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.
Sony, just this month, launched an R&D initiative called the Future Lab Program. Its creation was fueled by a need for devices built upon more customer input. The idea is to "share concept prototypes with users while still at the development stage, and look to them for inspiration, leveraging their feedback to refine and evolve its projects".
This was swiftly followed by the announcement of a product called Concept N at SXSW (South By Southwest) Interactive Festival in Texas on 12 Mar. Its premise according to Sony is a "hands-free user interface that creates a new way of experiencing audio such as music and sound, allowing the user to receive audio information without having to insert any object into his or her ear."
If taken purely from the audio perspective, you sling the device around your neck and the music gets channeled upwards toward your ears like a pair of speakers. How neat is that? It gets better. Sporting the LG Tone look and Google Glass technology in its features, read on to find out more.
What's the Deal?
1. A New Trend?
Sony aren't the first to come up with the concept of speakers around the neck. Music Wrap, born from Kickstarter have initiated something similar just last month. Will this be the start of a product type that'll sell truckloads? Only time will tell.
2. Sound directed only to you
Apparently, the sound is targeted directly at your ears to the extent that you can hear the music. Others can tell you are listening to music but won't be able to discern exactly what, according to Nylon.
3. Open-ear earphones
If the open sound direction does not appeal, Sony provides open-ear earphones where you fit an open circle, with a dangling tube linked to drivers, into your ear. This has the effect of letting you hear ambient sound while being able to listen to music from the drivers.
4. Integrated Camera / Voice Controls
This is where the similarity between neckband headphones like the LG TONE fades and you think more of a futuristic product. Like Google Glass, we have a device that can give you information such as weather and GPS location upon request. Just like you say 'Ok Google' to initiate Google services, the Concept N is triggered by 'Listen up Arc!'. The camera can open up on demand and take photos when needed.
Pricing / Availability
As the Sony Concept N is purely a concept, there's no news as yet on when this futuristic product will launch. It certainly looks fantastic and banks on the top technology available today. Let's give it a year and see if it goes to mass production.
This was swiftly followed by the announcement of a product called Concept N at SXSW (South By Southwest) Interactive Festival in Texas on 12 Mar. Its premise according to Sony is a "hands-free user interface that creates a new way of experiencing audio such as music and sound, allowing the user to receive audio information without having to insert any object into his or her ear."
If taken purely from the audio perspective, you sling the device around your neck and the music gets channeled upwards toward your ears like a pair of speakers. How neat is that? It gets better. Sporting the LG Tone look and Google Glass technology in its features, read on to find out more.
What's the Deal?
1. A New Trend?
Sony aren't the first to come up with the concept of speakers around the neck. Music Wrap, born from Kickstarter have initiated something similar just last month. Will this be the start of a product type that'll sell truckloads? Only time will tell.
2. Sound directed only to you
Apparently, the sound is targeted directly at your ears to the extent that you can hear the music. Others can tell you are listening to music but won't be able to discern exactly what, according to Nylon.
3. Open-ear earphones
If the open sound direction does not appeal, Sony provides open-ear earphones where you fit an open circle, with a dangling tube linked to drivers, into your ear. This has the effect of letting you hear ambient sound while being able to listen to music from the drivers.
 |
| Credit - Engadget |
This is where the similarity between neckband headphones like the LG TONE fades and you think more of a futuristic product. Like Google Glass, we have a device that can give you information such as weather and GPS location upon request. Just like you say 'Ok Google' to initiate Google services, the Concept N is triggered by 'Listen up Arc!'. The camera can open up on demand and take photos when needed.
 |
| Credit - Engadget |
Pricing / Availability
As the Sony Concept N is purely a concept, there's no news as yet on when this futuristic product will launch. It certainly looks fantastic and banks on the top technology available today. Let's give it a year and see if it goes to mass production.
Indianapolis-based Klipsch's emphasis has been toward wired earphones but Bluetooth offerings have been relatively scarce apart from units like the Image ONE. Enter the Klipsch R6 In-Ear Bluetooth (SGD 299), an around-the-ears model that marks its entrance to the wireless in-ears category.
Pros (+): Solid bass delivery
Cons (-): Around-the-ear adjustment may take a while to get used to
Design
As we were provided a demo unit, we'll skip the unboxing process. We go straight in to check the breakdown of the packaging contents you are supposed to get:
- Klipsch R6 In-Ear Bluetooth
- 4 x Oval Silicon Tips (S / M / L / M double-flange)
- Charging cable
- Carrying pouch
- User manual
The R6 In-Ear Bluetooth weighs a decent (read not the lightest nor the heaviest) 23.5g, promising a pair of earbuds that don't weigh you down uncomfortably. To put things in perspective, it's heavier than the Jaybird X2 Wireless (13g) and comparable with the Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless (24g). The material that makes the most contact with your ear is elastomer, a soft rubber-like material that is kinda soothing to the touch.
How do you wear 'em? You can either park the curved module behind your ear and slot the earbuds in or vice versa. Your choice.
The cloth pouch is quite rudimentary but does its job. Simply put the earphones in, tighten the string and that's it.
Features
The unit runs on Bluetooth 4.0, a standard that promises better power consumption. The R6 BT supports the aptX codec over A2DP that aims to deliver 'CD-quality' music.
Pair the earbuds to your music device is a cinch. Simply:
1. Hold the power button (located on the right ear hook) for 2 seconds.
2. The LED above will pulsate blue.
3. Select 'Klipsch R6 BT' from your device.
4. The LED blinks blue 3 times every few seconds to indicate pairing is good.
The in-line remote lies on the right side. Like most controls, there's a multi-function button flanked by two volume. A nicer touch is the holding of the volume buttons to skip tracks 'cos other manufacturers implement this with a double or triple press of the centre button. The other side of the remote is where the cVc microphone lies. Its purpose is to enhance voice clarity and reduce environmental sound. A few calls at a bus stop were taken and there were no complaints on the other end that I couldn't be heard.
Note the product name is not appended with a letter like Klipsch's prior units (eg. R6m / R6i) for the simple reason of being device independent. Yes, the R6 In-Ear Bluetooth's controls are usable on iOS, Android, etc.
The cable loop is appended with a removable and adjustable wire-cinch that tightens or loosens accordingly to reduce the microphonics.
Performance
We received 3 single-flange ear tips. One M-sized double-flange is supposed to be included but this wasn't in and so, was not tried. The L-size fit the best and was a constant for our tests.
Attempting to hook the buds on my ears was a surprising challenge. While the left hook managed to take hold sufficiently well, the right hook fell out every now and then. It took quite a few tries to achieve an optimal fit that allowed me to wear them properly. Initially, I thought it was the glasses but I tried the Klipsch both with and without to similar results. To try something different, I wore them again but placed the cord at my front. Interestingly, the fit around the ears was much better even when jumping around. Do test them out yourself 'cos this is after all my personal experience.
Powered by dual-magnet moving coil drivers, the build up of John Murphy's incredibly tense The Tunnel gives a good hint of how thumpingly strong the bass delivery is. The contrast is while the clashing cymbals are audible, they come out somewhat toned down while the overall sound somehow attains a good balance with a clear inclination to the low frequencies. Vitalic's electronic club anthem La Rock 01 is a great track that reinforces this notion and lets you experience the beats in its full power.
When the battery is low, you'll hear 3 very subtle pings that repeatedly remind you every few minutes to initiate charging. Once you plug in the charging cable, the LED shines red. With less than an hour's charge of the 85mAh battery, you'll get 8 hours of power. This is comparable with the Jaybird X2 Wireless (8h) and Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless (6h).
Overall
Klipsch has a knack for producing great sounding earpieces and the R6 In-Ear Bluetooth is one of them that'll snag the bass heads. We had that niggling feeling that this is somewhat of an experimental product where Klipsch is attempting to understand how receptive people are to hook-type models while building their Bluetooth expertise to build kick-ass models to pair with the future iPhone 7. If we gauge on the basis that it's their first wireless in-ears, the lack of connection issues on Bluetooth make this product pretty decent and show that Klipsch are very much on the right path.
Where To Buy
If you like what you have read on the product, do feel free to support me by buying from Amazon via this affiliate link. Prices start from USD 77.
Audio Sources
The Tunnel - John Murphy (28 Days Later OST) (192 Kbps MP3) on Samsung Galaxy S4
La Rock 01 - Vitalic (Tidal 320 Kbps AAC) on iPad Air
Credit to Tat Chuan Acoustic for an evaluation unit.
Pros (+): Solid bass delivery
Cons (-): Around-the-ear adjustment may take a while to get used to
Design
As we were provided a demo unit, we'll skip the unboxing process. We go straight in to check the breakdown of the packaging contents you are supposed to get:
- Klipsch R6 In-Ear Bluetooth
- 4 x Oval Silicon Tips (S / M / L / M double-flange)
- Charging cable
- Carrying pouch
- User manual
The R6 In-Ear Bluetooth weighs a decent (read not the lightest nor the heaviest) 23.5g, promising a pair of earbuds that don't weigh you down uncomfortably. To put things in perspective, it's heavier than the Jaybird X2 Wireless (13g) and comparable with the Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless (24g). The material that makes the most contact with your ear is elastomer, a soft rubber-like material that is kinda soothing to the touch.
How do you wear 'em? You can either park the curved module behind your ear and slot the earbuds in or vice versa. Your choice.
The cloth pouch is quite rudimentary but does its job. Simply put the earphones in, tighten the string and that's it.
Features
The unit runs on Bluetooth 4.0, a standard that promises better power consumption. The R6 BT supports the aptX codec over A2DP that aims to deliver 'CD-quality' music.
Pair the earbuds to your music device is a cinch. Simply:
1. Hold the power button (located on the right ear hook) for 2 seconds.
2. The LED above will pulsate blue.
3. Select 'Klipsch R6 BT' from your device.
4. The LED blinks blue 3 times every few seconds to indicate pairing is good.
The in-line remote lies on the right side. Like most controls, there's a multi-function button flanked by two volume. A nicer touch is the holding of the volume buttons to skip tracks 'cos other manufacturers implement this with a double or triple press of the centre button. The other side of the remote is where the cVc microphone lies. Its purpose is to enhance voice clarity and reduce environmental sound. A few calls at a bus stop were taken and there were no complaints on the other end that I couldn't be heard.
Note the product name is not appended with a letter like Klipsch's prior units (eg. R6m / R6i) for the simple reason of being device independent. Yes, the R6 In-Ear Bluetooth's controls are usable on iOS, Android, etc.
The cable loop is appended with a removable and adjustable wire-cinch that tightens or loosens accordingly to reduce the microphonics.
Performance
We received 3 single-flange ear tips. One M-sized double-flange is supposed to be included but this wasn't in and so, was not tried. The L-size fit the best and was a constant for our tests.
Attempting to hook the buds on my ears was a surprising challenge. While the left hook managed to take hold sufficiently well, the right hook fell out every now and then. It took quite a few tries to achieve an optimal fit that allowed me to wear them properly. Initially, I thought it was the glasses but I tried the Klipsch both with and without to similar results. To try something different, I wore them again but placed the cord at my front. Interestingly, the fit around the ears was much better even when jumping around. Do test them out yourself 'cos this is after all my personal experience.
Powered by dual-magnet moving coil drivers, the build up of John Murphy's incredibly tense The Tunnel gives a good hint of how thumpingly strong the bass delivery is. The contrast is while the clashing cymbals are audible, they come out somewhat toned down while the overall sound somehow attains a good balance with a clear inclination to the low frequencies. Vitalic's electronic club anthem La Rock 01 is a great track that reinforces this notion and lets you experience the beats in its full power.
When the battery is low, you'll hear 3 very subtle pings that repeatedly remind you every few minutes to initiate charging. Once you plug in the charging cable, the LED shines red. With less than an hour's charge of the 85mAh battery, you'll get 8 hours of power. This is comparable with the Jaybird X2 Wireless (8h) and Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless (6h).
Overall
Klipsch has a knack for producing great sounding earpieces and the R6 In-Ear Bluetooth is one of them that'll snag the bass heads. We had that niggling feeling that this is somewhat of an experimental product where Klipsch is attempting to understand how receptive people are to hook-type models while building their Bluetooth expertise to build kick-ass models to pair with the future iPhone 7. If we gauge on the basis that it's their first wireless in-ears, the lack of connection issues on Bluetooth make this product pretty decent and show that Klipsch are very much on the right path.
Where To Buy
If you like what you have read on the product, do feel free to support me by buying from Amazon via this affiliate link. Prices start from USD 77.
Audio Sources
The Tunnel - John Murphy (28 Days Later OST) (192 Kbps MP3) on Samsung Galaxy S4
La Rock 01 - Vitalic (Tidal 320 Kbps AAC) on iPad Air
Credit to Tat Chuan Acoustic for an evaluation unit.
