TWS true wireless earphones - $100 - $200
Popular or noteworthy enough to be tested, but not special enough to get a separate review. Those are the wireless earbuds that enter the TWS review shorts on Scarbir.com. Here are quick reviews on three great-sounding wireless earbuds that are hard to recommend.
Some wireless earphones don't get their own extensive review, but are still interesting enough to be mentioned. From now on, these will be a part of the ‘TWS review shorts’ on Scarbir.com. How do these three earbuds stack up to the insane competition?
Status Between Pro review: Like Sony's WF-1000XM3, without the ANC
short review because: Product released a while ago
DESIGN AND FEATURES: Broad stems that look formal in their dark-grey metallic and black color scheme, and house a ton of battery life. Delivers up to an insane 11,5 hours of playtime on a single charge - and the case can recharge the buds three times fully afterwards. Comes with four sizes of ear-tips and rubber sleeves parts you can pull over the round part that goes into your ears, to grant a snug fit. A bit heavy to wear, though the IPX5 sweat- and rain proof rating makes it possible to workout with them. Taking the earbuds out of the case can be tricky too. (4.5 out of 5)
CONTROLS: Operates by pressing tiny dots on top of the stem. More convenient when you're sweating than touch panels, but hard to press multiple times - which you need to change volume or activate the voice assistant. Hold to change tracks - convenient and comprehensive. Unfortunately, the Between Pro doesn't always pair with your last Bluetooth connection immediately. No automatic pause/play, no multipoint connectivity. (3.5 out of 5)
CALLS AND GAMES: Background sounds come through in phone and video calls, but they are devoid of the harshest and loudest notes and your voice is barely pushed away by them. Your voice sounds clear and full most of the time - although wind noise can be a serious threat. Flawless video playback, slight delay in games' sound effects. (4 out of 5)
ANC: Unlike many earbuds at this price point, the Between Pro does not have ANC noise cancelling or a Transparency mode. (-)
SOUND QUALITY: Reminescent of Sony's brilliant WF-1000XM3 sound, with less open upper-mids and less forward vocals. Treble rolls off earlier, defeating any possibility of harshness or splashy sss-tones - but has plenty of presence in upper-mids. Leans a bit into the lower frequencies. Strong, heavy mid-bass thump and deep-diving sub-bass rumbles; full and textured lower-mids. Warm tonality and solid separation between instruments, although things can still become full in the most challenging songs. Can go very loud. Warm, powerful, pleasant. (4.5 out of 5)
The Status Between Pro is a tough sell without ANC or app support at its $150 price point, but it makes up for it with outstanding battery life, solid call quality and energetic sound.
$150 - Check latest price on Amazon US or other Amazon countries
Cleer Ally Plus II review: ANC earbuds with a fatal flaw
short review because: Product released a while ago
DESIGN AND FEATURES: A variant on the Tronsmart Apollo Bold, looking stylish in both blue and sand thanks to the charging case with seethrough lid and brushed-steel effects around the earbuds' sides. Comfortable to wear as only a compact round part of the earbuds goes into your ears. The outer circle sticks out - but its size has benefits: up to 7,5 hours of playback with ANC on, 10 hours with the function turned off. Excellent. When the case runs empty after two full earbud recharges, you feed it via USB-C or wireless charging. Sadly, only an IPX4 splashproof rating: heavy rain can be tricky. (4 out of 5)
CONTROLS: Play/pause, switch ANC functions, change tracks, and activate the voice assistant - just the volume controls miss. Sensitive touch panels; easy to activate the wrong function. Pauses automatically when you take an earbud out - nice. Unfortunately, there are slight Bluetooth connection drops from 7-8 meter from your device. (3.5 out of 5)
CALLS AND GAMES: Solid microphone output for phone and video calls: your voice sounds clear and natural. Nearby sounds aren't too loud and don't push your voice away, but as they are audible, avoid crowdy or windy areas. Flawless video playback, but a noticeable delay in games' sound effects. (4 out of 5)
APP: Easy to use app that lets you update the firmware, tweak the sound or flip the controls from the earbuds' sides. Also shows the remaining battery - and is the only option to turn ANC off. Unfortunatley, the Android version of the app asks too many permissions. The iPhone app feels safer. (3 out of 5)
ANC: Solid active noise cancelling reduces noise from background sounds, but can't quite filter out lighter nearby sounds - keyboard clicks and laughter come through, including when listening to music. Transparency mode let's you locate traffic even when playing music on moderate volume. However! Both modes pick up a ton of wind noise, completely overruling the music - and it's impossible to turn ANC off from the earbuds. You have to do it via the app, every time again. Diminishes the pick-up-and-go possiblity of these earbuds - a dealbreaker. (1.5 out of 5)
SOUND QUALITY: Clarity, with a sweet laidback approach. Vocals and upper-mids are smoothed out while having enough presence. Treble never enters harsh territory. Slight lower-mid emphasis gives music a warm undertone, but doesn't color music too dark. Slightly recessed center-mids, although claps can be a bit splashy. Moderate sub-bass depth and a gentle mid-bass thump (that can distort a bit on highest volumes) may seem like big downsides, but actually add up to the friendliness of the sound. Can be tweaked via sound personization and equalization in the app, but it's always more easy-listening than immersive. (4 out of 5)
The Cleer Ally Plus II does quite a bit well, but not being able to turn the terribly windy ANC off from the earbuds, isn't one of them.
$130 - Check latest price on Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany or other Amazon countries
Lypertek PurePlay Z7 review: Brilliant sound, steep price
Short review because: Product released a while ago
DESIGN AND FEATURES: The bigger brother of the Lypertek PurePlay Z3, with the same neat grey clothing around a heavy and chunky charging case. Happily, it supports both wireless charging and USB-C and can recharge the earbuds 7 (!) times fully, giving the earbuds 10 hours on a single charge. Excellent. The oval earbuds feel compact and comfortable in your ears, but do stick out a bit weirdly. IPX5 rain and sweat proof - convenient. (4 out of 5)
CONTROLS: Actual buttons on the sides, without having to press the earbuds in too deep. Play/pause, activate the voice assistant, change volume and tracks: it's all here. Connectivity is mostly good, but occasional very short left-right drops can occur. (4 out of 5)
CALLS AND GAMES: Clear yet thin and soft voice output is easily pushed away by chatter and other sounds in phone and video calls. Wind noise is a serious threat as well - so only take a call in quiet areas. Video playback is good, but there is a noticeable delay in games' sound effects. Also sounds a bit too bright for games. (2.5 out of 5)
APP: The PureControl app shows the earbuds' battery life, lets you change controls (a bit), update firmware, find earbuds on the map, activate the LDX audio which deepens the bass somewhat, or choose from eight preset equalizers. You can also create and save two custom equalizers. Effective addition. (4 out of 5)
ANC: A definite miss for $200, the PurePlay Z7 does not have ANC noise cancelling. There is a Transparency mode, which passes through some traffic and chatter, but not nearly enough to be functional when you're playing music. (-)
SOUND QUALITY: An abundance of clarity, with airy and detailed upper-mids and highs. While higher vocals aren't much more forward than brighter instruments, they both sound exceptionally crisp and detailed - almost a bit lifted from the rest of the sound. You'll need to go above background listening volume to get bass and lower-mids to compete with them. When you do, you get tight and textured mis-bass, deep but well-controlled sub-bass, and recessed but articulated lower-mids. Among the best sounding earbuds on the market, a bit letdown by a white noise floor that is audible in song pauses. (4.5 out of 5)
The Lypertek PurePlay Z7 is a brilliant sounding earphone with limited versatility for its steep $200 price. Even when you only care for sound quality, the comparably baffling and white noise floor-free FinalAudio ZE3000 will save you one fourth of the price.
$200 - Check latest price on Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany or other Amazon countries
Also read: These are the best sounding wireless earbuds
Disclaimer: I bought these TWS true wireless earbuds myself or I received these products from the manufacturer or a distributor. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
Consider buying this earphone? I'd really appreciate it if you use the links in this article. It won't cost you extra, yet it will financially support me a bit in my ongoing quest for great affordable audio. <3
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