REVIEW – Listening to music on your smartphone is probably the most frequent use case, with the possible exception of social networks. One reason for this is that you can listen to music while doing other things. With the removal of the ancient yet still viable headphone jack, a few manufacturers have managed to anger a huge swath of their customer base. Stepping into this vacuum, several existing and new companies have started offering totally wireless earbuds that connect to these devices and each other via Bluetooth. One such company, PadMate, sent us a pair of their earbuds, called PaMu, to test.

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

What is it?

The PaMu are a pair of earbuds with a charger designed to seal off outside sound and to resist sweat and vigorous motion in use. While I did have to open the Bluetooth setting to initially pair, from then on, they always found the phone and paired without fail, unless I had paired them with another device. More on this under Performance.

Hardware specs

(from product website)

• Type: In-ear Headphones with Mic
• Colors: Black / White
• Connection: Bluetooth Version 4.2
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20KHz
• Sensitivity: 97±2dB(SPL)
• Transmission Range: 10 Meters Without Obstacles
• Charging Time: 2 Hours
• Headphone Dimensions: 22.5 x 10.5 x 26mm

What’s in the box?

• Earbuds
• Charger
• One-foot long USB2< ->microUSB cable to charge charger
• Earbud tips in 3 sizes and ear hooks for a custom fit
• Instruction pages

Design and features

The earbuds are housed in a 2.75” diameter biscuit-shaped docking case with a pop-up cover. Around the outside are three interfaces: a button to release the top, a microUSB port for charging, and a series of four LEDs that indicate the amount of charge remaining in the onboard battery when you remove/replace an earbud or plug the charger in. These are located at 12, 3, and 6 o ‘clock positions, respectively. The case is just over 1.25” thick.

The top surface of the PaMu case has a patterned piece of vinyl material with the “padmate” name printed on it. When you push the lid release button, this entire top pops up and can be swiveled out of the way, revealing the earbuds below.
The earbuds are subtly marked on the back side with an L and R for the proper ear. The docking areas also have a letter for correct placement as well. You can’t place them in the wrong dock. There are two retractable pins in the form-fitted docking area for each bud. The outer surface of each earbud is covered in the same patterned vinyl as the cover of the charger, but there is no overprint. There are no markings or visible buttons of any type showing on either earbud, and only the tiniest pinhole LED glowing a solid red until they are fully charged. (Irritatingly, this LED slowly pulses blue while the earbuds are in use.)

They are held in the charger magnetically, which is a nice touch. There is no doubt which orientation is correct, or whether you have made good contact. You don’t even have to insert them – they are pulled in when you get close. A tiny red LED appears on the outside of each bud to indicate you have placed it in the dock, and the power LEDs on the case light up for just a second or two to let you know they are charging. (see photo below) Very subtle.

When you remove the earbuds from the base, they start talking to you immediately. They announce which channel they are, and, once they are both inserted, when they are paired with each other. They also announce that they are
“connected” to your device. The voice is very pleasant and clear. This is my third pair of wireless earbuds, and, I must say, the most seamless and impressive set to date. Even the Apple Airpods, which I bought after losing the charger for my first pair, is only on par, not ahead of the PaMus.

Under the vinyl cover of the left earbud, there is a button that will play/pause your device’s sound, or answer/end a call. It doesn’t show at all, and you can’t feel it, but when you tap it, it does what it should. It’s not programmable but does let you stop play in order to speak to someone.

The single thing that bothers me with the PaMus is this: the case feels cheap. The pop-up top feels like it will break off if I sneeze at it. The plastic of the rest of the case just feels thin and cheap. This doesn’t carry over to the earbuds themselves, thankfully. They feel solid and well-made and fit into my ears with a good, sound-insulating seal. The seal is better and far more comfortable than my Apple AirPods, which for sound and comfort are the third-best of the three sets I have used.

Setup

Setup is straightforward. Pairing, disconnecting, and pairing with a second device all work as expected. If you put the PaMus in the case to charge, it releases the device. When you next wake them, it will reconnect to the same device, if it’s in range. If that’s not the device you wanted, you’ll have to disconnect it from that one. Such is the pain of BlueTooth – a true first-world problem!

Performance

The sound is full and, due to the excellent seal, very clear. The bass is good, but they are still earbuds, not large speakers, so it doesn’t jar your body, but it doesn’t get muddy, either. I found the difference between these and the built-in speakers for my iPhone and iPads lacking after having the PaMus in, mostly because of the base. Usually, you go from earbuds to the speaker, and it’s a slight bit tinny, or you notice a little background noise. These are like opening up a window and letting in the traffic noise and kids playing outside. Without the sound isolation, the PadMate buds offer, you can’t really hear your music as deeply.

What I Like

• Easy to set up and pair.
• Long play time.
• Impossible to get the wrong bud it the wrong ear **

What needs to be improved

• Charging case feels very, very cheap. I’m afraid I will break the lid every time I open it.
• Earbuds have a tiny blue slow-pulse LED that I couldn’t find a way to turn off.

Final thoughts

I was very interested in trying this product. As mentioned, I bought a set of wireless earbuds (Erato Muse 5) a while back (before Apple had released their AirPods), and liked them a lot. About six months back, I lost the charging dock, so have been unable to use them. I got a set of AirPods for a slight discount from Target or BestBuy or similar, and have been using them, but they don’t seal off outside sound like the Eratos I had been using. The PaMus have the auto-on and easy pairing of the AirPods with the sealed sound isolation of the Muse 5s. With their magnetic auto charge placement, they don’t have the irritating loose fit in the charger that would find one of the Muses not charged after an hour or two. For the price, the PaMus beat out both the AirPods and the Erato Muse5 hands down. I just hope the case doesn’t break.

Price: $109.00 on sale currently for $79.00
Where to buy: PadMate and Amazon.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by PadMate.

**Unless you don’t know that the “Left Channel” should be in your left ear and “Right Channel” should be in your right ear!

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

PadMate PaMu wireless earphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 30, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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REVIEW – Earlier this year I reviewed Jabra’s Elite 65t earbuds, their latest high-tech truly wireless headphones. Jabra has packed a long list of features and excellent sound into a tiny, secure, and comfortable package. The Elite 65t’s have a water resistance rating of IP55, engineered to withstand normal use and moderate exercise but I hesitated to use them during epic workouts in fear of damaging with sweat. Jabra has recently released their more exercise-centric sibling: the Elite Active 65t’s which have a IP56 water resistance and are engineered to survive many sweat-soaked efforts. Let’s see how well they fair against their (nearly) twin sibling.

Since the Active version of the Elite 65t’s is nearly the same in terms of form-factor and features, I will be plagiarizing myself from my original review and focusing on differences between the two variants.

What is it?

The Elite Active 65t true wireless earbuds are a twin of the standard Elite 65t’s but have been engineered to withstand greater exposure to moisture and thus are more hardened against sweat and the great outdoors. Both Elite 65t’s are Jabra’s second generation of truly wireless earbuds with improved sound quality, a better, more secure fit, and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. These lightweight earbuds are not only comfortable with a secure fit but engineered/optimized for listening to music, videos, working out, and participating in calls.

Package Contents:

• Jabra Elite Active 65t
• Charging case
• Micro USB cable
• 3 sets of silicon EarGels
• Quick Start

Design and features

The Elite Active 65t’s design is a departure from Jabra’s classic fin-stabilized form factor. Unlike its predecessor, the 65t’s molded shape is all that is needed to securely hold the earbuds in your ears. Inserting them into your ears is a simple quarter turn process…as easy as turning a 90-degree valve.

The exterior of the Active 65t earbuds is made of a black rubberized plastic and pewter metallic coloring with Jabra stamped in the center of both multifunction buttons. Each earbud has two microphones for better ambient noise and wind reduction, making for crisp clear calls on both sides of the conversation. The rest/majority of the Elite Active 65t earbuds are a hardened black plastic, each with a pair of metal connectors for charging in their case.

Build quality and style:

The Elite Active 65t earbuds’ material and build quality are both very good, as you would expect from a high-end and relatively expensive set of headphones. As I mentioned, the Elite Active 65t and its charging case have a rubberized/grippier finish than the standard Elite 65t giving them a slightly better grip in the ear.

The Elite 65t series earbuds (both the standard and Active) are direct competitors of Apple’s AirPods and crush them in nearly every category including secure fit, features, controls, sweat-proofing, and overall looks. I admit style is subjective, but Apple’s earbuds look like white dangly earrings from the 1980’s that could come falling out @anytime. The Elite’s secure fit, compact design, and subdued looks are much more me. Add in the fact the Active 65t’s are engineered to survive the best workout you can muster, I do not even see why ANY athlete would choose the AirPods over the Elite Actives (and I’m an Apple guy).

Charging & Storage:

The charging case is small, black, and well made, with the shape of a small pillbox. It is meant to not only charge the Elite earbuds but store, transport, and protect them as well. The case is powered by a micro USB charging port on the base. There is an associated status LED meant to let you know when it needs to be recharged, is charging, or fully powered up.

The top third of the case opens to reveal two form-fitting spaces for the earbuds, with a LED in between that lets you know if the headphones are fully charged and ready to go. The lid has a tight and very firm seal that can be tricky or an effort to open. But with a bit of practice and use, opening the lid becomes easier as the case/mechanism wears in. When the earbuds are in the case, LEDs on their exterior momentarily pulse, depending on how charged they are (green) or that they’ve made contact with the charging points as you store/charge them (red).

Jabra promises 5 hours of use before needing to recharge. The storage case has an internal battery with two additional charges before the earbuds + case needs to be plugged back in. If your earbuds run out of power and you want to use them on the fly, a quick 10-15 minute charge gives an hour plus of listening, long enough for most runs, commutes, phone calls, even most shows and videos.

The earbuds themselves are relatively lightweight and so comfortable, you barely know they’re there. The right bud has a single multipurpose button for call answering, pausing/playing music, and pinging your smart-devices’ digital assistance (longer press) and the left is a rocker button with two small tabs for managing volume and track skip/repeat (longer press).

Fit and Comfort:

Jabra includes three sets/sizes of silicon EarGels meant to help find an ideal, custom fit. With the right fit, the Elite Active 65t earbuds are very comfortable to wear producing excellent sound. Jabra’s new wingless design works extremely well, providing a secure fit second to none. Once inserted into my ears, I rarely had to adjust them for comfort or better sound. Even when pressing either multifunction buttons (aka adjusting volume or answering a call), the Elite Active 65t’s remain securely in place.

The easiest way to get them properly situated/inserted is to position each earbud with the arm facing straight down, and then twisting backward. The arms should point toward your face with a slight downward angle, as pictured above.

Sound Quality:

As with most/all earbuds, the better the earplug-type of fit you can get, the better the sound quality and passive sound isolation. Overall the sound experience was excellent on all fronts: music, video, calls, and video chat. Bottom line: the Elite 65t series are the best sounding earbuds I have ever used or tried.

The Major Difference:

Other than finish and coloring, the only significant differences between the Elite Active 65t (right) and standard Elite 65t (left) models come in terms of workout performance/data tracking and survivability. The Elite Actives have a built-in motion sensor for tracking workout activity that is viewable/available on the Jabra+ app. But as I have mentioned, the real enhancement from the standard Elite 65t is their IP56 rating, which means they can survive high-pressure water jets and limited dust exposure. Theoretically, no matter how insane your workout is, they should live to fight another day. The Elite Active 65t’s are backed by a one year warranty on parts and workmanship and two years against failure due to dust, sweat, and weather. And for those of you that need your earbuds even more hardened, the Jabra Elite Sports earbuds that are still available, have a IPan7 survivability rating, and include a three year warranty against failing due to sweat or moisture. FYI: mine are still going strong…

I have been using the Elite Active 65t’s daily for about a month now, doing my best to put them through their paces. I used them during my daily commute, running stairs, elliptical machine, a dozen runs, walking around, on a inversion board, etc…definitely many sweaty moments and occasionally upside-down.  They have stayed securely in my ears, sounded great, and have not shown one sign of dying or being impacted whatsoever.

What I like

• Solid, secure, comfortable fit
• Excellent sound quality
• Great call quality
• Solid passive noise isolation
• 5 hr battery life (15 w/case)
• Zero video lag
• One year warranty on parts and workmanship and two years against failure due to dust, sweat, and weather

What needs to be improved

• None

Final thoughts

The Elite Active 65t’s have become my new goto headphones overall. Their comfort, secure fit, sound quality, IP56 water resistance, and overall design are excellent and really the truly wireless earbuds to beat. Their in-the-case charging, form factor, and portability are ideal for athletes on the go. I carry the Jabra Actives Elite 65t earbuds with me everywhere I go for listening to music on the bus ride into work, walking around town, video on the elliptical machine, running stairs @lunch, or pounding the pavement in the rain…they are up for the task. I love the fact they fit so well, rarely needing to be adjusted, and have no cords dangling definitely add to the Zen of running.

Price: $189.99
Where to buy: The Elite 65t’s are available from Jabra or Amazon.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Jabra.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

Jabra Elite Active 65t true wireless earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 25, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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REVIEW – Once again I got the opportunity to further my search to find the earbuds that are perfect for me. So far, I have come across 2 that are close to perfect but I always wonder if there is something better “out there”. Given the opportunity to try another set, I willingly said yes!! Now let’s see what my experience was like.

What is it?

The LiteXim Aerobuds are a pair of wireless, Bluetooth lightweight earbuds with the usual charging case. They perform the standard audio functions including phone functions.

What’s in the box

1 x Pair of Aerobuds
1 x Charging Case
3 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 LiteXim earbuds come nicely and safely packaged. Once you remove them from the box and charge them, you are ready to go. I was able to use the Wing Tips and Ear Tips that were already installed. It is important to note that the instruction manual that comes with the earbuds is more like a quick start guide. There is a printed QR Code on it that allows you to download the full manual onto your phone or you can go to their website and download the manual to your computer.

Once the earbuds are charged, you press down on the surfaces of each simultaneously for 2 seconds, and they power on and show up in the Bluetooth settings screen of your phone. The surface of each earbud is the Multi-function button (Referred to as MFB for the rest of this article). Just as an FYI, I use the iPhone 8 Plus. The earbuds automatically connect to each other, and the right earbud flashes red and white while in pairing mode, just like most earbuds. Once the earbuds are paired, they are ready for use. For phone calls, only the right earbud is enabled.

The following is the status indicator chart from their manual:

Performance

Specifications:
Bluetooth version: 4.2
Stand-by-time: Approx. 60 hrs
Talking time: Approx 3.5 hrs
Earbud battery capacity: 50 mAh each
Charging case battery capacity: 500 mAh

Using the earbuds:

To answer a call: Press MFB once.
To hang up: Press MFB once.
To reject a call: Double tap MFB.
To play/pause music: Press MFB to play or pause when playing music.
To switch to the next song: Double tap MFB.

When the batteries are low, the earbuds will announce “low battery” and eventually power off. They will also auto shutoff if they fail to connect to your device within 3 minutes after powering on, or if they are connected to your device and lose the connection for more than 5 minutes.

These earbuds work well for use during daily running around and needing or wanting to listen to music. They sound ok but are definitely not audiophile grade. The bass is somewhat lacking, and the highs tend to be harsh even at lower volumes. The Mids are fairly present and within range. I did encounter the following issues:

• I charged the earbuds overnight, and the next day, about 10 minutes into listening to them, the left ear announced that the battery was low and shut off. It turns out that even though you drop them in the case, you have to move them around a bit to ensure that they are connecting properly. Once I figured this out, I charged them again overnight, and they have been fine since. I do check them each time I “drop” them in the charging case.
• I travel back and forth to work using the same route every day, so all of the earbuds that I have tested are used within the same environment. These earbuds would lose their Bluetooth connection a few times on each journey, and this is not counting the disconnections in the known areas on my route where interference is high and where difficulties are presented to all of the earbuds.
• When earbuds like these are functioning properly, once paired they should automatically connect to the mobile device when powered on and disconnect when placed in the case. Neither of these functions works consistently. I have to go into my settings and manually connect to the earbuds at least 2 out of 3 times, and this is even though they appear in my Bluetooth device list as they should. On most occasions, the earbuds would remain connected to my Bluetooth after they are placed in the case and the case is closed. I would wait for a couple of minutes to see if they would disconnect, and then I would have to go into my Bluetooth settings and manually disconnect. I have tested many earbuds, and if my memory serves me correctly, this is only the second time I have come across this issue.
• As you can see in the picture below, when I charge my Aerobuds, only the LED for the right earbud and the power LED light up. For some reason, the LED for the left earbud never lights up. I do suspect that my case is defective since both earbuds do charge once I make sure that they are seated properly in the case.

The Aerobuds fit quite comfortably in the ears and stay in place quite well. They are lightweight and do not add any additional noticeable presence other than what can be expected as “normal”.

The Phone functions work as they should, and I could hear the person on the line very clearly. However, the other party would indicate that while they could hear me clearly, my voice is very low. I have to raise my voice significantly for them to hear me in a volume that would be considered close to “normal”.

What I like

I like the small size of the Aerobuds and how well they fit in my ears. They are lightweight and feel quite comfortable.

What can be improved

• The stability of the Bluetooth Connection
• The upper-frequency threshold for the highs
• The range of the bass
• The quality control related to the Aerobuds and the connection in the charging case
• The ability to connect and disconnect from the mobile device

Final thoughts

The LiteXim Aerobuds have many positive features for the everyday run-around earbuds. They are lightweight and for the price, they are an ok value. I also usually mention in my “Final thoughts” segment, that feel, fit and sound are all individually subjective dynamics. For me, the issues that I experienced with the Bluetooth connection along with the overall sound that was a bit harsh in the highs and lacking in the lows make these more usable for convenience if my other earbuds are charging or for some reason out of reach. They are not my first choice if my other earbuds are readily available. I would mention the names of some of the others, but that might be unfair given their cost.

Price: $65.99
Where to buy: Amazon Use the code RD4336XO for 28% off (expires 7/30/18)
Source: The sample for this review was provided by LiteXim.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth earbuds

LiteXim Aerobuds wireless earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 20, 2018 at 4:15 pm.

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