audiosplitz: Truly Wireless

Truebuds - Beware of Kickstarter Scams!

May 08, 2017

Truly wireless earbuds was new product category that was trending in 2015, mass produced in 2016 and now widely available in 2017 from major manufacturers like Samsung and Apple. In the early days, many new companies wanted to jump onto the bandwagon. Names previously unheard of like Erato, Bragi and Earin suddenly emerged to great fanfare and established themselves further by launching second generation truly wireless buds.

Credit - change.org

What is kinda swept under the carpet are the 'brands' that made a ton of money from Kickstarter and shockingly never delivered anything. Yes, you heard that right. One company actually got more than a few backers from crowdfunding platforms and gave absolutely zilch back. So much for commitment.

Truebuds - The Promise
Truebuds's tagline was to deliver the world's smallest stereo cordless earbuds. In terms of specs, this was pretty much on par with the other true wireless earbud projects already launched on Kickstarter such as Bragi, Earin and Erato.

From Kickstarter - Truebuds page

Everything looked pretty legit. They showcased their team, the design process, design mockups and their founder, Eric Tsoi, was supposedly interviewed by Digital Trends. It was quite hard to believe that anything was going to go wrong.

From Kickstarter - Truebuds page

After all, other true wireless earbud companies were working to make it a reality and the Truebuds 'team' was actually clearly illustrating how they were coming up with the product from concept to reality. As a disclaimer, there's actually a link called 'Learn about accountability on Kickstarter', appended to every Kickstarter project page.

So What Happened?
Truebuds sent a crowdfunding request to Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

From Kickstarter - Truebuds page

On Kickstarter, they managed to get close to 3,000 backers contributing USD 411K while on the Indiegogo platform, they received USD 517K. All in all, that amounts to an approximate staggering amount of USD 1 million.

From Indiegogo - Truebuds page

And then the actual reality started to sink in.

The signs that something was amiss were the excuses that they couldn't deliver on time due to a few reasons. Their website (http://www.truebuds.io/) started giving a 404 page leading nowhere. Their Facebook posts started churning out generic music industry news updates. Needless to say, there were a lot of comments from irate customers asking what happened to their orders. The founder did not answer to replies despite asking folks to reach out to him. The final straw came on July 6, 2016 when they put out their last post and that's it...there was no communications beyond that.

From Facebook - Truebuds page

What Now?
Needless to say, the customers who bought into this were probably seething and rightfully so. John Joseph from NY started a petition around 5 months ago for the 'prompt return of crowdfunding proceeds to Kickstarter and Indiegogo backers'.

On May 4, 2017, an update said that the State of California Department of Justice was 'taking this matter seriously' and acknowledge that the formal documentation of the complaint was received.

From change.org

Lessons To Learn?
Some takeaways from this episode -

1. Do Background Checks
Scams operate in all ways. Some are very straightforward. You can research them and the signs are telling when you check their web presence. Others like Truebuds are actually pretty elaborate. They took the pains to show you the creative process and who's in charge of what and even got a reputable media company for an interview. And yet they did not deliver. It does pay to make cursory background checks on any new company / business entity. If in doubt, check online, pick up the phone and make some calls.

2. Scams Can Operate Anywhere
The Truebuds scam is one that affected anyone who knew of the major crowdfunding platforms like Indiegogo and Kickstarter. This means that its reach was worldwide. Online scams are a dime a dozen and they come through all means. I can even share that bloggers are not spared either. A company called Goodstuff.SG attempted to get online ambassadors to spread the word of its website. Well, this same website shut down within a month. Talk about being unscrupulous.

3. Just Because Everyone Jumps In Doesn't Mean It's Legit
With so many folks throwing their money to the project, does that offer some form of safeguard? Absolutely not. It does of course drop your guard and think that since others are in, hey, why not jump into it? They have 7,000+ Facebook likes. Does it mean anything? On hindsight, probably not.

The Truebuds story presents an interesting but sad episode. Hopefully, the folks who invested in it will either lay this to rest or move on. If you are one who's impacted, do not be dismayed as there are and will be black hats everywhere in the world. Whether you get the justice or the money back, we hope you will eventually get closure on this matter. All the best to you folks.

Sources:
Petition - Please tell TrueBuds to return the $1m they stole from us on Kickstarter and Indiegogo!
Truebuds Facebook page
Kickstarter page
Indiegogo page
Eric Tsoi's Linkedin page

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.

Bluetooth

Erato Muse 5 - First Look

March 06, 2017

Last week saw the launch of the Erato Muse 5 truly wireless earphones in Singapore. Initially announced in late 2016, these buds differentiate from its predecessor, the Erato Apollo 7, by being a more sports-oriented product that has increased emphasis on fit.

Trivia - Erato is a company with roots coming from the Kickstarter and Indiegogo platforms. The Muse 5 raised $824,266 from 1,840 backers from the latter.

Type - Truly wireless in-ears
Price - USD 180 / SGD 349

Background
True wireless earbuds hit the mainstream in 2016 as a new product category. Unlike so called 'wireless earphones' that still have a cord linking the left and right buds, these are completely cordless. More information over here - Advent of Truly Wireless Earbuds

So to develop the Muse 5, Erato Audio took in the feedback provided from its first cordless buds, analyzed and refined to develop its 2nd generation of buds.

What's The Big Deal?

1. FitSeal Sleeves
Erato previously used Comply Foam buds (which we found pretty reliable as is) as the point of contact with your ears. They boldly replace this with FitSeal, their own patented solution, to combine with silicon ear tips. FitSeal Sleeves are meant to fit in the outer ear (conch area) and the silicon tips will lodge in the ear canal. The end result is supposedly a customized and hence, better fit within the ear.

2. Magnetic Charging Case
The case doubles as storage and charger. The charger itself is charged through a micro-USB cable and once full, it can power the Muse 5 for up to 3 charges. And yes, it's a magnetic cover that latches down.

3. Battery Life
There's 4 hours of playback (or 7h talktime), a 1h bump in performance from the Apollo 7. Given the limited space in true wireless buds, a 30% bump in playback time is very welcome.

4. Surround Sound
The new EratoSurround, basically a digital sound processing tech, is developed to attempt to deliver a soundstage that presents a better simulation of sound and instrumentation distances.

5. Nanocoating
Interestingly, this feature is almost overlooked. Nanocoating is basically applying a layer to the surface of the product that allows for a basic level of repelling liquid. In Muse 5's case, this allows an IPX5 water resistance rating, which theoretically means it can withstand spray jets. Well, that remains to be seen :)

Pricing and Availability
It comes in four colors at launch - Metallic Black, Rose Gold, Pearl White and Brilliant Blue.

From the US, they go for USD 180 and you can pre-order them with a 4-6 week lead time at the Erato website. From Singapore, they go for SGD 349 and you can order them from the TC Acoustic website.

Apple Siri

Erato Apollo 7 True Wireless Earphones - Review

October 18, 2016

Initiated as a Kickstarter project in 2015, California-based Erato Audio developed the Apollo 7 true wireless earbuds. Truly wireless earbuds are 2016's flavor of the year, even more so with iPhone 7's removal of the earphone jack. It's all the more timely that the Erato Apollo 7 (SGD 499 / USD 299) now hits the markets in Singapore with its most recent launch on 8 Oct. Oh, and it did scoop the 2015 Red Dot Honorable Mention Award on the way.

Erato Apollo 7 True Wireless Earphones - Gold

Unboxing
There are 4 colors available - Pink, Silver, Gray and Gold, of which we were provided the 4th variant.

Credit - Erato

Sliding out the outer layer reveals a solid white box. The side gives an idea what to expect in the packaging.

Erato Apollo 7 true wireless earbuds box

Pop the top lid open for the Apollo 7 earbuds and the charging case.

Erato Apollo 7 true wireless earbuds - Gold

Lifting the bottom tab gives access the inner sanctum. Can't be too difficult to guess what lies beneath now, can it?

Erato Apollo 7 true wireless earbuds packaging

Spilling out the packaging contents reveals:

Erato Apollo 7 true wireless earbuds
Charging capsule
Silicon tips (S /M /L)
Comply Foam Isolation tips (T-600) (S /M /L)
Stabilizers (aka fins) (S/ M /L)
Charging cable
Quick Start Guide
User Manual

Design

The Apollo 7 buds are undeniably tiny. They each sport a single button and a circular contact point on the outer edge. Each Erato bud weighs an astonishing 4 grams, making these what they claim are the lightest truly wireless buds with an omnidirectional microphone. They compare favorably with the 3.5 gram Earin (without mic), the Samsung Gear IconX (6g) and Bragi Dash (7g).

The charging case allows the buds to be stored and charged simultaneously, similar to the Earin and Bragi Dash. There are 2 LEDs on the left side to indicate the charging status of the case from the micro-USB and of the earbuds respectively.

Features
Interestingly the Erato Apollo 7 has no app support and this breaks the trend of all the truly wireless buds we've looked at so far. While we check out the features and performance, we'll also assess whether the buds can hold up purely by hardware and firmware capability.

Breaking down the features:

1. Playback controls
There is a single button on each earbud and each side actually operates a different function. Here's how it works:

Hold - Power on
Longer hold - Pairing initiates
Single press - Play / Pause

Double press (right bud) - Volume up
Hold (right bud) - Next track
Double press (left bud) - Volume down
Hold (left bud) - Previous track

You notice I made a sub list under 'Single press'? Think that's a mistake? Well damn right it isn't! That's 'cos the functions in the sub list only work during music playback. With this, you really begin to appreciate how the buds work on their own without leveraging on an app.

2. Waterproofing
There is a nano-coating which supposedly provides a layer of waterproofing (not submerging we might add). Let's just say that throwing some water on the buds didn't affect its functional duties.

3. Bluetooth (4.1)
Let's start with the basics - usage. I held the right earbud button to power on, did the same for the left bud and presto, both sides were connected. Holding the either button will initiate pairing with your music device. Out of the truly wireless earbuds tested, the Erato gives an added level of control due to the physical button. Other earbuds are only able to initiate pairing by parking / removing the buds from the charging case.

Erato Apollo 7 true wireless earbuds - Bluetooth

4. Notifications
The sound / voice notifications are kept to a minimal, all the more surprising given there's no mobile app. However, voice prompts informing that power is on and pairing is in progress is welcome. With a button on each bud for actuating, there's no further sound prompts when playing or skipping tracks.

Performance
As usual, we'll do some tests on the sound quality, noise isolation and whether there are any sound drop offs. Stay tuned!

For starters, do read our article on the different types of Comply Foam and their effectiveness.

Update (Feb 2017)
The Apollo 7 uses micro-sized dynamic drivers. The result is that the sound quality has good bass emphasis while the higher frequencies were quite clear. This is excellent for R&B or EDM tracks. This sound profile can be tweaked since you have both silicon and Comply Foam tips. Comply tips tend to reduce the treble and increase the bass. Personally, I favoured using the Comply tips.

Noise isolation using the silicon tips is decent but if this is a priority to you, do use the Comply Foam instead. Sounds on the bus or train can be blocked significantly and you are able to listen to your music quite peacefully.

Overall
The Erato Apollo 7 is a rare breed of true wireless earphones that is able to function without app support. That said, it's clear that playback controls can be adjusted from the buds directly. Apart from the general aesthetic where the buds protrude from your ears, it's a good all round pair of true wireless buds.

Erato Apollo 7 true wireless earbuds - Charging Case

Where To Buy
If you like what you have read, feel free to support me by buying from Amazon (USD 299) or Lazada SG (SGD 499).

Credit to Erato and TC Acoustic for a review unit.

Apple

Beats' and Apple's 2016 Audio Lineup

September 09, 2016

This was an incredibly exciting week for audio tech, with IFA 2016 held last weekend and Apple's Special Event just yesterday where the iPhone 7 was launched.

I was itching to send out a couple of articles out but I decided to refrain. I was in Krabi, Thailand (yet again) for the past week but with two babies in tow this time round. It was a wonderful experience where time could be spent as a family and a conscious decision was made to live as a digital hermit. I feel that sharpening the saw gives new perspectives to life and this trip definitely reinforced this view.

And now that I am back in SG, with a keyboard proper, let's dive in to check out what Beats and Apple have in store. I'll tear away the marketing talk and attempt to present a balanced view of these new products.

What's The Big Deal?
Well, the talk of the town centered on the iPhone 7's headphone jack (or lack thereof). We had talked about this sometime last year, but now that the removal of the 3.5mm jack is cast in stone, Bluetooth earphones are now a much more interesting proposition. Sure, Apple made a Lightning connector but the SGD 14 (USD 9) accessory seriously looks daft to use considering that you can't charge the phone simultaneously. So with that, there are 4 products to check out - 1 Apple and 3 Beats, all wireless and powered by Apple's W1 chip that promise more power on a single charge.

Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter

1. Apple AirPods
So we found out that the rumors were true. This is Apple's first attempt at truly wireless buds that Earin, Bragi and Samsung have all already released. They weigh an ultra light 4g and promise a 5 hour (listening) battery life on a single charge, better than most we've tried, and up to 24 hours in total when combined with its 38g charging case. Its design appears to mimic the mono Bluetooth headsets (remember those?) worn in the early 2000s. Could be a hit or miss. We'll look on in anticipation at how it fares.

Battery Life - 5 hours / 15 min Quick Charge for 3 hours
Colors - White
Price - SGD 238 / GBP 159 / USD 159
Availability - October 2016

2. BeatsX
This is the first Beats product with a new industrial design since the Apple merger and they are in-ear neck-phones, a category popularized by the LG TONE. They should sit comfortably around the neck, come with wingtips for better fit on the go and the buds magnetically latch to each other when not in use.

Battery Life - 8 hours / 5 min Quick Charge for 2 hours
Colors - White/ Black
Price - SGD 198 / GBP 129 / USD 149
Availability - Autumn 2016

Read - BeatsX Neckband Headphones Review

3. Beats Solo3 Wireless
It appears that you've seen these 215g on-ear headphones before. You sure have because it looks identical to its predecessor, the Solo2 Wireless that we reviewed. The big diff is the Solo2 had 12 hours of power whereas the new Solo3 Wireless boasts a more impressive 40 hours. All the colors are designed to match the new iPhone 7 range. Oh, and price is almost SGD 100 down (SGD 490 to SGD 398).

Battery Life - 40 hours / 5 min Quick Charge for 3 hours
Colors - Gloss Black /Gloss White /Silver /Rose Gold /Black
Price - SGD 398 / GBP 249 / USD 299
Availability - Out now

4. Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless
The design of these sports wireless in-ears is practically the same as the Powerbeats2 Wireless (also reviewed), apart from the color accents being applied to different areas for the Active Collection range (Blue/ Red/ Yellow). The battery has doubled from the 6h of its predecessor to 12h. Price-wise, it's more agreeable at SGD 268 instead of SGD 310.

Battery Life - 12 hours / 5 min Quick Charge for 1 hour
Colors - Black /White/ Flash Blue/ Siren Red/ Shock Yellow
Price - SGD 268 / GBP 169 / USD 199
Availability - Autumn 2016