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.
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.
