2016 looks set to be the year where truly wireless earbuds make their mark.
Popularized in the movie Definitely, Maybe (2008), you can see Ryan Reynolds' persona wearing a pair of wireless earbuds. This was nothing short of awesome to movie goers who wanted a simple and convenient audio device. This marked the beginning of a dream of how to make these earbuds mainstream. And FYI, those earphones were in fact the Sennheiser MX W1 which functioned with the help of a wireless transmitter (RF 2.4 GHz band to be precise) that was connected to the 3.5mm jack.
Fast forward 8 years to 2016.
Kickstarter saw the initiation of several projects leveraging on Bluetooth technology to push music to two separate earbuds. Over the coming months, we'll take a look at each of these products and the features that they promise.
Earin
The first mover advantage goes to Earin, the first to hit mass production in late 2015. It was quite an eye-opening experience to review this model. It currently retails at SGD 349 / USD 199 on Amazon, weighs a mind-boggling 3.5g per earbud and it sounds great.
Bragi
The Bragi Dash is now available on their website. Audio transparency, tap-to-play and heart rate tracking? Check to all. It now goes for USD 279 on Amazon.
Read - Bragi The Headphone review
Kanoa
The Kanoa looks set to provide a good balance of features vs price. It boasts audio transparency and aptX that promises CD-quality sound. Currently, the 2nd batch is set to ship in May 2016 for a relatively fair USD 179 (shipping cost is additional).
Doppler Labs - Here Active Listening
The Here Active Listening earbuds weight a decent 10g, comes with a smartphone app that gives preset filters and fits inside a sleek charging case. You can't get a unit as yet but you can join the waitlist.
Update - 3 Aug 2016
Read - Here Active Listening review
Truebuds
Supposedly the 'smallest' Bluetooth earbuds, they weigh 8g, features a rather decent 6h battery life and comes with IP53-rated water and dust resistance. Upon pre-ordering the unit for about SGD 149.99, the estimated date to ship is sometime in Summer 2016.
Update (Mar 2017)
Take heed! Truebuds is likely a scam. After crowdfunding a million bucks, no product was delivered.
Read - Truebuds: Beware of Kickstarter Scams!
Apple / Beats
The enigma of them all. The iPhone 7 looks set to go without the 3.5mm jack. With that, there are a few folks who surmise that Apple / Beats is going with the full wireless approach with their upcoming earbuds. This will be a very interesting proposition given that Beats have not developed any pair of earbuds since the Apple takeover in 2014. Will they go full swing with a totally new product? Stay tuned.
Update (9 Sep 2016)
As expected, Apple has launched its own truly wireless product, the AirPods.
Read - Beats' and Apple's 2016 Audio Lineup
Update (7 Jun 2016)
Samsung Gear IconX
Samsung have officially joined the party. With that, they take the truly wireless earbuds product category into the mainstream. Launching their wireless earbuds with fitness tracking and 4GB storage stashed within, these earbuds (12g combined) will start sales in Q3 2016. They now sell at Amazon from USD 189.
Read - Samsung Gear IconX - First Take / Review Part 1 / Review Part 2
Update (18 Oct 2016)
Erato Apollo 7 This is a Kickstarter funded product and its design has gotten accolades in the form of the 2015 Red Dot Honorable Mention Award. As there's no mobile app support, this is a hardware driven product but it doesn't stop it from holding up well against its peers. Selling from USD 299 on Amazon.
Read - Erato Apollo 7 review
Popularized in the movie Definitely, Maybe (2008), you can see Ryan Reynolds' persona wearing a pair of wireless earbuds. This was nothing short of awesome to movie goers who wanted a simple and convenient audio device. This marked the beginning of a dream of how to make these earbuds mainstream. And FYI, those earphones were in fact the Sennheiser MX W1 which functioned with the help of a wireless transmitter (RF 2.4 GHz band to be precise) that was connected to the 3.5mm jack.
Fast forward 8 years to 2016.
Kickstarter saw the initiation of several projects leveraging on Bluetooth technology to push music to two separate earbuds. Over the coming months, we'll take a look at each of these products and the features that they promise.
Earin
The first mover advantage goes to Earin, the first to hit mass production in late 2015. It was quite an eye-opening experience to review this model. It currently retails at SGD 349 / USD 199 on Amazon, weighs a mind-boggling 3.5g per earbud and it sounds great.
Bragi
The Bragi Dash is now available on their website. Audio transparency, tap-to-play and heart rate tracking? Check to all. It now goes for USD 279 on Amazon.
Read - Bragi The Headphone review
Kanoa
The Kanoa looks set to provide a good balance of features vs price. It boasts audio transparency and aptX that promises CD-quality sound. Currently, the 2nd batch is set to ship in May 2016 for a relatively fair USD 179 (shipping cost is additional).
Doppler Labs - Here Active Listening
The Here Active Listening earbuds weight a decent 10g, comes with a smartphone app that gives preset filters and fits inside a sleek charging case. You can't get a unit as yet but you can join the waitlist.
Update - 3 Aug 2016
Read - Here Active Listening review
Truebuds
Supposedly the 'smallest' Bluetooth earbuds, they weigh 8g, features a rather decent 6h battery life and comes with IP53-rated water and dust resistance. Upon pre-ordering the unit for about SGD 149.99, the estimated date to ship is sometime in Summer 2016.
Update (Mar 2017)
Take heed! Truebuds is likely a scam. After crowdfunding a million bucks, no product was delivered.
Read - Truebuds: Beware of Kickstarter Scams!
Apple / Beats
The enigma of them all. The iPhone 7 looks set to go without the 3.5mm jack. With that, there are a few folks who surmise that Apple / Beats is going with the full wireless approach with their upcoming earbuds. This will be a very interesting proposition given that Beats have not developed any pair of earbuds since the Apple takeover in 2014. Will they go full swing with a totally new product? Stay tuned.
Update (9 Sep 2016)
As expected, Apple has launched its own truly wireless product, the AirPods.
Read - Beats' and Apple's 2016 Audio Lineup
Update (7 Jun 2016)
Samsung Gear IconX
Samsung have officially joined the party. With that, they take the truly wireless earbuds product category into the mainstream. Launching their wireless earbuds with fitness tracking and 4GB storage stashed within, these earbuds (12g combined) will start sales in Q3 2016. They now sell at Amazon from USD 189.
Read - Samsung Gear IconX - First Take / Review Part 1 / Review Part 2
Erato Apollo 7 This is a Kickstarter funded product and its design has gotten accolades in the form of the 2015 Red Dot Honorable Mention Award. As there's no mobile app support, this is a hardware driven product but it doesn't stop it from holding up well against its peers. Selling from USD 299 on Amazon.
Read - Erato Apollo 7 review
It's a first.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), US streaming music revenues have officially surpassed digital downloads for 2015. From USD 1.87B in 2014, streaming music racked up a 29% rise to hit USD 2.41B in 2015.
Definitions
By the streaming category, the RIAA is talking about revenues from subscription services (such as paid versions of Spotify, TIDAL, and Apple Music, among others), streaming radio service revenues that are distributed by SoundExchange (like Pandora, SiriusXM, and other Internet radio), and other non-subscription on-demand streaming services (such as YouTube, Vevo, and ad-supported Spotify).
Trends
From the chart below, you can see that streaming music (34.3%) marginally beats digital downloads at (34.0%). Marginal is the word but the trend looks favorable to the long term success of streaming music.
According to RIAA, paid subscriptions formed the biggest and fastest growing portion of the streaming market. What is significant is that they mentioned Apple Music and TIDAL's entrance that makes this space so hot. Interestingly, market share by active users, downloads and revenue, is something quite different as Pandora and Deezer, as at Q3 2015 were champions in their respective countries of US and France, according to App Annie. What remains to be seen is the impact of the new entrants in the long run.
Is it a Big Deal?
Sure it is. Every era has a champion. Take the 1980s. The cassette was king. The 90s saw the rise of Compact Discs (CDs). Record companies thought the status quo was fantastic. A few pennies to press discs and the casing, some to the artists and the majority to expand their vast empires. Enter the 2000s and MP3s. Napster and iTunes arrived and so did the massively successful iPod.
Now, we're in the 2010s. Spotify arrived not too long ago and finally the combined powers of the streaming music companies have toppled digital downloads. From 2011 to 2014, the revenue from streaming music experienced a 6% year-on-year increase and in the past year, we see a 7% increase. The rise of streaming music is here to stay. Make no mistake about it.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), US streaming music revenues have officially surpassed digital downloads for 2015. From USD 1.87B in 2014, streaming music racked up a 29% rise to hit USD 2.41B in 2015.
Definitions
By the streaming category, the RIAA is talking about revenues from subscription services (such as paid versions of Spotify, TIDAL, and Apple Music, among others), streaming radio service revenues that are distributed by SoundExchange (like Pandora, SiriusXM, and other Internet radio), and other non-subscription on-demand streaming services (such as YouTube, Vevo, and ad-supported Spotify).
Trends
From the chart below, you can see that streaming music (34.3%) marginally beats digital downloads at (34.0%). Marginal is the word but the trend looks favorable to the long term success of streaming music.
According to RIAA, paid subscriptions formed the biggest and fastest growing portion of the streaming market. What is significant is that they mentioned Apple Music and TIDAL's entrance that makes this space so hot. Interestingly, market share by active users, downloads and revenue, is something quite different as Pandora and Deezer, as at Q3 2015 were champions in their respective countries of US and France, according to App Annie. What remains to be seen is the impact of the new entrants in the long run.
Is it a Big Deal?
Sure it is. Every era has a champion. Take the 1980s. The cassette was king. The 90s saw the rise of Compact Discs (CDs). Record companies thought the status quo was fantastic. A few pennies to press discs and the casing, some to the artists and the majority to expand their vast empires. Enter the 2000s and MP3s. Napster and iTunes arrived and so did the massively successful iPod.
Now, we're in the 2010s. Spotify arrived not too long ago and finally the combined powers of the streaming music companies have toppled digital downloads. From 2011 to 2014, the revenue from streaming music experienced a 6% year-on-year increase and in the past year, we see a 7% increase. The rise of streaming music is here to stay. Make no mistake about it.
The iPhone 7, the next version of Apple's overwhelmingly
popular phone, to be unveiled in 2016 is rumored to have a design overhaul. The
big news from the audio perspective is the universal 3.5mm audio port may
actually be removed (gasp!) to accomodate the thinner industrial design.
 |
| Philips Fidelio NC1L |
This should shake the living daylights of the major headphone manufacturers out there. Granted that many have migrated to sell wireless Bluetooth units but quite a few have clearly not done so. Let's take a look at the impact.
What are the Implications?
1. Increase in Wireless Headphones
A no brainer. Many audio manufacturers have wired and wireless offerings. If the removal of the audio jack comes to fruition, those that don't already have wireless earphones will have to ramp up their efforts to get a Bluetooth offering before the iPhone 7 launch. There are actually quite a few folks such as RHA and Grado that may need to put in some R&D effort straight away.
2. What About the Top Brands?
Among the top brands by revenue in 2014 according to The NPDGroup, most of them have wireless offerings in the over-ears, on-ears and sports categories. While Bose and Sennheiser have wireless over-ears and on-ears offerings, both these brands are conspicuously absent in the sports wireless segment. You can expect these big players to upgrade their sports arsenal of products very soon.
3. Rise of Lightning Earphones?
While you may scoff at the idea of earphones with a Lightning jack, let's take a step back to reflect. If you remember, in 1998, on Steve Jobs' second coming, he removed the floppy drive from the iMac. Many baulked at this insane move but as you know, the rest is history. In 2009, the major handphone manufacturers were persuaded by the European Union to move to the near universal micro-USB standard for charging. Only Apple chose to use something else - their Lightning connector.
Only a company like Apple would have the balls to do something different from the other manufacturers out there. As such, Lightning earphones may very well take off. Philips and JBL have already launched such products for close to a year with benefits such as a direct digital connection and a lighter profile for noise-canceling (no battery needed) as power is drawn from the iPhone. Just last week, Audeze released the EL-8 Titanium headphones (USD 799.95) with (*drum roll*) a Lightning connector. Expect quite a few more to follow.
On 26 Oct, Beats started selling the Beats Pill+, making this its first portable Bluetooth speaker launched since the Apple acquistion just over a year back.
What's the Big Deal?
1. Beats Pill+ App
On 29 Oct, the accompanying mobile app for both iOS and Android (yes, you read Android correctly) was launched. According to the iTunes description, there are 3 modes that can be used.
a. DJ
You can link up with a friend and play music from two Bluetooth sources. While untested, we hope the implementation is made easy for users.
b. Amplify
Two Pill+ speakers can be combined to give a two-way amplified blast of music.
c. Stereo
The two Pill+ speakers can also be configured for left and right channel separation. This is great for a full stereo effect in the great outdoors.
2. Battery Life
A full 3 hour charge will give 12 hours battery life. The fuel gauge (aka power meter) will indicate a convenient 5 point breakdown of the status.
3. Lightning Connector
These are the first Beats Bluetooth speakers to include a Lightning connector at the back, thus extending Apple's universe of Lightning compatible products. In addition, there is a 3.5mm audio input and a USB port to charge other devices.
4. Sound quality
While we can't test this as yet, Apple touts that the speakers' 'stereo active 2-way crossover system creates an optimized sound field for dynamic range and clarity across all genres of music'. The tweeter and woofer are placed on the outer and inner part of the speakers as can be seen below.
Pricing
It's currently priced at USD 229.95 at Apple Store US. We are checking on the Singapore pricing.
Availability
While already on sale at Apple Store US, this is not yet available in the Singapore. We're checking on when this can be purchased.
Update (9 Mar 2016)
The Beats Pill+ is available in SG at SGD 348.
What's the Big Deal?
1. Beats Pill+ App
On 29 Oct, the accompanying mobile app for both iOS and Android (yes, you read Android correctly) was launched. According to the iTunes description, there are 3 modes that can be used.
a. DJ
You can link up with a friend and play music from two Bluetooth sources. While untested, we hope the implementation is made easy for users.
b. Amplify
Two Pill+ speakers can be combined to give a two-way amplified blast of music.
c. Stereo
The two Pill+ speakers can also be configured for left and right channel separation. This is great for a full stereo effect in the great outdoors.
A full 3 hour charge will give 12 hours battery life. The fuel gauge (aka power meter) will indicate a convenient 5 point breakdown of the status.
3. Lightning Connector
These are the first Beats Bluetooth speakers to include a Lightning connector at the back, thus extending Apple's universe of Lightning compatible products. In addition, there is a 3.5mm audio input and a USB port to charge other devices.
While we can't test this as yet, Apple touts that the speakers' 'stereo active 2-way crossover system creates an optimized sound field for dynamic range and clarity across all genres of music'. The tweeter and woofer are placed on the outer and inner part of the speakers as can be seen below.
It's currently priced at USD 229.95 at Apple Store US. We are checking on the Singapore pricing.
Availability
While already on sale at Apple Store US, this is not yet available in the Singapore. We're checking on when this can be purchased.
Update (9 Mar 2016)
The Beats Pill+ is available in SG at SGD 348.
Design
They are masters of packaging (and marketing), just like Apple, and hence, is probably a huge factor why Apple took such a big interest in Beats. Let's guide you through the unboxing process.
Wireless Bluetooth pairing is a very straightforward process. On powering on the unit, a white LED on the left cup will pulsate to indicate pairing is in progress. Once your source device is visible, tap to select the Beats Solo 2 Wireless and you're good to go.
One nice touch is their battery power meter (or what they coin as Fuel Gauge) which consists of 5 small LEDs lining the bottom of the right cup. This is very similar to what used to be a default feature on MacBook Pros. Just press the power button to have an idea how much charge there is.
The design of the playback controls on wireless gave the impression that the products team thought this out very well. They evolved the in-your-face controls of the original Beats Wireless to very discrete tactile controls. You simply don't see them at all as they are hidden into the left ear cup. Brilliant.
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| 2011 Beats Wireless - Very blatant playback controls |
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| Beats Solo 2 Wireless - Discrete controls The Beats logo is the Call / Play button. The top / bottom of the surrounding circle are the volume controls. |
The Solo 2 Wireless is a decent on-ears headphones when it comes to sound. I took a listen to Tom Chaplin's haunting vocals with the accompanying bass on Keane's Russian Farmer's Song. There is an obvious inclination towards a deeper bass and less emphasis on the treble clarity. To a certain extent, vocals and instrumentation aren't too distinct; they kinda blend together.
Overall
If a stylish wireless pair of headphones with a deep bass is what you seek, look no further. Indeed the price is steep but the Solo 2 Wireless' design is well thought out in a practical way and will surely appeal to fashionistas.
Where To Buy
If you like what you have read, do feel free to support me by buying from Amazon via this affiliate link.
Prices start from USD 195.
Audio Sources
Russian Farmer's Song - Keane (Spotify Premium 320kbps MP3) on Samsung Galaxy S4
Seven Cities (Original Atlantis Mix) - Solarstone (Spotify Premium 320kbps MP3) on iPad Air
Credit to Apple and Beats teams for providing a review unit.
Update (21 Nov 2015)
Beats introduced new color variants in the past two months:
 |
| Rose Gold - 19 Nov 2015 To match your latest iPhone 6S |
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| Luxe Edition (Red / Blue / Silver / Black) - 26 Oct 2015 A classier design for the wired variant |
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| Active Collection (Yellow / Blue / Red) - 24 Sep 2015 For a sportier look |
