audiosplitz: In-Ears

Razer Hammerhead BT - First Look

May 16, 2017

Razer is a well known name among hardcore PC gamers. In the process of developing and innovating in the gaming mice and keyboards domain, they have also been constantly polishing products in the audio category. April 2017 saw the launch of the Razer Hammerhead BT, a wireless follow up to their Hammerhead Pro V2. Let's check out what this offers.

Type - Wireless In-Ears
Price - USD 99 / GBP 99 / SGD 169

Hammerhead BT vs Hammerhead Pro V2
Now before we check out what these wireless buds offer, we do a quick comparison with the Pro V2 to see a quick (and rough) summary of the differences.

1. Wireless vs Wired
This is a no brainer but still necessitates a mention :) The 130cm cable of the Pro V2 is now a much shorter 63cm that now rests around your neck.

2. Shirt Clip / Battery Unit
The battery unit lies in the middle of the cable connecting the buds. You can connect them with a shirt clip that you magnetically latch onto your shirt.

3. General Aesthetics
The cables are now striped green and black instead of pure green. And with the added power, the BT is marginally heftier at 28g while the wired Pro V2 weighs 20g.

In A Nutshell
Here are 3 points that tell summarize the Razer Hammerhead BT's capabilities:

1. Bassy Sound
The Razer Hammerhead BT boasts 10mm drivers that are aimed at 'Hammering In The Bass'. If its predecessor is anything to go by, you can expect an emphasis on low frequencies. Bassheads will likely love this.

2. Battery Unit (Where Is It?)
For wireless in-ears, many manufacturers usually implement the battery unit either in the earbud piece (like the Bose SoundSport Wireless) or on the in-line remote (such as the Jaybird Freedom Wireless). Razer has taken a different approach. As mentioned earlier, they actually placed the battery unit in the middle of the cable. When combined with the shirt clip, this potentially reduces the microphonics. Oh, and the battery lasts a very decent 8 hours.

3. Signature Lights!
Razer's signature lighting glow found on their gaming mice can now be found on its in-ear earphones. There's a green pulsating glow from the Razer logo on the outer earbuds during usage and this turns red when charging. Very nice. Now where's the Chroma earphone variant?

Packaging Contents
Taking the contents out, you get the:

Razer Hammerhead BT
Shirt Clip
4 x Silicon Tips (S / M / L / M double-flange)
Charging Cable (USB to micro-USB)
Carrying Pouch
User Guides

Target Buyers
Bassheads who want a pair of edgier looking wireless buds that still look great.

Pricing and Availability
The Razer Hammerhead BT goes for USD 99 / GBP 99 / SGD 169.
They are available worldwide from razerstore.com.

Alternatively, if you liked what you read, do feel free to support us by buying from Amazon through this affiliate link.

Bluetooth

Sony NW-WS623 Walkman - First Look

May 03, 2017

Sony is no stranger to waterproof earbuds. They continually refine their products as we see here today with their new NW-WS623 Walkman (SGD 199). While it looks practically the same as the WS413 that we reviewed last year, they added a long-desired feature called (*drumroll*) Bluetooth! Here are our first impressions.

What's the Big Deal?

1. Bluetooth
Damn right. While it's a feature that's in practically every wireless pair of earphones, the previous iteration did not need it as there was 4GB of memory built within to use when swimming. However, Bluetooth is always a good to have feature especially if you enjoy jogging while streaming from Spotify. These earbuds can link to your phone through NFC too.

2. The Best Features Remain
Generally, the noteworthy features of its predecessor remain for the WS623. It's a 32 gram unit with a 12 hour battery life and an ambient sound mode that allows you to toggle between good noise isolation and keeping in touch with environmental sounds. It's still waterproof and dustproof and looks mighty decent.

3. Earbuds Provided
Like its predecessor, the WS623 does not skimp on earbuds. There's 8 pairs of buds - 4 pairs for swimming purposes (a silicon layer covers the hole where music is channeled) and 4 for conventional usage. Oh, and they're all color coded to prevent confusion.

Pricing and Availability
Sony NW-WS623 (4GB) - This will be available from Sony Stores worldwide in May 2017 for USD 148 / SGD 199. The colors will be Lime Green / Blue / Grayish White / Black.

Sony NW-WS625 (16GB) - This looks the same as the WS623. The difference is its increased storage and the addition of a remote commander that can be fit on your finger. Instead of adjusting the controls located around your head, you just hit the control on your finger. Together, it goes for USD 198.

Who's It For?
This Sony WS623 is SGD 50 more than the WS413 but you'll have to consider your expected usage to see if it makes sense. If you swim lots, the WS413 is quite sufficient but if you reckon you spend more time streaming music from your phone for normal usage like jogging / commuting, the WS623 is hands down the unit to choose from.

Apple

BeatsX - Review

April 11, 2017

Beats is a company that needs little introduction to the MTV (or now YouTube) generation. If somehow you have been living under a rock, the quick summary is that record producer Jimmy Iovine teamed up with rapper Dr Dre in the 2006 to come up with the brand that now manufactures the best selling headphones in the world thanks to a whole string of tie ups with big time celebrities. With Apple acquiring them in 2014, they came up with a trio of headphones in late 2016 of which the BeatsX headlines the range. Being the company's first neckband headphones, we eagerly put the BeatsX through the paces with a thorough review!

Type - Neckband Headphones (Wireless)
Price - USD 150 / EUR 150 / SGD 198

Trivia - The BeatsX is the first Beats headphones with a Lightning connector.

Read - Beats and Apple's 2016 Audio Lineup

Pros (+): Excellent ear fit; Comfortable neckband; Compact carrying case.
Cons (-): Cable needs to be adjusted to reduce microphonics; No voice notifications.

In The Box
The BeatsX comes in 4 colors - Black, Blue, Grey and White. For the purposes of our review, we got the Black variant.

The packaging is quite similar to their Powerbeats range. You need to tear a strip from the bottom of the packaging and pop open the lid like a clamshell to get access to the BeatsX.

Unveiling the packaging contents, you'll get:

BeatsX neckband headphones
Charging cable (USB to Lightning)
Carrying case
4 x Silicon tips (S / M / L / M double-flange)
2 x Wing tips (M / L)
User Guides
Warranty Card
Apple Music Card (3 months free)

BeatsX neckband headphones - Packaging Contents

Design
The BeatsX are neckband headphones (did we already mention that?) and are characterized with a malleable portion, called Flex-Form cable, that is designed to wrap around your neck, quite unlike the traditionally solid collar neckbands like the LG TONE or Bose QuietControl 30. Punctuated by two elliptical plastic protrusions at either side, these function as stabilizers and serve as the charging point (on left) and hold the power button that incorporates an LED for notifications (on right). The flat-type audio cables (non-retractable) lead out from the stabilizers to the earbuds. When not in use, the earbuds can magnetically latch together but if music is playing, well the beat goes on.

Lightning Port:
The clearest indicator that we are dealing with the first new Beats headphones under Apple's wing is the Lightning port on the BeatsX. Why so? Sure there were two other Beats products launched on September 2016, namely the Powerbeats3 Wireless and Solo3 Wireless. However being legacy Beats products with internal upgrades, the overall aesthetic of these two remains the same so that explains why they are still using the micro-USB interface. Is having the Lightning port a big deal? Well, if you're an Android user, that's one more cable to carry around. If you're an Apple, that's one less :)

BeatsX neckband headphones - Lightning cable

Carrying Case:
The compact rubberized carrying case is undeniably well designed. While the oval shape looks similar to the Powerbeats case, that's where the similarities end. The BeatsX case has a small slit at the top where you have to wind the neckband once to slot it nicely within. It's very convenient as you no longer have to zip the casing (as what is done for the Powerbeats) while juggling the earphones.

BeatsX neckband headphones - carrying case

Features
The in-line remote, marketed as RemoteTalk, sits on the left audio cable. The 3 buttons for playback / call and volume control click firmly upon actuation. You have to double and triple press the center button to skip tracks forward and backward.

Bluetooth:
The pairing process is straightforward -

For iPhones running iOS10 / Macs with Sierra (10.12), just hold the BeatsX power button and a pop up confirming the BeatsX pairing appears.
For other devices (Android phones, for example), turn on your smartphone's Bluetooth, hold the BeatsX power button until it flashes white, select 'BeatsX' from your phone and you're done.

Note that the neckband headphones only link to one device at any one time.

Notifications:
There are useful LED notifications that indicate power (white), pairing in progress (blinking white) and low power / charging (red). Sound notifications are basic as you'll only hear power on/off and when the battery is low while voice notifications are unfortunately non-existent.

App Support:
Interestingly, there is NO app support for the BeatsX hardware. It's quite surprising given quite a few manufacturers have forged ahead in this domain and that the Beats Pill+ app had been developed previously. In a sense there is app support but from Apple Music - Apple / Beats throw in a free 3 month subscription to Apple Music that can be found on a card within the packaging.

Performance
Let's talk about the different ear and wingtip experiences first:

Eartips and Wingtips:
Beats provides a decent range of 4 eartips (S / M / L / M double-flange) and 2 wingtips so you can customize the fit to your ear accordingly. After some fiddling, I found the default M eartip and L-size wingtip worked best in terms of fit and noise isolation. Frankly, if used by themselves, the eartips were actually sufficient for my purposes as they lodge in the ears snugly.

BeatsX neckband headphones - Eartips and Wingtips

The wingtips are interesting 'cos other manufacturers usually use a single material but for the BeatsX, they use a rubberized texture for the wing while the circular portion is made of hard plastic. While inserting them, do make sure you are slotting them to the correct side else you'll have some difficulty removing them. If you want that added layer of assurance, well, that's what the wingtips are for.

BeatsX neckband headphones - Fitting the ear and wingtip

How To Wear:
It may seem like a no brainer. It's simply a matter of slinging them around the neck and you're good to go? Wrong. It's not complicated though you realize what the issue is after attempting to run for the bus. The audio cable linking the neckband to your ears should be twisted AWAY from your neck as opposed to toward. The reason is the microphonics (or cable rustle) is blatantly apparent when this same cable brushes against your neck. To prevent this, do a simple twist of the cable away from the neck and you're good to go.

In case we didn't emphasize this earlier, this is NOT a solid collar neckband but a malleable one. There is an excess of wires stemming from the relatively long audio cables. If you don't like cables, the BeatsX may not be for you. That said, do try it out to see if the speed of wearing them suits you.

Sound Quality:
In true Beats style, the BeatsX is a bass hitter with decent treble clarity, completely unlike the Powerbeats2, with it's overwhelming low frequency emphasis. A sample of One Republic vs Alesso's If I Lose Myself (EDM) reinforces this notion. Even taking a slower paced electronica track, the build up in Disasterpeace's beautifully creepy Detroit (from It Follows OST) give the impression that the highs and the lows are able to gel quite seamlessly.

Charging:
The BeatsX delivers an 8 hour battery life on about at 90 minute full charge and if you simply can't wait, then a 5 minute charge gives you a very healthy 2 hour playback time. Compared to its neckband headphone peers such as the Sony MDR-XB70BT (9 hours) and the Bose QC 30 (10 hours), this is actually an decent but average figure.

One of aims of the W1 chip that Apple has been talking about is to provide an increased battery life for its wireless devices. While there is no benchmark for the BeatsX (being a new product), the Solo3 Wireless and Powerbeats3 have indeed seen a battery life boost from their predecessors.

Overall
The BeatsX neckband headphones do add a spark of color to the range of Beats / Apple portable audio gear. Sure, there are no voice notifications and the audio cables may be little long. However, if you get to the basics of what you may need, the ear fit is more than comfortable for train journeys to work and a more than decent sound profile to engage.

Where To Buy
The BeatsX is available from Apple Stores worldwide at the following price points - USD 150 / EUR 150 / SGD 198.

Alternatively, if you think this review has been helpful, feel free to purchase from our Amazon affiliate link.

Credit to Beats, Apple for an evaluation unit.

Bluetooth

Bragi The Headphone - Review

March 30, 2017

Originating from Kickstarter roots in Feb 2014, Bragi has since given its backers The Dash, their first true wireless in-ears that has an integrated fitness tracker. This year, they have come up with their second generation product called simply, The Headphone. And just this month, both Bragi earbuds were launched in Singapore. So off we went and got our grubby hands on a unit for a spin!

Read - Advent of Truly Wireless Earbuds

The Headphone (2017) vs The Dash (2016)
This is a common question to folks looking at getting Bragi earphones and realize there are actually two choices! Let's do a quick (and rough) summary of the differences:

1. Tactile Controls
The Headphone features tactile controls ie. actual buttons to actuate track and volume changes whereas you get touch controls on The Dash.

2. Half the Price
The Headphone (USD 149) is close to half the price of The Dash (USD 299), making it helluva lot more accessible to everyone.

Bragi The Headphone vs The Dash - Comparison

Check out the full comparison here - https://www.bragi.com/comparison/

3. Features Streamlined
Features like fitness tracking, inbuilt 4GB storage, app support and waterproof nature are removed.

4. Increased Battery Life
However, battery life is increased to 6 hours (from 4h).

5. Storage Case Does Not Charge
The case is for storage solely. When stored, the buds do not charge.

Now we've covered the general differences, let's check out The Headphone in detail.

Pros (+): Accessible price point; No app needed; Excellent battery life; Great ear fit; Decent sound quality; Audio transparency.

Cons (-): Very rudimentary storage case; Tiny playback controls.

Unboxing

The package is incredibly small, in fact probably the tiniest one we've seen to date for an in-ears.

Upon taking out the loot, the packaging contents include:

Bragi The Headphone
Charging Cable (micro-USB)
Carry Case
2 x Silicon Tips (S / M)
1 x Comply Foam Truly Wireless (M)
User Guides

Design

Bragi The Headphone weighs around 12.5 grams (for both buds), light for a pair of in-ears and comparable to its peers like the Erato Apollo 7 (8g) and Samsung Gear IconX (12g).

The right bud exterior has three protruding buttons marked with +, - and O meant to fiddle with power, volume and changing tracks. The buttons are incredibly small, logically so 'cos the buds themselves are already equally tiny so to actuate them, you'd have to use your fingertip (it must be emphasized: not the finger but the tip!). The left just contains the Bragi logo and is purely for aesthetic purposes.

Carry Case:
There is a carrying case that is provided for storage and for most truly wireless earphones, this doubles as a charger. Interestingly, the plastic CarryCase is NOT used for charging (unless a USB cable is plugged) though it is very easy to lock the buds in place due to magnetic latching. Note that the cover to the case slides off fully when inserting the buds, proving a little inconvenient when opening / closing. As the charging LED is on the buds, Bragi provides a slit on the case to peer at the buds power charge status.

Features

Unlike other true wireless buds, you only have a single method to pair instead of being given a choice to pair to either the left or right bud. While this simplifies the pairing process, it reduces the option of selecting which side is the master earbud.

Audio Transparency:Bragi touts an audio transparency feature. Basically, when The Headphone is inserted in your ear, ambient sounds are isolated. When activated by holding the + button, environmental noise can be heard with greater clarity. In English, this means that you have the option to be absorbed in your own musical world or to listen to music and traffic noise with relative safety that you'll be more consciously aware of your surroundings.

No App Support: Surprisingly, there is no app support like what is provided with The Dash. While it reduces the possibilities afforded, it does make The Headphones a straightforward solution to folks who don't want to be glued to their smartphones / watches to monitor or tweak their earbuds incessantly.

Notifications:
The notifications to indicate pairing, powering on and playback are all gentle pings which should not take too long to familiarize yourself to. The low battery tone

Versant Advanced Voice Technology:
Versant Advanced Voice Technology translates to optimizing the users' voice and minimizing environmental noise. The gist is that if you make calls or talk to a digital assistant like Siri / Google Now, the recipient will have a lesser difficulty in making out what you are saying so the communication will be clearer. This tech is a product of Knowles Electronics which has a background in developing MEMS microphones, which first implemented this in the Bragi Dash.

Performance

We'll update this portion once we get more do more in-depth tests on The Headphone where we check out the fit of the 2 FitTips, Comply tips, noise isolation and the general sound quality. Stay tuned!

Update (Apr 2017) - Information added for Performance, Overall and visuals

Fit and Noise Isolation:
The easiest way to get the ideal fit is to insert the buds into the ear and rotate them around the eartips. While The Headphones fit into the ears very well both with the silicon and Comply Foam, I felt the experience with the latter allowed a snugger fit that provided a more reassuring touch that the buds would stay within, which I indeed felt during a jog. The noise isolation with the Comply tips is tighter and thus feels like it blocks ambient sound just a little more effectively than the silicon buds.

Sound Quality:
Bragi The Headphone does not sound too bad at all. You can feel that Calvin Harris vs Alesso's Under Control (EDM) low frequencies are thumping strong yet not overwhelmingly pounding. The instrumentation is actually pretty well separated and while Theo Hutchcraft's vocals aren't sparkling bright, somehow it all gels together and sounds very much engaging.

Charging:
To reiterate, the CarryCase CANNOT be used for charging when you store the earbuds without a power connection. Plugging the USB cable for 1.33 hours gives a full charge of 6 hours of battery life, faring significantly better than the Earin (3h) or the Erato Apollo 7 (3h). Its closest rival would actually be the Apple AirPods rated at 5h.

Just to share one issue - when I turned on the buds, the left side suddenly had no sound at all. I resolved this by inserting the buds in the charger and held the + and - buttons. This is supposed to clear the earbud's memory of paired devices but it also allowed to let me hear from the left side once more.

Overall
Bragi The Headphones are a pair of no frills truly wireless earbuds. They offer the desired features such as audio transparency and industry-leading battery life. It's not without flaws as witnessed from the non-charging CarryCase and button size. However, at half the price of The Dash, these buds are an excellent choice if just want to go for a unit with a good sound profile that fits nicely in the ear.

Pricing and Availability

In the US / Europe, Bragi The Headphone is available from its online store for USD 149 / EUR 169.

In Singapore, both Bragi The Headphone (SGD 248) and Bragi The Dash (SGD 428) have been launched only this month and are available from truewireless.sg.

Credit to Bragi, LRT Singapore for a review unit.

AKG

3 Things Learnt From Galaxy S8 AKG Earphones

March 23, 2017

As the Samsung Galaxy yearly launch approaches next week, the question on many minds is will the Galaxy S8 drop the 3.5mm jack like what Apple did with the iPhone 7? Well, according to a leak from Korean website, Giddlehd.com, it appears that Samsung has decided to keep the 3.5mm jack and bundle the S8 with AKG-branded earphones. These AKG in-ear earphones come with an in-line remote and a straight 3.5mm jack.

Update (24 Mar) - Included new shots from Techrum.

If this is indeed what will be bundled with the Samsung Galaxy S8, here are 3 things we learnt:

1. Quickly Leveraging on AKG Branding

Samsung announced the acquisition the Harman group for a (measly) US $8 billion in mid November and completed the takeover last week. This comprises of its (highly profitable) automotive tech, general audio and professional audio visual solutions lineups. AKG forms part of the general audio portfolio, alongside others like JBL and Harman Kardon. It is quite refreshing that Samsung is swiftly acting to introduce AKG to its existing ecosystem of products and including this audiophile branding with its flagship smartphone.

2. The 3.5mm Jack Is Not Dead

No it isn't. Despite Bluetooth headphones overtaking the wired variant in terms of sales in the US in July 2016, the reality is that many headphones are still wired and people will continue to use them. After all, there are a ton of audiophiles (and normal folks) that have bought wired headphones for a better sound experience before the rise of wireless. Why alienate them? If true, then it's good that the Korean chaebol has stuck to its guns and kept the 3.5mm jack.

3. Inspiration from Xiaomi Mi In-Ear Pro Headphones?

If you compare these AKG earphones to the Xiaomi Mi In-Ear Pro Headphones, there are some similarities. Below the Y-connector, the AKGs appear to be using a braided cable, for a more tangle-free experience, below the Y-connector but right above that, silicon cable is used. The eartip mesh looks strangely familiar too. If you consider that Xiaomi delivered a really good pair for a darn good price, it makes sense that some design pointers were taken in to give a nice touch to the AKGs while keeping the overall Galaxy S8 bill of materials (BOM) cost reasonable.

Leaks aside, next week (29 Mar to be precise), we will find out together what audio gear the Galaxy S8 eventually comes with.

Update (30 Mar 2017)
The AKG earphones will be bundled in the Samsung Galaxy S8 box but can also be purchased separately at USD 99 from April 2017.