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B&O BeoPlay E4 - First Look

June 19, 2017

Sony 2017 Extra Bass Speakers - Review

June 09, 2017

CES 2017 saw the announcement of 4 new speakers in Sony's portable wireless range, namely the Sony SRS-XB10, SRS-XB20, SRS-XB30 and SRS-XB40. Last month saw their launch and availability in Singapore. We now look at the unique features of each, but the main focus will be on how they perform collectively.

Type - Portable Wireless Speakers

What's The Big Deal?

1. Sony SRS-XB10

Sony's tiniest Bluetooth speaker

The SRS-XB10 is Sony's most inexpensive unit and is the most compact of the four speakers. Its silicon strap serves two useful purposes - it can serve to attach to a backpack or to prop the speaker on its side to direct music toward your ears.

Price - USD 48 / SGD 79
Weight - 260g
Dimensions - 75 x 75 x 91mm
Battery Capacity - 1,400mAh
Playback Time - Up to 16 hours
Charge Time - Approx 4.5 hours (by USB charge)

2. Sony SRS-XB20

Great sound in a portable frame

The XB20 is the lightest rectangular unit and is probably likely to be compared with the Bose SoundLink Mini II (670g) due to its similar form factor and weight. There's a single lighting tone that compliments the speaker's color nicely. It's possibly the unit that juggles weight, sound quality and portability most effectively 'cos it's light and you can still charge through a standard micro-USB cable.

Price - USD 98 / SGD 169
Weight - 590g
Dimensions - 198 x 68 x 69mm
Battery Capacity - 2,100mAh
Playback Time - Up to 12 hours
Charge Time - Approx 4 hours (1.5A) / Approx 12 hours (500mA) (by USB charge)

3. Sony SRS-XB30

Bass-boomer with good sound control

At close to one kg in weight, this is where the bass picks up, especially if you turn the volume above the mid-level. This is a solid speaker that, along with the XB40, features multi-color party lights. It hits a more than reasonable 24 hours of playback but requires charging through an AC adapter.

Price - USD 148 / SGD 269
Weight - 980g
Dimensions - 228 x 82 x 86mm
Battery Capacity - 4,200mAh
Playback Time - Up to 24 hours
Charge Time - Approx 4 hours (by AC adapter)

4. Sony SRS-XB40

Party animal

The XB40 is undoubtedly the life of a party. When you play David Guetta's thumping hits, you get the feeling that the low frequencies engulf you. That's of course ideal when you have big spaces where you need sound to reach out to. The party lights are most visible in the XB40 with flashing strobe and multi-colored lights punctuating the night. Hits 24 hours playback and requires an AC adapter.

Price - USD 248 / SGD 329
Weight - 1,500g
Dimensions - 279 x 100 x 105mm
Battery Capacity - 5,400mAh
Playback Time - Up to 24 hours
Charge Time - Approx 4 hours (by AC adapter)

Common Features On All Speakers
Now, let's check out the commonalities and we'll elaborate what's the value of each feature.

All the 4 speakers feature:

IPX5 water resistance
Sony's Extra Bass feature
Near Field Communications (NFC)
Auxiliary input (3.5mm)
Similar playback controls
Link Up Capability
Party Lights (except SRS-XB10)

1. IPX5 Water Resistance
This means that the speakers will not be affected even when a water jet is sprayed. It does not mean that they are waterproof so don't dunk them in a pool! Just note you'll have to close the covers to the ports to ensure everything works fine.

2. Sony Extra Bass
It's as the description says - pressing this button basically adds an additional depth to the bass levels. Only the SRS-XB10 doesn't have a dedicated button but incorporates this feature by default.

3. Near Field Communications
Sure the speakers connect to your music device by Bluetooth but they simplify the pairing process by including NFC. You just need to power on the NFC on your smartphone and hold it to the NFC point on the speaker (marked by the N logo) and you should be paired.

4. Auxiliary input
If your music device needs to be connected by a 3.5mm cable, then that's what this port is for.

5. Similar playback controlsThe layout of the controls is exactly the same for the XB20, XB30, XB40 where they are laid out in a straight line - Call / Play / Add / - / + / Power. The XB10 is similar though it drops the 'Call' button. We'll talk about how 'Add' functions shortly.

6. Link Up Capability
A great feature to have especially if you have more than a few of the new Sony speakers available. There are 2 link up modes:

a. Wireless Party Chain Mode
Three of the speakers, namely the XB40, XB30 and XB20 can be linked together. The result is audio comes out from all the speakers simultaneously. You need to pair a primary speaker, acting as a master, to your music device then hold 'Add' and '+' buttons together until a beep sound is heard. You then turn on the second speaker and hold the above mentioned buttons again. Once done, then 2 speakers are connected. Though we linked just three of them, Sony states that up to 10 speakers can be supported in this mode. The flipside is it can be quite tedious to link all speakers if you're going to repeat the same steps again and again.

Interestingly, you can control certain functions from the master speaker such as activating Extra Bass, party lights, playback and the power. To give an example, we tried the SRS-XB30 as the master. Powering off the XB30 causes all connected units to simultaneously switch off. If you perform these same actions on the slave speakers (eg. XB20), you will only activate the functions on a singular unit.

b. Stereo Mode
There's also a Stereo Mode where you can link two speakers of the same model together where one acts as the left channel and the other as the right channel (for example, linking one XB20 to another XB20). I was unable to test this out as I had four different models on hand but judging on the success rate of linking the 3 speakers in wireless party chain mode, linking them on stereo mode shouldn't be a problem.

So What's The Ideal Speaker For...

Now that you've seen the four speakers, you may be a little confused what speaker would suit your needs. To make things simple, we have a few user profiles that serve to give a rough idea on possible usage patterns.

1. A Beach Bum
Recommended: SRS-XB20
You want something portable to hit the beach with. Of course, you need good sound quality and the convenience to charge through a micro-USB port should the need arise. The form factor of the SRS-XB20 would be a great candidate.

2. A Party Host
Recommended: SRS-XB40
You love hosting parties. Doesn't matter if they are wild ones or just a meeting between friends as long as you can a sound profile that fills the room. The XB40 would be ideal due to its ability to easily make its impact felt around huge rooms.

3. A Tertiary Student in Hostel
Recommended: SRS-XB30 / SRS-XB20
You stay in your student accommodation during the week when going for class and love having fellow students over for drinks (we mean coffee of course!). If so, the XB30 makes a good choice. If you do shuttle back and forth to your home every weekend, then the XB20 may offer a more portable option.

4. A Parent
Recommended: SRS-XB10
If you are a parent like myself, it's a strong possibility that when you go out, you'll be lugging a whole lot of stuff with you - milk powder, diapers, change of clothes, toys, blabla. The whole idea is to minimize the load you're carrying and that's where the SRS-XB10 is ideal. It's really light and the loudness is quite decent to entertain the babies / toddlers / kids to their fav Netflix / YouTube channels.

Where To Buy

The four Sony Extra Bass speakers can now be purchased at Sony Stores and Sony authorised dealers.

Credit to Sony for the review units.

Doppler Labs

Here One Launch in Singapore

June 02, 2017

Doppler Labs launched the Here One truly wireless smart earbuds in Singapore today at a media launch at the We The People Kickstarter Store in Millenia Walk.

It was a fitting location given its origins. We actually reviewed their first commercially available and Kickstarter-backed product back in Aug 2016. That was called the Here Active Listening System . It did not play music. Instead, they delivered an audio augmented reality experience.

And today, Here One is their next generation product that still maintains the AR experience fusing it with listening to music. Let's check out what the Here One offers.

Type - Truly Wireless In-Ears
Price - USD 299 / SGD 459

What's The Big Deal?
The specs are quite comparable with its truly wireless peers. We're looking at buds of a 12g weight that can last for 2 hours playback. There's a charging case that offers 3 more rounds of charge for the buds.

However, these are not a pair of run of the mill earphones. To do the Here One justice, we'll focus on what differentiates these buds from the rest.

1. Smart Noise Cancellation
Doppler Labs' buds incorporate what they term as Real-World Sound Control that allows the ability to dynamically increase / decrease specific sound types. For example, you can suppress the ambient sound of a plane's engine or if somehow you want to increase it, you sure can. This is controllable through their app. This is quite different from traditional active noise cancelation (ANC) where all ambient sounds are lowered.

2. Speech Enhancement
You can reduce background noise and amplify human speech. For example, you can enhance a nearby conversation.

3. Machine Learning
Interestingly, the machine learning engine behind the buds, called Smart Suggest, is able to use your location, past use and preferences to provide suggestions. If you're in a subway, the app will supposedly push a suggested sound profile for your approval.

Sophia Velastegui, Chief Product Officer of Doppler Labs presenting the Here One features.

Who Is It For?
The most obvious usage is for folks who listen to music but at the same time can conveniently double the device as a hearing aid.

Pricing And Availability
The Here One is priced at USD 299 / SGD 459.

If you are in the US, they are currently available through their online store.
If you are in Singapore, they are available from 5 May at selected retailers including truewireless.sg.

Doppler Labs, LRT and We The People teams striking a pose.

Apple

Apple AirPods - The Review

May 29, 2017

The Apple AirPods need practically no introduction. These were the truly wireless earbuds that were introduced to much fanfare last September as loads of folks anticipated their entry into the Apple ecosystem. And since then, they finally hit the shops around Dec 2016 and there have been a load of reviews on these.

Now what makes it interesting is to see how these fare against the world! Ok, what we mean is how they compare with its truly wireless earbud peers.

But first, let's review them. A trip to Holiday Villa Johor Bahru provided a good occasion to test the buds and a spot to take some shots!

Read - Advent of Truly Wireless Earbuds

Type - Truly Wireless Earphones
Price - USD 159 / EUR 179 / SGD 238

Pros (+): Supremely comfortable fit; Simple to use; Great battery life.
Cons (-): Non-existent noise isolation

In The Box
The Apple AirPods unsurprisingly come in one color combination - white. That's classic iPod gloss white if you want specifics.

In typical Apple style, the box is incredibly sturdy and sized at a compact 99 x 99 x 34 mm, ideal for two things - cutting on shipping costs and hardy enough to pass drop tests (not that we tried :).

The unboxing is like what you'd expect from an Apple product - impeccably neat and premium. The top lid pops upward to reveal a booklet with the distinctive line - Designed by Apple in California.

Lifting this away will showcase the AirPods charging case nicely wrapped in a protective sleeve.

Popping out the packaging contents, we get:

Apple AirPods
Charging Case
Charging Cable (USB to Lightning)
User Guides

Design
The Apple AirPods come adorned in signature iPod gloss white and both earbuds weigh 8g, marginally lighter than the Samsung Gear IconX (12g) and Bragi The Headphone (12.5g). What differentiates these from other truly wireless buds is its long cylindrical side that that the other manufacturers clearly do not have. One practical benefit is the earbud weight is more evenly distributed, as the battery takes up the bulk of the space within. And of course, it makes it easier for the buds to be removed / inserted.

If you are familar with the default buds (EarPods) that come with your iPhone, you'll find that the overall AirPods aesthetic is much the same. General differences include the subtraction of the cable (obviously), dual optical sensors and a chrome edge at the bottom complete with a microphone. We'll talk more on their purpose in the Features section.

Charging Case:
The case measures a petite 44 x 21 x 54mm and doubles up as a charger when the buds are stored within. It's nicely styled and its magnetic clasp allows it to shut reassuringly.

Features
While the Apple AirPods look seemingly basic, they are anything but. Once you poke your nose into what they have to offer, you'll realize that there's a myriad of features awaiting especially if you're an iOS user.

Playback / Voice Commands:
While there are no physical buttons on the AirPods, you can actually double tap the exterior of either earbud to enable a function depending on phone you are using.

Siri devices - This activates Siri so you can give voice commands to control playback (eg. turn up the volume) or useful information (give directions / weather check). When calls come in, you can pick them and if you find Siri annoying, you can go to the settings to render a double tap as a play / pause function.
Other devices - There's a singular function - double tapping the exterior of the buds will play / pause music playback. This is arguably more useful than sending voice commands in a packed train with others staring at you quizzically.

Automatic Ear Detection:
The AirPods can detect when they are slotted into your ears thanks to dual optical sensors on each bud. You can even test out their effectiveness by double tapping the side of the bud when covering the sensors with your fingers vs removing your fingers. Even if you cover just one of the two optical sensors, the AirPods take it that the earbuds are not inside your ear.

iOS - On your iPhone, music will pause when you take both buds out of your ears. They will pause and resume playback if a single bud is removed. If you want music to continue even if you remove the buds, you can disable this in the AirPods Settings.
Android - The play resume / pause function doesn't work when using an Android like what I tested with the Sony Xperia XA. However, there's no way to accidentally double tap the earbud when they are not in your ears.

Chilling with the AirPods at the Holiday Villa infinity pool

Pairing:
If you're used to the manual way of Bluetooth pairing, the AirPods offers a refreshingly simpler method of connecting to your music device (at least if you're in the Apple ecosystem).

iOS 10.2 / watchOS3 / MacOS Sierra Devices - Apple's W1 chip may sound like a fancy marketing name but pairing is where you begin to discover its usefulness. All you need to do is open the AirPods charging case next to your device and there will be a setup prompt on your screen. It's that easy.
Other Devices - If you have another product like an Android phone, you'll need to manually pair via Bluetooth. Turn on your phone Bluetooth, pop open the charging case, select 'AirPods' and you're good to go.

Tip - If you have difficulties in pairing, insert the AirPods back into the case and hold the circular Setup button on the back of the case until the LED starts to flash white. You can then restart the pairing process.

Status Light Notifications:
The status light LED is only found inside the charging case between the two buds. The charge status reflects the AirPods if one / both are inserted else it will show the Case status. Here's an idea what they indicate.

Green - Fully charged
Amber - Not fully charged / Charging in progress if USB cable connected
Amber (blinking) - You may need to setup AirPods again
White (blinking) - Pairing mode

Sound Notifications
There are no voice notifications though there will be tones to indicate when the AirPods are successfully connected to your music device or when the charge in the buds is low.

Microphones:
There are two microphones on each earbud. If you notice the bottom of the AirPods, there is a chrome edge and within it is one of the microphones. The second is a small circular hole located on the outside of the earbud.

Apple does inject some hype about two beam-forming microphones. What does 'beam-forming' mean? You can actually read more on this over here. For the AirPods, the purpose of the beam-forming microphones is to extract voice input from ambient noise so the AirPods user is able to speak loud and clear to the recipient of a phone call.

App Support:

iOS - It would not be accurate to say that the AirPods have no app support. In fact, the support is integrated with iOS 10. If you pop the AirPods charging case open, a prompt will initiate from your iPhone and settings can be configured accordingly. The good thing is the AirPods firmware can be updated. Most recent is from 3.3.1 to 3.5.1 on Feb 1, 2017. Any significant change? Can't really tell from our end though feel free to buzz if you find something.
Android - There's no dedicated app for Android though to be fair, Apple never did mention such compatibility on the packaging.

Performance

Sound Quality:
The Apple AirPods sound quality is quite decent, that is if you do your listening in a relatively quiet environment. I was feeling nostalgic so I decided to give a listen to Kitaro. If that name does not ring a bell, Kitaro is a Japanese artist that specializes in epic instrumental music (some call it 'new age'). He made an equally epic performance compiled in the Live In America (1991) album and with that, I tried his magnum opus, Matsuri. The treble comes out not quite sparkling but nonetheless clearer than many in-ears while bass from the drums came out reasonably well. I reckon these aren't sealed in-ears which likely contribute to the drop in the impact of the low frequencies.

Calls:
Making a few calls, I did a sound check in several locations of incremental ambient noise level. One was in at the Holiday Villa JB infinity pool with a few folks splashing around (low ambient sound) and another was in the heart of KSL Mall (high ambient sound). In those locations, I checked how well the recipient could hear me and the result was positive - they could hear me loud n clear, despite the noisy crowds in the second instance.

Noise Isolation:
Like the EarPods, noise isolation is non existent. Environmental sounds aren't filtered at all and basically, you can safely listen to music while jogging. The flipside is when you're commuting, all the ambient sound from the trains will hit you so you'll have to increase the volume quite a bit to appreciate the sound.

Apple AirPods Charging Case Lightning port

Fit:
This was probably the most comfortable pair of truly wireless buds tested. When slotted in and when the music paused, there were moments where I actually forgot there was something in my ears.

Charging:
To charge the AirPods, all you have to do is slot them in the Charging Case and they are magnetically latched within. If you're wondering how it works, there are two contact points deep inside the two holes of the case that link with the chrome edge of the AirPods to initiate charging.

A full charge of the AirPods through the Lightning cable will provide 5 hours playback / 2 hours talk time while a quick charge of 15 minutes will get you 3 hours / over 1 hour talk time. The charging case states 398mAh of power so we're going to make a guess that that's the total power within the case only. If you use the full capacity of the case in tandem with the AirPods, Apple claims you can get up to 24 hours playback / 11 hours talk time.

Update (6 June 2017):
I decided to completely drain both the buds + case just to check the charge times. Here are the results based on charging through a MacBook Air USB port. As you can see, the charging speed of the buds is really fast.
Charging Case (100%) - 1h 25min
AirPods (80%) - 15min
AirPods (100%) - 22min

Putting all these figures in perspective and considering just the buds at full charge, the playback on the AirPods last above the average. They come up short against Bragi The Headphone (6 hours) but easily edge the feature-filled Samsung Gear IconX (1.5 hours) and Erato Apollo 7 (3 hours).

Overall
The Apple AirPods are a great pair of truly wireless earbuds to own. They are really comfortable to wear and sound drop offs that some truly wireless in-ears unfortunately have are not experienced in these buds. Now noise isolation may be non-existent and options are limited for Android users but if you are a user of Apple products, the AirPods is certainly a convenient, reliable and stylish option for consideration.

Apple AirPods and Truly wireless earbuds compared

In a subsequent part, we will look at a comparison between some of the best truly wireless earbuds in the market. We will look at some of them within the same price range such as the Apple AirPods, Samsung Gear IconX and Bragi The Headphone.

Stay tuned!