REVIEW – I’m on a gadget quest to find a comfortable pair of wireless earbuds that sound as good as they feel. So when I was offered not one but two pairs of wireless earbuds to review from Crazybaby, I had to say yes. Let’s take a look at the Crazybaby Air Nano and Crazybaby Air 1S True Wireless Headphones.

What is it?

The Crazybaby Air Nano and Crazybaby Air 1S are Bluetooth earbuds and are what Crazybaby calls true wireless headphones because they don’t have a cable that connects the left earbud to the right earbud.

Crazybaby Air Nano True Wireless Headphones

Since Crazybaby sent me two different styles of their wireless earbuds, I’m going to talk about each pair individually starting with the Air Nano earbuds.

What’s in the box?

Crazybaby Air Nano earbuds
3 sets of ear tips
2 sets of ear wings
Charging case
USB-C charging cable
Quick start guide

Design and features

The Crazybaby Air Nano Bluetooth earbuds come in a shiny plastic case that reminds me of a giant pill. Available in 10 colors, I was sent black. Not exactly an exciting choice but it’s the sound quality and not the color of the earbuds that is important, right?

You might be wondering if the pill-shaped case will roll off a flat surface. Luckily, it won’t as long as you set it down on the surface instead of tossing it.

The capsule pulls open to reveal two earbuds nestled in their charging cavities.

The Air Nano earbuds are held in place with magnets as is the case itself which slides shut with a satisfying thunk sound.

The earbuds themselves have a bullet shape but the ear tip part that goes into your ear canals is angled to provide a better fit than similar brands of wireless earbuds, or that’s the intent.

In the image above, you can see the two charging contacts on the side of each earbud. These contacts match up with the contacts in the charging case to make an electrical connection for charging.

Each earbud is clearly marked with an L or an R so you’ll know which ear they go in and the outer surface of each earbud is a multi-function button. Pressing and holding the buttons on each earbud will toggle power and illuminate the LED band in white.

The multi-function button on each earbud has its own set of functions:

Left earbud – One press will either answer a call or end a call, two presses will initiate Siri or Google voice assistants.

Right earbud – One press will toggle between play and pause for audio, two presses will go to the next track, and three presses will go back to the previous track.

To charge the Crazybaby Air Nano earbuds, you connect the capsule to a USB port using the included USB-C cable.

While the earbuds are charging, the LED status band will glow red and will turn off when charging has completed. There’s also a tiny status LED on the end of the capsule that glows amber while charging and turns off when charging has finished.

Fit and comfort

As far as fit and comfort are concerned, it’s really going to depend on each person’s ear shape. For me, the right earbud fit fine and felt comfortable for an hour or so of constant wear. The left earbud, on the other hand (ear?), felt uncomfortable very quickly due to the multi-function button edge pressing against my ear. Everyone will have a different experience with the way these earbuds feel, so I can’t say they are horrible or wonderful. I’ll just say, that they weren’t the most comfortable in my ears.

It’s interesting to note that the headphones come with two sets of wingtips. The weird part is that you’ll have to take the wings off if you want to place the earbuds back into the charging capsule. That means you’re going to need a way to store the wings when you’re not using them. Hence – weird.

But how do they sound?

I wasn’t blown away but the sound quality, but I didn’t throw them across the room in disgust either. They have decent bass and treble, but overall music is a little muddy. But as long as you’re not a snobby audiophile, you’ll probably think they are just fine for listening to most types of music.

I tested the earbuds while paired with my Pixel 2 XL and listened to tunes using Spotify and videos using Netflix. I noticed no issues with video and audio syncing while using Netflix.

Battery life and connectivity

The Air Nanos will play for about 3 hours straight on a charge and can play another 90mins after just a 5-minute charge in the capsule charging case which will provide an additional 5-9hrs of playback time.

As far as connectivity, I didn’t have any problems pairing the Crazybaby Air Nano wireless earbuds with a Pixel 2 XL or with an iPhone Xs Max. Both phones also worked well with the buds for making and receiving calls. No one asked if I had fallen down a well while I was using them in a conversation.

What I like

• Small size
• USB-C charging case

What needs to be improved

• Can be a little uncomfortable
• 3hr battery life seems short
• No place to store the wingtips when they aren’t being used

Final thoughts

I’ll say that the Crazybaby Air Nano earbuds sound better than the last pair of Rowkin earbuds that I reviewed, but they aren’t quite as comfortable to wear as the Rowkins.

Price: $99.00
Where to buy: Crazybaby and Amazon

Crazybaby Air 1S True Wireless Headphones

What is it?

The Crazybaby Air 1S are Bluetooth earbuds designed for sports with an IPX 6 waterproof rating and are what Crazybaby calls true wireless headphones because they don’t have a cable that connects the left earbud to the right earbud.

What’s in the box?

Crazybaby Air 1S earbuds
3 sets of ear tips
3 sets of earbud covers
Charging case
USB-C charging cable
Quick start guide

The Air 1S earbuds also store in a giant (even larger than the Air Nano) pill-shaped charging case. But unlike the Nano’s case, the 1S case has an aluminum shell that is available in either star grey or space silver. I guess I was sent star grey although it looks more like gunmetal blue to me.

The earbuds themselves are larger and have a teardrop shape and a color that matches the charging case.

Each earbud has two electrical contacts that match with the contacts in the charging capsule. The buds have a slightly indented multi-function button on the front that is easier to press than the buttons on the Air Nanos. You also hear an audible click when you press the buttons which have the same set of functions as the Air Nanos:

Left earbud – One press will either answer a call or end a call, two presses will initiate Siri or Google voice assistants.

Right earbud – One press will toggle between play and pause for audio, two presses will go to the next track, and three presses will go back to the previous track.

Fit and comfort

Again, my experience with the fit and comfort of these earbuds may or may not match your experience because everyone has differently shaped ears and ear canals. That said, these buds are even more uncomfortable for me than the Air Nanos which is really disappointing because I really like these earbuds. Just like with the Nanos, the left 1S earbud is more uncomfortable for me than the right earbud. But the right earbud is pretty uncomfortable too. I think my ears are a little too small for these earbuds which sucks because they look kind of cool when the status LED glows… kind of like the earbuds have eyeballs.

The Air Nanos came with wingtips which I thought was weird and the Air 1S earbuds come with what appear to be full body earbud covers with integrated eartips. I guess this is for people who want to use them while they are working out and don’t want to bathe the earbuds in ear sweat. Ick. But just like the Nanos, you’ll have to remove these covers when you want to charge the earbuds in the charging capsule.

But how do they sound?

I tested the earbuds while paired with my Pixel 2 XL and listened to tunes using Spotify and videos using Netflix. I noticed no issues with video and audio syncing while using Netflix. For music, they have really good bass and treble, with a nicely balanced tone. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed listening to music with them.

Battery life and connectivity

With a single charge, you can listen up to 3 hours and talk up to 4 hours. But you can use the charging capsule to recharge the earbuds for a total of 12 hours of music playback or talk time up to 14 hours.

As far as connectivity, I didn’t have any problems pairing the Crazybaby Air 1S wireless earbuds with a Pixel 2 XL or with an iPhone Xs Max. Both phones also worked well with the buds for making and receiving calls. No one asked if I had fallen down a well while I was using them in a conversation.

What I like

• Good+ sound quality
• I like the multi-function button design

What needs to be improved

• Comfort for people with small ears
• 3hr battery life seems short
• No place to store the earbud covers

Final thoughts

I like the Crazybaby Air 1S True Wireless Earbuds quite a bit as far as how they look, sound, charge, etc. It’s just too bad that they hurt my ears to wear them for very long.

Price: $159.00
Where to buy: Crazybaby and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Crazybaby.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

Crazybaby Air Nano and 1S True Wireless Headphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 3, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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REVIEW – As the beat goes on along with what has now become my obsession with finding the absolute best wireless Bluetooth earbuds that work for me, I jump at every opportunity to test and review these devices. Here is another experience. Let’s see what happened!!

What is it?

The Treblab X5 Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds are similar in function to other such devices, but these have a form factor that is more like the Apple Airpods design, and they use Beryllium speakers to produce their sound.

What’s in the box

1 x Pair of Treblab X5 Earbuds
1 x Charging Case
3 x Pairs of Ear-fins
3 x Pairs of Eartips (I got 6 pairs in my set)
1 x Micro USB Charging Cable
1 x Instruction Booklet
1 x Warranty card

Design and features

Specifications:

• Bluetooth 4.2
• Chipset: CSR Qualcomm
• Noise-Cancellation: Passive, cVc 6.0
• Playtime: up to 6 hours + 4 additional charges with Charging Case
• Charging time: 2 hours
• Water resistance: IPX4
• Phone Calls: Built-in Mic
• Signal range: 33 feet
• Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz

The earbuds come in a nice compact charging case, that has internal contacts for charging and an on/of button for charging the earbuds. With the case facing you as in the picture below, the right earbud charges in the left slot and the left in the right.

Each earbud has 2 charging contacts and 2 function buttons.

On the front of the charging case from left to right, there are 2 charging indicator LEDs, one for each earbud, a micro USB port for charging, and an on/off button.

Performance

These earbuds arrived fully charged. I took them out of the case and turned them on while holding down the power button the right earbud that put them into pairing mode. Pairing is straightforward and easy.

Functions:
Right Earbud:
Power button (+): Power On/Off, Play/Pause, Volume Up/ Answer Phone Call
Mode button (-): Volume Down, Reject Phone Call, Hang Up Phone Call, Siri/ Google Voice Assistant

Left Earbud:
Top button: Power On/Off, Play/Pause, Previous Track
Bottom button: Next Track

These earbuds are really great sounding. the highs, mids, and lows are well balanced, and there is enough of a volume range for just about every type of listening situation and genre. I tested them with jazz, easy listening, gospel, soul, rock, and reggae and they were outstanding in every way and for each genre, There is very little to no distortion, at least none that was the fault of the earbuds. One important factor to enjoy the full potential of these earbuds is to make sure that you try the various ear tips and choose the right ones that not only fit comfortably but also provide a seal with your ears. Not only will this allow you to enjoy the full frequency range of the music and potential of the Beryllium speakers, but also you will gain the full effectiveness of the Noise Cancelling ability.

Treblab specifications boast playtime up to 6 hours with 4 additional charges via the charging case. It has been my experience, that the specs are not only true, but I likely got a bit more out of each charge. The X5 earbuds are also water resistant. Contrary to my personal issues with using earbuds for phone conversations, these earbuds performed well for me and I was able to not only hear the other party clearly, but they could hear me albeit that I had to speak a bit louder than my normal volume. I always reiterate in my reviews that I think my issue with earbuds and phone use are personal and not truly reflective of the ability of most earbuds.

The picture below shows the case while being charged with the earbuds in it also being charged. The blue LEDs oscillate back and forth while the red LED remains steady.

The following is a video showing the LEDs movement back and forth as both the earbuds and the case are being charged. If the power button is pressed off to stop charging the earbuds, the red LED remains on indicating that the case alone is being charged.

What I like

• The number of included ear tips to accommodate comfort
• The sound
• Did I mention the sound?
• The compact size and weight
• Charge lasts a long time

What can be improved

• The form factor is still a bit dorky much like the Airpods
• Could be slightly more comfortable: Because of the form factor, you always feel their presence in your ears

Final thoughts

When I first saw these earbuds, I was intrigued because of the design, and the similarity in style to the Apple Airpods. I have to be completely honest, that based on the price and the brand name that I had never heard of, I did not expect much. Boy!! was I wrong!! These earbuds come with enough ear tips to ensure a perfect fit, and they sound absolutely amazing for anything less than what is considered to be “true” Audiophile. So far on this testing journey of mine, I have reviewed some major and well-known brands and models. While several of them are really good, when comparing them in categories like “most reliable connectivity”, and “sound”, these most reasonably priced earbuds have edged out all others to currently occupy the pole position all by themselves. Very well done and two thumbs up!!

Price: $79.97
Where to buy: treblab.com  or Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Treblab.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

TREBLAB X5 Earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 2, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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REVIEW – With the increasing lack of headphone jacks on popular devices, wireless earbuds are appearing on the market with increasing rapidity. The latest I’ve been asked to review has just started their crowdfunding campaign and is from a company we’ve already seen good products from – PadMate. Their recent Indiegogo launch has already earned past their $20,000 goal. Why all the backers? Read on.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

A while back, I was sent the first iteration of PadMate’s wireless earbud line. They were great for sound and connectivity, but I was not a fan of the charging case design. The team has gone back to the drawing board and improved not only the case, but the size and connectivity of the product and launched it as the PaMu Scroll.

What is it?

The Scroll is a new type of case for wireless headphones. We’ve seen cases with removable lids, which can get lost or not seal, we’ve seen connected lids like the Apple AirPods, which can get sprung out, but also make opening and removing a bit more trouble. The Scroll is a flap of leather that is rolled over the opening, which holds the earbuds into their magnetic charging mounts, yet allows you to get your fingers around them in order to remove them for use. It’s securely sealed with two sets of magnets, yet releases with the flick of a finger.

Hardware specs

(from the Company’s IndieGoGo campaign)

What’s in the box?

• Earbuds
• Charging case
• 3 sizes of silicone tips
• USB-A to microUSB charging cable (1’ long)

Design and features

The size of the PaMu Scroll buds is a bit smaller than the previous models, only .75” versus a full inch for the first model, but they are still a subtle oval with a hidden button on the face. The ear tips are a good bit smaller, and the whole unit fits more flush into your outer ear area, which makes them a bit less noticeable.

Still, however, there is that tell-tale blinking light, though. They now are sweat-resistant (IPx6), so they’re going to be better for sweaty sports. The Video on the website shows someone with them on in the shower. You do you.

The PaMu Scroll is sleek and stylish right out of the box. The earbuds are held separately from the charging holder, so that you can appreciate the beauty of both at first glance. Like the previous PaMu earbuds, the Scroll units are easily placed into the charging cradle, and due to the form fit and magnets, it is impossible to get them in the wrong space. They are also marked L and R to avoid any attempt at this. When you remove them from the charger, just like the previous model, they start trying to pair with themselves and any BlueTooth units in pairing mode. These, however, use the new BlueTooth 5.0 spec, so their pairing is more solid.

I was sent a set in Sakura (rose gold) to test. They are also available in several darker shades: Rock ‘n’ Roll, Graphine, and Glory Edition. They look (sorta) black, bronze, and blue, I think. (Your vision may vary.) Each color also has a different pattern on the leather cover. The Sakura cover is a pebble grain.

The interior is a natural suede finish, and there is very even decorative stitching along the outer edge. A metallic plastic piece on the end houses the magnetic catch that seals the cover onto the body of the case. There is a single magnet on each end of both the cover and the case for this purpose.

On the left side of the cylindrical case is a microUSB charging port.

On the right side there are 4 LEDs to indicate level of charge of the case itself.

Like the earlier model, there is no on/off switch or other way to force the case to reveal available charge. This can only be done by removing and inserting one of the earbuds, or by plugging in the case for charging.
The case itself is 3.75” long and just under 1.5” in diameter. The two ends are indented with the center pulled back up into a center pedestal about .75” in diameter. There is a metallic accent around this center area that matches the metal accent on the earbuds. The plastic of the Sakura case and earbuds is white. On the others, it looks blackish, but I couldn’t really tell in the promo videos.

Setup

Pairing and moving between several devices is clean and easy. We’re still not to that “Do What I Mean” stage where earbuds will be able to know which device we’re listening from, but it’s no bother to turn off the PaMu Scroll in my iPad settings and click connect in the Bluetooth settings of my iPhone.

Performance

While the sound quality was still full and rich (better than my AirPods!), they’re still not able to give the same body-thumping sound of a good set of speakers, or the head jarring rattle of really large over-the-ear cans. But for walking around, listening to podcasts or some street tunes? They are fantastic!

What I Like

• Great sound, especially at this price.
• Pairs quickly and solidly (BlueTooth 5.0!)
• Stylish look on earbuds and case
• Case is substantial

What needs to be improved

• None that I could find, really

Final thoughts

I was sent these by mistake, so I had no say in the color. Even though I’m not a fan of white and rose gold, I have still been wearing these almost daily since I got them. Every now and again, I’ll pull out the AirPods or the original PaMu’s, and there is always some reason that I go back to these at the next listening session. They really give a full depth, especially to podcast sounds, and that’s usually what I’m listening to when wearing earbuds.

Additional item

I was not able to test this add-on, but there is a microUSB to Qi wireless adapter available. The crowdfunding price is currently $10. It plugs directly into the charging base and looks like it’s part of the unit (well, except I have a white case and it’s black.) I don’t have a Qi charging pad yet.

Price: $39 at super-early bird price. $49 at regular backer price. $149 retail after Indiegogo funding round.
Where to buy: IndieGogo
Source: The sample of this product was provided by PadMate.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

PadMate PaMu Scroll BT 5.0 wireless earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 19, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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