Tronsmart Onyx Apex True Wireless™ Stereo ANC Earbuds QCC3040 TWS BT5.2

Intro

Tronsmart is no stranger in the TWS market. They have several TWS that offer very good price performance ratios. Let’s find out today if Onyx Apex offers the same as well.

Packaging

The packaging is pretty straight forward, nothing to expect at this price point.
A box consists of the IEM, eartips. Pretty straight forward no BS.

Build and Comfort

The whole earbud is made out of plastic and there are not sharp edges or any protrusion that causes discomfort. The only thing that i don’t like is the eartips, i find that it doesn’t give enough seal, but thankfully an easy ear tip swap solved the problem.



Control and Connectivity and Delay

The controls are all done on the earbud itself. The touch sensitivity is fairly high and at times I actually accidentally paused/lowered the volume. The controls are fairly straight forward:

• Double-tap L or R to play/pause music
• Tap R to increase the volume
• Tap L to decrease volume
• Hold R to skip to the next track
• Hold L to return to the previous track
• Triple-tap L or R to change between Transparency mode, ANC on, and ANC off

Connectivity is very good as I did not get any drop out even when I am approximately 6-7 meters away from my phone at my home, where there are several thick walls in between.

As expected from a bluetooth 5.2 TWS, audio is very much in sync when i am watching a movie via netflix or any other streaming services. Most of the games that i played, the sound is pretty much in sync except for if you are playing some hack and slash titles, but the delay is not very noticeable, a lot better than competition.


ANC Test/Ambient Mode

Let me just be honest here and tell you that, if you are expecting the ANC’s performance to be like Sony’s XM4, or even Apple’s AirPod Pro, please just drop those thoughts now.

This is not to say that the ANC capability is bad, but it just doesn’t cancel out that much noise. For example, i am using a mechanical keyboard and I can still hear the keyboard’s clicking noise when my music is playing at very low volume.

However it does lower down the noise of your surroundings, such as when you are at a busy cafe, the noise does get reduced slightly, but just don’t expect it to be dead silent. That’s it. In fact, for its asking price, I think the implementation is pretty good already.

As for the Ambient mode, it does make you feel safer when you’re out and about wearing the earbud as you can pretty much hear most of the noise from the surroundings, except for if you’re trying to converse, because it doesn’t really boost the vocal that much to my ears. So I will still take it out if I'm trying to talk to someone.


Battery Life Test

• With ANC On
• I get about 4.5 hours of listening time at 50% of volume
• Quite in line with what Tronsmart Advertised
• With ANC off, i get additional hour at the same volume level and playing back via the same Codec (APTX)
• I would say the battery life is not bad nor exceptional, good enough to last you through the day if you are a heavy user, as the case hold an additional of 20 hours approximately

Sound

Onyx Apex’s sound is smooth and warm to my ears. Treble extension is fairly average to my ears which is fair for its asking price.

Bass

• Not that fast and tight
• At times it may sound a little bloated when the track gets busy
• All these compromise is to be expected at such asking price, which i personally think is fair
• Sub bass rumble is not that much as the mid bass is the most prominent at the lower end section
• Not quite basshead kind of bass presentation, but good enough fun for most of the genre

Mids

• Vocal presentation is slightly forward
• Bass bleed does happen occasionally
• Female and male vocal has got enough body without sounding thin

Treble

• Smooth treble presentation
• Doesn’t sound harsh at all
• Good amount of details and extension

Soundstage/Imaging

• Soundstaging is average, doesn’t feel boxed in or out of head
• Left and right perception feels a little out of head and doesn’t feel centered/boxed in
• Depth and height does feel a little lacking
• Imaging is average as sometimes when you’re listening to a fairly busy track, Onyx Apex will get a little congested

Final Thoughts

I have been listening to the Onyx Apex for at least a week to perform various tests as most of the time I review wired audiophile IEM instead of true wireless.

Will I recommend this unit? Yes I will if you’re not looking at this model purely for it’s ANC capability. If you are looking for a TWS as your daily driver, workout companion, and don't really care much about the ANC, this is the one for you. Don’t get me wrong, the ANC is there, but just to expect it to offer flagship kind of ANC performance.

Sound wise, it is an all rounder to my ears, very easy to listen to without feeling fatigue and the battery life is good enough for daily use as the case holds an additional 20+ hours. There is also fast charging, so basically it’s a worry free experience with regards to battery life.

At the time of writing, Onyx Apex cost around 50$. However, with the upcoming Double 11 event, it will be slashed to as low as 33.9$. Do not miss out on the chance to score this deal if you’re looking for a budget TWS that will not break the bank and also sounds good.

If you are interested in purchasing Tronsmart’s Onyx Apex, you may head to their AliExpress Store here

*I received this unit from Tronsmart in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. I am not affiliated nor do I gain any commission if anyone purchases from the link above.

I have to admit, I have far too many headphones! I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one on these forums to have this problem but it's something that I'm getting used to. I embraced the concept of wireless headphones quite early on in their evolution and have definitely welcomed the improvements in performance and sound quality the last couple of years have brought.

Amongst my collection are the following:-

Sone WF1000XM3 - Sony WH1000XM2 - Tronsmart Apollo Bold - Tronsmart Apollo Air + - Mavin Air-X - Lypertek Tevi - iBasso CF01/IT00 - Tronsmart Q10 - the list goes on…..

I'm now starting to look at the new Sony WF1000XM4 IEM's - but the combination of excessive price coupled with the fact that I already have the rather excellent XM3's, I'm not rushing to buy these at this time.

As you can see from the list above, there's quite a lot of Tronsmart stuff in there. I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with the overall quality of Tronsmart products. The combination of nice design touches, overall build quality and sound performance make them a serious player in the wireless audio marketplace - and their pricing is extremely competitive on top of that. Whilst you might think that the gap between their cheapest product and their most expensive equivalent product is too narrow, it's always good business to offer an upgrade to their cheapest products - lots of people shop with a "Ah what the hell, it's only a tenner more and I can just about afford that!".

One thing that their products all share is the sound character. Their headphones tend to favour a fairly strong 'v' shape to their sound - with some definite emphasis on the bass frequences. Whilst this can sometimes spoil the overall sound quality, they do definitely sound great when listening at lower volumes - mostly thanks to their enhanced bass.

In recent times I have started to come to the conclusion that I'm becoming something of a 'basshead' - for a long time I tended to favour the sound characteristics of the Etymotic ER4P - detailed rather than deep bass and a ruler-flat frequency response. However the sheer number of TWS headphones that exhibit boosted bass has slowly changed the way I listen to music and I am definitely starting to enjoy the boosted bass sound character. Don't get me wrong, I still like an accurate sound but now with an added degree of oomph when appropriate. I also now listen at lower volume levels than I used to (although still too loud according to my wife).



Like the rest of the Tronsmart range of TWS headphones, the Onyx offers full control of all the functions via their rich controls - including volume. This is always a welcome feature and one that should be mandatory for all wireless headphones. It's very clear that the Onyx are aimed at potential purchasers of the Apple Airpods Pro - having tried the Airpods Pro, I think it's fair to say that these definitely offer an alternative - at a significant price saving to boot. It's a shame that the latest Sony ANC earbuds still can't offer the same level of control that you get with all of Tronsmart's products.

The charging case doesn't feature wireless charging - after all this is designed to be the basic model in their ANC range. The buds fit into the case in a similar way to their Apollo Air models and it does take a little getting used to. The case uses USB Type C and charges the headphones an additional 3 times.



Pairing is pretty foolproof thanks to the use of bluetooth 5.2 typically automatically pairing to your phone by the time you've got them out of the case and put in your ears. Touch controls work really well and remind me of the Sony WF1000XM3's regarding touch sensitivity and response time whilst actually offering more functionality.



The sound quality and character are typical Tronsmart - v shaped with some additional bass 'bloom'. Not unpleasant by any stretch. Tronsmart consider these to be their entry level TWS headphones and this is reflected in both the price and the reduced effectiveness of their ANC which is perhaps a little less effective than that found on their Apollo Bold and Apollo Air + models. It still works though and, like their others does change the character of the sound - increasing the bass. To be honest this function can be quite beneficial as when you're in a genuinely noisy environment you can lose a lot of bass frequency so there are times that this bass boost works well. Having said that, I would still prefer a flatter sound profile that could be adjusted using EQ when required. The overall sound quality is pretty good - once you get used to the enhanced bass. At moderate volumes the sound is nicely full bodied - definitely giving the impression that you're listening to something 'bigger'.



One interesting aspect I've found with their Air, Air + and Onyx models is they're extremely convenient and easy to put in your ears 'on the fly'. This is something that they share with Apple Airpods and Airpods Pro earbuds.

For the price these are definitely worth considering. They're not perfect but do bring a lot to the table for their asking price. Differences between the Onyx and the Air/Air + and Bold models are definitely noticeable but also share a common sound profile. Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: Tronsmart offered these unit for me to test and review. Everything i write here is my subjective honest opinion about the unit.


Gears used for testing:
Spotify from my Android phone

Other TWS used for comparison: Tronsmart Apollo Air+, Airpods Pro

I won’t be covering informations/specifications that’s already available on the website, so feel free to go to this link for more info.
https://www.tronsmart.com/products/...noise-cancelling-true-wireless-stereo-earbuds

I will be covering things/ info that are not readily available on the spec page, also some personal thoughts and opinions after using it personally for a few days.

What you get in the box:





Back of the box info:



Built and accessories:
This time Tronsmart uses a cheaper material plastic for the case compared to their Apollo line, or even compared to the older Onyx Free for that matter. Understandable because of the cheaper price point, but worth mentioning, because it still is more expensive than the Onyx Free. The plastic seems softer to the touch and more prone to scratches compared to the Apollo cases, and also feels less polished because some rough edges around the lid.

Also the lid won’t hold itself open. Not really a big deal for me, but something worth mentioning.

I like the battery indicator system better here compared to the confusing Apollos. Here it just uses the traditional four LEDs that gives us info about how much battery left on the case.

There’s no automatic pairing here when we open the lid, so you must pick them up from the case to initiate pairing. I personally like this method more, but some other might prefer it differently.

The case itself doesn’t support wireless charging, so we can only charge with the USB-C connection.

Thankfully, the earpieces themselves feels quite nicely build and have the same quality feel and material to the Apollo Airs. It uses the same glossy finish and similarly responsive buttons. It also adopts the oval nozzle shape like the Apollo Airs, but with the difference of the height of the eartips used: while the Apollo Air are using regular, taller IEM tips, the Onyx Apex are using the shorter and stubbier eartips, similar in height to the Airpods Pro

Provided inside the box are standard 3 pairs of eartips, USB-C cable, and manuals.

The Onyx Apex is only available in black

Size comparison (left to right: AirPods Pro, Onyx Apex, Apollo Air):







Fit:
It uses a shallower fit compared to the Apollo Air, partly because of the more bulbous body, and also because the shorter eartips. I don’t have any problems with fit and comfort, though the Apollo Air is better on this regard for me, because even if i move my jaws it rarely (if ever) break seal, while i sometimes must adjust with the Onyx Apex. Also I can wear the Apollo Air longer as the Onyx Apex makes my inner ears warmer and sweat more after long use while i have less occasions with the Apollo Air. I personally settle using the eartips from the Apollo Air on my Onyx Apex.

Bear in mind that this is strictly my personal situation and might not reflect on everyone the same way.

Onyx Apex eartip vs Apollo Air's:



Battery life:
The battery life is more or less similar to the Apollo Air, so adequate, but compared to the other BT 5.2 competitor it might seem mediocre

Based on my personal test playing Spotify non-stop at my regular listening volume, i got around 5 hours until the battery shows 10% left with ANC on, and around 6 hours with ANC off (until it shows 10% battery left).


Apps:
At this moment, the Onyx Apex doesn’t have any apps support, so what you have out of the box is what you get. Thankfully the button layout, stock sound, and connection performance are good out of the box, but i do hope Tronsmart add app support for this in the future.


Isolation, ANC/ Ambient mode:
Passive isolation: Passively, it performs well, it blocks more than the Airpods Pro, though to the Apollo Air blocks a bit more because of the deeper fit style.

ANC: ANC wise, it’s adequate and usable, but the Apollo Air performs better here as it reduces more noise than the Apex.

Ambient mode: The ambient mode on the Onyx Apex is loud, as it seems to let everything in and even boost them a bit more, similar to what hearing aid would do. Static noise like AC or fan noise would be elevated, but the good thing is that every conversation would be more audible. I like it better than the Apollo Air’s Ambient mode, which seems to be harder to hear conversations even with ambient mode on.


Sound characteristic:
In summary, it has similar rumbly bass as the Apollo Air, but with a more forward mids, crisper treble, and more intimate soundstage.

Bass:
It’s really similar in bass performance compared to the Apollo Air: subbass really hit deep, but seems a bit faster compared to the mellower and relaxed Apollo Air

Unlike the Apollo Bold and Apollo Air/Air+ however, there seems to be no changes in bass quantity when the ANC/ Ambient mode engaged.

Mids:
Mids here is slightly more “in your face” compared to the warm and relaxed nature of the Apollo Air.

Treble:
The Onyx Apex has more treble, making it a bit more engaging compared to the more laid back treble of the Apollo Air. Both are good and works in the similar sound quality, so it’s just a matter of preference: more dynamic ( Onyx Apex) or more relaxed and longer listening (Apollo Air)

Soundstage:
It has more intimate soundstage when compared to the Apollo Air because of the more forward center stage/ mids. The tradeoff is that the Air seems to have deeper and more 3D soundstage, like listening from several rows back at the concert, while the Onyx Apex is more intimate, like standing closer to the stage.


Conclusion:
Still another solid performer from Tronsmart. It retains similar performance to the more expensive Apollo Airs, with the sacrifice in slightly cheaper feel case and the lack of app support.