TWS true wireless earphones - under $50
FOUR STARS - If you need a pair of comfortable wireless earbuds great for phone calls or listening to podcasts, it's safe to consider the Blitzwolf BW-FE9. It's not the most musical earphone, however.
Blitzwolf BW-FYE9 specs:
Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC codec
IPX4 waterproof rating (light rain and sweat resistant)
4 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with USB-C cable
Around $40 on AliExpress (check price!)
Below this Blitzwolf BW-FYE9 review, you will find comparisons between the Blitzwolf BW-FYE9 vs SoundPEATS TrueAir 2, Fiil CC2, and TaoTronics SoundLiberty 95.
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Design, comfort and battery life
There are two things you should know straight away from the Blitzwolf BW-FYE9. The first is: these earbuds are kind of hard to grab out of their charging case. It can be a hassle to take them out with sweaty or cold fingers, or when you're in a hurry.
The second thing you should know is that these are half-in-ears (meaning they don't have rubber ear-tips that go entirely in your ears) but... they are rather thick. While the speaker mound looks the same as on Apple's AirPods, the FYE9 has a chunk of earbud attached to it. The FYE9 is larger and thicker than most other AirPods-like earbuds. Fit and comfort are personal things, but half-in-ears like the SoundPEATS TrueAir2 and AirPods have a smoother grip in your ears. You can 'hang' those in, and they will stay in place. The BW-FYE9 needs a certain depth in your ears to hold the thick part securely.
When the buds stay in your ears, they are both light and comfortable. It's good to know their IPX4 waterproof-rating makes them resistant to light rain and sweat. Also: the stem is delightfully short, making these look compact in your ears.
Unfortunately, the Blitzwolf BW-FYE9 doesn't live up to its advertised battery life of 6 hours per charge. Instead, the music stops playing after 4 hours of playtime. It's an average score, suitable enough for commuting,
The charging case can recharge the earbuds four times fully before needing new power itself. It gets this power via a USB-C port on the bottom of the case. Four LED-lights indicate the battery status of the case, which feels surprisingly sturdy and heavy, as it's made from metal rather than plastic.
Connectivity and controls
The Blitzwolf BW-FYE9 has solid connectivity... most of the time. The connection holds strong up to ten meters away from your device, and hiccups between the earphones themselves and your device are rare, although minor dips can occur.
Unfortunately, the struggle of taking earbuds out of the case can result in having to put one earbud on manually to pair it with the other. It doesn't always work. In the same way, you can't continue listening to one of the buds if you want to charge the other - the remaining bud will enter pairing mode instead. You'll need to put both in the case and then take them out to pair and connect them again.
The controls on the Blitzwolf are easy to learn and respond quite well to your touch.
Tap L or R once to pause/ play music
Double-tap R to skip a song
Double-tap L to return a song
Hold R to increase the volume
Hold L to decrease volume
While unmentioned in the user guide, three taps let you activate the voice assistant. Don't do this when connected to an iPhone, however. Activating it may cause you to lose the earbuds' volume output until you take them out of the case again!
The Blitzwolf works fine most of the time, but there's just a little too much connectivity hassle to ensure ease of use.
Calling and video on Blitzwolf FYE9
The call quality is a triumph of the BW-FYE9. Noises from your surroundings are reduced wonderfully. In the test period, there was an occasion with some wind noise, a train passing by, and heavy construction site noises at the same time. All of these were left out of the call - creating a very surreal situation where you can barely hear yourself talking, but the other end of the line still hears your voice - and only your voice.
The heavy noise-reduction of the BW-FYE9 does affect your voice too. So even though you're clear, it can still sound like you're talking in a pillow. Still, these come well recommended for taking a call.
Watching videos with the Blitzwolf BW-FYE9 is convenient too. The audio synchronizes perfectly with video on Android and iPhone, including the challenging YouTube-app. There is a delay in sound effects when playing games, and there's no low-latency gaming mode to tackle this.
Also read: Best cheap AirPods-alternatives under $50
Sound quality of BW-Fye9: bassy, yet thin
The Blitzwolf BW-FYE9 has proper bass and highs, but lacks body.
Barely a year ago, most AirPods-shaped earphones sounded plain bad. They either lacked bass and sounded too light or provided bass and sounded muddy. Half-in-ears have more distance from the speaker to your ear canal than regular earphones, and that makes it more difficult to make them sound great.
The BW-FYE9 bass has a steady thump and gives dance, pop, hip-hop, and other bassy genres its much-needed power. Don't expect a hard-hitting bass, however. It's about the mid-bass here, and it's a 'slap' rather than a 'punch'. The Blitzwolf lacks sub-bass: it has trouble reaching the deepest and darkest bass tones you can feel as much as hear. No surprise for half-in-ears, but still good to know.
It's vocals and other upper-mid tones that play the main role on the BW-FYE9. Both female and higher-pitched male vocals are forward, and not just those - darker vocals also sound more forward and lighter than usual. While there's a lovely air surrounding them, they also appear thin. Voices can lack fullness, can be tinny, or even sharp at times.
In between the highs and the mid-bass, there's not too much going on with the BW-FYE9. There's a subtle boost of the lower-mids, giving the music some warmth still, but center-mids like piano play and guitars lack body and detail.
Even though there's a decent bass, the bright sound character of the Blitzwolf BW-FYE9 makes this pair great for listening to podcasts but a little thin for music.
Blitzwolf BW-FYE9 comparisons
Blitzwolf BW-FYE9 vs SoundPEATS TrueAir2
The TrueAir2 may be the best cheap AirPods-alternatives money can buy, and they have an advantage over this Blitzwolf. Both are great at handling outdoor phone calls, yet the TrueAir2 gives around half an hour extra battery life per charge. Music on the SoundPEATS is fuller and warmer, thanks to a stronger bass, boosted lower-mids, and more detail in the mid-tones. The BW-FYE9 gives more room to vocals and sounds crispier in the highs, but also much thinner. The TrueAir2 has a friendlier, more complete sound.
Blitzwolf BW-FYE9 vs SoundLiberty 95
With 5,5 to 6 hours of battery life and convincing call quality, the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 95 may be an even better choice if you're looking for half-in-ears for phone calls. Musically, the SoundLiberty has a stronger, more uplifting bass-thump and more detail in the lows. The Blitzwolf gives vocals a way more prominent role, providing these with more information. As the Blitzwolf can also sound harsher because of this, the TaoTronics is a friendlier sounding option.
Blitzwolf BW-FYE9 vs Fiil CC2
The FYE9 may have a solid metal charging case; the Fiil CC2 has one that oozes design. The CC2 does not have the same outstanding outdoor call quality as the Blitzwolf, but it's still perfectly doable to take a phone call with it. On other aspects, the Fiil is a step ahead. It has 5 hours of battery life per charge and sounds better. It has a stronger and more refined bass, controls higher-pitched vocals and other highs better, and resolves many more details in the mid-tones.
Verdict
If you need a pair of comfortable wireless earbuds great for phone calls or listening to podcasts, it's safe to go for the Blitzwolf BW-FE9. It's not the most musical earphone, however.
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I bought the Blitzwolf BW-FYE9 myself to test and review. All my reviews are 100% honest and non-commercial. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
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