Category Archives: headphones

OnePlus Buds 3 Confirmed for Launch

headphones, hifi,

OnePlus LogoWith the launch of the OnePlus 12 & 12R later this week, OnePlus have confirmed that the latest smartphones will be joined by a new set of earphones, the OnePlus Buds 3. These continue OnePlus’ mantra of “Never Settle” with “Harmony Unfiltered” reflecting hi-fi sound and easy of use. Over the last few year’s, the company has worked hard to bring a suite of products that work neatly together at multiple price points.

The new Buds 3 come with dual dynamic drivers with a 10.4 mm woofer and a 6 mm tweeter with a broad frequency range of 15 Hz to 40 kHz, which should give a good performance across the spectrum. As you’d expect, there’s active noise cancellation (ANC) with up to 49 dB of noise reduction. Perfect for screening out noise for a bit of peace and quiet.

Looking at the picture, the Buds 3 continue OnePlus approach to earphones with an accompanying battery case that charges the buds while they’re inside. No details in the release about charge times or battery lengths.

There are two colours, Splendid Blue and Metallic Gray. The former looks great, though it would appear to be a move away fro OnePlus green which has been a feature going back as far as the 8 series of phones, if I recall.

The Buds 3 come with a new feature – volume control on the stems. Simply slide your finger up the earbud to raise the volume and down to lower it. Brilliant.

Without the “Pro” moniker, I’m guessing that these will slot in as a mid-range device, below the Pro range but (well) above the Nords. At this point, no details on price. That will undoubtedly be revealed at the global launch event shortly.

JLab Offers Skin Tone Wireless Earbuds with the Go Air Tones

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Over the years, headphones have been predominately black with a few exceptions like Sennheiser’s HD414s and their iconic yellow ear pads. Apple made white fashionable with the AirPods and since there have been a few companies offering vibrantly coloured earbuds.

Today, rather than standing out, the JLab Go Air Tones earbuds look to blend in with a collection of seven skin-toned wireless earbuds. These have been available in the USA for a few months and they are now available in the UK and Ireland.

Taking the more colourful Go Air Pop earbuds as a base, JLab worked with Los Angeles-based Orly Color Labs to develop a series of authentic skin tones. Starting with over 60 different shades, the selection was whittled down to seven skin tones that are inclusive and diverse.

Elina Gitig, Orly’s Director of Special Projects, and Emma Guy, Orly Color Labs’ Senior Mixologist, made sure that the skin tone shades not only matched actual skin tones, but were also flattering. To ensure that these shades can be replicated on earbuds, the team also matched each shade to a Pantone color.

I think the Go Air Tones are great for anyone who wants to be discrete and JLab should be applauded for making the effort and investment.

On to the technical details….the Go Air Tones offer 8 hours of listening time on a full charge with an additional 24 hours available from the charging case, though it will take a little over 2 hours to charge the earbuds from empty. Three earbud tips (S, M, L) should provide ear comfort and it’s possible to use each earbud on their own if desired. The earbuds feature touch controls for a range of functions including volume, track control, answering calls and connecting to your smart assistant. There’s no noise cancellation but that’s not unexpected at this price level.

As I mentioned earlier, the Go Air Tones are launching in UK and Ireland and can can be purchased for £19.99 from JD Williams and Amazon in the UK and Harvey Norman in Ireland for €24.95.

Nothing ear(1) ANC Wireless Earbuds PreSale Saturday

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Earlier this week, Carl Pei’s new tech startup, Nothing, launched its first product, the ear(1) wireless active noise cancelling earbuds for a very competitively priced US$99 / GB£99.

Long time GNC readers will likely recognise Carl Pei’s name as one of the two founders of OnePlus, leaving the smartphone brand last year to start this new project with the financial backing of Google Ventures (now GV) along with a number of private investors, including Tony Fadell, creator of the iPod, and Casey Neistat.

The ear(1)s have comprehensively managed to step away from comparisons with other wireless earbuds with a unique design and a transparent charging case. Carl Pei said, “Nothing ear (1) is a breath of fresh air in a cluttered and indifferent market, setting the tone for our connected digital world to come. It marries advanced technology, precise engineering, and groundbreaking design at an unbelievable price.”

I have to admit that when I first saw the design, I thought the NOTHING ear(1) logo on the side of the earbuds was actually a small LCD display that would, say, show the tracks being played or the podcast being listened to. Sadly this isn’t the case but it would be really neat if it did.

In terms of specs, the ear(1) earbuds have active noise cancelling, wireless charging, IPX4 water resistance (sweat and splash), in-ear detection, over five hours of battery life and 34 hours of listening with case recharging. The 11.6mm drivers have been tuned by the audio nerds at Teenage Engineering for balanced bass, mid, and treble performance. Bluetooth 5.2 provides wireless connectivity. Nothing provides a complementary app to customise the audio experience of the ear(1)s and to help you find them when they’ve fallen down the back of the sofa.

If, like me, you missed the keynote launch during the week, the event is available on YouTube for viewing – the Sound of Change.

However, what you might not want to miss is a presale of the ear(1)s over at nothing.tech at 1400 BST on Saturday 31st August for purchasers in the UK and US. It is a limited drop and I don’t know exactly how the sale will go down, but it’s probably worth registering on the web site in advance.

If you miss this opportunity, the ear(1) earbuds will be going on general sale from 17 August, though there will be some other opportunities to get in on the hype through a couple of fashion sites like HBX, Mr Porter and Kith. Clearly, the ear(1)s are for the cool kids.

Ear 1 Coming From Nothing

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Ex-OnePlus founder Carl Pei’s latest venture, Nothing, has revealed that there’s not long to go before their first product, Ear 1, arrives in June. Described as true wireless earbuds, the final design hasn’t yet been revealed other than through a teaser poster and clues from Carl, “Ear 1 combines notes of transparency, iconic form, and refined functionality. It is the starting point that will define the artistry, confidence and craftsmanship that will carry our products and services for years to come.” Looks a bit like something out of Monument Valley (the game, not the location), if you ask me.

In his blog post, Carl muses on the journey so far and the direction of travel and there are definite echoes of OnePlus, “But more than that, we believe the earphones market was begging for differentiation, a space where we can elevate design and deliver value from day one. ” Where have we heard that before?

The Ear 1 has been designed in partnership with Stockholm-based teenage engineering who have been designing and developing highly acclaimed audio equipment for over ten years.

Intend as the first of many products, Ear 1 is only the beginning, the first step in a long and exciting journey ahead, and Carl jokes about the next model being the Ear 2. I’ve been a fan of OnePlus for years and I’m hoping to see similar success with Nothing. No doubt the Ear 1 will be well designed, sound great and come with a competitive price tag.

Not long to go to find out.

OnePlus Nord Launches Tomorrow

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A reminder that there’s a launch event tomorrow (Tuesday) by OnePlus, with full reveals of both the mid-range Nord smartphone and new wireless headphones, Buds.

As ever, there has been a ton of leaks around the devices, some intentional, some less so. Many of the details have been disclosed already, such as the use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G chipset, which means 5G, and that the Nord will include four cameras, two of which are for selfies. Of course, the big unknown is the price which is heavily hinted to be under US$500 for the Nord.

Regarding the Buds, it’s looking like there will be three colour options; black, white and a light blue with lime highlights. A total listening time of 30 hours is expected, but that includes three recharges in the battery case. From the leaks, Dolby Atmos could be on the cards too, which would be impressive at a price point of rumoured to be under US$100, based on the CEO teasing a price of $XX.XX for the Buds on Instagram. There’s more on the design of the Bugs over at the OnePlus forums.

As the world is still paralysed by Covid-19, OnePlus are going with an online AR (augmented reality) event to debut the new gadgets. If you want to watch the event at 10am EST / 1500 BST / 1600 CEST, there are two options.

  • Option 1: Livestream on OnePlus website at https://www.oneplus.com/global/nord/AR.
  • Option 2: Using the OnePlus Nord AR App available forAndroid or iOS. Install the app, then launch the app and follow instructions to setup your avatar and the app. You might need to accept a few permissions. Close to the launch time, launch the AR app and start the immersive AR experience.

Make sure you have a good internet connection to have a consistent streaming experience.

If you missed out on the Nord  pre-orders, OnePlus have confirmed that they will be continuing the tradition of pop-up stores, albeit again through a virtual on-line pop-up store.

Get Some Sleep with Kokoon Relax Headphones at CES

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Sleep deprivation seems to be the curse of the 20th Century but for most people, the problem is simply living busy lives. According to NHS Choices, 1 in 3 people in the UK are affected by insomnia, with 50% of respondents in a recent survey by Mintel reporting struggles with sleep. All of us will have occasionally experienced those nights, lying awake, unable to switch off, but usually we’re back to ourselves the next night. However, for some, getting to sleep can be a clinical problem that needs help beyond getting to bed early.

For those people, there are CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) techniques that can help with the problem. Tim Antos was one such sufferer and it was his experience of guided audio relaxation techniques that encouraged him to setup Kokoon with the mission to help people relax and sleep easier. After attending many sessions at a sleep clinic he “wanted to make all this knowledge, all these great tools I learnt in the sleep clinic more accessible to the everyday consumer to use on their own terms”.

Developed with staff at Europe’s largest sleep laboratory, the Kokoon Relax headphones combine bio-sensing with adaptive audio within an ergonomic noise cancelling headphone to provide personalised, bespoke assistance to help people switch off and relax. Simplistically, that means it uses EEG sensors to monitor brainwaves, motion and heart rate, and adjusts the sounds depending on how sleepy the wearer is.

The Kokoon app features techniques, tracks and concepts developed with sleep professionals to optimise the chances of falling asleep. The app helps insomnia sufferers by delivering a customised content experience developed for the individual using the sensor data gathered from their body and environment. For example, as the wearer falls asleep, the audio changes in response, fading out the content and introducing white noise to mask out disturbances. The system also tracks what helps someone doze off, then personalising content for greater effect.

On top of this, the Kokoon Relax headphones have been designed with comfort as a priority. There’s no point getting to sleep only to be woken up by uncomfortable headphones digging into the scalp. The Flexmould Comfort patented design helps Kokoon headphones conform to the shape of the user’s head, and by using high quality natural fibre fabric, air flows easily through the ear cups to keep the wearer’s ears cool and comfortable (I often get hot ears). The ear cushions are detachable for washing too.

The Relax headphones can be used just like any other Bluetooth 4 headphone. With great sound from 40mm electro-dynamic drivers, it makes them ideal for listening to music and watching movies whilst travelling, or simply relaxing in a busy place. And at only 350g or 12oz they make the perfect travel companion with folding earcups and a carry case is included too. There’s a choice of two colours, black or grey.

The Kokoon Relax headphones are now shipping internationally from Kokoon.io for US$349 / GB£315, and there are some new year offers on. They can also be purchased from Amazon.com and selected retailer.

Hidizs Sonata HD DAC Review – USB C to 3.5 mm

Hardware, headphones, hifi, review, ,

There’s no doubt that USB C is the new standard for smartphones, tablets and laptops and it replaces a plethora of legacy ports, including all the annoying variants of USB. In addition, USB C supports digital audio and several device manufacturers have decided to remove 3.5 mm audio sockets from their phones and tablets. Google, OnePlus, Samsung, Huawei and LG all have at least one model which only has USB C.

This is not good news if you have invested in high-end headphones or earbuds that connect via a cable. Yes, manufacturers typically include a USB C to 3.5 mm adaptor for the devices but my experience is that the sound quality isn’t that great – frankly, it’s rubbish.

Both my smartphone (OnePlus 6T) and tablet (Huawei Mediapad M5) are USB C only devices, and as an owner of some half-decent headphones, I’d been looking to improve the audio experience. I came across a recommendation for the the Hidizs Sonata HD DAC Cable II so I thought I’d try it out. I ordered via Amazon.com to be shipped to the UK, so it set me back about US$45 in total.

The Hidizs DAC comes in small zipped case typical of audio goods. Inside there’s the Sonata DAC cable itself, plus a USB A to USB C converter for use with laptops and PCs that don’t have the newer type of USB. It’s also needed for flashing the firmware, but more on this later.

First impressions are that this is a good product – the cable has lovely plaiting and the socket is metal….but we’re not here to look at the Sonata. What does it sound like?

Brilliant. The difference between the Hidizs DAC cable and the Huawei OEM one was easily noticeable. The sound was much clearer, with greater clarity and really opened up the performance.  Very impressed and would definitely recommend the Sonata if you have any kind of quality headphones. I tested with a range of headphones from Sennheiser to 1more, both over-ear and in-ear.

Using the USB A to C converter gives the benefits of the DAC over whatever penny chip was used in a PC or laptop. Windows 10 picked up the DAC on insertion and resetting the audio output to the new device yielded much better sound across the board too.

Finally, the Sonata 3.5 mm input is a TRRS type and supports headphones with a microphone, meaning you can take phone calls when you have your headphones on, as long as there’s a mic on the ‘phones. Interestingly, the firmware can be updated too and if you don’t use the phone function, the output audio quality can be enhanced further to 24bit/192kHz. I didn’t actually try to flash the firmware…

Overall, the Hidizs Sonata HD DAC Cable II is a big improvement over the cables provided in the box with smartphones and tablets sporting USB C. Recommended.

There’s more in the video below.