As an avid Pixel phone user, I was excited that Google developed its own earbuds. I sat out on their first iteration of the true wireless version but jumped in with the Google Pixel Buds A-Series. The idea of wireless buds designed to work with my phone is an exciting idea for a non-iPhone user. The last week, both my son and I have put them through their paces.
The Monoprice Monolith M-TWE earphones have been an exciting maze to explore with few dead ends. Monolith went all out on these earbuds adding Sonarworks’ SoundID, Qualcomm aptX Audio, Qualcomm cVc 8.0 Echo Cancelling and Noise Suppression, Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), and making them “Sweatproof.” With a current sale price of $99.99, these true wireless earbuds pack a big punch for a small price.
TCL turned heads and won hearts with their 10-series smartphones last year, and they’re growing the family with the new TCL 20 series phones. They’re taking everything great about the 10 and doubling it; from the flagship TCL 20 Pro 5G to the TCL 20S and the TCL 20SE, there’s something for everyone to love.
Cleer has released the second iteration of the Ally Plus true wireless earbuds. With long battery life and active noise canceling, and other features, the Cleer Ally Plus II True Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds strive to be perfect for anyone on the go. The Cleer+ app allows for adjustments and getting settings perfect for just about any situation.
When we first met Nomad, they were a startup with one cool but simple accessory for the iPhone. In the years since, their catalog has grown exponentially and, with it, our appreciation of their design sense and commitment to creating quality products. Their newest offerings include a Moment Rugged Case for the iPhone 12 Series and Rugged Cases for the Pixel Buds A-Series.
Some weeks ago, Jabra did something amazing. When they released the Jabra Elite 85T, they also released a firmware update that brought ANC to the Jabra Elite 75T. It was a small touch that showed the company’s commitment to its consumers. Now they’ve done it again with a Jabra Elite 85T firmware update that delivers one-touch access to Alexa.
Greg recently posted news about the new Master & Dynamic MW08 ANC true wireless earbuds. I’ve been using a pair for the last two weeks, and I’m more than a bit impressed. In fact, I am happy to report that I have a new favorite pair of wireless earbuds. They are comfortable, offer excellent hybrid noise cancellation, and sound fantastic.
Have you found a pair of true wireless earbuds that fit well in your ears yet? Many people like foam and silicon tips because they help cut out ambient noise and give a more secure seal, but some people hate the feeling of something being jammed into their ear canal. The Earin A-3 Earphones take a different approach; they have an open audio design which leaves them sitting in the user’s ears’ concha. The result is a surprisingly comfortable fit for just about everyone, but it’s also a slightly different experience from wearing and using many other earbuds.
I’ve got something of a mystery on my hands, and I’m hoping the readers of Gear Diary can solve it. I have a pair of TCL SOCL500TWS Wireless Earbuds, which are great, but they fell out of my regular headphone rotation about nine months ago. There’s no real reason for this, they didn’t do anything wrong; I’ve just been reaching for others for work and exercise. Apparently, they felt neglected because a very strange event happened today…
It seems more and more people have started a podcast during the pandemic, and with apps like Clubhouse, Stereo, and Zoom, it’s been made even easier to connect to your community. But how do you do it without spending a fortune on the setup? The answer is with the Shure MV7 Podcast Microphone and Shure AONIC 4 Sound Isolating Earphones.
True wireless earbuds have gotten dramatically better since they made their first appearance a few years ago. New models offer improved connectivity, increased battery life, and better sound. Many even offer active noise cancellation and battery cases that are Qi-wireless charging enabled. The new Jays t-Seven True Wireless earbuds offer all of these advances at an accessible price.
This year’s CES may have been completely virtual and quite different from what we are used to, but it still served as an excellent introduction to the new tech that we can all look forward to in the coming year as we carry on with pandemic life. After going through the avalanche of the products that were introduced at CES, we have culled out the ones that we found most innovative and intriguing. So in alphabetical order, we present you with Gear Diary’s Best of CES 2021 Awards!
Backed by the Kickstarter community in 2014, in 2015, Earin was the first company to introduce true wireless in-ear headphones with their M-1 earbuds, followed by the M-2 in 2017. For CES 2021, they’ve just announced their third generation of sleek, tiny, and innovative in-ear wireless headphones, the Earin A-3.
Jabra has done a fantastic job with its true wireless earphones. The original Jabra Elite Sport was good, and they’ve only gotten better with each iteration. Now they’ve released the Jabra Elite 85t. It packs even more tech than the excellent Jabra Elite 75t and offers native active noise cancellation. But is the new offering better than the Jabra 75t?
A few weeks ago, we reported that Ultimate Ears was releasing custom fit true wireless earbuds. Having reviewed Ultimate Ears UE CSX that were custom fit to my ears thanks to their innovative UE Fitkit, I was excited. UE FITS use slightly different technology, but they do indeed let you create custom earphones in just a few minutes.
Jabra recently announced their upcoming Elite 85t true wireless earphones. These will be the fourth generation of true wireless earphones from the company and the first to have native active noise cancellation. Sort of. Yesterday Jabra rolled out a firmware update to the Elite 75t/75t Active and added noise cancellation to those existing headsets. It’s impressive on many levels.
When I reviewed Ultimate Ears UE CSX and UE’s Fitkit that let you mold custom earphones at home, I mentioned that these would be ideal true wireless earphones. Now Ultimate Ears is making that happen with the custom-fit, true wireless UE FITS. I’ve been waiting for custom true wireless earphones, and I can’t wait to check them out.
TCL is set to have a very eventful IFA showing with new products, including two tablets, a senior-focused smartwatch, true wireless earphones, and an exciting new technology to look forward to on future products. There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s jump right in!
True wireless earbuds aren’t a new thing — they’ve been a few years, and they have moved from status symbol to everyday carry. I’ve never been able to embrace them because earbuds, in general, truly bother my ears. So while I had low expectations for enjoying the LinearFlux Hypersonic, I was absolutely blown away once I used them.
Back in 2017, Master & Dynamic joined forces with like-minded luxury optics brand Leica Camera AG and their high-end accessories brand 0.95; the signature collection features four reimagined versions of M&D’s products. Three years later, the relationship is going strong, and they’ve partnered again.
Some months ago, I declared the Jabra 75t the “current champ of true wireless earphone.” I currently switch between them and the Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus as my goto daily TWEs- The M&D when I want top fidelity and the Jabra 75t for activities like walking my dog, Nava. Now we’ve got the impressive Jabra Elite Active 75t.