audiosplitz: Comply Foam

Noise Canceling Immersion Part 3 - B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC

February 04, 2016

Bang & Olufsen are relative newcomers to the noise canceling domain. Their BeoPlay H8, announced in early 2015, was their first venture into active noise canceling (ANC) headphones and the BeoPlay H3 ANC (SGD 379) followed hot on its heels in September.

As Part 3 of the Noise Canceling Immersion series of articles, we give a full breakdown of what the BeoPlay H3 ANC offers.

Pros (+): Incredibly well balanced sound quality; Comply Foam tips.
Cons (-): Passable noise canceling; in-line remote build; no clothing clip.

Design
As soon as we received the Gunmetal Grey H3 ANC (the only color in case you're asking), we gleefully ripped open the shrink wrap and indulged in a full teardown of the packaging.

Flipping open the top cover reveals just the 2 earbuds, clothed in plastic wrap, lying on a spartan plastic layer. Ah, and there's a transparent tab too. Let's pull it upward.

The tab pulls up an entire grey wrap of paper along with the plastic top. Flipping the paper open gets you access to the BeoPlay H3 ANC cables. The battery module (that circular box) is fully covered with a peelable protective layer.

At the bottom of the box, we pop open a tab to access the inner sanctum to reveal... the accessories!

After digging everything out and taking away the plastic wraps and seals, the full packaging content reveals:
- B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC earphones
- 5 x Ear tips (XS / S / M / L / Comply Foam T-200 M)
- Charging cable
- Carrying pouch
- Travel adapter
- Quick start guide

Now to the BeoPlay H3 ANC - The Jakob Wagner designed unit sports an earbud housing built with a scratch-resistant metal, punctuated by 29 ventilation holes. However, its 40g heft is quite the norm among its noise canceling peers that sport similar battery units. Its 1.35m cable is sturdy and thankfully doesn't tangle easily

The carrying pouch is practically designed - there's an inner compartment within to allow you to store earphones on one side and charging cable and/or ear tips in the other.

Features
The BeoPlay H3 ANC is a noise canceling unit but it remains to be seen if it's a carbon copy of the H3 with ANC conveniently fitted in. Noise canceling is achieved by the use of microphones to capture incoming sound. The signal processing takes the incoming sound and generates inverse waves almost instantly. We dive more on this in a bit.

The iPhone-friendly in-line remote hangs on the left side, sporting the standard volume buttons with the B&O logo marking the multi-function button actuation point. Build-wise, the remote really did not give an assuring firm click that we'd have expected.

Moving down, you get a Y-connector and right at the other end of the cable, there's a very sturdy L-shaped 3.5mm jack and the distinctly shaped circular battery unit.

Just slide and hold the switch for 1s to activate the ANC. The single multi-color LED serves as follows:
1. White - ANC is on
2. Red - Battery power is below 10%
3. Orange (pulsating) - Charging in progress (and yes, ANC can be used in this mode)
4. Green - Battery fully charged

Performance
B&O threw in 5 sets of ear tips to cover practically the whole spectrum of ear hole sizes. 4 pairs are silicon and range from XS, S, M and L. The 5th is the Comply Foam T-200 M-size that is fitted on the unit by default.

We tried the noise canceling in three areas:

1. Inside a controlled environment (a car) where Stereolab's Parsec was playing in the vehicle.
2. At the back of a bus where the engine is revving frequently.
3. Tested at a bus stop with helluva lot of traffic (buses coming and going)
In these conditions, we did not play music in order to test the active noise canceling.

Bang & Olufsen's quest was apparently to strike a balance 'between sound, noise and silence' to attain 'a noise canceling product focused on sound aesthetics'.

That said, when testing with the Comply Foam tips alone, the noise isolation provided was decent. Once the ANC is activated, the bass in the car from Parsec still squeezes through. The low frequencies such as bus accelerations in the 2nd and 3rd instance, while considerably blocked, are still audible.

However, this is made up for as the audio quality is actually surprisingly well balanced. We say this 'cos the focus of noise canceling units is usually on the ANC...and for noise canceling units, something's got to give. Hozier's Take Me To Church can be heard with good clarity and warm bass. After swapping the Comply Foam with the silicon tips, the overall audio quality is considerably clearer. From B&O's standpoint, it appears that their emphasis was more on the sound quality with the noise canceling built around it. If this is correct, then the BeoPlay H3 ANC embodies this philosophy.

Strangely, there's no clothing clip that one would expect from a noise canceling unit. The idea of a noise canceling pair of earphones is actually to allow you to listen with minimal sound distractions. The lack of a clip actually makes the cable rustle / microphonics quite apparent with brisk walking.

The travel adapter is meant to be used on flights, a handy accessory that fits perfectly fine. We did not have the chance to test this but here's how it looks fitted on the audio jack.

Charging the 350mAh Lithium-Ion battery, when flat, takes 2.5h and the noise canceling can last a very agreeable 20h.

One way to charge and listen using your MacBook Air...and btw, the remote is compatible.

Overall
The Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H3 ANC is neat looking pair of in-ears, no doubt inspired by B&O's resident industrial designer. If your purpose is purely for noise cancelation, there are other options out there. However, if you want a unit with well balanced and good sound quality that delivers a sufficient blockage of ambient noise around you, the BeoPlay H3 ANC is a great choice.

Where To Buy
If you like this product, feel free to support me by buying via this Amazon affiliate link. Pricing is from USD 249.

B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC
(Gunmetal Gray)

USD 249

Audio Sources
Take Me To Church - Hozier (Tidal 1411kbps FLAC) on iPhone 6S
Wake Me Up - Avicii (320kbps) on Samsung Galaxy S4
Parsec - Stereolab (Tidal 1411kbps FLAC) in the car / Samsung Galaxy S4

Credit to Bang & Olufsen and Brand Inc. for an evaluation unit.

Noise Canceling Immersion - A 3-Part Series
Part 1 - Sony h.ear in NC (MDR-EX750NA)
Part 2 - Bose QuietComfort 20 (QC 20)
Part 3 - Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H3 ANC
The Verdict

aptX

LG TONE Active (HBS-850) - Full Review

January 26, 2016

To say the LG TONE series has been successful is quite an understatement. As of July 2015, it has chalked up some impressive stats - selling in excess of 10 million units worldwide and being the top wireless Bluetooth headset brand (by units sold) in the US.

Recognizing that the sports segment has huge potential, LG announced the worldwide rollout of the LG TONE Active (HBS-850), a sports oriented unit, in that same month. We were fortunate to check out its Singapore launch held in Dec 2015, grab a unit and now, deliver a full review!

Design
Out of the 4 colors to choose from - Lime, Orange, Blue and Pink, we obtained the Lime version, which actually dazzles in a bright yellowish veneer.

Now for the unboxing experience.
You can feast your eyes at the product instantly through the transparent blister.

Taking the top lid off gets you full access to the TONE Active, but not before peeling off a plastic fastening tab. There's a small box flanked on the top and a big one smack between HBS-850.

The big one includes the user guides while the small one bundles all the relevant accessories.

Taking everything out, the full packaging contents include:
- LG HBS-850
- 2 x Ear gels (S / M)
- 2 x Stabilizer tips (S / M)
- Charging cable
- User guide

Let's talk about the LG HBS-850. Choker? Collar? Whatever you may name it, the LG TONE sure is a looker. Wearing it around the neck as fashion accessory is certainly an option. For practical purposes, it holds around your neck and doesn't fall off easily. Its design is undeniably striking, sporting bright colors that accentuate this notion. The retractable earphones are really convenient too - pull them out to slot in the ear and pull again to stash it back into storage. This is more apparent if you try to insert earbuds of other sports earphone types such as clip-ons or over-ears with one hand.

It weighs a pretty meaty 51g, not light compared with other sports earphones like the Jaybird X2 Wireless (13g) or the Beats Powerbeats 2 Wireless (24g). However, there's a purpose for the weight that we'll look at later.

Features
The TONE Active has an IPX3 rating. This is basically a International Protection Marking system that rates the degree of protection afforded against the elements. Nutshell - it's supposedly water and sweat resistant.

Running on the Bluetooth 4.1, promising longer battery life, pairing is a cinch. Just hold the power button, activate your device's Bluetooth, select 'LG HBS850' and that's basically it. All this done with accompanying voice prompts and flashing LEDs to clearly indicate the pairing progress statuses.

The playback controls are found on both the left and right sides. The right has the volume up / down. On other selected Bluetooth earphones, holding the '+' will skip to the next track. On this unit, when you hold the button, it will do the reverse ie. jump to the previous track. No worries 'cos you get used to it in a jiffy. The left side has two buttons - Power and multi-function button.

There are two features that are not immediately obvious but add great value to the product -
1. Built-in equalizer - There are 3 modes and this is changeable on the go by holding the multi-function button for 2 seconds. The default is a Bass Boost setting. Pressing again in a cyclic manner, will give you Normal and Treble Boost modes. Our preferred mode for jogging or traveling was the Bass Boost. In the office, Normal did great. Thankfully, your last setting will be remembered whenever you turn off the device.

2. LG Tone & Talk App
You can get this app on Google Play. The handy part is it can read out messages or notifications from different apps and it does have different language support. Curiously, I did not see this same app in the App Store.

The micro-USB port is hidden by a rubber cover on the inner ring. When charging, the indicator displays a solid red light, progressing to violet once hitting the 80% mark and blue at full capacity.

Performance
And now for the jog!

I took the LG TONE Active for a 2.15km run at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. I tested out both the Medium-sized issued silicon tips and Comply Foam Isolation Plus (Tx-400) tips (purchased separately) for jogging. We split its usage evenly during the run while the equalizer setting was at Bass Boost.

Besides the zig zag lines at the end of the jog, the GPS worked erm...fairly accurately.

1. Default Silicon Tips (M-size)
These tips are functional - they do their job in delivering quality sound. The isolation does a decent job but you can still hear the grass cutting through the music. The fit is great 'cos unlike the traditional under-ears earbuds (eg. Jabra Sport Coach), there's nothing that tugs the earbuds downward so they are always kept in place.

2. Comply Foam Isolation Plus (Tx-400) (M-size)
Update (19 Jul 2016) - To understand Comply Foam tips and the different types available, do read this article.

You are practically jogging in a world of your own. The default tips were good but the noise isolation on Comply Foam is considerably reduced to the extent that you'd get a little worried for your safety if you're jogging with road traffic closeby. Fit remains the same, but probably psychologically more assuring as the foam expands to lodge in the ears. The bass is actually upped an ante with these tips, something that worked perfectly fine for my run with Armin Van Buuren's Take Me Where I Wanna Go pounding my ears.

I'm not the kind that drenches the product in sweat after jogging. From my perspective, what can be said is the product still works perfectly fine. The sweat points are mainly around the black rubberized section surrounding my neck. The visible surface dried off pretty quick though you may wanna note that you may need to open up the stabilizers as some residual sweat may gather there.

Wearing them around the neck feels comfortable. Sure you feel something there, but it doesn't intrude into your physical activities that you consider it a hindrance.

There's absolutely no cable rustle at all ie. no mechanical vibrations due to the LG TONE HBS-850 that get transmitted to your ear during the jog. The reason is simple - the ultra -thin earphone cable is never overly stretched when you jog. This is a actually a great feature. The only impact is actually the sensation of the tips of the LG TONE that throb up and down intermittently (like probably 10% of the entire jog) against your collar.

To test the sound quality in detail, we sat in an office setting. The first sensing was that the quality was actually not too good - at least until we realized that the default setting was Bass Boost. Once Normal was activated, Keane's To The End Of The Earth suddenly took on a new dimension. The balance was struck by a piano accompaniment that felt more dramatic while the low frequencies came through with resolve. Simply put, use Normal (or Treble Boost if you love even more detail) in your office and Bass Boost when jogging.

The TONE Active's 180mAh Lithium-Polymer battery can last for a decent 9.5 hours of music playback for less than 2h of full charge. Once powered, it boasts a healthy 13h talk time or an equivalent of 430h of standby. The battery life of the Jaybird X2 Wireless (8h) and Beats PowerBeats 2 Wireless (6h) is less, likely due to a more compact form factor.

Overall
We enjoyed using the LG HBS-850 very much. The really convenient placement over the neck and ease of slotting the earbuds to fit was great. The almost non-existent microphonics, the great sound quality and adjustable equalizer really sealed the deal to make this an excellent choice for joggers.

Where To Buy
If you like the LG TONE Active, you can purchase from Amazon via our affiliate link from USD 77.
Compatible Comply Foam M-size eartips (400 series) can be purchased from Amazon too. 3 pairs go for Isolation - USD 12.95 and Isolation Plus (with WaxGuard) - USD 19.95.

Audio Sources
Take Me Where I Wanna Go - Armin Van Buuren, VanVelzen (Tidal 1411kbps FLAC) on Samsung Galaxy S4
To The End Of The Earth - Keane (Tidal 1411kbps FLAC) on Samsung Galaxy S4

Credit to Leader Radio Technologies and Hearing Components for review units.

You may be interested in:

Wireless Sports Audio - A 4-Part Series

aptX

Earin - Truly Wireless and Innovative

January 12, 2016

Earin is one of the few earphone manufacturers that rose to prominence on Kickstarter. We took a first look at the unit when launched in Singapore for SGD 349 last month. Since then, we got our grubby paws on a unit for a full review.

Pros (+): Incredibly lightweight; Simple / innovative presentation
Cons (-): No storage for stabilizers; No microphone to take calls

Design
The unboxing was quite unexpected - in a surprisingly good way. Here's the outer layer. But beneath that...

there's no need to open a tab or slide anything. The box consists of 2 magnetically latched pieces. Just pop it open by a pulling off the top layer. It's incredibly simple.

The interior is refreshingly sparse. There's just the 2 earbuds, the charging capsule and a rectangular box...

which turns out to be the accessory toolkit.

Once the components are taken out, the contents reveal:
- Earin earbuds
- Comply foam tips (Comfort) M-size
- Stabilizers (aka fins)
- Charging capsule
- Charging cable

There are also no user guides. All the instructions are on the interior of the top lid. It would've been great to have some graphics to supplement.

Now to the Earin balanced armature earbuds. The 3.5g weight is incredibly light, definitely the lightest we've seen in a pair of earphones. They are very compact at 15 (diameter) x 20mm (length). If we didn't know better, we'd mistake these for a pair of ear plugs. The design is so simple that there are no buttons on the unit at all. They come with Comply Foam tips which we'll talk about later.

Features
The design of the 42g charging capsule is quite ingenious. It is a silver cylindrical contraption.

Pull the side with the LED to open the device. There are 3 contact points on either side, giving a hint of how to insert the earbuds back for storage / charging. The capsule shouldn't open accidentally as there are magnetic latches to prevent the occurence.

As there are no instructions, we did a trial and error on how to store the earbuds. Thankfully, we figured out that the Earin logo on the buds double as the point to contact. Insertion is done at an angle as seen below.

Small size comes at a cost - there's no inbuilt microphone. So if someone calls, you'll have to take the earbud out and hold the phone to your ear to talk to the caller.

Bluetooth pairing was not a consistent experience. Once you take out the earbuds, they are auto on. Go to your device, turn on the Bluetooth, search for 'Earin L' and select it. The first time worked fine for me but there was a varying degree of success in connecting to different devices subsequently. Do note that the Earin can only connect with a single device at a time.

The Earin comes with an accompanying mobile app that can be downloaded from Google Play or App Store. The original UI mockup is very different from the actual (below). When you open the app, Bluetooth on the Galaxy S4 automatically turned on. You can tell the battery life of the left and right earbuds, adjust the left / right channel balance and add a boost to the bass. The most useful feature to us was the Gain Control (for Android) which allows a boost in the audio volume 'cos the default max volume of the device was a little soft.

Performance
It's interesting that only one pair of tips are provided in an era where some manufacturers provide anywhere from 3 to 7 different types of ear tips. Not that it's a bad thing 'cos the default M-size fit me perfectly fine.

The Comply Foam (Comfort 400 series) tips don't disappoint for comfort and noise isolation. The way to use them is to squeeze them, insert them into your ears and leave the foam to expand. When tested on a bus, the passive noise cancelation effectively blocks ambient sound to the extent that I daresay that these tips perform almost (not quite, but almost) as good as some active noise canceling earphones. I can use them in excess of an hour without any discomfort.

There are 2 modes to wear the earbuds.
1. With stabilizers
On first time use, fitting the stabilizers (fins) may take a while as you need to acclimatize to how to slide them in and how to orientate the fins. Once you get the hang of it, it's quite simple. They provide a better fit and an assurance that they won't fall out so easily. One thing to note is the fins need to be taken out before you store the buds in the capsule.

2. Earbuds alone
This is the most common and convenient way to use the earbuds. Squeeze the foam tips, insert them with the L / R markings inward and that's it. Taking them out from the capsule and storing them is hassle free. If you're going out for commutes on the train / bus, this is more than sufficient as the Earin lodges quite well in the ear. Want additional assurance? Use the fins.

While the wireless earbuds themselves are a conversation starter, somehow the sound quality becomes secondary. But it shouldn't. The Earin supports aptX which promises 'near CD-quality' sound, a feature that you will appreciate if you are able to appreciate the finer nuances in your music. A sample of dreamy Tame Impala's The Less I Know The Better gives a rather well balanced performance. This is reinforced with Armin Van Buuren's Touch Me with a combination of engaging bass and vocals coming through with gusto.

A niggling point is that the audio signal on the right earbud tends to drop intermittently, though this can easily be fixed by pausing and playing the track.

The 60mAh Lithium-Ion battery will power the earbuds for 2h50min in stereo mode. 10 minutes before dying, there'll be a chime to alert you. The charging time for earphones takes 75min in the capsule which will display a red LED when charging. Note that whenever you store the earbuds, they will automatically charge.

For the capsule, it takes 75min to charge the 600mAh Lithium-Ion battery which holds enough for 3 charges of the earbuds. The side lights up red when charging and green when done.

Overall
The presentation of the Earin product and packaging boiled down to two things for us - simplicity and innovation. The product is not without flaws but forgivable if you are willing to be a first adopter of a very innovative device that will get you some quizzical glances when commuting. The overall experience of using the Earin is quite agreeable. It makes you well aware that technology of the future is already here. With more interest in this product category, we can't wait to see how wireless earbuds evolve.

Now available for sale on audiosplitz (Singapore)!
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Audio Sources

The Less I Know The Better - Tame Impala (Tidal 1411kbps FLAC) on Samsung Galaxy S4
Touch Me - Armin Van Buuren, Rising Star (Tidal 1411kbps FLAC) on Samsung Galaxy S4

Credit to Leader Radio Technologies for an evaluation unit.

Noise Canceling Immersion Part 3 - B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC

LG TONE Active (HBS-850) - Full Review

Earin - Truly Wireless and Innovative

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