REVIEW – Back in January of this year, I reviewed the Rowkin’s Micro Wireless earbuds and liked them quite a bit. So I was happy when Rowkin recently asked if I would be interested in reviewing their latest Micro Touch Bluetooth earbuds. I didn’t hesitate to accept their offer because I thought newer meant that they would be even better than their previous version. Was my assumption correct? Let’s find out.

What is it?

Rowkin Micro Touch wireless Bluetooth 5.0/Bluetooth BLE earbuds are exactly what you would guess that they are. They are earbuds that connect to your mobile device via Bluetooth and don’t have a cable that connects the left earbud to the right earbud.

What’s in the box?

• A Pair of Bluetooth Earbuds
• Charging Case
• USB Charging Cable
• Ear Tips: Small, Medium, Large

Design and features

Except for a smaller battery charging case, the new Micro Touch earbuds do not look much different than the previous generation of Rowkin’s wireless earbuds. That is until you look closely at the earbuds. Then you notice that the small bullet style earbuds lack the multifunction button on the end of each bud. Instead, all you find is the Rowkin logo and a tiny LED.

The reason why these Bluetooth earbuds don’t have a physical button is that they are controlled by touch. All the features that were accessible by pressing the button on the older earbuds are now accessible by tapping, double tapping, triple tapping, and even touch and holding. But more about that in a minute.

Let’s get back to the battery case. As I mentioned earlier, the battery charging case that is included with the new Rowkin micro touch earbuds is smaller than the previous case. This black plastic case holds the earbuds in place with magnets and has a spring loaded cover.

I like the case except for two things. First, it’s a little difficult to remove the earbuds because only about a quarter inch or so of the earbuds stick out from the slots. If your fingertips are dry, it makes it tough to get a grip on the ends of the earbuds to extract them.

The other issue that I have with the battery charging case is that you can’t see through the lid on the case to see the charging status of the earbuds like you could with the previous case. You have to open the lid to check if the LEDs are pulsing red while charging or have turned off to mean that charging has completed.

Fit, comfort, and sound quality

As far as fit and comfort, the Micro Touch earbuds are no different than previous versions of Rowkin’s earbuds. If you tried them before and they didn’t work/fit in your ears, this new version will not be any different. For me, they fit pretty well except that I am never able to get a good seal on the right earbud due to something weird with the shape of my ear. If you can’t get a good seal then music will not sound as good. This is especially true for music with a lot of bass. Without a good seal in your ears, bass will be sorely lacking.

If you can get past the lack of bass, do they sound ok? Not really. I don’t have the previous version of the Rowkin earbuds to compare with, but from daily testing with Spotify, Google Music, Amazon music, YouTube, and Netflix, I have been disappointed in the sound quality of these earbuds. They just sound blah to me no matter what I listen to.

Don’t touch me there!

And then there are the touch features. That has to be cool right? Wrong. I hate them. Yes, that’s a strong thing to say but that’s how I feel. For one thing, when you have the earbuds in your ears, the touch-enabled surface can be partially blocked by your ear like it is for me (see image above). So, when I try to tap the earbud, I’m only able to tap half of it and the earbuds rarely recognize what I’m trying to do if it’s something other than toggling between play and pause.

Then there’s the fact that you’ll need to remember that some touch commands have to be performed on the left earbud and some on the right earbud. Here are the commands that are supposed to work.

It’s frustrating when you have to pull out your phone to skip to the next song while you’re working out because the touch controls don’t work and you look like a moron tapping your ear over and over again with no results.

What I like

• Small size
• Charging case

What needs to be improved

• Sound quality is mediocre
• Hard to remove earbuds from charging case
• Touch controls don’t work very well

Final thoughts

I wondered if I was being overly negative while working on this review but was “happy” to find out that another person shares my feelings. Our own Bill Henderson happened to see the pictures for the review when he was working on one of his own posts and he emailed and asked me if I liked the Rowkin earbuds. I summed up my feelings with three words: they completely suck. Bill had similar feelings. Sorry Rowkin.

Price: $119.99
Where to buy: Rowkin and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Rowkin.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

Rowkin Micro Touch wireless Bluetooth earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 21, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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REVIEW – Here we go again on my earbud journey. I won’t repeat my intro from this continuing series on my quest for the best earbuds for my individual taste, but I have another opportunity to keep going with these, so let’s have some fun.

What is it?

The YEVO Air Bluetooth earbuds are a pair of wireless, Bluetooth lightweight earbuds with the usual charging case. They are auto-pairing, and they perform the standard audio functions including phone functions.

What’s in the box

1 x YEVO Air Bluetooth earbuds
1 x Charging Case
1 x Micro USB Cable
3 x Pairs of Ear Tips
1 x Instruction Booklet

Design and features

The YEVO Air Bluetooth earbuds come in attractive packaging and are safely packaged. Once you remove them from the packaging, you will notice that they are fully charged and ready to go. They automatically go into the auto-pairing mode and appear in the list of available Bluetooth devices on your mobile device. Pairing is quick and easy, and I was able to use the Ear Tips that were pre-installed and get to listening right away. I can confirm that these as stated, the contemporary YEVO Air design is engineered to stay comfortably in your ears.

Specifications:

Bluetooth: 4.2
Speaker size: 6 mm
Sensitivity: 93±3 dB
Impedance: 16Ω±15%
Frequency range: 20Hz-20kHz
Earbud type: Hands-free with Microphone
Play Time: 14 hours with the charge case
Charging: Micro USB, 1.5 hours charging time
Compatibility: Compatible with Android, iOS, OSX, and Windows
Compatibility: Hands-free with Microphone

Performance

Using the earbuds: (MFB = Multifunction button on the surface of each earbud)
On Left or Right Earbud:
Power On and Pairing: Press MFB for 2 secs
Power off: Press MFB for 4 secs
Power on and Reset Bluetooth: Press MFB for 10 secs

On Right Earbud:
To answer a call/ end call/ switch call: Tap MFB once
To reject a call: Double tap MFB
To transfer a call: Press MFB for 2 secs
To play/pause music: Tap MFB once
Next track: Double tap MFB
Previous track: Triple tap MFB
To switch to the next song: Double tap MFB
Siri / Google Voice: Press MFB for 2 secs

On Left Earbud:
Volume up: Tap MFB once
Volume down: Tap MFB twice

When you take the earbuds out of the case, they automatically connect to each other and the process like with all other functions is confirmed by voice command. The LEDs then flash blue as a confirmation of connectivity and status. Placing them back in the charging case disconnects them from the Bluetooth connection. The only other LED is a red LED on the back of the case next to the micro USB charging port. It lights up when charging the case and until it is fully charged.

These earbuds perform very well. Once again like some of the others I have tested, the sound is very good and clear, and the Lows, Mids, and Highs are all present and well balanced. Also as with some of the other earbuds, the maximum volume has a limiter so that you are never in danger of turning the volume up too high and damaging your hearing. However, I do wish that they could go a bit louder (Personal preference). They are very pleasing to listen to, and these have the best Bluetooth connectivity of all of the earbuds that I have tested so far. They even remained connected most times when I was within those geographical high interference areas that I mention in all of my earbud reviews.
They work quite well for phone conversations for me. This is notable if you have been following my reviews and know of my history of having issues with the other party not hearing me clearly with almost every earbud I have tested. It is also great that these earbuds allow phone use with either earbud. They are comfortable and are the most lightweight and best fitting I have experienced so far.

One issue that really bothers me is that there is no magnetic connection between the earbuds and the case. A few times when I opened the case and it was not level and fully upright, the earbuds fell out or almost fell out.

What I like

• The stability of the Bluetooth Connection
• The overall balanced sound
• The size and fit
• The build quality

What can be improved

• The earbuds need to have a magnetic connection with the charging case to prevent them from accidentally falling.

Final thoughts

To date, I have tested and reviewed several earbuds, and I must say that these  YEVO Air Bluetooth earbuds have earned a spot at the top of my list, or at least tied for first place. With all of the innovation going on these days with earbud design and capabilities, I have no doubt that its pole position will soon be challenged. However, until then, this solid performer will hang out with me every day. Well done!!

Price: $129
Where to buy: The Yevo Labs website.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Yevo.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

YEVO Air Bluetooth earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 15, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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REVIEW – As I continue to get opportunities to test and review more earbuds, it feels like the battle is heating up and each new addition to the race is getting closer to claiming the title of “Best earbuds for Julian”. These earbuds are the next contenders. Let’s see how they stack up.

What is it?

The Aermoo B3 earbuds are a pair of Bluetooth wireless earbuds for listening to music and other audio from any audio device with Bluetooth capability. They also handle phone call functions.

What’s in the box

1 x Pair of Aermoo B3 earbuds
1 x Charging Case
2 x Pairs of Wing Tips
3 x Pairs of Ear Tips
1 x USB Micro USB Cable
1 x Instruction Booklet

Design and features

The Aermoo B3 earbuds are nicely and safely packaged. When you remove them from the box and you charge them, they are ready to go. The Wing Tips and Ear Tips that came pre-installed fit me perfectly. The instruction manual is small but provides all of the details that you need.

When you open the charging case you will notice a unique feature, one that I have never come across before. This case has 4 charging level LEDs that light up blue, and above the LEDs, there is an on/off button that controls the charging of the earbuds when they are placed in the case. This is unlike most other earbuds that automatically charge once they are placed in the case. When the on/off button is depressed, it allows the case to charge the earbuds. Since I very rarely read instructions, I ended up with “dead” earbuds before I figured that it was not just a press of the button, but rather I had to use the tip of my finger to really push the button down until it stayed in and then it was in the on position.

On the back of the charging case, there is the micro USB charging port. The case itself is a bit smaller than most I have come across measuring just 2.5″ x 1″ x 1″.

Performance

Specifications:

Bluetooth version: 5.0
Waterproof rating: IPX7
Headset Battery: 45mAH
Charging Case Battery: 460mAH
Charging Case Charging Time: approx. 2hrs
Music Playing Time: approx. 2.5hrs
Talk Time: approx. 3hrs
Standby Time: 100hrs

Using the earbuds: (MFB = Multifunction Button)
To answer a call: Short press of MFB on either earbud.
To hang up: Long press MFB on either earbud.
To reject a call: Press and hold MFB on right earbud.
Voice dial: Double-click MFB on left earbud.

To play/pause music:
In standby mode: Short press MFB on either earbud; double-click MFB on right earbud to pause.
Switch song forward/Backward: Long Press MFB for 2 seconds on right earbud for forward and 2 seconds on left earbud for backward

When you first take them out of the charging case, you press the multifunction button (MFB) on each earbud for 2 seconds and they turn on, their LEDs flash red/blue, they immediately go into pairing mode and show up in your phone’s Bluetooth connection choices. Pairing is simple and quick. The earbuds automatically connect to each other and the process like with all other functions is confirmed by voice command. The LEDs then flash blue as a confirmation of connectivity and status. Placing them back in the charging case disconnects them from the Bluetooth connection. The next time you remove them from the charging case, they automatically connect to your phone without the need to power them on or to pair them. I did notice that it the power button in the case is in the off position, the earbuds do not automatically disconnect from the Bluetooth connection.

These earbuds perform very well. The sound is very good and clear, and the Lows, Mids, and Highs are all present and well balanced. The maximum volume has a limiter so that you are never in danger of turning the volume up too high and damaging your hearing. They are very pleasing to listen to. I experienced very few Bluetooth disconnections and when I did, it was always within those geographical high interference areas that I mention in all of my earbud reviews.

I was quite surprised at how well these worked for phone conversations for me given my history of having issues with the other party hearing me with almost every earbud I have tested. It is also great that these earbuds allow phone use with either earbud.

The Aermoo B3 earbuds fit my ears snugly and stay in place quite well. I did not ever feel like they would fall out. However, they are a bit big and are not as comfortable as some others. If not seated just right, they can be a bit uncomfortable. The picture below provides an example of the size.

What I like

• The build quality of the earbuds and the case, and the feel of the case. (It feels like soft velvet)
• The overall quality of the audio presentation
• The ability to use either earbud for phone calls
• The stability of the Bluetooth connection

What can be improved

• The size of the earbud so that it will fit better
• The function of the on/off button in the case so that it engages and disengages with less effort and provides a confirmation of function. (Maybe a click?)

Final thoughts

As I spend more time testing and reviewing earbuds, I have come to realize that there is not necessarily a confirmed and measurable relationship between price and quality of sound and performance. The Aermoo B3 earbuds are relatively inexpensive but are a really great bang for the buck. I honestly was not expecting them to perform as well as they did, and for a price that is well short of even $100, they can challenge some of the much higher priced earbuds that I have tested. While they are not perfect, they are quite worthy. I always mention that fit and sound are individually subjective dynamics, and I am always careful not to provide any universal recommendations. Having made that declaration, I must give kudos to Aermoo for these earbuds.

Price: $69.99
Where to buy: The Aermoo website and Amazon.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Aermoo.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

Aermoo B3 Bluetooth earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 13, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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