audiosplitz: Noise Cancelling

Samsung 2016 New Level Audio Gear

November 06, 2016

1 Nov - Samsung announced 4 additions to their Level series of mobile audio accessories at a media launch held in Singapore at Elements & Co for the Samsung Gear S3 watch. To summarize the range of audio products, there are 3 in-ear earphones (2 wireless) and a portable speaker.

What's the Big Deal?
The Samsung Level range of audio products has been gradually growing over the past few years. With this launch, we can see the Korean chaebol is improving its Level range and is now offering very affordable active noise canceling (ANC) products for users. Let's check each of them out.

1. Level Active

Samsung Level Active

Category - Sports Wireless In-Ears
Price from - USD 69.99 (Amazon) / SGD 98 (Lazada.SG)
Colors - White / Black
Similar products - Jaybird Freedom Wireless / Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless

Samsung Level Active

The Level Active are Bluetooth buds that offer performance tracking by pressing a button on the right earbud to pull run time and distance data from the Level and S Health apps. There are customizable fit options where you can choose between earhooks and wingtips. Oh, and these buds have P2i nano-coating promising splash resistance.

2. Level Box Pro

Samsung Level Box Pro

Category - Speakers
Price from - SGD 198 (Lazada.SG)
Colors - Gold / Black
Similar products - Bose SoundLink Mini II / Beats Pill+

Samsung Level Box Pro

These are 20W Bluetooth speakers that measure 200 x 55 x 62 mm and last 9 hours on the trot. It supports what Samsung calls ultra-high quality (UHQ) audio and supposedly offers twice (512kbps) the sample rate of the SBC codec (328kbps) which overall, aims to promise a richer sound experience. Two can be paired via the Level app for a stereo listening.

3. Level In ANC

Samsung Level In ANC

Category - Wired Noise Canceling In-Ears
Price - SGD 78 (Lazada.SG)
Colors - White / Black
Similar products - Sony MDR-EX750NA / B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC

The Level In ANC stands out for two things - Active noise canceling (ANC) in an affordable package. We had reviewed a few ANC in-ear units in our Noise Canceling Immersion series of articles and can agree that at SGD 78, it is quite a steal.

4. Level U Pro ANC

Samsung Level U Pro ANC

Category - Wireless Noise Canceling Neckband
Price - USD 78.88 (Amazon) / SGD 148 (Lazada.SG)
Colors - White / Black
Similar products - Bose QuietControl 30

Samsung Level U Pro ANC

Neckband headphones are the hottest thing in the market along with truly wireless earbuds such as the Samsung Gear IconX. Samsung improves on its Level U Pro by adding active noise canceling. The earbuds can be magnetically linked to keep the buds tangle-free. When unclasped, they conveniently resume track playback or answer calls.

Availability
All 4 products are available at Samsung Official Store, Samsung Experience Stores, Lazada.SG and major consumer electronics stores in Singapore.

Bluetooth

Plantronics BackBeat PRO+ Review

October 10, 2016

Plantronics is starting to crank up its consumer oriented product offerings. Released in July 2016, the BackBeat PRO+ (SGD 449 / USD 299) is the follow up to their first over-ears model, the BackBeat PRO. This time round, they include a USB dongle for high quality Bluetooth streaming. Let's dive into the full review.

Pros (+): Good sound quality; Flexibility in Bluetooth pairing options; Comfortable.
Cons (-): Design aesthetic could be improved; Decent ANC.

Unboxing
As usual, we take a look at the unboxing process. As compared with its predecessor, the PRO+ comes in gray as opposed to black.

Sliding out the outer cardboard layer gets you access to a solid black box flanked on 4 sides by transparent plastic blister.

Popping the top lid open reveals the headphones proper. The rest of the accessories lie under the headphones mold.

Spilling 'em all out, the packaging contents reveal:

Plantronics BackBeat PRO+ headphones
High-fidelity BT600 USB dongle
Audio cable (3.5mm to 3.5mm)
Charging cable (micro-USB)
Carrying pouch
User guides

Design
These are massive headphones. Not a doubt about that. It has a look you either love or hate - fashionistas may not take to these but on the other hand, they give a badass look. At 340 grams, they are heavier than other wireless noise-canceling headphones like the Bose QuietComfort 35 (309g).

The circular earpads are comfortably well padded and complement the foam covered headband well to last a few hours listening with little discomfort. The hinges allow a 90 degree earcup rotation for purposes of easy storage.

The huge ballistic nylon carrying pouch looks sufficiently rugged and can accomodate the headphones with both earcups laid flat out. A small strip of Velcro is used to seal the pouch contents.

Plantronics BackBeat PRO+ carrying sleeve

Features
These Plantronics over-ears include sensors that function when playing / pausing music when putting on / taking off the headphones. There's no need to press a button for playback. It's a great function similar to the Parrot Zik 3 or the Sennheiser PXC 550. If somehow this is annoying, the sensors can be disabled.

Active noise-canceling (ANC) is powered on through a switch on the left earcup. We'll elaborate on the experience later. Playback switches are spread out on both cups. Left holds a massive play/pause button and a surrounding dial to skip tracks. Right holds a huge call button flanked by a volume jog dial.

For Bluetooth pairing, there's a flurry of options available:

Plug in the BT600 USB dongle to your PC / Mac and power on the headphones to pair.
Pair by holding the NFC (Near Field Communications) points of the headphones and your music device together
Hold the call button to initiate the pairing

With the dongle, it's really easy to pair. I just plugged it in, switched the headphones on and was connected within seconds. If you lose the dongle, you can pick another at USD 59.

Plantronics BackBeat PRO+ BT600 USB dongle

Glows blue when connected and purple during playback.

You can connect up to 2 Bluetooth devices simultaneously and you can apparently wander up to 100m (330 feet) from your paired device. I did not get this experience as music became intermittent as I wandered around my house (which has quite a few walls I might add).

Plantronics BackBeat PRO+ BT600 sound config

With the BT600 dongle, do remember to configure your sound settings on first time usage.

Ambient sound can be heard on an immediate basis with the OpenMic feature where you press the button under the right earcup.

For apps, do note that Plantronics has some apps that more geared toward its headsets ie. they are generic. They include useful features like the ability to toggle between 14 languages for voice prompts and an intuitively-named Find MyHeadset function.

You can play music either wirelessly or using the wired cable provided. With the audio cable, you can have an in-line remote that has a single button for playing or skipping tracks. The cable plugs to the BackBeat PRO+ via a straight 3.5mm jack and to your device through an L-shaped 3.5mm jack.

Performance
The BackBeat PRO+ supports the aptX codec promising a high quality sound. And indeed, it was very agreeable when using the BT600 USB dongle. I took a listen to what I would consider as Kenji Kawai's magnum opus - Voyage to Avalon. Elzbieta Towarnicka's vocals were breathtakingly clear amid the intense bass delivered by the accompanying orchestra. Compared with the normal Bluetooth connection, it appeared to me that the music delivered via the dongle gave more detail and a more resounding bass.

Left Earcup - Micro-USB and 3.5mm jacks on the underside

On wireless ANC, quite a bit of ambient sound is taken away allowing a refuge from your noisy environment though not the most effective headphone out there in this regard. Removing the ANC, the bass spreads out over a wider soundstage.

One thing to note is the headphones may move around a little when you walk so it's important to get the right fit around your head.

Plantronics mentions that a full 3 hour charge promises 24 hours of playback. If it's only on wired mode, then the ANC should last a real decent 60 hours. Battery life is indeed one of the top draws here. Plugging the charging cable in will initiate the movement of 4 blue LED indicators on the right cup. One good thing is you can still listen to music while charging.

Overall
The Plantronics BackBeat PRO+ is an all rounder in the over-ears category of headphones. It ain't the prettiest model out there, but it has a pleasantly balanced sound delivery. Combined with good comfort and useful features such as a sensor that actuates playback when used, it's a decent pair worthy of consideration.

Where To Buy
If you like the product but if you reckon the SGD 449 price is too steep (and we agree with you on that), you can get it from Amazon via our affiliate link. Prices start from USD 214 (approx SGD 294) and as you can surmise, is much lower than retail prices.

Audio Sources
Voyage To Avalon - Avalon OST (256kbps MP3 on MacBook Air)

Credit to Plantronics for a review unit.

Bluetooth

Sennheiser PXC 550 - First Glimpse

August 11, 2016

Sennheiser has had a pretty quiet 2016 in the portable audio space. It was, of course, very timely that they chose to launch the Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless last month. For some background, the 'PXC' range of Sennheiser products are consumer-centric noise canceling headphones that have been around since 2002. We take a first glimpse at what this offers.

Who's It For?
Those who need a quiet commuting experience without the cables.

What's the Big Deal?
1. Noise Canceling
With its PXC series, Sennheiser uses its NoiseGard hybrid adaptive noise cancelation technology to block out ambient noise. We're not too sure what the 'Hybrid' part means or how effective it is. We'll update this once we get our paws on a unit.

2. Fold Activation
The headphones will auto-on when you unfold them from storage mode. When removed from around your ears, they'll supposedly pause the music. When folding them back in place, they will switch off. How's that for convenience?

3. Flexibility in Usage
The PXC 550 provides an abundance of options. You can use it in wireless mode and wired mode (with the provided cable). On wireless you can initiate pairing over Bluetooth (v4.2) or via Near Field Communications (NFC). For further customization, Sennheiser provides a compatible mobile app called CapTune (Android 4.1.2+ / iOS 8+) that functions both as a music player and sound tuning.

4. Battery Life
This promises 20 hours of power with Bluetooth + ANC activated. If using the audio cable + ANC, then this increases to 30 hours. Wireless usage is on par with the Bose QC35 though the wired mode duration lasts a full 10h less.

5. Touch Controls
The playback controls leverage on touch sensitive area on the exterior of the earcups. This keeps the PXC 550 design clean. What remains to be seen is how functionally effective this is.

Pricing
They currently go for USD 400 worldwide. We're checking with Sennheiser Singapore for both pricing and availability.

Availability
The Sennheiser PXC 550 is available worldwide at Sennheiser's online shop and duty free retailers from mid-July. However, it is not available in Singapore as yet. As such, you can choose to support us by purchasing from Amazon via our affiliate marketing link.

Sennheiser PXC 550

USD 399

Bluetooth

Hear Active Listening System - Audio Augmented Reality

August 03, 2016

The current fad is undoubtedly Nintendo's Pokemon Go, a game that leverages the augmented reality experience by combining location information and the phone camera.

Now, imagine an augmented experience on audio. Doppler Labs' Here Active Listening System, that originated from Kickstarter, is one such product. These are full wireless earbuds with a twist - they don't play music (it's not their purpose)!

Only 10,000 pairs were produced in Doppler Labs' initial production run. They went for USD 249 each and we got our hands on one such unit for a spin. We give you some first impressions.

Who is it for?
Folks who want a novel way to listen to their surroundings.

Unboxing
There are 2 colors - white and black of which ours was the latter.

Now for the unboxing:

Just slide off the outer layer to access the inner box simply marked with the 'here' logo.

Lift open the cover and we get the Here charging case along with some info on the underside of the box.

Once the inner layer is out, we have 2 compartments - left for the charging cable and right for the spare buds.

We popped out the packaging contents to reveal:

Hear Active Listening earbuds
Silicon tips (S / M / L)
Charging capsule
Charging cable
User guide + sticker

Design
Now to the Hear earbuds - they weigh a relatively light 10g. Putting things in perspective with other full wireless buds, the Samsung Gear IconX weighs 12.8g while the Earin tips the scales at 7g, though each of their features differs very greatly.

The case is made of sturdy plastic and serves to store and charge the earbuds at the same time. There's a 4 LED power indicator inside while the side of the casing sports the micro-USB port for charging. When closed, a front LED shows whether charging is in progress (orange means ongoing / green when full). The buds last about 5-6 hours depending on usage and the additional power delivers up to 10 hours more.

Features
The centerpiece of the buds is definitely the app. Without the app, these buds simply don't work. The smartphone app works on iOS (v8.4+) and Android (v5.0+) and provides some preset filters .

Once installed and connected, there are 3 tabs to play around with:

1. dB adjustment
You can move from - 22dB (silence) to +6dB (noisiest) and there's a hi-dB Mode that adds a layer of noise to whichever decibel level you choose.

2. Live EQ
Includes various filters like Bass Boost / Echo / Flange / Fuzz / Noise Mask / Reverb. To give an example, if Echo is selected, any sound you here will be echoed back. How about that.

3. Filter
This tab offers Tune In and Tune Out filters. To be honest, quite a few sounded very similar, if not identical, to each other.

Here goes:
a. Tune In
There are a whopping 15 filters: 60s Sizzle / 8-Track / Aphex / Carnegie Hall / Classical Music / Dirty South / Flat / Hallway / Human Speech / Psychedelic / Small Studio / Stadium / Stratosphere / Super Bass / Tiesto Mode.
I couldn't help but get the feeling that there were quite a few overlaps in terms of sound. Psychedelic fluctuates from a zoom-in and zoom-out sound while Stratosphere actually sounds the same except the intensity is more pronounced.

b. Tune Out (Beta)
Ok, these 9 filters are in 'Beta' mode and it shows -
Airplane / Bus / Car / City / Crowd / Office (Loud) / Office (Normal) / Restaurant / Subway.
Bus replicates a noisy bus environment while Crowd comes across like very heavy rain. Office (Loud) adds a whole lot of static sound. Interestingly, Airplane, Office (Normal) and Restaurant sound almost exactly the same - complete silence.

Update (9 Aug 2016):
The buds tended to disconnect every now and then when using iPad (iOS v8) and Sony Xperia XA (Android v 6.0). Most times, reseting them by inserting a sharp object into a hole under the charging case will do the trick.

Overall
This is a very novel concept where the purpose of the buds is to deliver a different listening experience of your surroundings. It is not to listen to music :)

That said, the overall experience is quite unique. I for one, am not used to putting on a noise-controlling device that regulates (or distorts) ambient noise in such an interesting manner. As such, it's a likelihood that trying this out will give polarizing experiences, depending on what each individual expects to hear.

Availability / The Future
Currently, the Here Active Listening System is not in production. If you want to get it in Singapore, you simply can't 'cos there were only 10,000 units produced thus far.

However, it will be released in a new form by Christmas 2016. It will be called Here One and this version will incorporate music playback (yes!). Pricing is to be determined.

Credit to Doppler Labs + Leader Radio Technologies for an evaluation unit.

Bluetooth

Bose QuietComfort 35 (QC35) - Review

July 10, 2016

The wireless Bose QuietComfort 35 (aka QC35) is the highly anticipated follow up to Bose's top notch wired active noise canceling (ANC) headphones, the QC25. Newly launched last month, they are now available in Singapore for SGD 549 (USD 350). We gleefully received the unit and took it to the streets for a review!

Pros (+): Excellent ANC; Classy design; App support; Usage of integrated rechargeable battery.
Cons (-): No aptX; Pricey.

Design
There are currently 2 color choices available - Silver and Black of which we are dished the latter.

Onto the unboxing. One thing is quite clear - with the launch of the new Bose wireless products in June, the packaging graphics appear to have been uniformly updated to a new theme (yes, the SoundSport Wireless also have a massive font size for the product name across the top). Here's how it looks:

We slide out the inner black box to unveil a black colored flap which doubles as a quick setup guide on the flip side.

The carrying case lies within and unzipping it reveals the QC 35 neatly folded. The airplane adapter slots in firmly at the left corner while there's a handy sleeve, both inside and behind, to slot in the accompanying cables.

We spilled out the contents to unveil the following:

Bose QuietComfort 35 (QC 35) headphones
Audio cable (2.5mm to 3.5mm)
Airline adapter
Charging cable (micro-USB)
Carrying case
User guides

And now for the product proper. The QuietComfort 35 is and over-ear pair of headphones that weighs a meaty 309g, marking a more than 100g weight gain over the QC25. Somehow, it still feels alright when place around the head, possibly due to good weight distribution.

The headband comes in leather and Alcantara, a good combination for a touch of class and comfort. Like its predecessor, the dual-hinge design at the cups allows for better angling placement to your head and easy storage.

The product design appears to be a cross between the Bose QC 25 and the Bose AE2 SoundLink (aka SoundLink around-ear wireless headphones II), though it takes the predominant style from the former. The playback controls, USB port and power switch intervals are all cues from the AE2 SoundLink while everything else looks very QC25-ish.

Features
The draw of the QuietComfort 35 is undoubtedly the active noise-canceling (ANC) technology. This incorporates a dual-microphone system where one's on the outside and the other within, to effectively block ambient noise. Unlike the QC 25 where you need to activate this through a switch, the ANC is auto-on once the headphones are powered. We'll go into detail on the experience later.

Pairing to your device is a breeze. You can either connect through Bluetooth or NFC. To link via NFC, you need to activate the NFC and Bluetooth on your device, flick the power on and press the middle of the outer (right) earcup to the NFC touchpoint of your device. For Bluetooth pairing, you just need to flip the power switch to the right to initiate. Once the Bluetooth indicator flashes blue, just select 'Bose QuietComfort 35' from your device to complete the pairing. The unit can connect to up to two devices simultaneously. You just need to halt playback on one to start music on the second unit or you can use the Bose Connect app to manage.

The voice prompts make the user experience intuitive. Whenever you turn the power on, a voice will inform of the battery charge level. The pairing process is complemented with prompts such as 'Ready to pair' and 'Connected'.

The provided audio cable doesn't include an in-line remote. What this means is that using the over-ears in wired mode, you will need to control playback through your device. It plugs to the Bose QC 35 through a 2.5mm port and to your device by the usual 3.5mm jack.

There is a supporting app called Bose Connect (man, everyone has apps now!). The first supported product was the AE2 SoundLink and it appears to support the new range of Bose's wireless headphones.

What can you do? From the pic below, you can adjust the QC 35 name, power down timing, voice prompt language (out of 11 options) and the most useful is the pairing management to other devices. Is the app absolutely essential? We'd have to say not quite yet but we will have to see how the app evolves.

Performance
Updated (19 Jul 2016)
The QC 35 is a pair of over-ear headphones and they sure are comfortable when you fit them on. They have a snug fit and certainly won't fall off accidentally. Only after prolonged walking, you start to feel a very negligible weight on your head...and I must emphasize only negligible.

Let's talk about the experiences on each of the 3 sound modes available. Riding trains and sitting at the back of a bus is a really noisy event for most. What better place to test the active noise canceling (apart from a plane)? Of course, when testing sound quality, this was done in a quiet room to keep the sound environment constant.

1. Wireless (ANC)
There's bass emphasis resulting in a warm sound delivery. The bass buildup on Solarstone's Seven Cities is wonderful to behold. The rumbles of train and bus accelerations are drowned out though the occasional high-frequency shrieks of wheels grinding the rails are apparent. On wireless, ANC is activated by default and the Bose lasts up to 20h (for ANC + Bluetooth).

2. Wired (ANC)
For those who like a one notch of bass less and a more balanced sound quality, wired ANC would work well. Sarah Brightman and Fernando Lima's vocals on Ave Maria become clearer. The noise canceling appears to be similar in both wired and wireless. If you're on a plane, likely this is the ideal mode since the battery life doubles to an impressive 40h (for ANC only).

3. Wired (Non-ANC)
The soundstage significantly widens. Sound perfectionists would do well to avoid this mode as the vocals sound drowned out. Bus revvs are painfully obvious in this mode, though some is taken out by the over-ears product design that gives some noise isolation. The power is off in this mode and the headphones can be used as long as needed.

I actually liked the wireless mode the best. When traveling, I feel that the added bass plays a big part in reaching out to you beyond the low frequency traffic noise. In providing 3 sound modes, I reckon Bose is just giving more options for usage flexibility. The whole purpose for getting the QC35 is 'cos it's wireless and likely, you want to commute without cable tangle.

Overall
The Bose QC35, like the QC25, is a top notch choice for frequent travellers who want their own sound space in a noise-laced environment. While it's certainly pricey, it's likely the top wireless noise canceling pair of headphones in the market and I'd say that's a good enough reason to own one. All in all, Bose has done a great job on the sound quality in wireless mode while delivering a mind-numbingly quiet experience. They sure know what a wireless headphones' priorities are for the user.

Where To Buy

If you like what you have read, do feel free to support me by buying from Amazon. Here are the affiliate links for the Black and Silver variants.

Audio Sources
Ave Maria (Duet with Fernando Lima) - Sarah Brightman (320kbps MP3)
Seven Cities (Original Atlantis Mix) - Solarstone (Spotify 320kbps MP3)

Credit to Bose and Atlas for an evaluation unit.