Welcome to my review of the latest Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 vs AirPods.
The Key Features of Mi True Wireless Earphones 2
– Automatic pop-up pairing – the earphones can be coupled to your smartphone quickly and easily through a pop-up window.
– AAC / LDHC support – audio codecs with superior sound quality
– Single-ear mode
– Double-tap control – simply tap the earphones twice to access control music, call, voice assistant
– Bluetooth 5.0
– Ergonomic Design – The mid-in-ear design offers and the best fit for extended use
– In-ear detection – Built-in optical sensors will help you pause music when one of the earphones is removed
– 4 hours battery on buds, 14 hours battery with case, fast charging too.
Video Review
Conclusion
The Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 have exceptional sound quality let down by voice lag in YouTube and other video applications. 7/10.
Useful Links
Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 on Amazon UK – Click HERE.
AirPods on Amazon UK – Click HERE.
Welcome to my review of the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless ANC Headphones that retail for £51.99.
The Key Features
– Hi-Res Audio Certified with extended high frequencies that reach up to 40 kHz
– 40 mm dynamic drivers produce
– ANC reduces ambient noises By Up to 90%:
– 4 built-in ANC microphones for the digital active noise cancellation algorithm.
– 100% Stronger Bass with BassUp technology conducts real-time analysis of the low frequencies to instantly strengthen the bass output. Double press the play button when listening to bass-heavy genres like EDM and hip-hop for an amplified listening experience.
– 40-Hour Playtime*: Up to 40 hours of non-stop playtime in wireless active noise cancellation mode (at 60% volume) is extended to an enormous 60 hours in standard music mode.
– 5 minutes charge and get 4 hours of listening.
– AUX Cable: Use the included AUX cable for unlimited listening in wired mode.
– Impedance 16Ω
– Frequency Response 16 Hz – 40 kHz
– Range 15 m / 49.21 ft
– What’s In The Box – Micro-USB Cable, 3.5 mm AUX Cable, Travel Pouch, User Manual
Video Review
Conclusion
The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 provides exceptional value and are my recommended budget offering. 9.5/10.
Welcome to my review of the HiFiMan Sundara (2020) Planar Magnetic headphones which retail for £299.
Key Features
– Featuring a newly developed diaphragm that is 80% thinner than the HE400.
– New diaphragm produces a wider frequency response, faster and more detailed
– New 3.5mm Headphone connector for enhanced durability
– Frequency Response: 6Hz – 75kHz
– Impedance: 37 ohms
– Sensitivity: 94dB
– Weight: 372g
Video Review
Conclusion
An incredible sounding pair of headphones from HiFiMan. Now with minor revisions for 2020, including lower the price to £299, make these a must have headphones. 9.5/10.
Welcome to my review of the Google Pixel Buds 2 which retail at £179.
The Key Features and Specifications
– Earbud weight 5.3g
– Sweat- and water-resistant (IPX4)
– Bluetooth 5.0
– Custom-designed 12 mm dynamic speaker driver
– Passive noise reduction
– Spatial vent for in-ear pressure reduction and spatial awareness
– Dual beamforming microphones and Voice-detecting accelerometer
– Earbuds: Up to 5 hours of listening time and up to 2.5 hours of talk time
– Earbuds with wireless charging case: Up to 24 hours of listening time and up to 12 hours of talk time
– 10-minute charge of earbuds in the wireless charging case delivers up to 2 hours of listening time and up to 1 hour of talk time
– USB-C charging port
– Qi-certified
Video Review
Conclusion
If you are looking for a neutral sounding wireless earphone, with a small footprint, IPX4 and that is usable for the gym along with Google Assistant features, the Google Pixel Buds 2 will fit the bill.
Welcome to my review of the NuraLoop earphones. The NuraLoop retail for £199. Nura the company behind the NuraLoop have set out to re-invent the headphone by ensuring every user has their own personalised sound profile. To protect their I.P. Nura have a number of patents in force. Their first headphone was the over ear Nuraphone. To help with its funding, Nura started a Kickstarter, which became the biggest ever Kickstarter in Australia. In addition, the Nuraphone was worlds first headphone to have features added in July 2018 via a software update which includes automatic noise cancellation.
The special sauce is the personalised hearing test that occurs during setup. With its special mics , two on each earbud , these help carry out an otoacoustic hearing test. With passive sound isolation from the ear tips, the inner microphone on each bud monitors otoacoustic emissions, by detecting the activity in the cochlea inside the ear to learn how your ear hears sound and the respective frequencies. This takes a couple of minutes, which then creates your custom profile. To see this in action, please watch the video below.The end result is terrific sound quality, some of the best ANC and decent battery life. To learn more about these jump over to watching the video.
Key Specifications–
– In box range of ear tips 10.5mm, 12mm, 13.5mm and & replacement filters, case, magnetic charge cable & 3.5mm cable,
– 16 hours battery life , 10 min quick charge for 2 hours,
– APT-X HD , APT-X, AAC , SBC
– Bluetooth 5
– IPX4 sweat resistance
– ANC
– Social Mode
– Immersive Control
– Customisable Touch Controls
– Personalised Sound
Video Review
Update 7th September 2020 – new firmware includes the following features based on Customer feedback:
– Manual On/Off mode – New setting to manually turn NuraLoop on/off. If you don’t want to use this method, the auto on/off is still the default method.
– Double Tap Button functionality – Further customise your TouchDials with double tap.
– Voice Calls – Improved reliability and enhanced clarity of voice calls.
– Plus – Additional bug fixes such as improved fit detection and reduced analog cable latency experienced by musicians.
This new firmware works extremely well in my testing and makes the nuraloop and even stronger recommendation.
Welcome to my review of the Anker Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro True Wireless earphones. These has a recommended retail price of £139.99, although if you use the link at the bottom, these are currently available for £119.99.
Key Features
– Astria Coaxial Acoustic Architecture: A state-of-the-art design which integrates a customised Knowles balanced armature and an 11mm dynamic driver into a single body. Aligned direct-to-ear, Astria completely eliminates interference while producing harmonised treble and bass for jaw-dropping sound.
– In-Ear Studio Performance: Liberty 2 Pro is recommended by 10 Grammy Award winning producers. Sound is delivered at stadium-scale with impeccable depth and nuance.
– HearID Custom Sound: To ensure everyone gets a perfect listening experience, HearID intelligently analyses your unique hearing profile and creates a tailor-made sound setup just for your ears. Or take complete control of the sound with an adjustable EQ or 22 preset sound profiles.
– 32-Hour Playtime: Get 8 hours from a single charge and then another 4 full recharges from the charging case. The charging case recharges via fast-charge USB-C or wireless charging, and provides the earbuds with 2 hours of listening from a 10-minute charge.
– Quad-Microphone Calls: With 4 microphones and cVc 8.0 noise reduction, your voice is isolated and transmitted in high-clarity for a seamless hands-free experience.
Time Index for Video Review
0:00s Intro
0:54s What’s in The Box
2:08s Close-up on the Earphones
3:46s Companion App
5:01s Call Quality
6:16s Connectivity
6:37s Sound Quality
9:44s Latency
9:54s Conclusion
Video Review
Conclusion
One of the most dramatic wireless earphones I have heard for bass impact without ruining the treble and midrange. Highly recommended.
Welcome to my review of the new Microsoft Surface 2 Headphones versus the Razer Opus Headphones. The Surface 2 retail for £239 and the Razer Opus £199.
The video below provides a detailed look at both. The time index is as follows –
0:00s Intro
0:45s Hard cases comparisons
1:19s Headphones folding comparison
1:48s In the case
3:10s Headphone design differences
4:36s Headphone functions & differences
9:42s Sound quality
13:48s Companion apps
16:12s Conclusion
Welcome to my review of the HiFiMan Ananda-BT headphones that retail for $999.
HiFiMan claim that these are the best sounding bluetooth headphones in the world. I would say they are the headphones from the future!
Key Specifications
– Open back headphone design
– Planar Magnetic Drivers
– Impedance: 35 Ω
– Sensitivity: 103 dB
– Frequency range: 8 Hz – 55 kHz
– Weight: 495g with microphone, 460g without mic
– Charging time: 2:40 hours.
– Bluetooth Life: 10 hours
The HIFIMAN Ananda-BT is the bluetooth version of the successful Ananda. Inside the Ananda BT there is a balanced amplifier and an integrated 24-bit DAC. The connection between the receiver and source can be made via Bluetooth with the codecs SBC / AAC / AptX / AptX-HD or LDAC. You can also connect via USB-C cable with support of 24 bit and 192 kHz sampling frequency.
For communications, a microphone is included which makes the Ananda BT a high-end gaming solution as well as using it for conversations with your mobile phone. The headphone will last around 10 hours with charged battery when connected to Bluetooth and takes about 2.7 hours to fully charge. Connected to the USB-C cable, you can either only stream data, for example, to protect the battery of your laptop or smartphone, only charge when the Bluetooth connection is at the same time, or both at the same time.
Sound, the Ananda BT is astonishing. Find out more from my video review below.
Video Review
Conclusion
A stunning sounding headphone of top notch audio grade, and its bluetooth. Highly recommended.
Welcome to my review of the Razer Opus Headphones. These are THX Certified headphones with active noise cancellation and retail for £199.
Key Features
– THX® Certified Headphones
– Advanced active noise cancellation (ANC) technology
– Engineered for comfort
– Quick Attention Mode
– Auto Pause/Auto Play
– Drivers: 2 x 40mm dynamic drivers
– Weight: 265g
– Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
– Microphones: 4 for hybrid active noise cancellation technology, 2 for voice chat
– Wearing style: Circumaural
– What’s inside: Headset, premium carry case, airplane adapter, 1.5m length 3.5mm analog cable, 30cm length USB-C to USB-C cable, USB-A to USB-C adapter
– Battery life: Up to 25 hours
– Bluetooth® Codecs: AAC & APTX, 4.2, A2DP, AVRCP, HFP
THX has created a headphone certification program to further define premium sound quality in the personal entertainment space. Developed to provide a reference headphone listening experience, the THX Headphone Certification Program gives special attention to frequency response, low distortion, and exceptional noise isolation.
Headphones are tuned to ensure high frequencies, vocals, and bass levels are well balanced. This ensures dialogue in movies and vocals in music are clear, while maintaining deep, impactful bass output that doesn’t overpower the listening experience.
THX makes sure your headphones can easily playback high-resolution content at increased volumes without introducing unwanted distortion artifacts.
Video Review
Conclusion
A surprising pair of headphones from Razer. Lovely balanced sound, good looking and reasonably priced.
Welcome to my review of the HiFiMan Deva. The headphones retail for £299.
The HiFiMan Deva are a terrific value headphone. Featuring HiFiMan’s legendary planar magnetic drivers, with a 3.5mm balanced cable as the traditional way of connecting these to your amp or portable music player.
Then there is the bluetooth “Bluemini” module that clips on to the Deva headphones that enables connection over bluetooth with all the Hi-Res bluetooth codecs from APT-X HD and LDAC. If that wasn’t enough, you can use the BlueMini and connect via USB. To find out more of my thoughts on the HiFiMan Deva watch my video review below.
Video Review
Conclusion
A versatile headphone with super sounds. 3 different ways to connect to your music is a winner.
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