On March 3rd, "Ear Day", Yamaha announced the new TW-E5B completely wireless earphones.
Although it is a mid-range product with an estimated market price of around 16,500 yen, in addition to Yamaha's commitment to sound, which is also a musical instrument maker, it is a listening function that complements the low and high ranges so that you can enjoy music even at low volumes that are gentle on your ears. It is a new model with small details such as care, low-latency gaming mode, ambient mode that allows you to listen to the surrounding sounds while wearing it, and operability with three physical buttons on the main unit.
Yamaha TW-E5B (Amazon)
The main specifications of the Yamaha TW-E5B are:
etc. On the other hand, the "non-things" that are not mentioned in the main specifications include active noise cancellation, hands-free voice assistant activation using the wake word (you can activate it by pressing a button), Qi wireless charging of the case, etc.
It does not support active noise canceling (ANC), which is one of the typical functions required for complete wireless earphones. Recently, even cheap products priced at 10,000 yen or less are often advertised as functionally compatible, and it is a specification that will be excluded from candidates if you look only at Ali / No.
On the other hand, as shown by the E7A, the top-of-the-line active noise canceling model released by Yamaha in 2020 (collected and discontinued due to charging-related problems), even if it is "active noise canceling compatible" in the catalog. It is not always possible to say whether the effect is guaranteed if it is used, or whether there is no effect on the important sound, or whether it is always superior to non-compatible models.
The E5B, which will be released based on the reflection of the previous model, does not support ANC, but the new shape improves the wearability, improves the airtightness, and improves the sound quality as well as the passive noise canceling performance, that is, the sound insulation. I chose
Although there is no ANC, it supports ambient mode, which is important for everyday use of earplug-type earphones. By capturing external sounds with two microphones per ear, you can be aware of surrounding sounds without having to pull out in a hurry when someone talks to you or in front of a cash register.
Ambient mode is, in a sense, more important than active noise cancellation, and the actual performance is important. As far as I tested the actual device in a very short time and in a limited environment, I could hear the voices naturally, there was no ear-piercing of a specific frequency band, and there was no constant white noise. That said, we strongly recommend that you try it out at a store, as the way you hear outside sounds depends on your hearing characteristics and how you get used to it.
For safety and ear health related to ambient mode, Yamaha's unique listening care function continues to be installed from the previous model. As a characteristic of human hearing, it is difficult to hear high and low frequencies at low volumes. It is customary to adjust the sound so that it produces a “better sound.”
Low-latency gaming mode works on Nintendo Switch
The gaming mode, which has been increasingly used in recent complete wireless earphones, is a function that reduces the delay from when a terminal such as a smartphone emits a sound signal to when the earphone actually rings and reaches the ear.
Because the Bluetooth music transmission format prioritizes less interruptions than reducing delays, it buffers a certain amount before playing so that the place can be connected even when the data does not arrive. Gaming mode optimizes this buffer and simplifies part of the communication protocol to ``ring from the side of the arrival'' to reduce delays.
As a side effect, connectivity and stability will drop, but the idea is to cut the margin that can be cut during gameplay when you should be holding your smartphone in front of you.
Speaking of low-delay Bluetooth audio, there are products with low-delay specifications from the beginning at the level of codecs that encode and transfer sound, but in that case, the terminal on the sending side also needs to support low-delay codecs. For example, the Nintendo Switch only supports SBC, so even if you buy a Bluetooth gaming earphone that sells a low-latency codec, you can't enable it.
However, according to Yamaha, the TW-E5B's gaming mode is codec agnostic. In principle, even SBC that can be used with any device can reduce delay. No specific figures were given, but the expression was, "It is generally playable unless the delay is particularly severe for music games."
The biggest selling is acoustic design and "True Sound" sound quality
This product has many minor improvements and convenient functions, but the selling point of Yamaha earphones is the sound quality. at Yamaha
・Tonal Balance that enhances the separation of each sound from high to low frequencies
・Resilient sound that can express the rise of the sound. Dynamic Sound
・Sound that conveys the sense of distance in front and back and the spread of space without leaking even the smallest sounds. Sound Image
3 points. "True Sound", which shows Yamaha's commitment to sound quality, is not just a slogan, but an independent team that verifies the sound quality of all products, including high-end speakers, etc., True Sound Team. That's what I'm talking about.
Even if the in-house team calls it a "high hurdle", I feel that the evaluation of sound quality itself is know-how, and it can be said that it is the soul of an audio manufacturer.
The selling point of the design is that the driver is in a straight line from the eardrum, the diaphragm is made of PEEK material that is hard and highly responsive and can reproduce clear high frequencies, and the internal capacity is increased with a slightly larger housing.
The diameter of the driver is often talked about in the spec battle of a completely wireless earphone. According to Yamaha, as a result of repeating various tests, including a driver that is larger than the product version, 7mm was selected as the driver that can achieve the overall highest sound quality in balance with the housing size and internal capacity as a completely wireless earphone. He said he did.
In a short hands-on, I couldn't really listen to the sound quality evaluation, but if I had to express it in the number of characters appropriate for the trial time, it would be "Oh! 😲". If you prefer sound quality in the middle price range, we recommend listening at the store.
Unusual physical 3 button specification
Yamaha doesn't particularly endorse it, but it's subtly interesting to adopt a button that you pinch and push in the horizontal direction, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the ear canal.
Completely wireless earphones have various operation methods, such as products that push a physical button, products that pinch the shaft, those that use touch sensors, and those that use vibration sensors. When you tap the main unit, the vibration echoes in the eardrum and there is an unpleasant problem. In the worst case, if you tap it casually, it will just meet the microphone that captures the outside sound and make noise.
While the conventional model was a physical button that was pushed vertically, that is, in the direction of the ear hole, the E5B button is pushed horizontally by pinching the main body. Moreover, there are two buttons on the right side, and you can adjust the volume directly. Song forwarding and rewinding are also assigned to double clicks independently.
While there are many products that cannot adjust the volume on their own, or that require triple tapping, which is difficult to judge when returning, this is a specification that gives us a good impression.
Yamaha TW-E5B
