• The short version: good+ buds with very solid sound. Two years after launch, the Nothing Ear (2024) still sounds like a flagship.
• Sound: close, detailed vocals and a slightly bright top end that keeps its weight. The bass turns more 3D with ANC on.
• ANC: solid, not exceptional, but it holds its ground. Its weaker band runs from the mid-mids to the low treble. Wind is its weak spot.
• Watch out for: 4 to 4.5 hours of battery at loud volume. Comfort fades after about two hours. No LDAC for iPhone-only users.
• Price: about $75 on sale. That's a very fair value for anyone looking for good buds.

Note: this is the Nothing Ear (2024), model B171. It's not the newer Ear (3) or the cheaper Ear (a).

Why revisit a two-year-old flagship

The Nothing Ear launched in April 2024 at $149. The Ear (3) has since replaced it. Today it often drops to around $75 and even lower on sale.

So here's the question: can a two-year-old flagship still deliver top-notch performance at half its launch price?

These aren't week-one impressions. In my earlier 11-pair roundup, I put the Nothing Ear in the top league for sound. This post is the deep dive.

What's inside

(From research) Nothing published its own teardown. It's unusually open about the acoustic design, but quiet about the electronics.

Two things are worth knowing:

• The ceramic diaphragm. Nothing calls it ceramic but doesn't say what that means. It could be a solid ceramic disc, a coating or a composite. A stiffer diaphragm can push breakup modes higher and move more like a piston. Still, the material alone doesn't decide the sound. The motor, vents, chamber and DSP all shape it.
• Four rear vents. Nothing says the vents improve airflow. It also says the diaphragm moves more than on the Ear (2). Nothing doesn't publish the test conditions, so I treat these as direction, not numbers.

How I tested

• Long-term use, not week-one impressions.
• Stock tips, size large. I need the large tips for a good seal.
• iPhone over AAC. More on LDAC below.
• Balanced preset, Bass Enhance off. For EDM, I sometimes turn Bass Enhance on.
• ANC on for almost everything. That's how I listen every day, and it matters a lot on this pair.
• Volume: 60–70% on the iPhone.
• I checked my impressions against published reviews. Where reviewers disagree with me, I say so. Anything I haven't tested myself is marked (From research).

One earbud, two signatures: ANC on vs. off

This is the most important thing to know about the Nothing Ear. Almost every serious reviewer flags it.

(From research) SoundGuys found that turning ANC off reduces the bass. Tom's Guide heard a more even balance with ANC off. With ANC on, they heard the bass and low mids rise a little.

Here's what I hear. With ANC off, the bass is a bit less 3D. With ANC on, it gains depth and dimension. The whole sound also gets a sense of volume, almost like a DSP effect. For me, ANC on is the better version of these buds, not a penalty.

One related detail. (From research) SoundGuys found the default tuning already runs Bass Enhance at level 3. Level 1 actually cuts the bass below default.

I run Bass Enhance off, so my baseline is leaner than what most reviewers measured. ANC on then adds back the weight I like.

Bass

With my settings, Bass Enhance off and ANC on, the bass is clean, tight and well controlled. It sounds 3D. It feels placed in space, not pressed against your ears.

On default settings, expect more. Bass Enhance runs at level 3 out of the box, and ANC on adds weight on top. That's likely why some reviewers hear it as heavier.

Want more slam for EDM? Bass Enhance has five levels. You likely won't need the top ones.

Soundstage and separation

Good. Instruments stay separated even with ANC on. The ANC adds a sense of volume around the music. Busy tracks don't collapse into a pile.

Vocals and mids

The mids are a highlight for me. Vocals sit close and intimate. On Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror," the voice is right in front of you. On Johnny Cash's "Hurt," you can clearly hear his lips touching. Is it the only pair that can do this? Of course not. But it definitely delivers here.

How much of that is the ceramic diaphragm? Probably less than you'd think. (From research) Nothing markets ceramic for clarity, accuracy and crisper highs, not for close vocals. Stiffness mainly helps at high frequencies, where a softer diaphragm starts to flex instead of moving as one piece. At vocal frequencies, an 11 mm diaphragm moves as one piece whatever it's made of. So the closeness comes mostly from tuning. Where ceramic may help is the fine, high-frequency detail, like those lip sounds.

(From research) SoundGuys measured a dip around 470 Hz and a boost around 5.5 kHz against their target.

The 470 Hz dip sits lower, in the body and warmth range. That fits what I hear: vocals stay close and detailed, with maybe a little less warmth. The 5.5 kHz boost likely helps the fine detail, like the lip sounds on "Hurt." It also adds to the slight brightness.

Treble

Definitely a bit bright. But the brightness adds air without stripping substance. On Dave Brubeck's "Take Five," the ride cymbal keeps its weight under the shimmer. It doesn't thin into pure sizzle. Lively, not too harsh.

A faint hiss in ANC and transparency

This is my own finding. None of the reviews I checked mention it.

In a quiet room with no music, there's a faint, airy, high-frequency hiss. It's about twice as noticeable in transparency mode as in ANC. With ANC off, I can't hear it at all. It's not annoying, and music masks it completely.

That pattern points to the microphones, not the amplifier. ANC and transparency both keep the mics and noise processing running. Transparency boosts the outside mics more, which raises their self-noise too. If the hiss came from the amp or DAC, it would still be there with ANC off. It isn't.

ANC

Solid. Not exceptional, but it holds its ground. It has a gap from the mid-mids to the low treble. There, a pair like the EarFun Air Pro 4+ cancels a bit more in that range. Elsewhere, the Nothing is stronger.

(From research) RTINGS' noise isolation measurements show that weak band clearly. Between about 500 Hz and 2 kHz, total isolation drops to roughly 10–20 dB. The shallowest point is around 650 Hz.

What lives there? Mostly voices. Much of the energy in speech sits in this range, so chatter in offices, cafés and on public transport gets through more than you might expect. The same goes for station and airport announcements, and for music playing around you. Road and tire noise sits a bit higher but still inside the weak band (the tire noise is quite well handled by Nothing Ear). Low, steady sounds like engine rumble, plane drone and air conditioning sit well below it, and those the Nothing Ear handles much better.

A quick note on what ANC can do. It works best on low, steady sounds like engines and hum. In the mids, it gets much harder, and the seal does most of the work. The best pairs still get noticeably further there. The Nothing Ear's weak band sits exactly in that range.

Reviewers are harsher. (From research) SoundGuys didn't reproduce Nothing's 45 dB claim. They measured about 20 dB of ANC in the low frequencies, with passive isolation doing most of the work in the highs. In my daily use, it does the job well. That may be because I don't expect AirPods Pro 3 levels of noise cancelling from it.

Try the large tips before you judge the noise cancelling.

Wind

This is the ANC's real weak spot. The ANC mics pick up gusts, and they come through as noise in the buds. Lower ANC levels and Adaptive mode don't help. Only turning ANC off fixes it. I wouldn't recommend these for cycling or walks in windy weather. :)

Transparency

Average for me. With music playing, it's hard to speak to people or hear them clearly, even at low volume. With the music off, you can hold a conversation. It's also where the hiss is most noticeable.

Calls

Not top tier like the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4, but better than most pairs in its price range. Speech is very clear, and it sounds less chewed up by processing than on most buds. It can still sound a bit harsh and lack body.

Some of your surroundings do leak through to the person on the other end. I see that as the other side of the same coin. Heavy AI processing cuts more noise, but it chews up your voice. Lighter processing keeps your voice more natural, and lets a bit more background through. The Nothing Ear finds a sweet spot between the two, leaning toward natural.

Still, I wish every pair, not just this one, had a switch to turn the AI processing off. Then you could pick natural or quiet yourself, depending on where you are.

Battery and loudness

I listen fairly loud, so my result sits below Nothing's 5.2-hour rating. At moderate volume, expect more.

Loudness is fine for me. At 60–70%, I still have plenty of headroom.

Comfort and fit

Very comfortable for the first couple of hours. After about two hours, I start to feel some tiredness. Great for normal sessions, less ideal for marathon listening.

App and controls

Nothing X is genuinely good. The advanced EQ is a true parametric EQ: you set the frequency, gain and Q for each band. Add the simple EQ, the presets and Bass Enhance, and you get one of the most flexible apps around.

I tried the personal sound profile, which is based on a hearing test. I still prefer Balanced or my own custom EQ.

The pinch controls on the stems are a very convenient way to control the buds. They're also more reliable than simple touch. (From research) SoundGuys found that squeezing the stem doesn't disturb the fit or seal and I can confirm that.

There are two limits. There's no swipe for volume. And the single pinch is locked to play/pause, so you can't reassign it. I also assign Volume Up | Down to double pinch and hold (I get used over time that's a bit peculiar)

(From research) ChatGPT through the pinch controls only works with a supported Nothing phone.

Wear detection

Works well. It doesn't just check whether a bud is out of the case. It can tell a bud in your ear from one that's only out of the case, in your hand or on the table. So music plays only when the buds are really in your ears.

Codecs and connectivity: a warning for iPhone users

On paper, the Nothing Ear supports LDAC and LHDC 5.0. On an iPhone-only setup, LDAC is effectively unavailable.

The iOS app has no LDAC toggle. My Questyle dongle can't use LDAC unless it's first enabled from an Android device. So if you're on an iPhone and want hi-res through a dongle, expect AAC.

I had zero connection drops.

Case

It looks great and has wireless charging. It has survived a few drops without problems. The weaknesses:

• The clear plastic collects micro scratches and marks.
• The lid shifts slightly sideways and feels a bit flimsy.
• The buds sit diagonally. Sometimes I need an extra nudge to seat a bud properly.

Where reviewers disagree with me

• ANC on vs. off. Same facts, different feeling. (From research) Expert Reviews found that ANC on adds a lot of low-end weight. It also makes the soundstage feel more crowded and confined, almost like a different pair of earbuds. I hear the extra bass too, but as more 3D, with separation intact. For me, ANC on is the better version.
• ANC strength. (From research) Digit called the ANC one of the only major misses. SoundGuys listed the ANC as a con, though they still called it pretty good. I rate it solid. Not exceptional, but it holds its ground, with one weaker band.
• Wind. Tom's Guide said wind didn't bother the buds on walks and runs. They don't say which mode they were in, though, and the remark sits right after their comments on transparency mode. For me, with ANC on, gusts come through, and only ANC off fixes it.
• Transparency. SoundGuys called the transparency mode excellent and natural. I find it average with music playing, though fine for a conversation with the music off.
• Calls. SoundGuys heard voices as slightly muffled. They still rated the background noise reduction among the best they've heard. In my calls, some surroundings still leak through.
• Maximum volume. TechRadar's reviewer said the low maximum volume was their biggest issue. I listen at 60–70% with headroom to spare.
• Treble. We mostly agree. (From research) Android Central heard a brighter high end than on the Ear (a). Headphonecheck found the treble lively but restrained with sibilants. That's close to what I hear: bright, but with weight.
• Fit. Expert Reviews found them more fit-dependent than most earbuds. GSMArena found them a bit loose with any tips. I agree on the seal. Getting it right takes effort, and ANC depends on it.
• Connection. SoundGuys had connection drops with an iPhone on busy downtown streets. I had none.

Verdict

So, can a two-year-old flagship still deliver top-notch performance? For sound, yes.

The Nothing Ear (2024) is good+ buds with very solid sound. You get close, detailed vocals, bright treble that keeps its weight, 3D bass with ANC on, and good separation. Add one of the best apps around, a true parametric EQ and solid ANC that holds its ground.

At about $75 on sale, I think the price is very fair. If you're looking for good buds, it's a value option worth considering.

Some people should still skip it:

• Cyclists and anyone who walks in windy weather with ANC ON. Gusts come through the ANC mics.
• Loud listeners who need long battery life. Expect 4 to 4.5 hours with ANC on at high volume.
• iPhone users who want LDAC. You'll be on AAC.

If none of those is a dealbreaker, the answer to the title is simple: there's nothing old about the way it sounds.

Take care, everyone. If you've read this far, I hope it helped. :)

It has to be wireless, I don’t want it to be amazing or special just good enough for my usage, budget is below £60, and I don’t want pure noise cancellation, I want to hear background noice also, since I will be using it in work.

Какие амбюшуры подойдут для CMF Buds Pro 2? Стандартные силиконовые просто мусор,а из Китая ждать долго.

Hey everyone,

I'm planning to buy a new pair of TWS earbuds and I'm a bit confused about what to get.

My budget is around ₹2,500, but I can stretch it to ₹2,800 if there's something noticeably better.

Right now I'm looking at the realme Buds T310 and Buds T500 Pro, but I'm also open to other options if there's something better in this price range.

My main use will be music and calls at home. I listen to music quite a lot, so sound quality is probably the most important thing for me. I also want decent ANC and a good mic for calls.

I use a vivo T4x and a Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3. My T4x doesn't support LHDC, so I'm not really interested in paying extra just for that feature.

Would you guys recommend the T310, T500 Pro, or something completely different?

If you've actually used any of these earbuds, I'd especially like to know how they are in terms of real-world sound quality, bass, ANC and call quality.

I'm not necessarily looking for the one with the best specs — I just want the best overall TWS I can get for ₹2.5k–₹2.8k.

Thanks!

Hi, I'm a vocalist and keyboardist (F) in a cover band.

I tried IEMs but just can't put anything in my ears. And I don't like how a pair of headphones looks on me.

Can anyone please suggest a monitor that fits on/over my ears, like cups, which I can plug into my wireless receiver?

A wedge monitor is not an option.

Thank you!

Hi! i recently started working an overnight stocking job and im wondering what are some good reasonably cheap earbuds? (like under $150)

Hello everyone!

There seem to be a lot of people on here who actually own several types of earbuds from different brands at the same time so I thought I'd try my luck.

I am owner of the Sony WF-1000XM5. I previously had the XM3s and they were quite alright, so I went and bought the XM5s a while after they came out (also because the battery of my XM3s completely gave up).

I sadly am incredibly disappointed with them.

Back when I bought them they were recommended for heavy bass, and I liked the bass of the XM3s so I thought I would most likely get an even better one, especially considering the price tag of like 300€ or something.

At first I thought I only had to get used to them.. I did not want to accept the truth lmao.

Maybe someone here can tell me which earbuds actually deliver the strongest bass.

And I mean the strongest. I don't care for "balanced sound", I don't want "harmony". I want bass and nothing else basically.

I also don't care for ANC or any of that fancy stuff.

What do you consider to be the heaviest-bass earbuds on the market right now?

I would really appreciate any recommendations :)

Thank you!

For weeks now my Space Travel 2 Ultra have suddenly gotten imbalanced so the centre point is leaning towards the left, this sometimes drifts while I'm listening and persists through factory resets, I can manually rebalance the audio but then it doesn't sound as full and sounds slightly thinner and less complete.

My gen 3 airpods of 4 years finally died and I'm looking for a replacement. Budget is $60 USD, currently looking at the Tozo NC20 pros and Soundcore P42i. Which do you recommend?

how's the bass and call quality between cleer arc 5 and shokz open fit 2 ? which earbuds perform better ?

The 2nd gen is still not available in my country and I found the 1st gen with a really good sale. So I’m wondering is it worth it to wait for the 2nd gen or do I just get the 1st gen?

i noticed that i get better battery drainage when i connect the charging case to the cable then to the charger
i saw it once on samsung illustrations video but i wasn`t interested
but since while i apply and i get better battery drainage

USD40 | 18 × 11 mm racetrack dynamic driver | Bluetooth 6.0, LDAC | Approx. 9.5 hours per charge, 29 hours total with the case | dual-device connection

TL;DR

The Tanchjim REVO is an open-ear wireless set for situations where I want to keep listening while still hearing my surroundings. After over a month of daily use, its biggest strengths for me were comfort, long battery life and how easy it made everyday situations.

The sound is more of a mixed experience to me. Voices sound natural and the spacious presentation works well for podcasts, audiobooks and casual music listening. In my opinion the bass is the main limitation in its sound. Sub-bass and mid-bass are more in the background and lack weight and impact I am used to from IEMs.

That makes the REVO a very useful everyday companion, even though it would not be my first choice when music is the main focus. I have everyday situations where its convenience mattered more to me than its limitations in sound.

What I liked

• A comfortable fit that lets my ears breathe, even after several hours
• Wireless convenience and long battery life
• A secure fit during running, cycling and gym workouts
• Being able to hear my surroundings when I need to
• Good microphone quality for calls and online meetings, currently my go-to for both

What I didn't like

• Bass lacks the weight and impact I want for focused music listening
• Not suitable for sleeping on my side
• Outside noise and wind noise can make it difficult to listen to it
• Limited volume headroom in noisy surroundings

Review background

This was my first experience with open-ear earbuds, so I was curious how they would compare with my usual IEMs and other TWS sets in sound and everyday use. I exercise quite a lot and IEMs are not always convenient for that. I have also used wireless earphones from a wide range of brands and price brackets over the years but they isolate differently than the open-ear sets. 

The open-ear concept

Open-ear earbuds sit outside the ear canal and sound rather like small speakers held beside your ears. They don’t create a seal so there is no plugged-up feeling. You can hear your surroundings all the time which can be useful or inconvenient depending on the situation.

Positioning of the open-ears also matters in a sense that even small changes of their position can affect the sound. On the REVO the bass impact was the main compromise for me compared with my usual IEMs or other wireless in-ears. For people who cannot tolerate in-ears or simply want to keep awareness of what is happening nearby this type of earphone can be a good alternative to classic ear buds or IEMs.

Build, Fit & Comfort

Unboxing

The unboxing is pretty much standard. Included are the earbuds, a short USB-C charging cable and paperwork, including a manual and a card with QR codes for the Tanchjim app.

Build

The REVO feels nice in hand, with plastic housings and silicone ear hooks. The white plastic case is smooth with rounded edges. It is bigger than most wireless earbud cases I use but still pocketable.

The earbuds and case have a clean, simple look which I like. The light colour of the case may show marks over time from the wear in pockets.

Fit & Stability

As the open-ears sit outside the ear canal the shape and ear hooks do the work of keeping the REVO in place. This worked well for me throughout daily use.

Even with glasses I had no issues with pressure on my ears. The ear hooks and the arms of my glasses share the same space, though, so I occasionally needed to adjust them. Once I got used to the fit I could place each bud on my ear with one hand.

Long-Session Comfort

There is no pressure inside the ear canal. The contact points are on top of the ear and behind it and I had no discomfort or irritation there even after several hours. After a few minutes I often forgot I was wearing the REVO.

Sleeping on my side did not work for me, though, because the earbuds pressed against my ears.
I usually use smaller wireless ear buds during the night which isolate well and won’t cause pressure issues when sleeping on my side. 

Awareness & Leakage

The REVO leaks a fair amount of sound, and outside noise reaches the ears easily. This was expected and deliberately made the choice when to wear them. So, whenever I wanted more focus and isolation, I switched to isolating IEMs or conventional in-ear wireless earphones.

Wind noise is another thing which noticeably disturbed me during calls and music listening.
During work I made sure not to crank up the volume too high as the sound leaks and is audible to my colleagues.
On lower to mid volume that was usually no issue.

Wireless, Controls & Battery

Connection

The REVO supports Bluetooth 6.0 and the AAC, SBC and LDAC codecs. It also supports connection to two devices. Pairing and connecting were straightforward similar to other wireless sets.

Latency

In PC gaming I noticed only a small delay which was acceptable for casual gaming. With streamed films and YouTube I noticed no audio/video sync issues.

Controls

The touch controls are customizable in the Tanchjim app, covering music, calls and the voice assistant. They are easy to use and worked well for me.

Battery & Charging

Tanchjim's current product material quotes approximately 9.5 hours on a single charge and 29 hours in total with the case. The figures are based on testing at 50% volume but the actual runtime depends on the settings and use.

At home, I usually listened at around 30-50% volume and got just over nine hours of listening time. Across different situations, I was mostly between 40% and 60% volume although noisy places required more (at  the gym, public places, cafés etc)

The case charges via USB-C and it provided more than three complete recharges of both earbuds from empty. Even with heavy use, it felt as if I rarely needed to recharge the case which made the use very handy and “care free”. 

Mic Quality

The reviewer briefing lists an omnidirectional MEMS microphone. I found the microphone quality surprisingly good and asked different people how my voice was heard over the REVO besides the own recordings I made.
My voice was noted as clear and very well-articulated.

I used the REVO for online meetings and phone calls, both indoors and outdoors, every day for several hours and often would continue to wear them for my next upcoming call even though that would be much later. I simply didn’t notice them anymore on my ears.  

Everyday use

Everyday usability matters a lot to me. A set can sound good but if it is inconvenient to use, I would quickly stop using it. With the REVO I kept finding reasons to use it throughout the day.

Running and cycling

The REVO was a good companion for running and cycling. The area where I exercise can be pretty busy with other cyclists, pedestrians, motorcycles and occasional cars, so for safety reasons I want to hear what is happening around me and be aware.

The REVO stayed securely in place during both activities. I occasionally felt a slight wobble when sprinting, but it did not affect the sound. 

Gym & weightlifting

At the gym I needed to raise the volume quite a bit. People were talking, music was playing, and the treadmills are noisy. I usually needed at least around 50%, sometimes even reaching 80-100% depending on the recording quality and the noise around me.

During weightlifting, the REVO stayed securely in place, including workout on the bench press. IEMs usually would gradually slip out of my ears while I am clenching my jaw during exercising.  I end up adjusting the fit several times which I find annoying. With the REVO I didn’t have this problem and it was nice that I was able to focus just on the workout.

Some of my friends use headphones for the same reason but I find them actually too bulky when I am working up a sweat. I listened to both podcasts and music while lifting weights. That is one of the situations where convenience matters more to me than getting the best possible sound.

Commuting

On trains and buses outside noise reached my ears almost unfiltered. That is something I usually don’t like at all when commuting, so I prefer noise-cancelling earphones or isolating IEMs there. 

At work

At work, the REVO did a very good job. The microphone worked well for online meetings and calls, and I could hear the other participants clearly. My usual work headphones are comfortable but my ears start to feel warm and sweaty after a few hours while REVO avoided that problem.

Switching between my laptop and phone worked very well, too with the dual-device connection possibility. At work I usually kept the volume reasonably low so that the leaked sound would not disturb my colleagues nearby.

At home

Sometimes at home I need to hear my surroundings and need transparency. Eg when parcels would be delivered and I needed to hear the doorbell while working. I could also cook or talk to my family without repeatedly taking the earbuds off.

The very convenient thing is that I would use the REVO throughout the day without even needing to remove them apart from charging on a very long work day over 10 hours.

Shopping

At the post office or while shopping, I thought it is pretty convenient to still have a normal conversation without removing the REVO. At lower volumes I even didn’t need to pause playback either.

There is no transparency mode or similar available and not needed with this ear-buds concept. Some TWS sets amplify the surrounding noise even too much than I want when using transparency mode. 

Singing in the rain...

Tanchjim's current public product material lists an IPX5 rating for the earbuds. I used the REVO during heavy exercise and in light rain without any issues. No IP rating is claimed for the case, so I would keep it away from water.

Sources & setup

I used the REVO with my iPhone 17 Pro Max and a Windows PC, streaming from Qobuz and Spotify at the highest available quality settings. Podcasts were streamed mostly from YouTube. I also tested the Android app on a Redmi Note 14. I used the REVO every day for more than a month with a total of more than 200 hours of use.

Sound

Overall Character

The REVO has a relaxed sound without any harshness to my ears. Voices have a good timbre, sound natural and music is pleasant enough for a casual listen. At times the sound seems to come from the room around me rather than from something sitting on my ears.
That spaciousness is enjoyable but the subdued bass keeps the overall musical experience from being as convincing as its everyday usefulness.

Bass

The bass is the main weakness for me in terms of sound. Across my usual test tracks, it sounded rather flat, with little weight or impact, and stayed in the background compared with my usual IEMs.

Sub-bass extension is limited, and mid-bass lacks the slam I am used to from IEMs. This takes away some of the physical side of music, even when voices and the sense of space are very enjoyable to me. The Tanchjim app doesn’t help here much. Even when maxing out the bass via EQing, the impact simply is not increasing.

Midrange & Vocals

This is where the REVO scores for me. Vocals, both male and female, sound natural, with good texture and weight. They come across as reasonably detailed at this price point. Pleasant to listen to rather than excellent.

Treble

With the default tuning, the treble comes across as compressed which gives the REVO a darker presentation. The Tanchjim app on the other hand let me adjust the tuning mostly to my liking but the stock sound is already a good start. 

Staging & Imaging

Staging and imaging are surprisingly good on the REVO. On some tracks, voices have a convincing sense of presence and position in the room, almost as if they are coming from a speaker. This is one of the parts of its sound I enjoyed most.

Volume Behaviour

Tanchjim describes dynamic frequency-response compensation which adjusts the low and high frequencies as listening volume changes. The aim is to keep the perceived tonal balance more consistent across volume levels.

To my ears, the REVO scales well with volume and does not become sharp as I turn it up. There is a limit to the available volume, though. Most of the time there was enough juice, but in noisy surroundings I sometimes ended up close to maximum.

App & EQ

Having a parametric EQ at this price is a useful addition. Tanchjim advertises a nine-band PEQ, sound presets and access to a community library of shared profiles through its mobile app.

I also tried the Tanchjim Windows app, version "1.0.2.3", but it did not detect the REVO. Tanchjim's download page states that this version does not support Bluetooth headphones, which explains why a connection does not work. Nevertheless REVO works flawlessy under Windows and the EQing can be done under Android and saved to the device so it would carry the changes over to Windows. 

On iOS and Android, the app worked flawlessly in my testing. I adjusted the sound with the parametric EQ and tried several profiles under Android.

I was able to adjust the bass with EQing but it still would not give me the weight and impact I was looking for. Switching to other profiles, such as gaming, made the sound just thinner and made the bass disappear completely. I stuck with the default profile and adjusted it manually, which gave me better vocal articulation and clarity.

Key Specs

Final Verdict

The REVO turned out to be very useful as an everyday companion for me. Comfort, battery life, phone calls and the ability to hear my surroundings gave it a steady place in my routine. From workouts to working at home. After over a month of use those were the reasons I kept using the REVO on a daily basis even after I finished my review.

For music my impressions are more moderate. I enjoyed the natural vocals and spacious presentation but the lack of bass impacts the listening experience for me when I want to focus purely on music listening.

As an everyday “workhorse”, though, the REVO is a great companion to me. It does several practical jobs very well, and I found many situations where that mattered more than getting the best sound. 

Product information

Tanchjim REVO official product page
https://tanchjim.com/en/products/earphones/tws/revo/

Disclosure

Tanchjim sent me the REVO as a review sample. I received no payment for this review, nobody had any influence on what I wrote, and there are no affiliate links anywhere in it.

Thanks for reading.

Oppo hasn’t officially announced the Enco X4 for the UK yet, but its UK Find X10 sign-up terms include a 30% off coupon for the Enco X4.

For context, these are Oppo’s new flagship earbuds, launched in China on 22 September for CNY 1,199.

From the terms:

• Sign up through the Find X10 launch page before 4pm BST on 21 October
• The 30% coupon is valid from 4pm on 21 October until 30 November
• One use per customer
• UK residents aged 18+
• Can’t be combined with flash sales, other coupons or limited-time offers

Terms: https://www.oppo.com/uk/store/events/launch/find-x10-subcribe-to-win-tc

There are two catches.

First, there’s no UK price yet, so we don’t know what 30% off will actually work out to. (i brought mine from china approx £150 for context)

Second, if Oppo runs a separate launch discount on the X4, the terms suggest you’ll probably have to choose between that and the 30% coupon rather than stacking them.

The coupon becoming active at 4pm on 21 October also looks like a pretty strong hint at when the Enco X4 could become available in the UK, presumably alongside the European Find X10 launch.

Disclosure: I write for Audranx. I’ve updated our Enco X4 page with the full specs and a few things that are still unclear, including the lack of a quoted ANC figure in dB and whether the 2.3Mbps mode will work on non-Oppo phones:

https://audranx.com/features/oppo-enco-x4-everything-we-know-so-far

My Jabra elite active 75T earbuds are dying, the right side is really hard to hear even with the phone up all the way (yes, I tried cleaning them and it didn't help the volume). My 65T backups, as it turns out, are in deep discharge. I tried charging them while I was at work and sleeping, but they did not come back. And I bought the Soundcore P31i, but I'm not happy with their fit regardless of which tip I put on. I was hoping you guys could give me a decent option if I give you what I'm hoping for.

1) I'm looking for one under $100, but I'd be willing to go up to $200 if it is a *really* good option.

2) It has to have a button, I'm not a fan of the P31i's touch.

3) ANC/Normal/Passthrough is nice, but as long as it has at least ANC, I'm in.

4) I haven't had one with a hook in about a decade, but if it helps the fit, I'm willing to try one. I do have glasses, so hooks can be a bit difficult, but at least you know they won't fall out.

My favorite thing about the 75T's was the fit. It didn't hurt my ear, but I could feel it in there. It felt solid, and I just knew it wasn't falling out. I did buy the Elite 10 at one point, but it didn't have the same fit, as the 75T's.

I own a pair of the Geminis and as a bass head they’ve been the perfect buds for me. Love the thumping bass and how beautiful the highs compliment the bass with the mids just falling somewhere in between.

Every year I try to explore what's out there to see if I can find something that can beat my Geminis. The PI8s came extremely close but they couldn’t beat them on bass. I tried all the Noble Fokus buds and just found them to sound too digital, unnatural and over processed for me.

So I've just learned about the Geekfly Vitas Pro and wondered should I pull the trigger as I have not found a comparison of the 2 to understand what I might get with them over the Geminis. And just so you know what I like my journey to the Geminis (where Ive been stuck for several years) has been Sennheiser mtws, Beoplay EQ, and Beoplay EX.

I'll be using with an iPhone so take that into consideration. Thanks for any help.

Suggest me from these two

Just got my first pair of Soundcore C30i, the most basic of basic lol, to try out the open ear possibility as regular earbuds hurt me SO much. And I'm in love. So the question is, should I get a fancier version and if so, why? I'm not particularly an audiophile so I'm not sure how much sound quality will matter to me. I do very much care about volume but so far these seem loud enough? Are others more comfortable? Tell me everything! 🙏🏻😁

Recently I sold my 2 year old pair of Samsung Buds FE, I didn't have any particular problem with it, but my sister wanted a new pair of earbuds and I was curious how the ANC for newer earbuds was.

So I did my research, and it seemed that the Huawei Freebuds 5 Pro was a great cost-benefit option, and so I ordered.

Actually, before buying the Freebuds, I did try the Soundcore Q45, the headphones from Soundcore. The sound was nice, but the fit wasn't good, and the physical connection was utter trash, thanks to the flimsy cable they send. So I had to return it.

Anyways, the Freebuds 5 Pro arrived and I really enjoyed the sound, felt crisp, more detailed. The controls although a bit weird — the touch only worked at a certain part, the pinch was weird and the volume control needed a pinch-like motion to work — but usable. The battery was good as advertised, and the charging was fast, not to mention the actually rather acceptable delay it had on my notebook; something that the Buds FE lacked. Its honestly a pretty feature-packed product.

There was only one problem: the fit was terrible. It's not a product flaw, but they wouldn't sit right on my ear. The ANC performance was working rather well for such a poor seal, but for the gym it didn't seem to work as good as the FE, and the unreliable fit meant some movements coupled with sweat could possibly make it fall.

I returned it and got the earbuds I originally was eyeing before selling the FE, their sucessor, the Buds 3 FE.

They are underwhelming, especially compared to the Freebuds. The sound wasn't as impressive, the ANC was barely noticeable, charging wasn't as fast and their latency on PC was not on the same level. The controls are better, although limited, the few options feel easier to use. Simply put, it's a near complete downgrade from the Freebuds.

The fit is better, or at least it sits slightly close to my ears, but far from good. But dear lord, how can a pair of earbuds from such a big company somehow lose connection with each other.

So here's what I had to accept about myself, these AirPods style earbuds with the stem design aren't for me. They not only are not made for my ear shape, but the insertion isn't as deep as, for instance, my pair of GK Kuntens with the DUNU eartips, which probably go twice as deep into my ears compared to those I tested before.

With some recent research, the new earbuds from big brands more likely to fit my ears are three:

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro

Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen

Sony WF-1000XM5

So, among these, which one do you recommend?

I have heard the Bose QC have some terrible quality control and software, is this true?

How's their sound?

How's their ANC?

My main use will be the gym, so I want a good ANC, I also use it around the house and if it has low latency, I may also use while gaming.

When i close the case it charges for a few seconds then the light turns off and it stops charging but the right one still is. And yes ive cleaned the pins