audiosplitz: 2015

Bang & Olufsen

Noise Canceling Immersion - A 3-Part Series

December 29, 2015

aptX

Earin - Wireless Earbuds Launched

December 28, 2015

Beats

2015 Holiday Gift Guide - Portable Audio

December 20, 2015

As Christmas beckons and 2015 comes to an end, let's take a look at some great portable audio gear you can gift for your loved ones. Not sure what to get? Fret not! We break down a few choices for each persona.

Merry X'mas folks!

Fashionistas
1. Beats Solo 2 Wireless (SGD 490)
This model is a head turner with the variants like the Active Collection (for sports lovers), and Luxe Editions (for a more premium look) being recently released.

2. Sennheiser MOMENTUM On Ear (M2) (SGD 319)
The MOMENTUM series is helluva looker and why change a proven formula? And they haven't, given its design has been around since 2013.

3. Master & Dynamic MH30 (SGD 549)
This New York company is certainly going places with its premium design. Want something novel? It ain't seen very much in Singapore (yet).

No Cables Please (Wireless)
1. Bose SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth (SGD 379)
The OE SoundLink is one of the best in the wireless on-ears category for sound delivery. The price is very decent too.

2. Sennheiser URBANITE XL Wireless (SGD 419)
They are great headphones for street wear and high quality sound over Bluetooth makes for good icing on the cake.

3. Sony MDR-1ABT (SGD 499)
A good choice for a multitude of reasons - It's comfortable, it supports aptX and LDAC codecs and it's a Sony.

Sports Lovers
1. Jaybird X2 Wireless (SGD 259)
These rank right up there for sports earbuds. They are highly customizable and the Comply foam tips offer great noise isolation and fit.

2. LG Tone Active (SGD 189)
The space-age looking TONE series has been a killer product for LG. What better way to improve it than to make a sports variant?

3. Jabra Sport Coach (SGD 248)
It's pretty hard to find an effective product that gives an integrated software and hardware fitness solution.

Users On-The-Go (Noise Canceling)
1. Bose QuietComfort 25 (SGD 529)
The QC25 blocks off sound to the extent that you feel you're in a world of your own.

2. Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H8 (SGD 699)
This is a premium looking pair to be seen with. Oh, and it's great to use on an airplane where the engine hum is just taken away.

3. Sony h.ear in NC (MDR-EX750NA)
This really light pair of in-ears works wonders on the train. Once you flick the switch on, the train grinding sounds are magically reduced.

Audiophiles
1. Klipsch Reference X20i (SGD 999)
These are certainly pricey but the sound delivery will certainly appeal to purists.

2. Grado SR60e
The SR60e is their entry level headphones and despite that, the quality of the music is simply amazing for its price.

Audio Quality

Klipsch Reference X20i - New In-Ear Flagship

December 19, 2015

The Klipsch Reference X20i was launched in mid-November 2015 along with 3 other in-ear products. This unit now replaces its previous flagship earphones, the X11i, as Klipsch's top-of-the-line unit. Boasting a dual-armature design and retailing at SGD 999, we dive in to review the unit.

Design
Let's take a glimpse at the unboxing. The box is a solidly crafted wooden container with a black sleeve that boldly announces the product.

On sliding off the sleeve, we are greeted with a deboss of the Klipsch logo on the wooden front.

Removing the lid unveils a premium looking leather pouch that contains the X20i in-ear monitor (IEM). A closer inspection of the box reveals there are small magnets at the top and bottom that hold the lid firmly shut, a nice touch that gives assurance that its contents won't fall out very easily.

Once you remove the pouch and underlying user guide, you'll find a tray containing 5 sets of silicon ear tip sizes and a tie bar for clipping to earphones to your shirt.

The full packaging contents are as follows:
- Klipsch Reference X20i
- 6 Super Slim Ear Tips (1 set which is on the earphones)
- Carrying pouch
- Owner's manual

The Klipsch Reference X20i comes in a single color variant - a black finish. At 22g, the chassis is relatively light considering it is forged from 'surgical-grade' stainless steel, promising a certain level of durability. They are designed not to fit perpendicular into your ear hole but to rest at a comfortable incline.

One big plus is the 1.2m cable is tangle-free and it proves to be the case after stashing and taking it out on a few occasions. The cable itself is quite an eye-catcher, with its translucent nature revealing the copper wires concealed within.

The carrying case is made of genuine leather and resembles a coin pouch, complete with a magnetic clasp, with sufficient space to slot the earphones within.

Features
The cables of the Reference X20i are interchangeable. What this means is both the left and right sides come with screw-type coaxial SSMCX connectors to allow for a convenient exchange of cables should the need arise through wear and tear over the years. It's worth noting that the Jays q-JAYS implemented similar connectors but were placed right at the base of the ear piece.

Starting from one end of the cable, you get the 3.5mm straight jack which provides a sturdy connection to your music device.

Moving further up, there's the cylindrical Y-connector with the Klipsch logo printed on it. The in-line remote lies on the left cable and comes with a multi-function button meant for playback (single press), track changing (double or triple press), taking calls and is flanked with 2 volume buttons.

Performance
You really have to test out each pair of silicon ear tips for the best level of comfort. Klipsch emphasizes that these are super-slim oval ear tips that are more elliptical than previous efforts making for a more comfortable experience. Out of the 4 single- and 2 double-flange tips, I found that the Large double-flange suited best and they did just fine when used in excess of an hour.

From the audio quality perspective, I was rather underwhelmed initially as the sound delivery appeared muffled somewhat. I decided to put the earphones through the paces with a (meagre) 50 hours of continuous playback to 'break-in' the X20i.

We took them out for a spin after the break-in period. A listen of In The Dark provided a well balanced delivery of Sarah Cracknell's vocals against a dreamy backdrop of acoustic playback. Joe Hisaishi's One Summer's Day piano buildup is never blindingly crisp but the combined orchestration from the 04:00 mark convinces of the X20i's ability to separate instruments.

I felt that the emphasis was not on the clarity but more on the overall delivery of the sound. While this is a rather flat sounding pair of IEMs, which audiophiles would love, there is a slight hint bass which made the music more engaging and this worked for me.

Noise isolation is quite decent. When tested on a bus (and when fitted nicely), the X20i is able to block off a reasonable level of ambient sound and engine revs.

Overall
The Klipsch Reference X20i is undoubtedly a good pair of in-ears though its price point may cause some concern. If the question is whether other in-ears can deliver a comparable sound, there are definitely cheaper options out there. If the question is whether this is a good IEM to invest in, the well balanced sound, comfortable fit and the nature of the interchangeable cables make this a good choice for the long haul.

Where To Buy

If you like what you have read on the product, do feel free to support me by buying from Amazon. The price start from USD 439 and is bundled with some additional goodies!

Audio Sources
One Summer's Day (Spirited Away OST) - Joe Hisaishi (Tidal 1411kbps FLAC) on iPhone 6S
In The Dark - Sarah Cracknell (960kbps FLAC) on Sony NW-ZX100 Walkman

Credit to Tat Chuan Acoustic for an evaluation unit.

Bluetooth

Bose AE2 SoundLink - Listen in Comfort

December 08, 2015

Bose sprung its first wireless headphones back in 2013, nicknamed the AE2w. They were easily distinguished by a control module that stuck out like a sore thumb. Two years on, they have unveiled a new over-ears offering that looks thankfully more streamlined. Called the Bose SoundLink around-ears wireless headphones II (SGD 399), it is a highly descriptive (quite a mouthful) and understandable name that summarizes the product. We prefer to call it by its acronym - the AE2 SoundLink.

Design
And we start with the unboxing.
Here's the box front with the shrink wrap still on.

Tearing away the wrap and sliding out the outer box reveals a blue cardboard layer with nothing but the company name smack at the bottom third.

The underside of the blue layer shows an intuitive quick guide on how to connect through Bluetooth / NFC and button usage. Strip the thin layer of black foam to reveal the carrying pouch that stores the product proper.

On taking the loot out, the packaging contents include:
- Bose AE2 SoundLink headphones
- Carrying pouch
- USB charging cable
- Audio cable (3.5mm to 2.5mm)

There are 2 color variants - white and black. However, the white version (our review model) thankfully removes the blue accents seen previously on the Bose OE SoundLink, making for a more classic look.

The materials used make the AE2 SoundLink very comfortable to wear - the padded foam on the underside of the headband and the ear pads' leather feel plush. Even weight-wise, at 198g, this is one of the lightest in class for a wireless over-ears model. The Sony MDR-1ABT, the Sennheiser URBANITE XL WIRELESS (both at 300g) and the V-Moda Crossfade Wireless (292g) all weigh almost a 100g more.

The earcups swivel flat for safekeeping in the pouch but unfortunately do not fold inward for even more compact storage like its on-ears sibling, the OE SoundLink. There are giant 'L' and 'R' markings on the inner earcup that guarantee you won't be scratching your head on how to put on the headphones.

All that said, this is one visually appealing pair of headphones to be seen with. Punctuated with the distinctive Bose logo printed on the matte earcup, this could very well turn a few heads.

The carrying case is sturdy and practical enough. There's an inner pouch to store the cables and a flap to separate the two ear cups from abrasion.

Features
Connecting to your music device is a piece of cake. To link via NFC, you need to activate the NFC and Bluetooth on your device, flick the power switch on and press the middle of the outer (right) earcup to the NFC touchpoint of your music player.

For Bluetooth pairing, you just need to flip the power switch up to initiate. Once the Bluetooth indicator flashes blue, just select 'Bose AE2 SoundLink' from your device to complete the pairing and the status light will glow a solid white. The unit can connect to up to two devices (phone and tablet perhaps?) at the same time. You just need to halt playback on one to start music on the second unit.

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'. With an 11 language selector, Bose has clearly thought of the global reach of its headphones.

Interestingly, Bose is conspicuously absent from the list of aptX-compatible headphones. aptX supposedly delivers a "near CD quality" experience but as we've mentioned before, it ain't a showstopper.

The provided white 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 AE2 SoundLink through a 2.5mm port and to your device by the conventional 3.5mm jack.

The earcups are user replaceable, a welcome feature should they degrade through usual wear and tear.

Performance
We tested the sound quality and there is no bass emphasis. The neutral sound is actually emphasized in the press release where it states that 'What you hear is as close as possible to what was recorded, rather than re-created or altered'. This may work for some folks, depending on their usage.

For commuters, the flatness in delivery may not be a good option if you need a certain measure of bass to take it one step above the ambient traffic sounds. The low frequencies are not as strong as other bass-inclined headphones like the Klipsch Reference R6i On-Ear. That said, Sarah Cracknell's vocal clarity on In The Dark is clean but not overly crisp. If used in a controlled environment such as the office or home, the sound comes across as pleasantly well balanced.

Wireless and wired performance is almost on par which is an impressive achievement. However, the wired option still gives the edge in providing slightly better clarity. Do note that wireless mode will give a very (very) negligible hum in the background.

We mentioned this earlier but there's absolutely no harm reinforcing the notion - it's so darn comfortable! Passive noise isolation is a plus point as what can be expected from an over-ears model. The ear pads envelop your ears completely to seal off a certain level of ambient sound.

The battery lasts a rather average 15 hours on a 3 hour charge given the what the Sony MDR-1ABT (30h) and the B&O BeoPlay H7 (20h) promise. On a 15 minute quick charge, you can get 2 hours of juice. A thing to note is Bluetooth will deactivate once the USB cord is plugged to the headphones. Oh, and the battery ain't user-replaceable.

Overall
The Bose SoundLink around-ears wireless headphones II is one of the most comfortable pair of headphones in its category. The minimal bass emphasis may be a turn off for commuters but the balanced sound coupled with a stylish design to boot could very well appeal to the fashionistas.

The Bose AE2 SoundLink is available at selected stores in Singapore such as the Atlas Experience Showrooms.

Audio Sources
Around the World - Daft Punk (Tidal 1411kbps FLAC) on Samsung Galaxy S4
In The Dark - Sarah Cracknell (960kbps FLAC) on Sony NW-ZX100 Walkman

Credit to Atlas and Affluence PR for a review unit.