Nillkin Go TW004 Aptx Wireless Earbuds BT5.0 IPX6
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RC003
How I review: (See Previous Reviews)
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Model: Nillkin TW004
Price: £38.99 (£59.99 with 20% off voucher)
Vendor Link: Nillkin
Link: Amazon
Review Reference: RC003
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, Chinese and English
1 x Warranty Card
Real Life Experience
Welcome to the Regancipher review of the buds with the most futuristic case I've reviewed so far, the Nillkin TW004.
Most of us are more used to buying protective sleeves for our Chinese phones from Nillkin, so their entry into the TWS market was a mild shock (only mild since every man and his dog seems to be having a crack these days).
Even in 2021 they are not cheap, so they would have to be good to retain that level of value legitimately.
Unboxing - 9/10
After a while working out how to open it, the unboxing feels rather premium, with good quality materials revealing a tody array of accessories, including a nice easy to follow manual that reminded me of being at the opticians.
You get a lot in the box, including a nice flat USB-C charge cable, wing tips for sport, an assortment of tips and even a belt clip for the charge case.
The Case - 10/10
WOW! The case is something else. Looking more like something out of Westworld or Limitless, the USB-C charged case rotates to reveal the earbuds, rather than a capsule that provides eternal life. Still pretty cool. The roatation is solid - no danger of these disappearing in your bag, and requires a rubber end to be turned to initiate the rotation.
Occasionally, the end of the case even lights up like a torch. Why, I'm not sure, but it does. It tells you why in the manual, but I can't be bothered to explain it. It comes with a clip that allows them to be bolted onto key rings, backpacks or belt clips. Apparently it is made of Zirconium Oxide, and the case gives up to 52 hours of extra charge time, which is impressive by any earbuds standards.
The Fit - 9.5/10
When earbuds arrive, you never quite know what to expect. These looked little different to offerings from Enacfire and others I've reviewed over time. In reality, ergonomically they are outstanding. The fit my ears with the biggest tips on perfectly giving a really nice snug fit with superb isolation and minimal leakage.
The wing tip sits above the touch controls, although it twists quite easily, and they lose half a mark as the silicone tip also tends to unfold when removed, which is a tad annoying (see pic). The touch controls are intuitive and responsive, and underneath you will see the voice mic, which is exposed via a small gap.
There is a touch of the FIIL T1XS / Anker Soundcore Liberty Neo about the design, and despite it looking bulky both in pictures and in specifications, it certainly doesn't feel it.
Isolation
No active noise cancellation, but passive noise cancellation is out of this world. The best I've ever experienced on any set of headphones. These blew the ANC on the Aukey EP-N5 out of the water. Not only that, they didn't suffer badly with the 'thud' you expect with earbuds that create such a strong vacuum. Bravo!
Sound Quality - 5.5/10
And it goes downhill from here. First test on iPhone with Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears. No problems. Sounded fine. However, as I moved through the tracks, the regression was apparent. First signs of struggle were on I'll Be There by Jess Glynn - I don't particularly like this track but I keep it on my phone because it seems to bamboozle earbuds in parts. These were no exception. They struggled with differentiating mid-low frequencies and later on the vocals. Then Pavarotti.....he'd be turning in his grave. When EQ'd to flat or 'Electronic' they sounded...well, passable, but the nasty spikes and dips are borderline dangerous at high volumes.
I ran it through a few pieces of software I use to test if I'm really not sure. The result got worse every time. There is a big spike and dip around 8KHz - beyond 15KHz....nothing. In fact, there is something.....but it isn't pleasant. It makes for grim listening at times.
I will keep persevering with different tips and see if anything changes, but these are so muddy they are not only bad for music and audiobooks, they're also bad for your ears. Any kind of volume around 50% leaves you with a pretty nasty feeling in your ears, I guess down to the sub-bass being bloated. Such a shame.
Call Quality - Indoors - 10/10, Outdoors - 4/10
Indoors these are one of the best earbuds I've ever tested. They cancel out fans altogether, your voice sounds very natural, it is actually quite scary how good they are.
Outdoors, they are possibly the worst I've ever tested. They pick up practically everything except your voice. Background voices are clearer than your own. A shame, likely down to the odd position of the microphone, which runs perpendicular to your nostrils!!
Connectivity, Controls and Other Features - 8/10
Connectivity was very solid. Expected distances and no interference. A little latency, but no more than usual. Battery Life is phenomenal - 13 hours advertised, passed the 12 hour mark on first run.
Controls are OK. I worked out how to answer calls, play and pause, skip tracks and reject calls. Voice assistant is, like most earbuds, 3 clicks. Touch control is easy enough to use and not erratic, but slow...there is a long delay between your touch and anything happening.
BT Tweaker revealed the usual array of proprietary codecs and defaulted to Aptx on Windows and Android. Not sure about vendor response, I have not been in contact with them. I will though.
Final Comments
The biggest disappointment in my time reviewing headphones. These are a masterclass in how to get all the fancy stuff right and fail drastically on the fundamentals. The case, the fit, the package, the battery life, the noise reduction - all sensational. It actually feels pretty exciting opening them up.
The problem is, you absolutely MUST follow up with even average to above average sound quality. The mids are TOTALLY unacceptable at this price point (MSRP is around £60 so these are not your average chifi pricing)
These are so disappointing. They have the makings of quite revolutionary buds, they are super comfy, great for exercise, very good for calls indoors, but they absolutely suck for outdoor calls.
I will give them a few days to wear in and make them aware and see if they have a response, because I absolutely adore everything about them other than the crappy sound quality. Jesus my hearing is bad enough, these will finish it off for good!
Price Weighted Score: 52%
Raw Score: 56%
2022 Score: 50%
How I review: (See Previous Reviews)
Instagram: regancipher
YouTube: regancipher
Model: Nillkin TW004
Price: £38.99 (£59.99 with 20% off voucher)
Vendor Link: Nillkin
Link: Amazon
Review Reference: RC003
Manufacturer Specification:
- Brand: Nillkin
- Model: TW004
- Driver: 6mm Custom Engineered Dynamic Driver
- Chipset: Qualcomm QCC3020
- Impedance: 16 Ohm
- Mic: 4, ENC
- ANC: No
- Codecs: SBC, AptX
- Earbud Weight: 5.4g
- Full Charge Time: 120 minutes
- Quick Charge: No
- Wireless Charging: No
- Input: 5V 400mA
- Single Use Playtime: Up to 13 hours
- Playtime with Charge Case: Up to 65 hours
- App Support: No
- Bluetooth Range: 10m advertised
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.0
- Bluetooth Protocols: HFP/ A2DP/ AVRCP
- Water Resistance: IPX5
1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
1 x User manual, Chinese and English
1 x Warranty Card
Real Life Experience
Welcome to the Regancipher review of the buds with the most futuristic case I've reviewed so far, the Nillkin TW004.
Most of us are more used to buying protective sleeves for our Chinese phones from Nillkin, so their entry into the TWS market was a mild shock (only mild since every man and his dog seems to be having a crack these days).
Even in 2021 they are not cheap, so they would have to be good to retain that level of value legitimately.
Unboxing - 9/10
After a while working out how to open it, the unboxing feels rather premium, with good quality materials revealing a tody array of accessories, including a nice easy to follow manual that reminded me of being at the opticians.
You get a lot in the box, including a nice flat USB-C charge cable, wing tips for sport, an assortment of tips and even a belt clip for the charge case.
The Case - 10/10
WOW! The case is something else. Looking more like something out of Westworld or Limitless, the USB-C charged case rotates to reveal the earbuds, rather than a capsule that provides eternal life. Still pretty cool. The roatation is solid - no danger of these disappearing in your bag, and requires a rubber end to be turned to initiate the rotation.
Occasionally, the end of the case even lights up like a torch. Why, I'm not sure, but it does. It tells you why in the manual, but I can't be bothered to explain it. It comes with a clip that allows them to be bolted onto key rings, backpacks or belt clips. Apparently it is made of Zirconium Oxide, and the case gives up to 52 hours of extra charge time, which is impressive by any earbuds standards.
The Fit - 9.5/10
When earbuds arrive, you never quite know what to expect. These looked little different to offerings from Enacfire and others I've reviewed over time. In reality, ergonomically they are outstanding. The fit my ears with the biggest tips on perfectly giving a really nice snug fit with superb isolation and minimal leakage.
The wing tip sits above the touch controls, although it twists quite easily, and they lose half a mark as the silicone tip also tends to unfold when removed, which is a tad annoying (see pic). The touch controls are intuitive and responsive, and underneath you will see the voice mic, which is exposed via a small gap.
There is a touch of the FIIL T1XS / Anker Soundcore Liberty Neo about the design, and despite it looking bulky both in pictures and in specifications, it certainly doesn't feel it.
Isolation
No active noise cancellation, but passive noise cancellation is out of this world. The best I've ever experienced on any set of headphones. These blew the ANC on the Aukey EP-N5 out of the water. Not only that, they didn't suffer badly with the 'thud' you expect with earbuds that create such a strong vacuum. Bravo!
Sound Quality - 5.5/10
And it goes downhill from here. First test on iPhone with Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears. No problems. Sounded fine. However, as I moved through the tracks, the regression was apparent. First signs of struggle were on I'll Be There by Jess Glynn - I don't particularly like this track but I keep it on my phone because it seems to bamboozle earbuds in parts. These were no exception. They struggled with differentiating mid-low frequencies and later on the vocals. Then Pavarotti.....he'd be turning in his grave. When EQ'd to flat or 'Electronic' they sounded...well, passable, but the nasty spikes and dips are borderline dangerous at high volumes.
I ran it through a few pieces of software I use to test if I'm really not sure. The result got worse every time. There is a big spike and dip around 8KHz - beyond 15KHz....nothing. In fact, there is something.....but it isn't pleasant. It makes for grim listening at times.
I will keep persevering with different tips and see if anything changes, but these are so muddy they are not only bad for music and audiobooks, they're also bad for your ears. Any kind of volume around 50% leaves you with a pretty nasty feeling in your ears, I guess down to the sub-bass being bloated. Such a shame.
Call Quality - Indoors - 10/10, Outdoors - 4/10
Indoors these are one of the best earbuds I've ever tested. They cancel out fans altogether, your voice sounds very natural, it is actually quite scary how good they are.
Outdoors, they are possibly the worst I've ever tested. They pick up practically everything except your voice. Background voices are clearer than your own. A shame, likely down to the odd position of the microphone, which runs perpendicular to your nostrils!!
Connectivity, Controls and Other Features - 8/10
Connectivity was very solid. Expected distances and no interference. A little latency, but no more than usual. Battery Life is phenomenal - 13 hours advertised, passed the 12 hour mark on first run.
Controls are OK. I worked out how to answer calls, play and pause, skip tracks and reject calls. Voice assistant is, like most earbuds, 3 clicks. Touch control is easy enough to use and not erratic, but slow...there is a long delay between your touch and anything happening.
BT Tweaker revealed the usual array of proprietary codecs and defaulted to Aptx on Windows and Android. Not sure about vendor response, I have not been in contact with them. I will though.
Final Comments
The biggest disappointment in my time reviewing headphones. These are a masterclass in how to get all the fancy stuff right and fail drastically on the fundamentals. The case, the fit, the package, the battery life, the noise reduction - all sensational. It actually feels pretty exciting opening them up.
The problem is, you absolutely MUST follow up with even average to above average sound quality. The mids are TOTALLY unacceptable at this price point (MSRP is around £60 so these are not your average chifi pricing)
These are so disappointing. They have the makings of quite revolutionary buds, they are super comfy, great for exercise, very good for calls indoors, but they absolutely suck for outdoor calls.
I will give them a few days to wear in and make them aware and see if they have a response, because I absolutely adore everything about them other than the crappy sound quality. Jesus my hearing is bad enough, these will finish it off for good!
Price Weighted Score: 52%
Raw Score: 56%
2022 Score: 50%
