The Dudios Ace T8 is the successor of Dudios Tic, which I reviewed a few months ago. This upgraded set of earbuds come with an improved performance, sleeker design and better sound quality.
The following is a detailed review. TL;DR is at the bottom, enjoy reading!
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Package:
User manual.
2x Earbuds.
Charging box.
Charging cable (USB).
3x Pairs of tips (small/medium/large).
1x Safety cushions (Earbuds pod).
Features:
Bluetooth 5.0.
Waterproof (IP not stated)
35h of playtime
Responsive, simple controls interface.
Charging pod (Add up to 30 hours of play time).
Experience
Considering the current situation of Corona, my testing with the earbuds was limited, yet I tried to get the best out of it. Noting that I already own the Dudios Tic and found it appealing to me, this upgraded set of earbuds also caught my attention.
Package
The package has improved slightly from the inside, due to the new oval design of the earbuds pod. The content is still the same. It comes with a charging cable, 3 different sized sets of tips and a manual.
Design
Dudios paid attention to the design. It made it easier to distinguish between the controls area and the rest of the body. Now, the controls area has a round edge, that can be noticeably observed by the finger.
The tips now set more comfortably in comparison to Dudios Tic. The new design provide a firm grip to both the tips and the controls area, so that you don't have an inaccurate touch of the area or accidentally get the wrong feedback off the controls.
Quality
Dudios Ace T8 implements Solo and Mono modes, in case you would like to hear the surroundings from one ear. It's highlighted by the feature that Dudios Ace T8 doesn't have a "parent" earbud, so that you can use any of the earbuds without any limitation.
Testing on the low and medium range spectrums give the best quality with notable defined sounds. High range is also spectacular, considering the audio quality doesn't get "crispy" or lose its features.
Furthermore, the experience with bass boosted music is incredibly amazing. It also applies to calm music, where focusing is the main concern of yours.
Performance, Usage
Battery life is a main feature of the earbuds. It has 35 hours of playtime and I managed to test that throughout the week. Also, there are no noticeable connectivity issues, thanks to the Bluetooth 5 chipset that's bundled with it.
The new controls are much simpler. You can use different gestures, such as: Touch, long touch for x seconds, etc. Doing those gestures will let you control the music (Next/Previous/etc), change the volume and manage the incoming calls.
Misc
The earbuds are priced for 27.99 Euro on Amazon (DE/26.12.2020), with a 10% discount, making the price as low as 25.191 Euro. It also comes with IPX7 rating, so you don't need to worry much about getting wet.
Daily usage
It's been more than a week of testing and I have used the earbuds during my training and work. The quality and battery life amazed me, especially with the convenient price for them. I didn't have any issue with long sessions or wet conditions. Jogging and sprinting were also smooth, the earbuds managed to have a firm grip and be stable in their position.
I didn't have to re-position them and the quality of the sound is notably great, especially in a crowded area. The volume didn't need to be insanely high to have my own "world" with these earbuds and I can easily switch to Solo mode when I want to hear other people.
The earbuds are suitable for casual events, workout sessions, gaming and calming moments. It can be your daily companion and the charging pod can be easily brought with it.
Notes:
Remove the charging safety tapes from the earbuds. It's transparent.
TL;DR:
Great, distinguishable design.
Firm, comfortable in all situations (walking, running, training, sitting and leaning).
Solo/Mono modes.
Durable, suitable for long sessions.
Improved audio quality.
Great quality/price ratio.
I hope you enjoyed reading. I'll see you in my next review!
Related
removed.
I just found out Penonaudio running a X-mas special with HiFiMAN RE300A (android version with a corresponding in-line remote) for $29.90: http://penonaudio.com/HIFIMAN-RE300A
From what I read, RE300A has more bass enhancement in comparison to RE300H I reviewed above. Still, for under $30 is a great deal!
I still think RE300 is an excellent pair of IEM earbuds. I continue referring to them as my headphone ear-plugs because their noise isolation with a right set of eartips is really at the top of its game. They go deep into your ear, disappear like earplugs, and seal it well to deliver a very clear sound with a nice enhanced bass. These are not audiophile quality IEMs with a fatigue high frequencies or basshead IEMs with a booming veiled bass that makes everything else disappear. They are just great for everyday use, especially when you need a great sound isolation and don't want anything to stick out of your ear too much
But something was bothering me since I only got a chance to test/review RE300H, their audiophile version, while I read some comments saying A-android and I-apple versions differ in sound with a more booming and distracting bass. Finally, I got a chance to get my hands on a review sample of RE300A Android version of these IEMs which you can still get for under $50 from Penonaudio: http://penonaudio.com/HIFIMAN-RE300A . Penon actually recognized the value of isolation these earbuds provide, and now they are offering a bonus of 3 pairs of eartips, two double-flange and one triple-flange versions. Unfortunately, my earcanal is not deep enough to test multi-flange eartips, so I typically use single flange ones. I can only imagine how much better isolation is going to be with these tips.
The design and packaging of these is IDENTICAL, with an exception that my 300H was US version while 300A is Chinese versions, and it's reflected in the text on the box. But it really doesn't matter, these are headphones - no need for instructions Even the in-line remote, it's universal for any phone and should be self explanatory. I think it could work not only with android but also with apple since I never had issues with Apple remotes on my Galaxy phones. That is the only main difference, an included in-line remote with a single multi-function button that works perfectly for Play/Pause/Call with a single click, Skip Next with a double click, Skip Back with a triple click, and start Google search with a long press.
Another difference is the cable where RE300H has a more rubbery/sticky finish versus RE300A having a more plasticky smoother finish. But that's just a finish. Inside of the cable, RE300H uses different wires for a higher quality sound while RE300A has an advantage of in-line remote to pickup calls and to control the music. I think both models compliment each other well. Just think about it, when you are outside or commuting, with RE300x in your ears you can easily miss the call, so inline remote has an advantage. But when you are at home relaxing and want to tune out screaming of your kids (speaking from a personal experience), RE300H will work equally great.
Regarding sound itself, I do NOT hear any mid-bass bloat from either RE300A or RE300H. H might have a little more sparkle in the sound and according to the spec should have a slightly better extension at the low/high ends, but A sounds very similar. I had 300A on burn in for almost 60 hrs, and it sounds very clear and balanced and still has an excellent bass slam which doesn't overshadows the rest of the frequency range.
So for those who are still deciding between which one to get, based on my testing and comparison - they are VERY similar in sound signature and quality. Just keep in mind if you want a little more sparkle and slightly better retrieval of details, go for H. But if you want a convenience of smartphone control - A is great for that! And if you are lucky enough to be able to use double-/triple-flange tips - Penon got your covered with a free set of bonus eartips, not to forget their shipment is always super fast.
Here are the pictures (click to enlarge):
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About a month ago, MPow contacted me about a Bluetooth speaker they wanted me to review for them. As I wanted one for quite some time anyways, I thought why not kill two birds with one stone.
The shipping was rather fast, the device arrived just two or three days after I agreed to review the device.
Overview
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Looking at the specs, the MPow AquaPro is IPX7 rated. For everyone not familiar with IP ratings, it basically means the device is water resistant and withstands immersion up to 1m for 30min. While the packaging titles the speaker “waterproof”, I personally wouldn’t call IPX7 waterproof, but rather water resistant. But this should still be more than enough for what most users are gonna do with it anyways.
Another point is the rugged shell: the case is well built and has a very solid feel, especially because of the green/yellow rubber coating surrounding the case
A, for me personally, rather useless feature the speaker has is the SOS alert, which makes a loud noise in case you’re in an emergency. But well, maybe it could come in handy for someone, someday, who knows?
The device was neatly packaged with a short, but rather useless manual, a 30cm USB cable for charging and a 60cm 3.5mm aux cable.
The speaker has 4 buttons on the top for power/connect, vol-, vol+ and play/pause. On the right side you can find the SOS button as well as the USB and aux ports and the charging indicator LED.
Features and Impressions
When I first looked at the speaker, my initial thought was that the speaker was rather small with 8x8x4cm, too small to be loud enough, nor make a clear sound when using max volume. However, I could not have been more mistaken. The speaker is more than loud enough and also has an impressively clear sound. But what impressed me the most is the incredible bass, coming from such a relatively small speaker. It even managed to move around my table once while I played a bass-heavy song.
Looking at the battery, it may not be the biggest battery available, but I got between 7 to 8 hours of actual play time out of one full charge. This brings me to my only big negative point about this speaker: the low battery alert. It really is annoying as hell. As soon as the battery reaches a certain level, the speaker starts playing a godawful sound every minute. This could have been implemented way, way better using an LED first and after a certain amount of time moving on to a sound notification. But well, it is something you usually don’t encounter that often anyways.
One more rather small criticism I have to add is looking into the manual. The best you can do is not to look into it at all, because as I said before, it is quite useless. The use of the speaker is rather self-explanatory and the times for powering the speaker on and off, as well as connecting are anything but accurate. But as the manual isn’t really needed, I don’t really care about that at all.
Conclusion
Now, to sum things up, the device really makes an impression. It is well built, it is more than powerful enough for pretty much all use cases and it is not expensive at all. I have been using it mostly for showering, and after one month worth of showers the device is still working perfectly. So if you are looking for a small, affordable but still powerful Bluetooth speaker, this is the way to go.
Special Offer
As an extra, they also offered me a discount code for 4$ off when buying on Amazon:
Code: 75UGBSUR
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019VROWAG
http://www.xmpow.com/mpow-aquapro-portable-wireless-bluetooth-speaker-mbs9.html
Expiration date: June 20th
Code does not work. Not in the Canadian store s at least...
It's useful after I tried it.
kojam said:
Code does not work. Not in the Canadian store s at least...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's useful on the giving link provided in the review on Amazon after I tried it on the right permalink. But what a pity, there are only three days left.
Hey,
some days ago Syllable sent me a pair of their D300 bluetooth in-ear headphones for review so here it is now
Let me first clarify that I am neither paid by them nor related to them in any other way.
Let's start :highfive:
General information
The headphones ship in a small box with a long charging connector and ear plugs in different sizes:
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The medium ear plugs are already attached to the speakers, a smaller and a bigger pair ships with them (bigger is not in picture). I really like the little clamp that comes with them so I can attach them to my shirt. Big plus!
The headphones have three buttons as you can see here:
The key mapping is
Volume+/Next Song
Shutdown or switch on/Pause
Volume-/Previous Song
The first element in the list corresponds to a long press whereas the second element is a normal/short press. This is quite counterintuitive given that the buttons have + and - printed on itself. Once you figure that out it is easy to use though The buttons are also a bit sluggish to press but they are still usable. There is also a microphone built in which really surprised me keeping in mind that these things cost just 12$! The call quality is mediocre though. If you receive a call while wearing them a single press on the middle button answers it. If you then press again the call is hung it.
PairingI used a Blackview Alife P1 Pro and an Elephone P8000 as a pairing device and both worked fine with the headphones. To pair you simply have to press and hold the middle button until the speakers turn themselves on. Then keep holding the button until the built in LED starts to alter between blue and red. The "D300" can then be found in your BT smartphone menu. Only one device can be paired at a time so if you switch devices, you have to turn off bluetooth on the first device in order to pair the second one. I think that's reasonable as also only one person can listen to the music coming out of these headphones so there is no need to pair more than one device at a time. If you wanna use it after pairing again a short power button press is sufficient so you don't have to hold the button longer than 1 second when starting the phones the next time.
Sound QualityThe sound quality is good! I usually wear on ear headphones which have a lot of bass - obviously the D300 have less bass and more mids and highs. When I pushed a bit onto the earphones the bass became more present but that is nothing I want to do while running. I still like the sound quality given the low price and the fact that these things have tiny speakers compared to my big headphones. They also have better bass compared to D700 which I reviewed here.
Battery LifeThe D300 came pre-charged and I tested them immediately. The box states 4 hours music time which is a realistic value. After charging the device's battery via micro USB, you get 3.5-4 hours out of them.
DesignThe design of the D300 is rather extroverted. My pair came in a neon blue color and I am pretty sure the designers aimed rather at runners than at businessmen. The headphones are not ugly but I personally would not wear them other than for sports or when being at home.
ConclusionAfter all I am rather impressed by these inexpensive headphones! You basically get a full functional bluetooth headphone pair with built in microphone, calling feature, music adjustment buttons and a decent battery life for just 12$! Also the bluetooth range is good! The only downside I can on the D300 spot is the extreme color.
Pro:
Cheap - 12$!
Good sound quality!
Decent battery life!
Calling feature!
Great BT range!
Comes with three pairs of earplugs!
Good fit!
Con:
Color
If you're looking for a cheap pair of wireless headphones for doings sports, go for these guys! You won't be disappointed. :highfive: I definitely recommend to buy them because of the low price and good features! I would also prefer them over the D700 but that is my personal opinion.
Archeer AH07 Bluetooth Headphones
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Unboxing
The Headphones are packaged into a stylish and compact, premium-like and solid package, with some basic accessories: 1x Micro-USB Cable, 1x 3.5mm Audio Cable, 1x User Manual, and the Headphones (of course).
As regards the Chassis, well there is a mixture of Metal and Plastic, together with a soft-cushion in order to make its wearing experience comfortable.
Each side can be rotated/adjusted, here you can see the internal slider. This is something rare to find, even on high-end headphones.
Thanks to the soft-cushion, made of artifical leather, there are no issues as regards prolonged usage.
Over-ear pavilions (please correct me if i'm using the wrong word) guarantee a better sound insulation, but i found the soft-cushion, at least on my skin, getting pretty hot after some minutes of usage. This is probably caused by the almost-perfect insulation that reduces to minimum the amount of air coming to ears, or just my skin.
Sound Quality
As regards the sound quality, well i am not an audiophile so i can't provide you some professional audio tests, but basing on my power-user experience, i can definitely say that these headphones are able to provide an almost high-end experience, with a great sound quality and complete frequencies coverage.
The Volume is high enough, and low frequencies (aka Bass, even though this isn't the correct definition) are here. I haven't noticed any lack of frequencies, the sound is equilibrated and well calibrated.
This is my Loudness/Volume Test while running a Dolby Sound Test. Result: 82.2 dBA (MAX)
As regards the built-in Microphone, it seems to work just as fine as on the majority of headsets. Nothing to say about it.
Is there something negative about sound quality? Yes, but not directly related. Sound Insulation isn't perfect, it doesn't have any active noise cancellation system so what provides the insulation is just the pavilion. I am not saying that it isn't good, it is definitely enough for me, but in case of loud environments it could be a problem.
Controls and Connectivity
I was able to pair the headphones with my device in just one step (using BT), and after being connected i didn't experienced any issue as regards stability or such. There is APT-X support here for high-definition BT Audio.
There is also the possibility to use Wired Connection instead of Wireless (using BT), without having to use its internal battery, and i do not notice any Quality difference compared to the Wireless connection, maybe because i'm using a last-gen device.
As regards the controls area, there are just three buttons here, but they are multi-functional. The Power Button works also as an Answering Button and as a Music Control for Play/Pause, and the Volume Buttons are used to control the volume (of course), to Reject/Mute a Call and as a Music Control for Next/Previous song.
Conclusions
I am impressed by the quality of these headphones, being a Piston 3 user where sound frequencies are a bit messed up, i can definitely hear the difference. Archeer...well done!
Summarizing all, these AH07 Headphones are really well-made, nice build quality, and what matters most is the sound quality that is great.
So...do I recommend this accessory? Well, i haven't tested lower-end headphones so i can't provide you a comparision or such, but considering the mid-range price, i doubt it is possible to find something better at the price target. Recommended if you want to buy something well-made, with great sound quality, at an acceptable price.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Great Sound Quality
- Solid
- Comfortable
- Acceptable Price
Cons:
- Sound Insulation could have been better
Rating: 8.8
Packaging and Accessories: 8.5
Design and Materials: 9.5
Sound Quality: 9.5
Price: 8 (based on Amazon price)
Official Product page: http://www.archeer.com/Archeer-AH07...laxing,Up-to-14-Hours-Playback-Time-p-20.html
Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/2b5mP2M
You can find full-res images (I know, Quality isn't excellent) here: http://imgur.com/a/wLYZ9
The trend of ditching the headphone jack brought and popularized the usage of wireless earbuds, that connect via Bluetooth and WiFi. 2 days ago, I joined this trend with headphone jack-less phone and a pair of Dudios Free Mini earbuds that I bought on Amazon. My goal was to get premium earbuds that live to its brand and be durable and efficient, yet, be affordable. Out of many options, I was convinced by the Dudios Free Mini that grabbed my attention. It provided the premium and sleek design and the budget price, which was a great bargain for me.
The following is a detailed review. TL;DR is at the bottom, enjoy reading!
Package:
User manual.
2x Earbuds.
Charging box.
Charging cable (USB).
3x Pairs of tips (small/medium/large).
2x Safety cushions (Box & content).
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Features:
Bluetooth 5.0.
IPX5 Rated (protects from sweat damage).
Durable and last up to 15 hours.
Touch control that provides easy functions (Phone call, Music, etc).
Comfortable and yet hold firmly.
Provided charging box.
Experience:
The earbuds came with little battery and I emptied it completely to note down the charging time. It completed its charging after 1 hour and 50 minutes, which is less than the official time (2 hours). Of course, it may vary between 1:30 and 2:00 hours charging times. Knowing that gyms are closed, I went for a normal cardio session outside to test the durability of the earbuds and how comfortable it is to train with them.
To be honest, I didn't feel them. They were super comfy and didn't put any pressure on my ears and didn't annoy me while running. I enjoyed the run with the earbuds and the Bluetooth connection was stable. The volume and the quality of the audio was perfect for my style and didn't feel off at all. I took my time testing the product, considering that I'd want to make sure that it's up to my expectations. Another test was cleaning the car, which included a lot of water sprays and wet areas around the ears.
The earbuds did NOT slip off and didn't seem to annoy me at all, which was quite pleasant. I've used it too for some various calls and with that different usage of them, it lasted 11 hours and had 20% left. This means that I used it for Media playback and calls, which lasted more than an hour.
To this point, I'm still experiencing with them and I have no issues whatsoever with the functionality or the connectivity. To conclude, it has the expected functionality and surpassed the expectations by being comfy and easy-to-use earbuds.
Notes:
I'd like to highlight, that you need to remove the charging film on the earbuds before putting them in the charging box, otherwise, it wouldn't charge.
TL;DR:
Sleek, premium and minimal design.
Touch control is as easy as it can get.
Multiple functions with a few clicks on the earbuds.
Last long and can be easily re-charged.
IPX5 Rated, don't worry about doing sport!
Budget price.
I hope you enjoyed reading. I'll see you in my next review!