TWS true wireless earphones - under $150
FOUR STARS - The GravaStar Sirius Pro is a brutal and fantastic looking pair of wireless gaming earbuds, but there are cheaper earbuds delivering comparable performance for competitive gaming.
GravaStar Sirius Pro P9 specs and features:
Bluetooth with AAC codec
IPX5 waterproof rating (rain and sweat resistant)
4 - 5 hours playtime on a single charge (gaming mode/ music mode)
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 3 times
Comes with four ear tips, USB-C cable, necklace, English manual
$130 - Check price on Amazon US, Amazon Germany, other Amazon countries or GravaStar's site
Below this GravaStar Sirius Pro review, you will find comparisons of the GravaStar Sirius Pro vs Soundcore Life P3, Fiil T1 Lite, and Edifier X3s.
All reviews on Scarbir.com are unsponsored and honest. You can support my quest to find great affordable audio by buying via the Amazon links on this site or via PayPal.
Design, comfort and battery life
Look at the GravaStar Sirius Pro. Just look at them! These are, by far, the most exceptional-looking wireless earbuds tested after 265 reviews on Scarbir.com so far.
Whereas some products labeled as 'for gaming' may look wonky or nerdy, this is the opposite. The case is entirely made from metal, has proper weight to it, and feels as robust as it looks. It seems like a thing you stole from Fallout, from Cyberpunk 2077, from Mad Max, snatched from the hands of Brutes in Halo Infinite.
These are not just earbuds; these are a party trick. Not just because the open middle part functions as a beer bottle opener (!), it's because you can put the case with earbuds in other people's hands, ask what they'll think it is - and you get wrong answers in return. Yes, it feels like a Zippo, but no, it isn't one. No, it's not just a power bank - although some people do think that when they push the button down below and see a LED-light flash up in different colors on the inside. Some people try to spin the little wheel on the side, to no success. Only the ones pushing it, flinging the lid open hard, actually discover what it is: a pair of wireless earbuds. Upon discovery, everyone during the test periode calls it awesome - and they're not wrong. The presentation and execution of the Sirius Pro are so, so good.
And that's just the charging case. The GravaStar comes packed in a sturdy plastic box that feels just as cyberpunk as the housing. Inside it is a card box you slide open like a pair of matchsticks with the manual, USB-C charging cable, four pairs of ear tips (thicker ones for more grip, lighter ones for more comfort), and even a metallic necklace.
The earbuds themselves are painted in dark grey-metallic, with turquoise accents and a spider-pod-like logo on the side, but contrary to what you may expect, you can wear them quite distinctively. They're subtle in shape, with a compact and comfortable round inside that feels snug in (medium-sized) ears and won't fall out easily. They barely stick out of your ears.
Spec-wise, the earbuds deliver a below-average 4 to 5 hours of playtime on a single charge (shortest with gaming mode on Android, longest with music mode on iPhone), and the case can charge the earbuds three times fully before needing new power via USB-C itself. The IPX5 waterproof rating makes them survive rain and sweat, so you can run and commute safely with them as well.
Controls and connectivity
Controls on the Sirius Pro take a bit of getting used to, partly because the touch panels don't always recognize the number of your taps well, and you may switch a track instead of switching to another mode.
Tap L or R to play/pause
Tap R twice to skip a song
Tap L twice to return a song
Triple-tap R to switch between music mode and gaming mode
Triple-tap L to switch between music mode and movie mode
Hold R to increase the volume
Hold L to decrease volume
Tap L or R four times to activate the voice assistant
While switching between the modes is strange on two sides of the earbuds, all the controls you need are on the earbuds. You can also easily swap between listening to one or two earbuds, for instance, if you want to charge a bud while listening to the other. On top of it, the music automatically pauses when you take a bud out and resumes when you have both buds in - although this doesn't work flawless - music may be continuing as you're holding one bud in your hands already.
Overall connectivity is solid. The GravaStar holds its Bluetooth connection from your device up to 9-10 meters without any problems.
Unfortunately, the earbuds don't remember which mode you were in the last time you used them. You will always start with the music mode as default.
Calling, video playback and gaming latency
Of course, the GravaStar is marketed as a gaming product. So how well does the Gaming mode exterminate the delay in sound effects you normally have when gaming with wireless earbuds?
On iPhone, performance is acceptable. The Gaming Mode speeds up the sound, but sound effects still come a tad later than the action you see. On Android, the synchronization between audio and video is great. In the middle of the action, it's easy to forget there's still a tiny bit of delay left.
Video playback is flawless on both iPhone and Android, and it's also doable to take a phone call with these. Your voice is loud and clear but a bit compressed, with a bit of walkie-talkie graininess on the line. Noises around you are reduced well, but the wind is a proper enemy to the call clarity. Video calls like Microsoft Teams, Zoom meetings, and audio groups in Discord, are less successful - your voice sounds fuller than in phone calls but is too compressed to be clear.
Also read: The best wireless earbuds under $50
Sound quality of GravaStar Sirius Pro: Warm
Warmth with boosted and deep bass. That's what the GravaStar Sirius Pro gives you when it comes to sound.
The Sirius Pro has a thick mid-bass that delivers a steady slam. The bass is boosted and sounds full, and its generous thumps last long - they drag on a bit. When a song pushes the bass out of itself, as so many modern electronic, dance, and hip-hop tracks do, the mid-bass even rumbles loosely. There's definitely plenty of power underneath - and if you're not into it, you can opt for the lighter ear tips that remove most of the bass weight.
The sub-bass - the darkest bass tones you can feel as much as you hear - don't add much to the already strong mid-bass, but ideal test tracks like James Blake's Limit to Your Love, you'll encounter a moderately deep and rumbly sub.
The bass gets company from the heavily elevated lower mid-tones, which give the Sirius Pro a very warm sound. Darker electronic tones, lower male vocals, and drums play a big role in the music - and typical mid-instruments like guitar and piano play get dragged towards these lower tones and appear darker than average.
The GravaStar doesn't pay much attention to the higher frequencies. Treble is tamed. Female and higher-pitched male vocals have warm underlining and are hardly more prominent than the rest of the song. Normally brighter instruments, like violins, trumpets, and screeching electric guitars, are cut off before they have a chance of sounding harsh but lose presence and detail in the process. Claps and cymbals aren't piercing, but they're far from textured and lifelike either - a bit thin instead.
A lack of treble also means there's little air to the sound. Even though some instruments come from your left and right, music feels a bit caved in.
So what if you change to the movie or gaming mode?
Well, these tone down the lower mids and boost the treble somewhat. They add a bit of air to the sound, and while they provide movies with a bit of spaciousness, the effect is not very effective for competitive gaming. Mids and brighter sound effects may not be peaky loud, but they still appear flat and too recessed to detect and position footsteps around you.
Whichever sound mode you choose: with the weighty lower-mids and restricted treble, the sound is a bit too dense for gaming. However, for music purposes, expect a bassy, warm, comforting, and pleasurable sound.
GravaStar Sirius Pro comparisons
GravaStar Sirius Pro vs Soundcore Life P3
The Soundcore Life P3 is one of the most versatile pairs of TWS you can buy around the 100 dollars mark, and also comes with a gaming mode. The Life P3 has comparable call quality but longer battery life and adds Transparency mode and ANC active noise cancelling.
Out of the box, the Sirius Pro sounds warmer than the Life P3, with stronger lower mids. The Life P3 emphasizes the upper-mids more, has deeper sub-bass, and comes with app support with many equalizing options. The Soundcore's gaming mode delivers low-latency almost on par with the Gravastar Sirius Pro - but not quite. The P3's gaming bass boost is even heavier and more dominant, but also more articulated than the GravaStar's, delivering a more immersive gaming experience. The Sirius Pro sounds a little flatter and more dense for games, although not as dark as the Life P3.
Soundcore Life P3 review ($80)
GravaStar Sirius Pro vs Fiil T1 Lite
If it's competitive gaming you're after, consider this little $35 Fiil. You need to activate the gaming mode from the app, but it's worth it. The gaming latency of the Sirius Pro and T1 Lite is comparable - with the Fiil a bit quicker in triggering sound effects on iPhone, and the GravaStar on Android. However, the T1 Lite pronounces center-mid tones and upper mid-tones much more, revealing more detail in sound effects. Whether it's a hack-and-slash platformer, the separation of music and sound effects, or hearing footsteps around you in 3D shooters: the Fiil does all those things better. The downside is that the sound can be a bit much, a bit overwhelming, and peaky at times - while the GravaStar provides a smoother and comfortable listen. The Fiil microphone is a tad better; battery life is comparable.
Fiil T1 Lite review ($35)
GravaStar Sirius Pro vs Edifier X3s
The $35 Edifier X3s doesn't look nearly as cool as the GravaStar Sirius Pro, but it's a proper alternative for gaming purposes and actually almost has the same shape of earbuds. It has less latency (sound effect delay) for gaming on iPhone than the GravaStar, whereas the GravaStar synchronizes a bit better on Android phones. The X3s emphasizes the upper mid-tones more than the Sirius Pro, making the sound peakier in heavy action moments in games - but also more immersive. The Edifier reveals more details in the brighter sounds and gives you a competitive advantage in hearing footsteps and gunshots from afar. The mic is clearer for video calls and Discord chats, and the battery lasts up to 8 instead of 6 hours.
Edifier X3s review ($40)
Verdict
The GravaStar Sirius Pro is a brutal and fantastic looking pair of wireless gaming earbuds, but there are cheaper earbuds delivering comparable performance for competitive gaming.
Four stars - Good
Check GravaStar Sirius Pro price:
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Check price on GravaStar's own site
I received the GravaStar Sirius Pro P9 from the manufacturer to test and review. My reviews are unsponsored and non-commercial. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
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