audiosplitz

2018 Smart Speaker Roundup

December 11, 2017

As 2017 comes to a close, it's important to look back at what defined the year in music hardware. Speakers and headphones have evolved considerably to a level where app support is practically the norm. True wireless earphones hit the mainstream.

Beyond that, 2017 was all about digital assistant-powered devices such as smart speakers. It kickstarted in May at the Google I/O conference where they announced the expansion of the Google Assistant ecosystem and capabilities. Apple soon followed with the HomePod smart speaker announcement at their WWDC event in June. If not already clear, the next frontier for the big tech companies would be in artificial intelligence and digital assistants. The only question is which would emerge victorious or would there somehow be a convergence of digital/voice assistants in the future? We'll leave that question for another time while we check out the smart speakers that hit the markets this year and pave the way for 2018.

1. Amazon Echo (2nd Generation)

Voice Assistant - Alexa
Launched - Oct 2017
Price - USD 99.99
What's the deal? -
It ups the ante on the 1st gen with a new speaker, with Dolby processing, and new design. It fits very well in the living room as it doesn't look as industrial as its predecessor.

2. Amazon Echo Dot

Voice Assistant - Alexa
Launched - Oct 2016
Price - USD 49.99
What's the deal? -
A very compact alternative to the Amazon Echo, with all the capability of Alexa at your disposal. It connects through a 3.5mm audio cable or Bluetooth. At half the price of the Amazon Echo, this is a great option to an entry-level smart speaker.

3. Apple HomePod

Voice Assistant - Siri
Launched - June 2017. To sell in Early 2018.
Price - USD 349
What's the deal? -
Apple's first big speaker since the discontinued iPod Hi-Fi. To make the deal sweeter, make them look more compact, add Siri voice assistant and presto, you get the Apple HomePod. Would've sold like hotcakes if they'd come out by X'mas. Likely will sell like hotcakes once they are out in 2018, anyway.

4. Google Home Mini

Voice Assistant - Google Assistant
Launched - Oct 2017
Price - USD 49
What's the deal? - No prizes for guessing who its competitor is. The Google Home Mini is about the size of the Echo Dot, has a similar price tag and looks pretty darn good. Only drawback is the lack of a 3.5mm jack.

5. Harman Kardon Invoke

Voice Assistant - Microsoft Cortana
Launched - Oct 2017
Price - USD 199
What's the deal? -
It looks very much like an Echo, or Bose SoundLink Revolve, but is the very first to feature Microsoft Cortana digital assistant. The speakers, unlike the Home or the Echo, are more powerful and hence sound that much better.

6. Sonos One

Voice Assistant - Alexa
Launched - Oct 2017
Price - USD 199 / SGD 329
What's the deal? -
If you've noticed, Oct 2017 was a popular month for smart speaker launches. Likely one of the best sounding smart speakers in the whole selection, the Sonos One differentiates itself from the Sonos Play:1 by the integration of Alexa. Like the other speakers in the Sonos ecosystem, they run only on the Wi-Fi network.

Bose

Bose SoundSport Free - First Take

November 17, 2017

Remember the Bose SoundSport Wireless from 2016? Now, cut away those cables to leave you with just the buds.

Presenting the SoundSport Free, Bose's first entry to the truly wireless arena. Launched in late Sep 2017, the entry of the Apple AirPods and the Jaybird Run transition this product category from niche to now, fully mainstream.

Type - Truly Wireless Buds
Price - USD 250 / SGD 319

Read - Advent of Truly Wireless Earbuds

The Lowdown
1. Truly Wireless Hits Mainstream
Bose hits the shops just weeks after the B&O Beoplay E8. Bose on the other hand is representative of the mainstream so it is significant that they hit the market alongside Apple and Samsung.

2. Splash Resistant
An IPX4 rating implies the ability to be used in wet weather conditions. Although the marketing says it's 'water' resistant, you might want to ensure they are not immersed in water.

3. Comfort
The comfort of the StayHear+ buds was tested with the QuietControl 30 and the QuietComfort 20. What can be said is they fit really snugly and we don't see this being any different on the SoundSport Free.

4. Battery Life
The buds hold 5 hours of power, a very decent number when compared to Bragi The Headphone's 6 hours, B&O Beoplay E8's 4 hours and the Samsung Gear IconX's 1.5 hours. It takes 2 hours in the case for the buds to hit full power and the case provides two full additional charges.

Significance
Bose offers a product that consumers will likely love. These are not the most technologically advanced true wireless buds in the market if you consider that others have a transparency mode, full water resistance, touch controls and inbuilt memory. However, they look great and get around to getting the job done - great audio with a Bluetooth connection.

Price & Availability
Three colors (Black, Midnight Blue and Bright Orange) have been launched mid-September 2017 in the US at USD 250. We're checking on availability in Singapore.

Update (12 Feb 2018):
The SoundSport Free hits the shops in Singapore at SGD 319.

Headphones

V-MODA Crossfade 2 Wireless - Review

October 16, 2017

For the uninitiated, V-MODA is an Italian manufacturer of high end audio products since 2004. I confess I am one of the uninitiated. While I'd checked out the original model back in Sep 2015, this is the first V-MODA product I'm testing so I was relishing a chance to give these a go.

Their latest offering, the Crossfade 2 Wireless (SGD 559) is their second generation over-ears wireless headphones. What sets this apart from the crowd are its 3D printed shields that customize its looks. Let's dive into a full review to see what this offers.

Pros (+): Good sound quality; Comfortable, Solid exoskeleton case, Customizable 3D printed shields.
Cons (-): No app support.

Unboxing
There are 3 colors available - Matte Black, Matte White and Rose Gold, of which we were provided the third option for the review.

To open the package, you've to snip a maroon piece of ribbon, unlatch the top and then you pop open the top lid.

The packaging contents reveal:

V-MODA Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones
Audio cable (3.5mm to 3.5mm)
Charging cable (micro-USB)
Carrying pouch
1/4 Pro Adapter
User guides

Design
These are huge headphones (309g), as what you'd expect from a pair of over-ears. They are incredibly comfortable once parked on the ears with ovalish earpads. One feature that is a marked improvement from its predecessor is its highly flexible headphone design - its hinges allow it to be conveniently folded inward and the headband can be adjusted to your comfort level.

The exoskeleton case is really solid and looks like something from an Alien movie. Beyond that, it's highly functional - it allows the headphones to be stored in a compacted manner, has straps to park cables and comes with a carabiner cable on the outside to hang someplace of your convenience.

Features
You can connect up to 2 Bluetooth devices simultaneously and I had no problems linking up my smartphone. You just have to hold the power switch for 3 seconds downward and Bluetooth prompting will initiate.

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 headphones through a straight 3.5mm jack and to your device through an L-shaped 3.5mm jack.

Now, there are 3D printed shields that can be added (purchased separately online) that make these a more attractive proposition. There are some defaults that can be selected (Monograms, Vectory, Victory, Logo, Sculpture, Studs) and then you have the option to customize color and styling. You can find out more here.

One thing that can be improved is app support. In this day and age, there are many manufacturers that invest significantly in this area. This could be an opportunity that V-MODA could look into to future-proof its products.

Performance
Interestingly, only the Rose Gold variant supports the aptX codec, that promises high quality sound (the other 2 variants don't). A sample of The Eagles' epic Hotel California (Live) provided a glimpse of clear vocals with an emphasis on bass, which was reinforced when listening to Oasis' room-shaking The Shock Of The Lightning.

V-MODA claims 14+ hours of playback, a figure that is well average when considering the Bose QC35 (20 hours including ANC) or the Sony MDR-1ABT (28 hours). Of course, when you plug the audio cable in, you have access to limitless music enjoyment.

Overall
The V-MODA Crossfade 2 Wireless is a highly recommended selection in the over-ears category of headphones. While it may lag behind its peers in terms of technological advancement, it looks stylish and its sound quality is pleasantly warm with great clarity. If you need a classic pair, it's well worth the dough you'd fork out.

Where To Buy
If you liked what you read, do feel free to support us by buying from Amazon through this affiliate link.

Credit to V-MODA for a review unit.

Apple Siri

B&O Beoplay E8 Truly Wireless Buds - First Look

September 08, 2017

Doppler Labs

Here One Truly Wireless Smart Earbuds - Review

August 16, 2017

Truly wireless buds made their entrance to the mainstream in 2016 to much fanfare thanks to offerings from big manufacturers (Apple, Samsung) and others that have established themselves in the niche (Bragi). It's an exciting space that has room for growth and Doppler Labs is a company that sees the potential in the hearables sector for bigger things than just the 'primitive' function of listening to music.

We reviewed the Here Active Listening system, their first commercially available buds exactly a year back and now, Doppler Labs' has added music playback capability. After attending Here One's Singapore launch back in June, we bring you a full review!

Doppler Labs Here One Wireless Smart Earbuds

Read -
Advent of Truly Wireless Earbuds
Here Active Listening System review

Type - Truly Wireless Earphones
Price - USD 299 / SGD 459

Pros (+): Remarkably vibrant sound quality; Pass-through listening; Highly customizable audio features; Great fit.
Cons (-): Pairing may take a while to work; Battery life.

In The Box
The Here One truly wireless buds come in 2 color combinations - Black and White. For purposes of this review, we obtained the latter.

The box is undoubtedly sturdy, something that you'd associate with a company that rhymes with 'Zappel'. Popping open the top gives you the charging case with the buds enclosed. Taking off this layer gives access to the rest of the accessories that are neatly presented.

On taking out the packaging contents, we get:

Here One Wireless Smart Earbuds
Charging Case
3 x Silicon Buds (S / M / L)
3 x Foam Buds (S / M / L)
Charging Cable (USB to micro-USB)
Quick Start Guide and Safety Information

Design
The Here One buds weigh a reasonable 12g (for both), comparable to other truly wireless buds like the Samsung Gear IconX (12g), though are slightly heavier than the Apple AirPods (8g). The overall aesthetic is almost the same as its predecessor with exception of more contact points to link with the Charging Case. The outer edge is a touch panel that allows finger taps to actuate certain functions while the inner portion has five contact points that link to the case for charging purposes.

Charging Case:
The case measures a lengthy 98 x 36 x 29mm and when the buds are stored, it doubles as a charger. On the practical side, there are four LEDs within that indicate the battery life of the buds at any time. There's absolutely no worry that the case will spill the buds out when stashed in a bag as the magnetic clasp that shuts the case is incredibly strong.

Features

Playback / Voice Commands:
While there may be no physical buttons on the Here One, you perform taps to the buds to activate certain features. A single touch takes calls or stops music playback (if already started) and allows ambient sound to pass-through. Now, this feature, while not entirely new, is interestingly one that triggered Doppler Labs to file a lawsuit against Bose. Either way, it works as it should and it's mighty useful. As for a double tap, it activates Apple Siri or Google Now depending on your smartphone, so you can give voice commands.

Layered Listening / App Support:
This feature was what made the Here Active Listening System interesting. Once you install the app (compatible with iOS 9.0+ / Android 5.0+), you can tune environmental sound to your preference and then fuse it with your music.

To give some examples, there's db adjustment, live EQ mixes and noise filters. For potential usage, you can listen to music while fully able to hear / block your surroundings, ideal for bus commuters that require a measure of safety when crossing roads while wanting to isolate noise while on a bus. If you want to amplify speech, just select this filter option and this will give increased focus on chatter directly in front which we found to be mighty useful in situations such as standing at a bus stop.

Pairing:
Doppler Labs' pairing of buds with smartphones did not appear to be extensively tested. I had some intermittent issues when trying them out with the Sony Xperia XA (running on Android 6.0) where I had to reinstall the app twice as it was stuck in the 'Connecting to buds' screen for quite a while. Once it works, you just need to open the app and Bluetooth activates once the prompt is acknowledged.

Tip - Should there be problems when pairing, there's a tiny hole on the underside that allows a full reset of the buds.

Performance

Sound Quality:
The improvement to its experimental predecessor, the Here Active Listening System, is clearly the addition of music playback. Putting it on its paces, the Here One's sound quality is remarkably vibrant, especially when using the silicon tips. A sample of Kygo & Selena Gomez's It Ain't Me gives a really good balancing act of the treble (the snapping alongside Selena's vocals) and especially when the bass from Kygo's wizardry kicks in. For slower tracks like Craig Armstrong & Elizabeth Fraser's This Love, the instrumentation and vocals sound completely natural. It's not overly bright nor muffled like you'd hear from other buds. If you are wondering about sound drop offs inherent in some truly wireless buds, there was no such problem here.

Noise Isolation / Fit:
You have a choice of silicon tips and foam tips that come in the box. If it's noise isolation, use the foam tips (which pretty much function like Comply tips). If you want a good fit, both the types of tips insert snugly into your ear, though if you choose to jog, foam may add that added assurance.

Charging:
A full charge of the Here One through the provided micro-USB cable will give 2 hours playback that is subpar when considering buds like Bragi The Headphone (6 hours) and Apple AirPods (5 hours) though slightly higher than the feature-packed Samsung Gear IconX (1.5 hours).

On the flipside, a quick charge of 15 minutes promises a very decent 1 hour (50% of the full charge). The buds themselves are rated at 60mAh and if the power isn't enough to last your commute, the case has a rating of 560mAh which potentially gives 3 additional full charges once you plonk the buds in to charge. They'll emit a (soothing) pulsating orange light from the front when charging takes place.

Overall
The Here One buds are remarkable in many ways. As a music playback device, it performs unexpectedly well and the ear fit is excellent. The one thing that could be improved is the consistency of the app pairing with the buds, but the layered listening feature set offered by the app provides a highly customizable listening experience that is highly unique.

The Future
The Here One highlights the potential of the hearables market and how it can evolve to cater to folks who want the flexibility to tune out certain noises to focus on other sounds like voices. That's where you see that Doppler Labs is not just an audio hardware company but one where innovation is part of its mantra. Should Doppler Labs venture into audiology, which it very well could based on the Here One feature set, perhaps future product iterations may even extend to provide the elderly an alternative hearing device for those in need.