With all the wireless headphones and earphones coming out, it really is becoming a wireless world—finally. However, what really excites me about the near future is the advent of what are known as True Wireless Earphones. You may be asking, “Aren’t all wireless earphones wireless?” Well, yes—and no. While wireless earphones are (usually) Bluetooth and not connected to your smartphone, they are connected to each other by—you guessed it—wires. Which brings us to the “True” kind of earphone. These little wonders are truly wireless. They are two separate earphones—one for each ear. As this market matures, the earphones are getting better, can do more and are becoming affordable. Case in point: the E’NOD Mini Ring wireless earphones.

The E’NOD Mini Ring (the name makes no sense) are petite earphones that fit easily into my ears. They’re a bit thick and protrude outside the ear, but not too much. Since they have a plastic shell, they’re light which helps keep them comfortable. There’s no included ear-lock, but they still stay in place for walking or exercising. Plus they are sweat proof and IPX4 water resistant due to a protective nano-coating. Keep in mind that they are not waterproof, so treat them with care.

The Mini Ring earphones are not what I would call a name-brand product—they look suspiciously just like the SmartOmi ACE Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds reviewed recently by our own Andy Jacobs. But the build quality is impressive. Everything fits and seams are smooth. They look and feel more expensive then their cost. There are three included silicone ear tips; small, medium and large. I would rename them tiny, small and medium. Maybe I have big ear holes, but the large-sized ear tip was not big enough to give me a good seal. And as I’ve said before, “No seal = no bass”—more on that later.

Pairing with my iPhone was easy as soon as I removed them from the box, but I had issues pairing with my iPad for this review. The earphones kept wanting to re-pair with the iPhone. The manual was no help at all (the manual had tiny text—I literally needed a magnifying glass to read it). I had to do some research online to find an answer. Once paired however, the pairing with my iPad remained in place. However, later when I tried to re-pair back to the iPhone, I continually had to disconnect and reconnect before the earphones would work properly. Often, only one earphone would pair and not the other. I ended up having to shut them off and retry which finally worked on the third try. It became very frustrating, but once re-paired they worked great. This won’t be an issue if you want to first connect to your smartphone and leave it that way. The Mini Ring earphones use Bluetooth 4.2, so they will work well with the latest devices.

Speaking of connecting, when you remove the Mini Rings from the case and put them in your ears, you will first hear prompts that the pair has connected to each other last/right channel (this happens before any Bluetooth pairing). When Bluetooth does pair, there are voice prompts for that, too. These prompts are quite helpful since there is nothing to see when they’re in your ear. There’s also a voice prompt when they’ve reached low battery power.

Each earphone has only one button. Pressing the button (left or right—it doesn’t matter which one) will pause music; twice to skip forward and three times to replay the previous song. Holding the left button for one second will pause music and set up for a phone call. If you receive a call, music will pause automatically until the call is terminated; then music will resume. A long press on either button will power the earphones off. It’s recommended to leave them in the charging case when not in use. The case will recharge the earphones 3 times before the case itself needs charging.

The Mini Ring earphones will play music for 2-3 hours between charging. That’s not a long time, but if they lasted longer, they would need to be larger and heavier or much more expensive, so compromises must be made. This situation should improve in the years ahead as battery technology progresses.

Call quality was iffy. I could easily hear the person I was talking with, but they said that I sounded distant, as if on a speaker phone. I had to talk a bit louder to be clearly heard, which I should not have had to do.

Musically, the Mini Ring earphones sound accurate, but as I said before, bass is weak at best due to the smaller ear tips. When I physically pressed the earphones deeper into my ears, the bass picked up immediately and sounded good (if a bit muffled)—until I let go. Actually, this is a good test that the problem is in the seals and not the earphone itself.

I sampled many songs and albums across a few decades of music to get a good sampling. Because of the bass issue, I discovered what works best are older songs such as classic rock, standards or even talk radio or sports. If you’re into hip-hop or bass heavy music, look elsewhere.

The E’NOD Mini Ring earphones belong in a category that hasn’t quite matured as much as I would like. They are well made, fun to use and sound good. If you plan on pairing them only once, aren’t a bass-head and will only use them to make an occasional phone call, then these earphones won’t let you down. But the pairing issues and lackluster call quality prevent me from giving them a full recommendation.

Source: The sample for this review were provided by E’NOD. The Mini Ring sells for $79.99 US. Please visit enodaudio.com for more info and Amazon to order

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

E’NOD Mini Ring wireless earphone review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 24, 2017 at 11:00 am.

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The quest continues! For my perfect set of wireless earbuds, that is. Well, for me, anyway. I’ve tried out multiple products, but none has been the “perfect” one yet. Would the Smartomi ACE Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds be “the” ones? With their small size and charging storage case, they looked sleek and all, but would they survive the rigors of my workouts and work out for everyday use? Something told me that the answer might be a yes. Let’s see how they did. Gadget on!

Specs

• Dimensions: 6.1 x 4.7 x 1.6 inches
• Weight: 4 ounces including charging case (each earbud is o.2 ounces)
• Chip: AB1526
• Charging time: about 2 hours
• Play/talk time: 2.5 – 3 hours
• Standby time: about 150 hours
• Battery capacity per earphone: 55 mAH
• Battery capacity of charting case: 500 mAH
• Working range: about 33 feet (1o m)
• Driver unit: 6mm speaker
• Bluetooth: v4.2
• Warranty: 60 days no reason return, 18 months warranty

Packaging

The Smartomi ACE earbuds arrived in some quite nice packaging, a simple black box with the Smartomi logo on top and some minimal info on the bottom.

Contents

• 1 pair of SmartOmi ACE True Wireless Earbuds
• 3 pairs of earbuds Tips (in sizes Small, Medium, and Large)
• 1 portable charging case with 500mAh battery
• 1 micro USB cable for charging the case
• 1 user manual

Features, Functions, and Performance

Above are the Smartomi ACE earbuds, along with the three pairs of included eartips in sizes large, medium and small. Since I have cavernous ear canals, I went straight for the size large.  They were easy to install, just push them onto earbud’s posts with a bit of a twist.
Above is the Smartomi ACE’s battery case.  It has a hinged, transparent plastic lid that allows the user to see inside, which is useful because the earbuds light up to indicate charging (more on this below).  There are also two “pockets,” one for each of the earbuds, and each pocket has four tiny brass terminals that charge the earbuds.  Either side of the pockets have a groove that makes it a bit easier to grab the earbuds and pull them out.  A tiny blue LED between the earbud pockets indicates charging.  Additionally, the case has a very Apple-esque design, with a matte aluminum around the bottom half that looks quite a bit like the iPhone’s finish.
One surprisingly cool and useful feature of this case is a set of hidden magnets that interact with magnets in the earbuds themselves. When the earbuds are placed near the charging “pockets,” the magnets attract together and SNAP! the earbuds lock right into position on the charging terminals, perfectly, every time.  The case holds the earbuds so securely that you can actually turn the case upside down and the earbuds stay put.  I really like this feature. I didn’t have to eyeball and manually position the earbuds into their charging pockets as I did with previous earbud charging cases, which sometimes meant that they were not perfectly seated on the charging terminals, thus preventing them from charging.  No bueno.  This case eliminates that.  Also, the earbuds seldom need to be manually powered off.  When you are finished with them, just place them in the case and they power off automatically.  When you remove them from the case to use them, they power back on and re-pair automatically.  Very cool.
Above, I have the included mini-USB plugged into the rear of the case.  This setup charges both the battery in the case as well as the earbuds themselves simultaneously.  The case gives the earbuds a significantly longer usage time.  I was able to easily use the earbuds for well past a full week of 6 or 7 workouts lasting 1-1.5 hours due to the additional boost provided by the battery in the charging case.

Above, the tiny blue LED glows while the case is in charging mode.
Above, a closeup of the inside of the earbuds in which you can see the four charging contact points on each earbud.  This is probably a good point to mention that pairing the Smartomi ACE with my iPhone was simple the first time and they remained paired every time I used them, which was not the case with other wireless earbuds I’ve tried. Pleasant-sounding voice prompts are used to indicate various functions, such as when the earbuds are powered on, when they are paired and so forth.
Above, a closeup of the earbuds from the outside.  Each earbud has a tiny microphone hole that can be used to make phone calls.  A single push button on each earbud that controls various functions, like music pause and phone call answer.  In addition, the chrome-colored rings that encircle these buttons are actually LEDs that glow during charging.
The Smartomi ACE earbuds are quite small, but more than that, they have an ergonomic, smooth shape, which I think helps them fit a bit better in my ears, and remain comfortable for a long time.  How do they sounds?  Excellent.  As long as you have the proper size of silicone ear tips for your ear and you have them securely seated in your ear canal, they produce some sharp highs and solid base.  For listening to podcasts, they were good, but listening to music or movies was where they really shined.

As seen in the image above, these earbuds barely stick out of my ears at all—they really fit right down in my outer ear.  I like that, because it means that they are much less likely to get caught on something and get knocked out, or get jostled out while you are working out.

Above, a shot of the earbuds in the same position as the photo above it.  This is close to how the Smartomi ACE earbuds are intended to fit in the ear, and they fit OK for me like this, but didn’t feel quite secure enough.
The above view shows how the earbuds actually fit best in my ears.  Due to the contoured, teardrop shape of the earbuds, I don’t think this is how they were designed to fit.  However, as mentioned above, I have huge ear canals, and this positioning worked quite well for me.  I’d been wearing the Smartomi ACE earbuds for several weeks at the time of writing this review, both for heavy-duty workouts as well as working at my desk all day.  I’m happy to report that these earbuds stayed in more consistently during my workouts—despite lots of sweat and motion—than any earbuds I’ve tried yet.  And that’s saying something.  They also remained comfortable while wearing them for extended periods while working at my desk.  Also, these earbuds are so small and low-profile that when people stop by my desk to talk to me, they almost never notice that I am even wearing earbuds.

Conclusion

I really like these Smartomi ACE Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds.  They are small and very lightweight, plus have a contoured, teardrop shape, all of which I think helped them more consistently stay in my ears during sweat-drenched workouts than any other earbuds I’ve tried to date.  Operation of these earbuds is dead simple, with just a single, easy-to-push button on each earbud controlling multiple functions like music pause and phone call answer.  They have a good battery life on their own, but their rechargeable, battery-powered storage case can provide the equivalent of up to four additional charges to boost the earbuds’ usage time.  I really like these Smartomi ACE Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds.  If you are looking for a pair of wireless earbuds, I’d recommend taking a look at these.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Smartomi. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

SmartOmi ACE Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 6, 2017 at 10:16 am.

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The Alpha Audiotronics Skybuds wireless earbuds are an expensive, subpar entry into a growing field of better built, more featured-filled wireless earbud options. At $189.99, the sound, build quality, setup, and app functionality all fall well below what one would expect of a product in this category and priced this high.

For all of their shortcomings, the Skybuds do arrive in impressive packaging. A clear plastic cube on top of a bright blue box showcases the size and design of the earbuds.

The interior box slides out to reveal the earbuds and their charging/carrying case.

Along with a small USB-A to Micro-USB charging cable, the Skybuds come with three tip sizes; small, medium and large.

The Skybuds charging case, known as the Skydock, houses the earbuds and an internal battery that charges the earbuds when they are placed inside the case. The Skydock and Skybuds are both made of what feels like cheap plastic, which does not align with the $199 price tag.

The charging case has a small Micro-USB port on the bottom for charging via computer or USB wall plug.

The blue light on the charging case blinks to indicate pairing, pulses while charging, and conveys charge level by the number of lights lit; one light is 0-33%, two lights is 34%-66% and three lights is 66%-100%.

The Skybuds fit easily into the Skydock and the exposed contacts on the earbuds align with contacts inside the case that allow the earbud batteries to be recharged from the Skydock battery. In my testing, I got about three hours of continued use. There are definitely inconsistencies with the Skydock recharging though. Over the course of a few weeks, the time to full charge for the Skydock and the Skybuds varied wildly. Also, the right Skybud will always be at less of a charge than the left because the Bluetooth functionality is handled by that earbud.

The fit and feel of the Skybuds were quite comfortable. Once inserted in the ear, a slight rotation of the Skybuds lock them into place. In my testing, the Skybuds never fell out and only needed adjustment after about two hours of continued use. The Skybuds are small and unobtrusive while being worn. A small LED status light indicates when the earbuds are powered on, charging, or if there is a problem. Take note, there is always a problem.

Initial setup for the Skybuds was an experience of pure frustration. There’s one process for pairing the Skydock and Skybuds with the Skybuds app and then another process for pairing the unit via Bluetooth for use with your device as an audio device.

Over the course of hours, every time I tried to pair the app with the device, it would invariably fail to find one or both of the earbuds. After multiple times attempting the initial setup, checking my phone’s compatibility, and following all of the troubleshooting tips, I finally got the device to pair with the app only to spend just as much wasted time trying to get the device to pair with my phone via Bluetooth.

No matter what I did, I continued to get various Bluetooth pairing errors telling me that there was an “incorrect passcode” even though no passcode was ever inputted, or that the “pairing was rejected” by one or all of the devices.

When I finally did get both pairing sequences to work, I found out quickly that the sound quality of the Skybuds was pretty disappointing. Wireless earbuds in general aren’t known for having the best sound quality, but the Skybud’s bass barely ever rose to more than a small “pop” and the mids were all but nonexistent. I have a cheap pair of Philips wireless headphones that blow these away in comparison. I eventually got used to the high, tinny sound profile, but it didn’t make listening to music an enjoyable experience. On calls, the sound was passable though and my voice came through very clearly to the other party.

The Skybuds both have buttons that can be used for basic functions like play/pause, track advance, and answering calls, but there is no way to adjust the volume via the Skybuds themselves. Activating the buttons can be difficult at times especially for functions that require holding a button down.

The Skybuds app has a few features that are innovative for wireless earbuds. Most earbuds have what’s called “Passive Noise Cancellation”, which just means that because they fit snugly in your ear they naturally block outside noise. Skybuds also have a function called “Awareness”. This feature allows you to adjust how much external noise is allowed through your Skybuds so you can be aware of your surroundings. This is a good idea in theory, but in practice it was pretty useless. The Awareness function works via the mics on the Skybuds and in addition to the sound quality being very poor, there always was a slight delay. Through the Skybuds app, you can adjust the level of Awareness, shut it off, or put it into Adaptive mode which activates it automatically if your music is paused.

Another feature of the Skybuds app allows you to locate your Skybuds if they’re lost. Like with other features though, inconsistencies abound. The app failed to locate one or both of the Skybuds continually, even when they were literally sitting on top of my phone. If this worked every time, it would be a valuable feature due to the small size and high price of the Skybuds.

Overall, I was really unhappy with the performance of the Skybuds wireless earbuds. They failed on a number of levels including hardware build, sound quality, and app functionality. For such a relatively expensive device you’d be better off looking into any of the other similarly featured options on the market.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Alpha Audiotronics. Please visit their website or Amazon for more info.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

Alpha Audiotronics Skybuds wireless earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 23, 2017 at 11:37 am.

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Wireless audio: Folks like their music, podcasts, audio books and other sonic entertainment and information, and increasingly they the delivery method to be small, lightweight and long-lasting. I’ve reviewed several models of Bluetooth earbuds here at The Gadgeteer over the past few years, and I’m still searching for that elusive set that works best for my needs. I want to wear them while I exercise, and I work out pretty hard, so my “perfect” pair would have some fairly heavy duty requirements. When Julie offered the 808 Audio EarCanz TRU Wireless Earbuds for review, they had some features that I thought might work well for me. Well, did they? Let’s find out! Gadget on!

Specs

• Model: HPA225
• Dimensions: 0.55″ wide x 1.23″ tall x 1.22″ deep
• Weight: 0.03 lbs
• NOTE: No other technical specs for this product were provide by 808 Audio, either on their site or in the documentation included with this product.

Packaging

The 808 Audio Earcanz TRU Wireless Earbuds arrived in fairly standard packaging, namely a light cardboard outer box.  The front of the box included an image of the product contained inside.

The rear of the box included a listing of features of the product.

One aspect of the packaging I really appreciated was that, upon opening the front cover, there were two transparent windows that show the included earbuds themselves, as well as their carrying case.  As I’ve stated in other reviews, I like when the manufacturer includes in the packaging a method for the prospective buyer to actually see the item(s) contains inside the box.

Inside the main box was a plastic tray that included cavities for the earbuds as well as their carrying case.  The additional earbud tips and other accessories were contained within the case.  More on those accessories below.

Contents

Above, you can see all of the items that were included with the 808 Audio EarCanz Tru Wireless Earbuds:

• EarCanz TRU Wireless Earbuds
• Eartips (in small, medium and large sizes)
• Ear fins (in small, medium and large sizes)
• Ear hooks (1 size)
• Double micro-USB-to-USB Charging Cable
• Travel Case
• Quick Start Guides in both English and Spanish
• 808 Audio decal
• Safety info booklet
• 808 Audio promotional card

Features, Functions and Performance

My first impression of the earbuds was that they seemed fairly compact and very lightweight.  I’ve discovered that both of these features are important to me in a set of wireless earbuds, because larger, heavier models tend to fall out of my ears earlier when exercising, which would be my main use for these earbuds.

Above, I’ve laid out the earbuds’ accessories.  On the left, one set of harder plastic ear hooks.  These are mean to “hook” over your outer ear to stabilize the earbuds during activities.  In the middle, three sizes of soft silicone ear fins.  These are smaller than the ear hooks and are mean to “lock” into the curvature of your outer ear canal to help hold the earbuds in your ear.  These were actually fairly useful for me.  On the right, three sizes of silicone earbud tips.  I found that the ear “hooks” didn’t work well for me, but the combination of the largest-sized ear fins and tips did seem to work quite well.

In the photo above, you can see the configuration of the buttons on the earbuds.  I found their orientation to be a bit bizarre.  As you can see, the buttons were on the rear of the right earbud and the front of the left earbud.  Not sure why this design choice was made, but it seemed very counter-intuitive from a human factors design standpoint.  In any event, these buttons control all of the essential functions of the earbuds.  While listening to music via your phone, a single press of either button will pause or play music and a quick double-press will skip a track.  There are no on-board volume controls, so volume must be controlled with your phone.  The earbuds also have phone functionality.  The right earbud rings when an incoming call occurs and it also has a tiny microphone for answering calls. A quick press of the button will either answer or end the call, while a long hold will decline an incoming call.  Additionally, the right earbud can be used individually as a Bluetooth headset.  The quality of the phone call from the caller’s end seemed poor.  I took a few calls on the earbuds and the caller had difficulty hearing me, even with relatively quiet background sound levels on my end.

Above, you can see the charging ports on the earbuds.  On the top one, I’ve popped open the charging port’s cover.  Because these covers are made from silicone, they lock in and protect the charging ports themselves, providing a water-resistant seal.  The charging port covers are connected to the earbuds via a small silicone tether that is integrated into the cover itself.  These silicone covers are easy to pop open with a fingernail, and the tether seems very robust—I wasn’t nearly as concerned about the tethers getting torn off and losing the covers as I have done with other earbuds, unfortunately.

Above, I’ve connected the charging cable to the earbuds.  This cable is basically a “Y” cable, with two mini-USB connectors, one for each earbud, at one end and a single standard USB at the other end.  Just plug the standard USB end into any powered USB connection (your computer, a USB wall adapter, etc) and the earbuds will begin charging automatically.  I was actually a bit surprised that 808 Audio chose to go with this “Y” cable for charging these earbuds.  Many companies producing higher-end earbuds in a similar price range to these EarCanz TRU earbuds also provide a charging case.  I suspect that this “Y” cable is less expensive than a charging case, but if so, I would have expected these earbuds to be a bit less expensive as a result of this cost savings.

Above, the micro-USB charging cables are plugged into the charging ports on each of the earbuds.  It took about an hour to fully charge these earbuds, which I didn’t think was all that bad.  Playback time on a full charge was decent.  On one occasion, I went out for a long ruck (a fast walk wearing a weighted backpack) of over three continuous hours in duration, then came home and mowed and trimmed the lawn.  In all, it was almost four hours of continuous use, and they kept right on chugging.

During charging, a tiny LED glows read on each of the earbuds.  Once charged, the color of the LEDs changes to white.  There is a bit of a process that must be followed to turn the earbuds on, basically right first, then left.  First, a 3-second long press on the right earbud’s button will turn it on.  Once powered on, you will hear a voice prompt announce, “Power on.”  Next, a long press on the left earbud’s button to turn it on.  Shortly after that, the right and left earbuds will announce, “Right connected,” and “Left connected.”  Boom, just like that, you are ready to go.

While these earbuds are not the smallest on the market, they are fairly small, and they are quite lightweight.

Pairing these earbuds was simple and quick.  I powered on the earbuds, then went to my iPhone’s “Bluetooth” settings, looked for “808 EarCanz TRU,” and selected it.  Once paired, a voice prompt announced, “Device connected.”  I never had to pair the earbuds again, as they always re-connected automatically once they were both powered on, and that’s more than I can say for some other wireless earbuds I’ve tried.

Included with these earbuds is a molded, semi-rigid case with a zipper closure.

The case has room for the earbuds, and the charging cable can be tucked into a small elastic mesh pocket in the lid.  The case is quite protective and could maybe even be a little smaller and still have plenty of space for the earbuds and the charging cable.

How did they fit in my ears?  Actually, they fit quite well, as long as I used the largest size of silicon tip.  As can be seen in the images above and below, these earbuds do stick out of my ears, but only a bit.  Sound quality was acceptable, but earbuds of this style typically aren’t expected to be sonically symphonic reproduction masterpieces.

I oriented them in my ear such that the “808” logo was horizontal, and thus properly and easily readable, and in doing so, the “lobed” portion of it pointed down.  This seemed to help stabilize them in my ear a bit since gravity was generally helping them stay put.

Above, you can just see one of the large size ear “fins” curling upward in my ear.  I basically twisted these up and into the contour of my outer ear, which really helped to keep these earbuds anchored in my ear during strenuous activities.  That said, once I really started sweating, the silicone tips did tend to work themselves out of my ear canals, but the earbuds themselves never actually fell out/off, which I credit largely to these “fins” keeping them in place.  They also seemed to be fairly resistant to sweat.  I sweat buckets when I work out and it didn’t seem to affect these earbuds much at all.  Also, I did try the larger ear “hooks,” but they didn’t work for me at all—they were too big and loose and didn’t hold the earbuds in place.

Conclusion

I really like the 808 Audio EarCanz TRU Wireless Earbuds Review.  They are fairly small and very lightweight, and I think this combined with their ear “fins” helped to keep them in my ears during strenuous exercise better than any other comparable earbuds.  Their opposing button configuration is a bit confusing, but I got used to them quickly, and the audio and phone controls are fairly straightforward (though there is no on-board volume control).  They also seemed to have no issues with the high amounts of sweat produced by yours truly.  While sound quality was decent, callers did have a difficult time hearing me.  On a full charge, they lasted nearly four hours continuously.  Finally, their carrying case offers plenty of space for their Y-style, micro USB dual charging cable as well as the earbuds themselves and is very protective.  While they are not perfect and a bit on the pricey side at $79.99, to me their benefits outweighed their imperfections.  The 808 Audio EarCanz TRU Wireless Earbuds are worth a look if you are in the market for a pair of wireless earbuds for exercise or even lower-demand everyday use.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by 808 Audio. For more info or to order, visit their site.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

808 Audio EarCanz TRU Wireless Earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 18, 2017 at 10:00 am.

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I recently joined a gym and have been on a quest to find a set of wireless earbuds that I can wear while working out that are both comfortable to wear and sound great. The latest earbuds to show up for testing are the HERO wireless earbuds from Winnergear. Let’s check them out.

What is it?

Winnergear Hero earbuds are small Bluetooth sports earbuds that are completely wireless.

What’s in the box?

Winnergear Hero wireless earbuds
Ear hooks (small and medium)
Eartips (small, medium, and large)
Portable charging case
Instructions

Hardware specs

Noise Cancellation CVC 6.0
Bluetooth 4.2
AptX
8mm speakers
Built-in microphone
Sweatproof Coating
3-hour playtime

The HERO earbuds are wireless which means there isn’t a cable between them that connects the two earbuds together.

They have a black metal (I think) outer shell with a power button which doubles as a status LED on the outside surface of each earbud and two electrical contacts below the power button.

Each earbud is clearly labeled so you can easily figure which one goes in each ear.

A handy case is included with the HERO earbuds that not only holds them while you’re not using them, but it charges them as well.

The case has its own built-in battery that is charged using a micro USB cable. In the image above, you’ll also notice a small button above the USB port. This is the power button for the charging case. You’ll need to remember to press this button if you want to turn on the charger for the earbuds.

The HERO earbuds easily fit inside the case. Just make sure they are firmly seated before you close the cover and press the power button on the back of the case to start charging.

Two tiny LEDs on the front of the case glow red while the earbuds are charging. It’s a good idea to check these LEDs to verify that both earbuds are firmly seated in the charger. It takes about 1.5hrs to fully recharge the earbuds.

The portable charging case can recharge the earbuds up to 4 times before the case itself will need a recharge. Pressing the power button on the back of the charging case will blink the LED on the back a number of times to indicate how much charge is left in the case.

Fit and comfort

Comfort and sound are at the top of my list when I’m searching for a new pair of earbuds. The Winnergear HERO wireless earbuds are lightweight and surprisingly comfortable. The ear hooks do a great job of keeping the buds in my ears even when I am walking, running, or jumping. The earbuds never fell out of my ears while I was testing them. I can’t say the same about most earbuds that I test.

Button control

The HERO earbuds only have one button on each earbud. It is a multi-function button that toggles power, puts the buds in pairing mode, answers and ends calls, plays and pauses music, and can skip tracks in certain apps.

To use the earbuds, you press and hold both power buttons for a couple of seconds to turn them on. A female voice will say that the buds are powering on and then it will say that they are connected to your device. Other voice alerts include a power down message and low battery alerts.

The left button will answer/end calls and play/pause music. The instructions that come with the earbuds say that pressing the right button will skip to the next track but this isn’t true. Pressing either the left or the right button while listening to music will pause the track and double click either the left or right button will skip to the next track.

Note that there’s no way to adjust volume from the earbuds themselves. You have to do that through the paired phone, tablet, or computer.

Audio quality for music, movies, and calls

I performed all of my testing of the Winnergear HERO earbuds with an iPhone 7 Plus and apps like Spotify and Amazon prime music, and phone calls.

Listening to music is enjoyable with these earbuds. Voices are crisp and you can hear distinct highs, mids, and lows. However, true bass heads will not be impressed. It’s not that there’s no bass at all, but it could be a lot better. That said, if you listen to all types of music, you should still enjoy hearing your favorite tunes through these earbuds.

While testing the HERO earbuds, I didn’t notice any reoccurring problems with audio cutting out between the two earbuds while listening to music while sitting at a desk, walking around in a large open gym, or walking outdoors with my phone in my pocket.

I tested the HERO earbuds with Youtube and Netflix apps on my iPhone and I did not notice any audio syncing between what I was seeing and hearing in the video. Dialog matched up perfectly with people speaking on screen.

I also tested call audio quality and like most Bluetooth headsets, I got regular comments that I sounded a little tinny. But on my side of calls, everything sounded really good which is really all that matters to me Ha!

Final thoughts

I have been using the Winnergear HERO wireless earbuds for several weeks and so far I don’t have any complaints except for the 3-hour battery life. I understand that the earbuds are small, which means the battery in each bud is small, but 3 hours seems really short because one charge won’t get you through a full work day. But other than that one complaint, I really like the HERO earbuds. They are my current favorites – at least until I find that something I like better.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Winnergear. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

Winnergear HERO wireless earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 27, 2017 at 9:12 am.

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