Earbuds Archives - Exhibit Tech

Sony Unveils PS5 Slim and Inzone Audio Accessories at Mumbai Comic Con 2024

On 20th April, we were delighted to be invited by Sony to attend Mumbai Comic Con 2024 at Jio World Convention Centre. Sony created excitement amongst gaming enthusiasts as they unveiled the much-anticipated PlayStation 5 Slim. This launch marked a significant moment for gamers in India, as they eagerly awaited the sleeker and more compact version of Sony’s flagship console.

At the heart of the event was not just the PS5 Slim itself, but also the accompanying accessories that Sony introduced- the Inzone headphones and earbuds. These accessories promised to enhance the immersive gaming experience that the PS5 is known for, delivering crystal-clear audio and ergonomic design. I got to try out the Inzone Headset myself and it is well-worth the accompaniment of your gaming PC and PS5. The launch event was nothing short of spectacular, featuring interactive showcases where attendees could experience firsthand the power and capabilities of the PS5. From stunning graphics to lightning-fast loading times, the console left a lasting impression on all who tried it.

One of the event’s highlights was a gaming competition where the winner had the chance to win a PS5. Gamers showcased their skills, battling it out for the coveted prize in intense gaming sessions. In addition to the gaming competition, there were other exciting casual competitions where attendees could win accessories by participating in quizzes centred around the popular anime series, Demon Slayer. This added a fun and engaging element to the event, bringing together gaming and anime fans to celebrate pop culture.

Overall, the launch of the PS5 Slim at the Mumbai Comic Con was a resounding success, leaving attendees eagerly anticipating the opportunity to get their hands on the latest offering from Sony. With its sleek design, powerful performance, and exciting lineup of accessories, the PS5 Slim promises to redefine the gaming experience for years to come.

Review – OnePlus Buds Pro 2 – Truly Pro?

What do you need to kill time during your commute to work or when you’re bored at home? Of course, a little dose of music or the content, and to get that, you need to own good headphones or earbuds. I’ve been feeding my ears with the music on OnePlus earbuds and headsets for a year, such as Bullets Wireless Z2, Nord Buds and Nord Buds CE. However, I got a chance to try my ears at the OnePlus’ premium earbuds when we received the OnePlus Buds Pro 2.

The company entered the premium audio market with the OnePlus Buds Pro in 2021, but since then, didn’t launch any premium earbuds or headphones. The newly launched OnePlus Buds Pro 2 offers the same basic design with a two-tone finish on the buds and a matte charging case just like its predecessor. In terms of features, it brings improved features, noise cancelling, Dolby Atmos spatial audio and sound tuning by Dynaudio.

Unboxing

The premium earbuds from the OnePlus arrive in signature red and white packaging and have a mark of premiumness. Once you open the box, you see a small layered red-coloured package with a “Buds for life” slogan consisting of a user guide, safety and warranty papers, along with a note from Pete. Below that, you see the case with buds, and at the bottom, you get to see ear-tips and an OTG cable.

Available Colours

Radiant Silver, Glossy White and Matte Black

Design & Comfort

As mentioned earlier, the design of the buds looks almost identical to the OnePlus Buds Pro, while the charging case of the Buds Pro 2, the difference between the two, is almost negligible. The metal texture on the Buds Pro 2’s case is more advanced and not easy to be stained with fingerprints and features the brand logos of ONEPLUS and DYNAUDIO in the middle.

The charging case of the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 fits easily in a jeans pocket, but it’s hard to guess from where it has an opening, at least during the initial days. Also, one can not open the case by using just one hand. The earbuds are a little loose, and you will need to allow them a few days to adjust. However, they’ll feel a little comfortable on your ears once you get used to it.

Connectivity

The earbuds are equipped with a BES BES2600YP flagship chip and support Bluetooth 5.3 technology along with LHDC 5.0 audio transmission (subsequent OTA upgrade), offering a more stable connection. When connecting for the first time with your phone, just long press the button inside the case and wait until your phone shows the name of the buds.

Sound Quality

The earbuds have an 11mm woofer, a 6mm tweeter, and a triple-core noise cancellation chip with a 48dB depth. It also supports the new LHDC 5.0 transmission technology, which can automatically switch between 128kbps and 1000kbps. The ANC effect in the earbuds is quite apt and can withdraw some everyday noise scenes. Overall, Buds Pro 2 are good, but definitely not at the price they’re available now.

Battery Life

OnePlus Buds Pro 2 earbuds offer about 10 hours of battery backup, and, along with the charging case, it can provide an additional 29 hours of battery life, in total 39 hours. The battery backup of the buds is quite good, and even after using it for two hours straight with the ANC mode turned on, the battery power drops by about 25%. In terms of charging, it takes 10 minutes to offer 3 hours of listening.

Verdict

The Buds Pro 2 offers decent performance regarding sound quality and excellent battery life, but the brand needs to focus on grip and comfort, too, especially for the buds, which are priced at 13,999/-. Budget earbuds, like OnePlus Nord Buds, are more comfy and value for money. Overall, if you want to experience ANC and premium segment buds, then only dare to invest in OnePlus Buds Pro 2.

Good

ANC

Battery Life

Bad

Comfort and Grip

Ugly

Price

Rating

⭐⭐⭐

Hit the sack with our list of the top 5 earbuds of 2022

About a decade ago, talking over a Bluetooth mono headset was labelled as weird and take a look at the world now. Almost everyone around us is either wearing earphones, headphones or earbuds. These gadgets were created to comfort us, but over the years, we have been utilising them only to avoid the presence of the outer world, hope you have heard about Active Noise Cancellation earphones/headphones/earbuds.

We all travel at least an hour to reach our workplaces, and the top 3 ways to pass the time while commuting are by listening to songs, watching movies and scrolling social media. With that enters the innovation of the century, earbuds – a better alternative to the usual earphones and headphones. Over the last couple of years, earbuds have become a part of our bodies, which we can add and remove as per our needs. Let’s see the best ones of the year 2022.

Apple Airpods Pro (2nd Gen)

Price: ₹26,900

When it comes to the list of top 10 earbuds, Apple Airpods Pro (2nd Gen) qualifies automatically. The dreamy earbuds offer an unparalleled ANC experience, an incredible audio output and excellent battery backup. Of course, they’re expensive, but once you get used to the Airpods Pro, there’s no way you’re going for earbuds from another brand.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2

Price: ₹17,999

Do you have a Samsung smartphone? If yes, just go for the Galaxy Buds Pro 2, as they get the most out of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. The buds can produce rich treble and bass, thanks to AKG tuning, a subsidiary of Harman International, which is now owned by Samsung. If you get as many calls in a day, then this is one of the best TWS’ available in the market.

Nothing Ear (Stick)

Price: ₹8,499

The super stylish Nothing Ear (Stick) is, of course, one of the best-designed earbuds of 2022. They allow you have a clear and detailed sound (along with some sound leakage). They offer a better fit than most on-ear earbuds, but we wouldn’t recommend them for workouts. However, if you’re a fan of art and craft, these buds will fulfil your cravings.

OnePlus Nord Buds

Price: ₹2,799

OnePlus launched the Nord Buds at the beginning of 2022, and since then, these budget-friendly earbuds have been ruling the market. The uniquely designed earbuds are very comfortable and surprisingly offer good sound quality. If you’re someone who wants to experience the world of earbuds on a budget, then OnePlus Nord Buds could be the best stepping stone for you.

Sony WF-LS900N

Price: ₹13,990

Getting back to the basics was one of the best decisions Sony made in 2022. After launching several LinkBuds, Sony decided to go for the in-demand type of earbuds and launched Sony WF-LS900N. The lightweight and near-perfect earbuds deliver powerful performance, rich sound quality and effective noise cancellation.

JBL Launches Tune 230NC and Tune 130NC Earbuds

JBL has just released a new Tune collection of TWS earbuds in India. The new earbuds are the JBL Tune 230NCand Tune 130NC, which includes active noise cancellation (ANC) and provide up to 40 hours of battery life.

“The all new True Wireless JBL Tune 230 NC and JBL 130 NC are the ideal customer delight earbuds, designed to mold into different needs and moods of the listener. JBL’s 75 years of legacy of creating unmatched customer experience intertwined with our innovative sound engineering adoption has inspired us to come up with these beauties. You want style, quality, convenience, noise cancellation, customization, attractive pricing. We have it all covered with JBL Tune 230 NC and JBL 130 NC,” said Vikram Kher, Vice President, Lifestyle, HARMAN India.

JBL Tune 230NC

Active noise cancelling and Smart Ambient with Ambient Aware and Talk Through features
40 hours of playtime
Fast charge
IPX4 water and sweat resistant
JBL Pure Bass sound with making your very own Equalizer
TWS stick shape
4-mic technology for crisp, clear calls
Voice assistant with built-in Google and Alexa voice assistants
Bluetooth 5.2 with Fast Pair enabled by Google
Dual Connect + Sync
Touch sensor

JBL Tune 130NC

Active noise cancelling and Smart Ambient with Ambient Aware and Talk Through features
40 hours of playtime
Fast charge
IPX4 water and sweat resistant
JBL Pure Bass sound with making your Equalizer characteristic
JBL Headphones App TWS bud shape
4-mic technology for crisp, clear calls
Voice assistant with built-in Hey Google and Alexa
Bluetooth 5.2 with Fast Pai enabled through Google
Dual Connect + Sync
Touch sensor

The JBL Tune 130NC JBL Tune 230NC is priced at an inaugural offer of Rs.4,999 and Rs. 5,999. The three colour options available are Blue, Black and White. The sale started on May 3 across HARMAN brand stores, jbl.com and significant retail and online stores.

Sennheiser CX Plus TWS Earbuds – What I Love and What I Don’t

Sennheiser is a brand that has a lot of reliability and sells big time as far as headphone space is concerned. The new Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless is a reasonably priced device that is supposed to be an upgraded variant of the Sennheiser CX model that was released last year.

What does one really look for when buying wireless earbuds? Good connectivity, light and not too heavy, high music and voice quality, and most importantly should fit very well in your ears. I have tried the AirPods and Galaxy buds, but I figured that while I like those TWS buds for their superior music and voice quality, they make me feel a little insecure for running and workout purposes.

Sennheiser CX Plus Design

Let’s talk about the design first. The box is not too big but is wide enough. This makes it difficult and uncomfortable to carry it around in our pockets with that uncomfortable bulge. The case looks clean and premium, with the Sennheiser logo at the top, the front charging indicator, and the backside port.

Sennheiser CX Plus is visually identical to the previous CX model and comes with many similarities, which is not a bad thing. They are lightweight and come with four different-sized ear tips. However, the only negative point here is that they are very bulky.

Sennheiser CX Plus Features

Sennheiser has included Active Noise Cancellation in this one which is a serious upgrade from their previous model. ANC in this one is pretty good, and it manages to curb the outside noise. I usually travel by local trains and often get stuck in traffic jams. Answering calls with regular earphones in these situations is a big task. Sennheiser CX Plus did a great job here by providing clear voice quality and easy delivery of my voice to the receiver.

The CX Plus has a capacitive touch panel that controls calling and playback with single, double and triple taps. Here is what controls what-

One Tap on the right side – play/pause
One Tap on the left side – Transparency mode
Two Taps – Next or previous song
Three Taps – ANC
Hold – Volume up/down

The Sennheiser Smart Control App is an easy and well-laid-out app that easily connects to your earbuds once they are paired with your mobile device. Through this app, you can adjust your earbud’s EQ, where you can raise or lower your frequency line. You can also set different presets for later purposes.

The Sennheiser CX Plus connects with your phone using the Bluetooth 5.2 firmware, which is a lower latency codec. The earbuds claim to last up to 8 hours with a single charge, and our testing reveals that it runs a little short of that but not too much. The CX Plus holds a charging capacity of 16 hours but lacks fast charging.

Sennheiser CX Plus Voice Quality

These earbuds are amazing for music. The sound quality is as good as you’d expect out of Sennheiser. In fast-paced pop songs, you could hear all the instruments and the separation is crisp and rich, and full, with a nice, warm, and capable bass that does not sound very overpowering. For most of the genres, the sound is very well balanced and with EQ, it delivers exactly what you want. I am a really big fan of classical music and there is this song called ‘Dastaan by Tajdar Junaid’, and the sound of the instruments felt heavenly to my ears with Sennheiser CX Plus.

With ANC, you feel like you have left the world backstage. After a long day at work, when I am sitting in an auto-rickshaw towards my home, Active Noise Cancellation plays its part in helping me relax to the tunes of Jazz while the honks and the chaos just slips back into void.

Conclusion

Honestly, Sennheiser CX Plus is a good buy for a price tag of Rs 14,990, mainly if you like listening to music. Also, one thing that holds me back is its disability to pair fast, which is a turn-off. Overall, I would rate it 3.5 out of 5.

Devialet Gemini – Flipping Luxury

One thing is for sure – these Active Noise Canceling true wireless earbuds aren’t going to attract a lot of ears due to their price range but are surely going to charm their way to luxury.

The Devialet case manages to draw your attention from the very start with its ‘flip and open’ architecture. The signature design looks reasonably distinct and premium.

Devialet Gemini Fitting

The earbuds offer a large oval shape which I guess is to maintain a strong noise-isolating presence. The outer part has a distinctive metal alloy sheen to it with the touch control imprinted on the Devialet logo. The Gemini wireless earbuds reflect the Ear Active Matching which adapts the sound to your ears and tell you if you have the right silicone plugs on.

Overall, it was a snuggly fit for me, but to some, it can be a bit loose and it’s understandable considering the shape of the earbuds. Although you get four different sizes, from XS to L, you might find one that fits just right on you.

Devialet Gemini Features

Gemini’s ANC is just at par. It is based on the company’s proprietary Pressure Balanced Architecture (PBA), which also integrates Devialet’s Internal Delay Compensation (IDC) tech. To explain it simply, the PBA technology uses vents that allow air within the ear canal to flow outwards while also stopping external noise from penetrating through, optimizing low-end frequencies.

Honestly, when you put these earbuds on, the world takes a backseat. Vehicles glide past, commutes are quieter, voices are rendered more intelligible.

The Transparency Mode with its high and low options gives you a sense of what’s around you. Music still sounds nice, loud, and clear.

Devialet Gemini Sound Quality

When it comes to sound, Devialet never fails to impress. The sound in Gemini is lifelike and extremely detailed. You can hear the vibrations and instruments playing in the background quite clearly. The notes do not diffuse into each other and manage to sync well. The amplifier is a bit weak but the bass! the bass steals away the thunder.

Mobile calls through Gemini work pretty much fine. There are many other earbuds with a louder sound, but what bugs me is that they have higher distortion, sharper midrange, and a more closed treble than Gemini.

Devialet Gemini App

The Devialet Gemini app is purely magic! You can easily choose between different presets of sound or make your own using a six-band graphic equalizer. Through the app, you can also decide whether you want the double-tap to activate the voice assistant or start the previous or next track.

You can also select up to three degrees of noise reduction(low, mid, and high) and two degrees of sound penetration(low and high), or you can select neutral to deactivate it all.

Conclusion

Devialet’s wireless earbuds are good ones but not enough for the price that it has to offer. Gemini costs around 32,000 which are considered high considering the features that we get here. Other brands such as Bose and Sony set a different bar altogether that Devialet fails to reach.

Overall, I would definitely recommend buying these if you are up for luxury tech.

First Impressions | Oppo Enco X Is it Airpods Pro killer?

Today we will unbox the Oppo Enco X, the upcoming True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earbuds. We will also compare them to the top-spec Apple Airpods Pro and the Realme Buds to see which one comes out on top in our first impression.