25 Aug - The second biggest tech show after CES, IFA 2016 will be held from 2 to 7 Sep in Berlin. To kickstart the slate of launches prior to the event proper, RHA throws its hat into the ring with 3 new "specialist" products - 2 earphones and 1 amplifier.

We took a first look at the Samsung Gear IconX, termed as 'cord-free fitness earbuds', a few weeks back. After getting our hands on a unit, we gleefully put up some first shots of what there was in the box. Now, after a short trip to Krabi (with some testing), we look at these in totality by checking out the truly wireless earbud's features and how it performs. 

(Note: If you came to see the product shots, check out the 1st part where we look at the unboxing and design. )

Features
There are a helluva lot of features due to a lot of technology crammed into one tiny pair of buds. This is one of the rare products where reading the user guide comes in mighty handy. 

First, let's take a look at some fun numbers:

Now, let's break down the features:

1. Touch controls - There are no physical buttons to actuate 'cos the IconX bud exterior doubles as a touch panel for playback control. Here's how it works:

• Single touch - Play / Pause
• Double touch - Next track / Answer or end calls
• Triple touch - Previous track
• Swipe up / down - Volume adjustment

In addition, you can tap and hold to initiate or end workouts. Holding it longer triggers the ambient sound mode.  


2. Ambient Sound Mode - When turned on by tapping and holding (or through the app), you can hear your surroundings clearly. It's certainly useful for safety purposes but could be improved as external sound appeared to be echoed back. 

3. Fitness Tracker - If you are a fitness nut, this is an excellent feature that elevates these Samsung buds beyond just an audio product. Just tap and hold for the 'Workout started' voice prompt. Walk / run and voice prompts will tell you how you are doing, measured by an in-ear heart rate sensor. Once you end your workout, you tap + hold and the data will be synced to both the Gear IconX and the S Health mobile apps.

The 'Exercise audio guide' in the mobile app configures the type of voice messages you get when jogging similar to apps like UA's MapMyFitness. You can set the interval and the type of information (eg duration / heart rate) to receive.

4. Music - There's 4GB internal memory (of which 3.5GB is usable) for 1000 songs. 3 come by default to allow you to sample how music playback works out-of-the-box. To transfer songs, here are 3 suggested ways of doing this. 

• Mobile phone (Gear IconX app) - Use the provided USB Connector that allows a linkage between your phone and the charging case. This allows the file transfer (MP3 / M4A / AAC / WAV / WMA v9) via the app.
  
• Laptop (Windows Explorer / Mac Finder) - If you don't want to install the software, that's fine. Just note that you need to transfer the music files twice for Left and Right earbuds respectively. If you don't, you'll be hearing the track only on one bud.
  
• Laptop (Gear IconX Manager software) - Upon installing the software found in the storage (for Windows / Mac ), the value is that you can perform firmware updates to the IconX for performance improvements. Also, you just need to transfer the music file a single time (instead of 2x). 

5. Gear IconX app - Now we move to mobile device pairing and usage. To make it absolutely clear, I'm talking about the mobile app now. This is one instance where an app is applied not because everyone else is doing it but because it actually brings much value to your experience. Once you tap 'Connect' in the app, your device will automatically start the Bluetooth and pair to the earbuds.

On the Info tab, you can check the battery left in each bud, adjust the volume and view the current track played (internal player) In addition, you can check basic fitness stats when integrated with Samsung's S Health app. 






You can set what you want as the primary bud. Should you care? Maybe. This only makes a difference 'cos the primary bud's battery will drain faster than the other. Note that you cannot connect to the Gear IconX app using the secondary bud directly.


The Settings tab is very useful. This list gives an idea of what can be configured. For 'Read out menu options', the tap and hold functions can be reordered and there's up to 15 languages for voice guidance. 


6. Notifications - The sound / voice notifications are very forthcoming and rightfully so. Other products with physical buttons have the assurance of tactile feedback but this does not. Let's take some examples: There's a hum when inserting a single bud and another tone to indicate both buds are linked up. Proximity to the ear is detected via a sensor. 

The mobile app allows sound notifications for selected apps eg. WhatsApp, so you'll know when your message comes in. When the battery is dying, there will be a voice prompting you so you won't be caught offguard.

Performance
I brought these buds along to Krabi, Thailand (a delightfully beautiful place, I must add) with my wife and some friends. As such, I had the chance to use these under various conditions. 

How to wear - On initial usage, they have to be placed into the charging case and removed to get them working. Pop the bud within your ear such that the wingtip is snugly inserted. Samsung provides 3 sets of fins and silicon buds of which I found that the default M-size fit nicely. You can use one earbud to play music in mono or two for stereo. Immediately after a full charge, they tend to feel really hot in the ears but this dissipates pretty quick.

Noise isolation - This gave some really surprising results 'cos the blocking of the surrounding noise was effective. On the plane ride, I usually take noise canceling devices with me. I daresay the Gear IconX is a decent substitute as the engine roar was lowered quite significantly purely due to the product design. Even on MRT rides in Singapore, I was quite happy being in my own world.

Day to day usage - We hung around Krabi's Nong Thale beaches quite a bit. If you get to the right areas, the beaches are incredibly pristine. I used the Samsung mostly as a standalone device (no mobile phone pairing) so I could chuck my phone back in the resort to enjoy the beach. At the same time, I could actually wade into the sea and chill under the sun with spa music (Bandari's Indian Dreams). With the ambient sound mode on, the crashing waves can be heard clearly, though it does echo (think we already mentioned that). Just for fun, I passed one earbud to my wife to check if we could listen to the same track without any interruptions at a 10m range and interestingly we could. Only when I started to skip tracks, then we found out the secondary bud had a delayed response. Btw, I must emphasise, these are not water resistant though the P2i nano coating makes it 'splash-proof'.

Jogging - Just before my Krabi trip, I did some running around Redhill, Singapore while listening to music on Spotify via Bluetooth pairing. Upon starting, I initiated the workout tracking via Samsung Gear IconX's hardware and MapMyFitness app to have a comparison. The feeling of running with completely no cables is quite liberating, though you do hear the reverberation of your heel strikes every now and then. However, the good part is I experienced no sound drop offs. At the end, stopping the workout gave the results below after syncing to the S Health app. The data is similar though you can see slight differences (MapMyFitness tracked 1.15km for the record). 
 

Sound quality - And finally we talk about the sound. In line with the fitness-target users, a sampling of Solarstone's intense Seven Cities gives the impression that the emphasis is on the bass and not so much the treble clarity. 

Battery life - This is probably definitely the product's weakest point and something that Samsung was understandably not too keen to emphasize either. Powered by a 47mAh battery, it lasts 3.5 hours as a standalone player and a meagre 1.5 hours via Bluetooth pairing to your device. If you want to use this in the office, likely this ain't for you. Charge time is just over 1h where the LED will show red when powering up and green when charged.

When kept inside the charging case, the buds get up to 2 extra charges though the rate of battery drainage is pretty high. After getting a full charge and leaving it alone for a few days, the buds are almost depleted of power when taken out subsequently. 

Overall
Whew, there we have it. There are so many things to talk about in terms of product functionality. 

I kid you not when I say I enjoyed using these buds. With the fitness features and hardware / software integration, it just makes you sit up and say wow. Apart from the mediocre battery life, the amount of innovative tech squeezed in makes this a very decent lifestyle product to own. Its most direct competitor is the Bragi Dash which has a host of similar features and more, but for Samsung's price point, it's a great buy. It's the first pair of truly wireless earbuds produced by a big manufacturer and the effort involved in gelling the Gear IconX together is there for all to see.


Where To Buy
If you like what you have read, feel free to support me by buying from Amazon. Going for USD 199.99, here are the affiliate links for the Black , White and Blue variants. 

Samsung Gear IconX

USD 199

Audio Sources
Voyage To Avalon - Kenji Kawai (Avalon OST) (256kbps MP3) on Samsung Gear IconX
Seven Cities (Original Atlantis Mix) - Solarstone (Spotify 320kbps MP3) on Samsung Galaxy S4

Credit to Samsung for an evaluation unit.

Sennheiser has had a pretty quiet 2016 in the portable audio space. It was, of course, very timely that they chose to launch the Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless last month. For some background, the 'PXC' range of Sennheiser products are consumer-centric noise canceling headphones that have been around since 2002. We take a first glimpse at what this offers.

Who's It For?
Those who need a quiet commuting experience without the cables.

What's the Big Deal?
1. Noise Canceling
With its PXC series, Sennheiser uses its NoiseGard hybrid adaptive noise cancelation technology to block out ambient noise. We're not too sure what the 'Hybrid' part means or how effective it is. We'll update this once we get our paws on a unit.

2. Fold Activation
The headphones will auto-on when you unfold them from storage mode. When removed from around your ears, they'll supposedly pause the music. When folding them back in place, they will switch off. How's that for convenience?

3. Flexibility in Usage
The PXC 550 provides an abundance of options. You can use it in wireless mode and wired mode (with the provided cable). On wireless you can initiate pairing over Bluetooth (v4.2) or via Near Field Communications (NFC). For further customization, Sennheiser provides a compatible mobile app called CapTune (Android 4.1.2+ / iOS 8+) that functions both as a music player and sound tuning.

4. Battery Life
This promises 20 hours of power with Bluetooth + ANC activated. If using the audio cable + ANC, then this increases to 30 hours. Wireless usage is on par with the Bose QC35 though the wired mode duration lasts a full 10h less.

5. Touch Controls
The playback controls leverage on touch sensitive area on the exterior of the earcups. This keeps the PXC 550 design clean. What remains to be seen is how functionally effective this is.

Pricing
They currently go for USD 400 worldwide. We're checking with Sennheiser Singapore for both pricing and availability.

Availability
The Sennheiser PXC 550 is available worldwide at Sennheiser's online shop and duty free retailers from mid-July. However, it is not available in Singapore as yet. As such, you can choose to support us by purchasing from Amazon via our affiliate marketing link. 

Sennheiser PXC 550

USD 399

The current fad is undoubtedly Nintendo's Pokemon Go, a game that leverages the augmented reality experience by combining location information and the phone camera.

Now, imagine an augmented experience on audio. Doppler Labs' Here Active Listening System, that originated from Kickstarter, is one such product. These are full wireless earbuds with a twist - they don't play music (it's not their purpose)!

Only 10,000 pairs were produced in Doppler Labs' initial production run. They went for USD 249 each and we got our hands on one such unit for a spin. We give you some first impressions.

Who is it for? 
Folks who want a novel way to listen to their surroundings.

Unboxing
There are 2 colors - white and black of which ours was the latter. 

Now for the unboxing:

Just slide off the outer layer to access the inner box simply marked with the 'here' logo. 

Lift open the cover and we get the Here charging case along with some info on the underside of the box.

Once the inner layer is out, we have 2 compartments - left for the charging cable and right for the spare buds. 

We popped out the packaging contents to reveal:

• Hear Active Listening earbuds
• Silicon tips (S / M / L) 
• Charging capsule
• Charging cable
• User guide + sticker

Design
Now to the Hear earbuds - they weigh a relatively light 10g. Putting things in perspective with other full wireless buds, the Samsung Gear IconX weighs 12.8g while the Earin tips the scales at 7g, though each of their features differs very greatly.

The case is made of sturdy plastic and serves to store and charge the earbuds at the same time. There's a 4 LED power indicator inside while the side of the casing sports the micro-USB port for charging. When closed, a front LED shows whether charging is in progress (orange means ongoing / green when full). The buds last about 5-6 hours depending on usage and the additional power delivers up to 10 hours more.

Features
The centerpiece of the buds is definitely the app. Without the app, these buds simply don't work. The smartphone app works on iOS (v8.4+) and Android (v5.0+) and provides some preset filters .

Once installed and connected, there are 3 tabs to play around with:

1. dB adjustment
You can move from - 22dB (silence) to +6dB (noisiest) and there's a hi-dB Mode that adds a layer of noise to whichever decibel level you choose.

2. Live EQ 
Includes various filters like Bass Boost / Echo / Flange / Fuzz / Noise Mask / Reverb. To give an example, if Echo is selected, any sound you here will be echoed back. How about that.

3. Filter
This tab offers Tune In and Tune Out filters. To be honest, quite a few sounded very similar, if not identical, to each other.

Here goes: 
a. Tune In 
There are a whopping 15 filters: 60s Sizzle / 8-Track / Aphex / Carnegie Hall / Classical Music / Dirty South / Flat / Hallway / Human Speech / Psychedelic / Small Studio / Stadium / Stratosphere / Super Bass / Tiesto Mode. 
I couldn't help but get the feeling that there were quite a few overlaps in terms of sound. Psychedelic fluctuates from a zoom-in and zoom-out sound while Stratosphere actually sounds the same except the intensity is more pronounced.

b. Tune Out (Beta) 
Ok, these 9 filters are in 'Beta' mode and it shows - 
Airplane / Bus / Car / City / Crowd / Office (Loud) / Office (Normal) / Restaurant / Subway.
Bus replicates a noisy bus environment while Crowd comes across like very heavy rain. Office (Loud) adds a whole lot of static sound. Interestingly, Airplane, Office (Normal) and Restaurant sound almost exactly the same - complete silence.

Update (9 Aug 2016):
The buds tended to disconnect every now and then when using iPad (iOS v8) and Sony Xperia XA (Android v 6.0). Most times, reseting them by inserting a sharp object into a hole under the charging case will do the trick.

Overall
This is a very novel concept where the purpose of the buds is to deliver a different listening experience of your surroundings. It is not to listen to music :)

That said, the overall experience is quite unique. I for one, am not used to putting on a noise-controlling device that regulates (or distorts) ambient noise in such an interesting manner. As such, it's a likelihood that trying this out will give polarizing experiences, depending on what each individual expects to hear. 

Availability / The Future
Currently, the Here Active Listening System is not in production. If you want to get it in Singapore, you simply can't 'cos there were only 10,000 units produced thus far.

However, it will be released in a new form by Christmas 2016. It will be called Here One and this version will incorporate music playback (yes!). Pricing is to be determined.