I bought the Byron BT to use with my iPhone 5S. Although I can see the BTA would be better because of the AAC support, I didn't get it because of a) the price and b) proprietary charging cradle. Having a loseable cradle like that is a real turn-off for me. Also I don't understand why adding a codec doubles the price. A few thoughts on the Byron BT:
Likes:
- Build quality seems good
- Design is conservative and subdued, not bright and flashy. I prefer that.
- Sound quality seems OK but I don't have anything to compare it to really, this is my first BT earphones. Also as I am using with an IOS device it's not using aptX but I knew that before buying. My Marley wired iems do sound better but that's not a fair comparison.
Dislikes
- The controls are close to the right ear. If you need to use them while walking, running, etc I don't find it all that convenient as it can pull on the ear. From pictures of other iems that seems standard these days, so maybe not a criticism of this particular design, but I much prefer the controls of my Marley wired iems in the middle, not on the side.
- When running (and I realise these aren't marketed as a sports model) the weight of the controls pulls down on the ear. It's better if you put the cable around the back of your neck but you can still feel it. Also there's some microphonics so you can hear it too. None of that would affect if you weren't running/jogging etc though.
- With the iPhone 5S (IOS10) the bluetooth controls affect an independent volume of the headphones, they don't control the iPhone's own volume. This is unlike USB HID volume control. Maybe it's just a bluetooth standard thing but it's a bit confusing as you essentially have two independent volume settings
- I find it hard to insert them far enough to get good seal. The tips supplied are thin and not much variety in sizes, and I'd like to try a double-flange design that goes further. Also I find the actual hardware that the tips go onto is a little wide for my ear canals. I'd like to try some other tips....
Overall I am reasonably happy. My primary purpose is when I am riding a bike or jogging (hence the desire to get a wireless model) so perhaps I should have been better off getting something like Jaybird X2 but I thought I'd give these a try. For sound quality if you don't really need wireless.... I'd suggest going for wired model.
Ask any questions if you like....