As we prepare to settle into the third month of the new year, you may perhaps be looking into getting yourself a pair of TWS earbuds, either as a gift for yourself or as a replacement to a pair that’s already on its last legs. But with so many options available, it’s easy to fall into the anxiety trap, wondering why you did or did not purchase one brand over the other.
While I cannot advocate for which brand is my personal favourite, I have put together a small list of the earbuds that my team and I have reviewed, along with links to said reviews.
The “Unnecessarily Complicated Ones” – Apple AirPods Pro 2
Yeap, we know. These earbuds are two years old at this point but if you’ve got a problem with why there isn’t a 3rd generation AirPods Pro, take it up with Apple.
Be that as it may, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 earbuds make the list for being one of the good all-rounders that we’ve tested this year. Overall, it sounds a little hollow, erring on the side of “tinny”, but again, you can hear Apple’s focus on elevating the highs and mids.
The problem is that they can be unnecessarily complicated to operate or to tune with an iPhone, and that includes turning on Spatial Audio. The irony here is that, if you connect them to a MacBook, the option appears right directly on the options bar. At RM1,099, the earbuds also fall within the category of Premium.
The “Bless Them, They’re Trying” – Creative Aurvana Ace 2
The Creative Aurvana Ace 2 has the distinct honour of being one of the first pair of xMEMS TWS earbuds to reach my lab, as well as being the parent company’s first pair of earbuds, to date. To simply describe the listening experience, it makes for a very bright listening experience, bringing the highs, mids, and vocals all the way to the front. Lows are also strong and are still driven by the traditional coils and drivers, and are capable of rattling the back of my skull.
Sadly, because this is Creative’s first foray into TWS earbuds, there are some hiccups, particularly in its design. The radius of the touch sensors behind each earbud is tiny, activating controls can feel like you’re doing the Macarena, and worse, the right earbud had a tendency to pulsate very rapidly.
Strangely, there’s also no official local pricing, only that it retails for US$150, which is around RM714.
The “Best-In-Class ANC” – Sony WF-1000XM5
For the past several years, Sony has practically dominated the market for ANC audio products, and these WF-1000XM5 earbuds are no exception. Very few brands are able to replicate, produce, or even come close to the level of noise cancellation and isolation that the Japanese electronics brand has shown to be its forte. That, and its Ambient sound mode has only gotten better with each iteration in its lineups.
As for its performance, these earbuds err towards the side of bright, meaning that highs and mids are open and tend to take centre stage. The lows, while present, aren’t as strong as its predecessor, the WF-1000XM4, but for the most part, they still provide the same skull-rattling pleasure for songs that are bass-focused, albeit in a slightly dampened state.
The good news is that if you’re thinking of picking up a pair, Sony is currently offering up these earbuds for RM300 off, at RM1,099.
The “Gaming-Grade ANC Ones” – Sony Inzone Buds
At RM899, the Inzone Buds are quite effectively the first pair of earbuds that Sony is aiming towards gamers, its PlayStation Pulse Explore notwithstanding. It comes in a rather chunky cradle that houses not just the buds, but also the USB dongle that provides the 2.4GHz wireless connection between the source and the device.
In terms of audio quality, it uses the drivers as the WH-1000XM5 but sadly, the writer who reviewed them, Ian, says that they aren’t on the same level. Makes a little bit of sense, given the difference in pedigree. Even worse, the controls do not always work as you want them to, and worst still, it’s a gamble to see which earbud actually decides to shut itself off.
The “Expensive But Really Eargasmic” – B&W Pi7 S2
Standing with a retail price of RM2,499, the B&W Pi7 S2s are effectively the most expensive earbuds on this list but heck, the audio quality that this oozes into your ears is possible one of the best things you’ll get from a pair TWS earbuds. From head to toe, all the pitches are well-balanced, the sound staging so beautifully accurate, and you’ve got decent battery life of seven hours on average. One really unique selling point about these earbuds is that its charging case also doubles as a transmitter, which opens it up to other uses in, say, an airplane, where you can use these as your headphones and not the flight-provided ones.
It’s not all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows with these earbuds, though. Firstly, while it does have ANC, there is no integrated control for Passthrough, which is another name for Ambient Mode. In fact, you can only select the option via the official B&W app. But worse still, these earbuds have no equaliser function to allow you to tweak them.
The “Where The F*** Were You All This Time” – Technics AZ80
You think that I’m exaggerating with the title here, but honestly, I’m not. The Technics AZ80 are a pair of earbuds that genuinely, sincerely, and totally caught me off-guard, primarily by its performance and the features that it offered.
In regards to performance, the earbuds of the AZ80 feel lean just a little in favour of the highs and mids but the lows don’t take a backseat, presenting itself with that rattling in the back of the skull that I consistently argue for to be present in any personal audio device worth their salt. On another note, sound staging on these things is accurate and I can hear each element in a track.
As for the features, the AZ80s have the ability to connect up to three devices to it at once, although I recommend against doing that. On a physical level, the concentric circles behind each earbud are big, making access to the touch functions so much easier. They’re also the most fuss-free earbuds I’ve used as well; out of the box, they fit snuggly into my ear canals, and I don’t even have to change out the eartips. Honestly, they’re worth the RM1,600 asking price.
The “Pleasantly Surprising And Budget-Friendly” – Redmi Buds 5 Pro
As Heirul stated at the start of his review for the Redmi Buds 5 Pro: There’s no two ways around it. The design of these earbuds are very clearly inspired by the Apple Airpods Pro but are clearly available at a much, much cheaper SRP of RM299.
The listening experience on the Buds 5 Pro may be surprisingly pleasant but believe it or not, the listening experience on these earbuds varied from writer to writer. In Heirul’s case, he described them as having strong and satisfying lows, along with what he claims are bright and clear sounds. When it entered my ears, though, all I got was a very “tinny” experience that was on par with Nothing Ear (2).
These aren’t a bad thing but as far as budget earbuds go, these certainly feel like they aren’t consistent with their delivery, and the listening experience literally differs for each user.
The “Tries Too Hard” – Jabra Elite 8 Active
While my time with these earbuds was brief, the Jabra Elite 8 Active are mildly impressive audio performance and function for the sporty individual. The ANC function is decent at best, while the highs, mids, and lows try their level best not to drown each other out. For that matter, I should point out that the lows are something of the dominant pitch.
One caveat to the earbuds is that, while it does come with Dolby Spatial Audio, you’re actually better off keeping them deactivated. It really ruins the sound staging as a whole. The other caveat is that it retails for RM1,049.
Honourable Mention #1 – Soundcore R50i
Soundcore is not a brand you’d know off the bat, but the brand is actually a part of Anker, the company that makes all those powerbanks that you are no doubt carrying about. These R50i earbuds are just one of a handful of their products that it has.
At RM115 a pop, the R50i is one of those cheap and not-so-terrible earbuds that has an undeniable focus on the bass but what can you expect at that price? On the plus side, you can download the dedicated app for it, to which it will present you with 22 Preset EQs, ranging from enhancing the already strong lows, to bringing the highs all the way to the front, with no regard for the mids.
On the plus side, these earbuds have a whopping 10-hour endurance on a single charge and an IPX5 water-resistant rating, making it the ideal product to use if all you want is a pair of earbuds capable of blasting a beat as you workout.
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