sites)
These are a personal favorite for physical activity. They have the best fit I’ve come across, they isolate phenomenally and have a forward bass presence that extends and helps drown out outside noise.
The IC-BTH01 has an overall more balanced sound and just as good isolation. It can’t compete with the X7’s superior fit however. In terms of sound I might pick the IC-BTH -01 over the x7.
Brainwavz BLU-100 ($45 to $65 USD on many sites)
The BLU-100 is Brainwavz first offering for bluetooth IEMs. It has many similar design features as the IC-BTH01.
The BLU-100 offers a superior accessories package with their awesome clamshell case and comply foam tips. But the buck stops there. The BLU-100 has what I consider to be over the top mid bass that takes away from the overall tuning. The IC-BTH01 has more clarity and an overall more balanced and less fatiguing sound tuning that I prefer. The iClever also offers better ergonomics and fitment.
Conclusion
iClever is a very nice and reasonable priced bluetooth earphone option that justifies it’s price and competes with many others in its respective price range. I don’t see anyone being disappointed if they purchase these.
Thanks for reading and happy listening!
