Amazon's new Echo Buds, completely wireless earphones with high cost performance

The degree of perfection is expected to come to Japan this time.

Amazon has released the second Echo Buds in the United States. The first one has not been released in Japan, so I don't know if the new Echo Buds will come, but it seems to be quite a bargain. The microUSB connector, which surprised me in the previous generation, has also been updated to USB-C. Check out Gizmodo's Caitlin McGarry reporter's review!

Amazon has announced the second edition of the Echo Buds. It has evolved further than the first generation in 2019, and the finish is so good that it makes me feel a little irritated.

Amazon hardware is everywhere now. The Kindle is great, but it still uses the microUSB port, the Echo's smart display is convenient but privacy scary, the fitness tracker is horribly noisy, and the original Echo Buds are obsolete with microUSB adoption, and they don't sound good. bottom. So with Alexa's second-generation Echo Buds, I honestly didn't know what to expect. But when you actually use it and compare it with other Bluetooth earphones, the price of the new Echo Buds is too attractive and you can forgive even minor problems. The sound quality has also improved considerably.

But what about Alexa, whether you like it or not, is another matter. More on that later.

Amazon Echo Buds (2nd generation)

What is this? : Amazon's second Bluetooth earphone, this time with noise canceling.

Price: $ 120 for a standard case and $ 140 for a wireless charging case.

What I like: Good sound quality and noise canceling, comfortable fit, low-key design, Alexa works as it should, and the price is unmatched.

What I don't like: I can't pair more than one device at the same time, and advanced features like Sidetone and "Find Echo Buds" don't work as intended.

Design is boring, but no problem

The appearance of the Echo Buds has almost no personality and it looks like there is no logo, but if you look closely at the earpiece, you can see the Amazon smile logo. I think that almost no one wants to actively listen to the Amazon logo, but since it is a black logo on a black background, it is almost invisible. The charging case also has a smile logo, but it's also on the bottom so it's not noticeable at all. However, there is also a white version of Echo Buds, and I haven't seen the real thing, but as far as I can see in the picture, the logo seems to be a little more noticeable.

The Echo Buds come with four silicone ear tips that are kindly color coded so you can see which one is paired with. Two sizes of wings are also included, but it is very difficult to attach and detach to the earpiece, and it also interferes with the magnet to attach the earpiece to the correct position of the charging case. I stopped using the wing because the Echo Buds' left earpiece battery dropped from 100% to 11% due to a strange fit in this wing. Either way, the wing didn't improve the fit much. It was tightly sealed without wings and allowed air to pass through, so I didn't feel uncomfortable wearing it for several hours.

The earpiece can be touch-operated, and music playback can be controlled with 1 tap, 2 taps, or 3 taps. Long press gestures can be customized to control the volume of the left or right earpiece. However, I didn't customize it because I couldn't control the noise canceling and external sound capture by pressing and holding it.

Surprised by the high sound quality

The big change this time is that the 1st generation was noise reduction, while the 2nd generation added active noise canceling. And it's working properly.

I ran for about three miles in the heart of Hollywood to see how much Echo Buds could block the noise of the city and capture it when needed, and Neucan was certainly excellent. You can turn the noise can on and off by pressing and holding either the left or right earphone, or by asking Alexa. The outside sound was taken in reasonably well, but I couldn't hear much outside sound compared to other noise-can earphones. By the way, the waterproof performance of Echo Buds is IPX4 and sweatproof, but it is not completely waterproof so that it can be submerged in water.

One of the external sound capture functions is "Sidetone", which specializes in voice calls. If you enable the setting on the Alexa app, you will be able to hear your voice more clearly. However, when I tried using it, it was a buggy, and even if I turned it on, my voice was not much different from when it was off, and in the meantime I could not use it. The difference wasn't big enough for me to notice, but when I was calling my mother with Sidetone on, my hair was so loud that it squeaked my earphones and said, "I hear lettuce chopping." I was told. If I turned off Sidetone, it didn't matter if my hair touched it.

The new Echo Buds driver is 5.7mm, has three mics, two are external beamforming, and one is internal. The sound quality is good, but it's not as rich or immersive as the more expensive AirPods Pro or Jabra Elite 85t. But I noticed that because I was listening to and comparing the same songs on all my devices. I've tried it on several music genres, from EDM to classic rock to Fiona Apple. Overall, the Echo Buds sound is balanced, and the Alexa app allows you to adjust the equalizer so you can boost the bass as much as you like.

Battery is not good

There are two versions of the new Echo Buds, one for $ 120 (about 13,000 yen), which is for USB-C charging. The more expensive $ 140 version can also use USB-C, but it can be charged wirelessly with the Qi standard. Apple's second-generation AirPods with wireless charging case cost $ 199 (Japanese price: 25,080 yen), and there is no noise can, so the Echo Buds are really a bargain.

Charging time is not particularly fast, either wired or wireless. However, it is helpful because the case can be charged by 30% in 30 minutes with USB-C or wireless, and the earphone can be charged for 2 hours in 15 minutes by putting it in the case. According to Amazon, the earphone can be used for 4 hours for a call with one full charge, and the charging case contains 8 hours even with ANC and Alexa on. When I actually tried it in my life, I felt like I had it for a couple of days while listening to music and podcasts, running, and calling.

Battery life lasts longer when you turn off Neucan and Alexa, and you can use the earphones for 6.5 hours and the case for 19.5 hours. It's the same as the AirPods Pro, but the AirPods Pro costs about $ 130 more than the standard Echo Buds model, or more than double. But personally, I recommend the Jabra Elite 85t, which lasts for 25 hours even with a noise can (Jabra Elite 85t is $ 230 and the Japanese price is 29,480 yen, but I think it's okay).

Alexa's good and bad points, and privacy issues

If you buy Amazon earphones, you probably don't hate Amazon as a company. Or maybe you have some Alexa devices in your house, but as I've said several times, Alexa is a minefield in terms of privacy. Amazon always has such a reputation, and there is good reason for it. So I personally don't want to let go of Alexa, but Amazon has made this Echo Buds a specification that can be used without Alexa or with just the bare minimum.

However, when setting up the Echo Buds, you need to use the Alexa app to use functions such as EQ adjustment and customization of tap operation. But if you just use it as an earphone with the default settings, you can pair with general Bluetooth settings and you don't need the Alexa app. There are several ways to launch Alexa and mute it as needed, so you don't have to worry about the sounds around you being picked up by your microphone and sent to the cloud. First, for Alexa to work, your phone's Alexa app must always be open and running in the background, and for Alexa to work, you need to have an Echo Buds in your ear. So when the earphones are in the case or on the table or on the table, Alexa doesn't hear the sound around you. If you want to use earphones but want to mute Alexa, you can set it by operating the app or customizing the gesture (hold down the earphones). When Alexa recognizes a wake word, you hear a tone, but nothing is physically noticeable.

However, if you don't mind having Alexa know everything about you, it's only convenient to have Alexa in your earphones.

I don't use Amazon's Echo ecosystem at home, so I'm rather confused by how quickly Alexa responds to wakewards. Even when listening to music or something on the Echo Buds, Alexa listens to and reacts to my voice. For example, when I was listening to a podcast while making a supper, I set a timer on Alexa, but while I said the command, the volume of the podcast just turned down a bit, and Alexa didn't interrupt the music. It seems to be a good idea to set a timer. In that respect, Siri is slow to report timer settings even when listening to music, rather than such an individual problem, Siri's existence itself becomes like a sad horse left behind in the setting sun. I'm sure ...

All of Alexa's standard skills can be set in the app, and you can ask by voice to play music, listen to Audible audiobooks, add reminders to your to-do list, make phone calls, and more from Echo Buds. You can do it properly. The reaction was quick and easy to operate, especially when I was moving around in the house or walking outside (I'm masking outside nowadays, so even if I say it alone, it's convenient for anyone. Not noticed). A feature called Alexa Transit allows you to search for public transport routes in major cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, as well as notify you of the status of the train or bus you're about to board. I can't use it in Los Angeles, where I live, but it's pretty cool to be able to search for transfers with earphones.

Using Alexa on my Echo Buds was as simple as setting a timer, listening to the weather forecast, and getting music played. This means that you can do what many people do with Echo speakers at home or on the go. If you're a Alexa-based smart home, the Echo Buds are even more useful.

Where I don't like

Echo Buds has good cost performance, but it is not perfect. Advanced features may not work as well as complaining, and one important thing is missing.

Just after Apple's AirTag launch, I was surprised that the Alexa app also had the ability to search for Echo Buds. But this Alexa version of the "Find My" feature isn't as sophisticated as AirTag. I've never lost one earphone, but I often lose track of the case with the earphones. And unless the Echo Buds charging case is open, there's no sound (because it's the earphones that make the sound, not the case). So to say the least, it doesn't help. It's not so much to leave the earphone case open.

Also, as I wrote above, Sidetone is a buggy and there is a problem with battery life.

But the biggest problem is that I can't connect to multiple devices at the same time, a feature I think is essential for Bluetooth earphones. Echo Buds can only connect one device at a time, so you can't seamlessly switch from your smartphone to your computer and vice versa. For people like me who think this feature is important, I recommend spending a little more to buy a noise-can earphone that can be connected to multiple devices. My favorite is the Jabra Elite 85t (or Elite Active 75t, this is a software-based noise can, very capable). Apple's AirPods Pro is also great for iPhone and MacBook users, but I personally don't like the fit, which is a shame.

Who should buy Echo Buds?

When I started testing the Echo Buds, wouldn't it be suitable for someone like me who is skeptical of Alexa or doesn't want to use it? I thought. But when I try to use it, even those who distrust Alexa are okay, especially considering the price, it's OK at all. For $ 120, you can get earphones with good sound quality, excellent noise canceling, and a good fit. A wireless charging case is also included for an additional $ 20. Of course, there are some drawbacks, such as short battery life and troublesome switching between multiple devices, but overall I was able to use it surprisingly comfortably. That's why I don't like it so much that I can use Alexa to the full, but fortunately I can use the Echo Buds without Alexa.